AUNTY AVRIL

…was a real person

Her Story

On 30 April 1957, Aunty Avril and her two friends wheeled their three grey Vespas aboard a ship in Africa, and set out on an extraordinary year-long scooter journey across Europe and the United Kingdom.

It was an era when single women in their twenties rarely travelled independently — let alone departed on scooters in pursuit of adventure. Their audacious undertaking defied convention and challenged prevailing expectations of how young women were meant to behave.

Wherever they rode, the spirited trio turned heads. They breezed through towns and cities with confidence, winning admirers and softening even the sternest expressions. Seeing three young women charting their own course across a continent astride Vespas was both novel and disarming.

Their exploits drew indulgent smiles from local and national newspaper editors, who quickly recognised the irresistible appeal of the story. Reports of their journey appeared in print, and enthusiastic readers embraced the dashing young riders as favourites.

Born in 1930, Avril Watts was one of two daughters of Cecil and Mary Watts, Growing up alongside her was her sister, Doreen.

Through her self-made scooter adventures, Aunty Avril lives on to ride further.

Wish-granting May

But the insects would pause and listen whenever six-year-old May, the middle child, picked up a large stick to stir over-ripe paw-paws into imaginary green and yellow feasts, spiced with the heads of tiny yellow daisies.

Everyone’s joyful and fun-loving friend, May was adored by all who lived in the garden.

The roar of fluttering plants and bustling creatures would quieten when May raised her pawpaw-smeared stick high like a wand, transformed it into a wand, and declared—loud and certain—that everyone’s wishes were coming true.

The impeccably manicured lawns, framing the chaotic vegetable patch, constantly cast displeased green frowns at the pandemonium of the trees and plants.

At the lawn’s centre, perched atop a white pole, stood a birdhouse where two elegant fantail pigeons made their home.

Aunty Avril’s nephew & nieces

Avril Watts’ nephew was Guy, and her nieces were his two younger sisters, May and Eva.

Their large backyard was a world of its own. In the right corner, stood a giant avocado tree, quietly flanked by two rows of pawpaw trees.

The dark green avocado overlooked a square vegetable patch, neatly divided by three straight sandy paths into four identically sized beds, each edged with two lines of stoic red bricks.

Shadow-racing Guy

Guy, the eldest, and one of the world’s most meticulous 9-year-old budding accountants, counted the bricks to make sure they added up correctly.

Whenever he paused to gaze at the blue sky, his sisters knew he was busy adding, subtracting and dividing in his head.

After school, he would race his shadow home to reclaim the backyard kingdom he shared with his sisters.

Within the brick-lined vegetable beds tumbled the chaotic beauty of beaming tomatoes, jolly pumpkins, and secretive carrots growing beneath green beans with wild, curling tendrils.

Bees whirred, spiders scuttled, butterflies quivered, and the demure paw-paws blushed as ripe avocados plummeted from the tree.

Listening Eva

Each morning after breakfast, three-year old Eva lined up the children’s toys on the perfectly trimmed lawn, so they could enjoy Mother Nature’s delightful show.

Dropping tempting dried corn on her palm, she lured the pretty fantails to join in.

Though the toys complained about the careless birds disturbing the straight-lined seating, deep-thinking Eva paid no mind.

With a tiny finger to her lips, she shushed them so she could hear the underground secrets being whispered between the carrots and the butterflies.

But the backyard fell completely silent when Aunty Avril arrived with tales of her world adventures.

Birds froze, insects paused mid-buzz, roots rested from growing, and leaves ceased their unfurling.

Everyone wanted to be the first to hear about Aunty Avril’s latest awe-inspiring adventure.