Gary Bender:  

Someone out there wants to hear my story.Why,I don't know.But ,as I write this I'm starting to realize I'm a complicated GUY. I'm going to have to write my story in Chapters, maybe I'll become famous like Mick Foley ( Cactus Jack ) the Wrestler on WWE so dig in and hang on to your wallet.......CHAPTER 1...... I was born in St. Pauls Hospital, Vancouver and lived with my Parents in Vancouver until 5 yrs old where we moved to Coquitlam on a beautiful acreage at that time overlooking the now Portman Bridge.We had 3 acres of prime property on a hillside covered in cedarwoods which was great for Myself (5 yrs at the time we moved) and my sister Vicki who was 3 yrs my senior.Those cedars or forest as what we called it was the source of many an adventure with many a wild animal,and monsters with Indians on the warpath and stage holdups and aliens from outerspace that we defeated with ease from our Treeforts which could only be accessedby swinging up on a rope.This of course was tested for safety by my Mother wwho would test the knots and swing up on her own.I had mixed emotions about that of course not wanting the neighbours thinking me a mamas boy.But as I look back on it,me being a 1 & only son it was my fate to be a "mama's" boy at least til I was 15 yrs old.I started school at Millside School where I would spend the next 6 yrs .Also during those rugged years I was training to be a Cubscout, then Boyscout where I earned many patches on my sleeves and did a lot of Dib, dib,dibbing & Dob,dob,dobbing.Thats Scout talk. Graduating from Millside I moved on to spend 2 yrs at Mundy Road Elementary, at that time of my life my mother thought that I had an ear for music so my parents bought me an accordian and paid for lessons so I could become a great accordian musician.I became famous playing at several "Old Folks Homes" where everyone was tone deaf or sleeping.Mom was so proud of me.She thought I was a little Angel so she introduced me to the Minister of our Church and volunteered me to be an Altar Boy which I did carrying the cross and leading the choir on Sundays at our Church. all this was great training but it was not in me to be a namby-pamby so it was Montgomery School where my life took a change.....CHAPTER 2 ......Our family moved to Dawes Hill where there was a group of guys and girls all in the same age group as me.I soon became freinds with a few of them and this was my 1st experience with the Dawes Hill Gang. I started combing my hair in a ducktail with lots of Vitalis to hold it in place, we had some houseparties where I drank some beer and kissed my 1st girlfreind .I might have gone farther with her but I switched my drinksa to Lemon Gin and ended up puking my guts out .It was only a Mickey .I drank half & she drank half.She passed out and my cousin drove her home with me in the back seat throwing up out the window.I never did see her after that.We all went to Montgomery School and I thought I was cool and tough.I got in my first fist fight at that school a...Expand for more