Arnold Glasgow once wrote, “laughter is tranquilliser with no side effects.” How true is that statement.

There has been a virtual avalanche of incidents that have generated much laughter for me during my lifetime. From the time I was very young through to my old age, there have been hundreds and hundreds of incidents giving rise to laughter and then merry reflection.

One standout situation that gave me cause to laugh happened when I was 10 or 11. A weekly newspaper ‘The Farmers Weekly’ had a page for children titled ‘Cousin Anne’s Corner’. Children could join and become members. They could also write letters that were published with responses from Cousin Anne.

I wrote a letter, purportedly from my sister, seeking club membership. The letter talked about the fact that she was ever so lucky because she had an elder brother who was kind, loving and who looked after her. The letter offered glowing comments about her sibling. I took an envelope and one of my Mother’s postage stamps, addressed the envelope, placed the letter inside and posted it at the post office near my school.

Three weeks later my ‘sister’s’ letter was published with a response from Cousin Anne telling her how lucky she was to have an ‘out of the box’ brother like me; that I was one of a kind.

The reaction from my Mother and sister was predictable, but it was worth the angst of their reactions. It was a laugh then and on other occasions during the following years.