Jo Frawley, Frankston...

I am 15 years old and have lived in Frankston nearly all my life. I was born at Frankston Hospital, and went to Frankston schools. 

My dad says Frankston "isn't what it used to be" since I was born. When I was two months old, Sarah MacDiamid went missing at Kananook station and was never seen again. I lived across the road from Kananook Station. 

In 1993, around the time of my third birthday, mummy told me to stay inside because of a mass murderer on the loose, and all of Frankston had to lock themselves in their houses. I missed out on my first day of kindy. Eventually, as I grew up, I learnt to be a street-smart sort of girl, never leaving the house without telling mum and not hanging around the train stations after 9:00pm. 

We eventually moved to Frankston North, or "The Pines", as we call it. I remember watching Monterey Tech being burnt to the ground with my cousins. I remember news people coming to the burnt site, and thinking "How wonderful. Maybe people will see us and give out town money so we can live like those people on the hill (Mornington and Mt Eliza)". Whenever those kids from Mt Eliza came to use our great Pines pool, or soccer grounds, I remember hearing them say "What a hole", or "If you don't be careful, Tamara, you could end up living in The Pines like them". 

We never took any notice of them, because we knew that if we wanted to get somewhere, we would have to work twice as hard. But we did have one advantage, while they were being brought up with private schools, tonnes of cash and nice big houses, we were brought up in Frankston!