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Birth of William Lewis
William Owen Lewis is born to David and Cate Lewis in the little town of Cleve, South Australia. He is the third child and first son of the Lewis family. Upon finally birthing a son, David runs down the street shouting "It's a boy! It's a boy!" Cleve has never been the same since. -
Moves to Sierra Leone
William, age 2, moves to Sierra Leone in West Africa with his family due to his father's new role in overseas development organisation CBMI. Life in the jungle becomes the norm in his early stages of development, complete with cobras, monsoons and a Sierra Leonean nanny who spoils William rotten. -
Moves to France
Growing political unrest and civil war in Sierra Leone forces the Lewis family to leave. William exchanges palm trees and mosquitos for the green hills and running water of eastern France as his father studies French to prepare for the next big adventure. William, age 5, decides French isn't such a pressing concern at the given time. -
Moves to Niger
William's father's work now takes him to Niger, West Africa. There is a much larger Expat community here and William begins Primary School and makes many friends from different parts of the world. He only realises later that many came from overzealous missionary families trying to convert the country's Muslim population. At the time it doesn't make a difference. What we can learn from childhood... -
Back to Australia
The Lewis family returns to live in Melbourne, Australia after a brief sojourn in England. Life settles in Australia and William begins to understand all the weird cultural idiosyncracies ingrained in his parents behaviour. Soon they're part of his character and Africa becomes like another life. -
Grandfather Dies
William's Grandfather dies. First real experience of death. 10 year old William doesn't like it much. He finds it particularly strange seeing his father so upset. -
Begins Secondary School
William attends his first day of secondary school at Blackburn High School, where he will see out his High School days. Several friends from Primary School are with him but many new friends and influential people begin to enter his life. Being 12 suddenly doesn't seem so old anymore. -
Careers Advice Day
Careers Advice comes to school. William is convinced 'World Famous Novellist' will be his lot. Instead he gets a list with this omitted and replaced with occupations like 'Garbage Collector' and 'Bookbinder'. William decides Careers Advice is silly. -
Death of a Friend
A school mate is killed in a car accident. The event rocks the school and class community and William experiences first hand the life and perspective changes that come from such sudden and shocking events. -
High School Graduation
William finishes High School. The age old adage of sadness of things coming to an end mixed with excitement and new adventures that await applies. Tears flow and various pledges regarding never forgetting people are made. Green Day's 'Time of Your Life' gets stuck on repeat. -
Moving Along
William starts forgetting people from High School. -
First Uni Course
William begins an Arts degree. It's not as interesting as he first thought it would be. Conincidentally, as homework piles up, William simultaneously gets inspired to learn guitar. Visions of grandeur and sold out Rod Laver Arena shows ensue as he bashes out the chords to Coldplay's 'The Scientist'. -
Mother Gets Ill
Having been battling Leukemia, chemotherapy significantly weakens William's mother's immune system causing her to fall ill to a nasty bout of pneumonia. Several nervy stays in hospital and almost a year of never quite being sure if his mother will wake up again leaves William's perceptions of life, love and God put through a hurricane. But she survives and the family are the stronger for it. -
First Girlfriend
William finally plucks up the courage to ask out the girl he's liked for several months. Much to his amazement she says yes. Despite feeling more grown up than high school, many sappy messages, lame presents and sloppy kisses ensue. -
First Break Up
Thing don't work out. William is convinced his heart will be forever broken and there is no way back. At least it gives him an excuse to play sad songs at ridiculous levels of volume. William's parents' sympathy wears thin rapidly. -
Trip to New Zealand
William drives a campervan around New Zealand with several friends. One of them particularly catches his eye. The break up doesn't seem so bad anymore. He puts together a video of the travels to try and impress her. She rejects his advances. William decides that isn't half as much fun as girls saying yes. -
Turns 21
William celebrates his 21st birthday. He realises that, despite a brief moment of panic upon realising at this age Alexander the Great had conquered half the known world, he feels no different than any age before. He proceeds to celebrate by getting all his friends to dress like a James Bond movie and conquer half the known cocktails. -
Sister Gets Married
William's oldest sister's fiance liked it so he put a ring on it. William's OK with this because he's a pretty cool guy and welcome member to the family. Plus weddings are joyous and the whole day is a happy occasion. It's also the first step to babies, and everyone loves babies.* -
Wedding of a Good Friend
The first of of William's good friends gets married. It all seems like great fun as everyone gets dressed up and stands around in churches like they do in the films. Then the wine wears off, reality sets in and everyone realises they're actually married. -
Wedding of Another Good Friend
Another of William's good friends bites the bullet and ties the knot. More dressing up and hilarity ensues. Various people keep coming up to William, punching him on the arm and announcing "you're next." Age 22 and happily single, William doesn't think this is very funny. -
Trip to Thailand
William tags along with some friends for two weeks Thailand, the debaucherous playpen of the West. After a long and complex break up he lets loose and kisses a few girls. William decides this is somehow even less fun than break ups and after a forgettable night in Phuket and a memorable conversation with a Swedish man, he instead spends the time brooding on how a place so beautiful can be so ugly. -
Exchange to Iceland
Disenchanted with life and love William jets off to Europe to find/lose himself, explore and spend a semester of study at the edge of the world. It works. William has the time of his life, meets many interesting people and even bumps into the members of Sigur Ros in a supermarket. William decides Reykjavik must be the place he's being called to live, as he did with Berlin, Stockholm, Copenhagen... -
Return to Africa
William gets the chance to return to his childhood homes of Sierra Leone and Niger with his family. He finds it a strange thing, seeing his life as a child through eyes now able to see the injustices and tragedies of the place that was home. A bout of food poisoning and some pyschotic missionaries later and William decides this is the best and most beautiful bad experience of his life. -
The London Girl
Back in London, William meets a girl. Things progress. She's in London for another year, he's going home in two weeks. They decide to make it work. They're still making it work. William's suspicions that the internet is the best thing invented are confirmed as Skype gets a heavy workout. -
Return to Australia
William ends his nine month trip and returns home to Australia. Nothing seems to have changed. Much to his irritation it takes him all of 7.2 seconds to slip back into his old routine. William is happy to see everything again, but as happens to everyone who leaves, home, he has a new itch that can't be scratched. -
ePortfolio Due
William has ePortfolio for Humanities due. All the prompts that looked so fun at the time lose their charm a bit as the deadline looms. William promises himself next semester he'll stay on top of his work...
