Harris Smart writes…

I was walking down a suburban street in Melbourne Australia.

The city of Melbourne is remarkable in that it was only founded round the middle of the 19th century and by the 1890s it was already a big and thriving city, “Marvellous Melbhourne”. This was because gold was discovered in the surrounding countryside.

Many people became fabulously wealthy and built themselves splendid mansions in a style known as “Italiante”. Many of these great houses have disappeared, a few survive.

I was walking past one of these called Labasaa. The mansion survives, but alas the grounds have disappeared beneath the suburban sprawl. The ordinary boxes now crowd up to the walls of the splendid mansion, a lovely island recalling former glory.

I saw a cat on a Labassa window-sill about to jump. I was carrying a camera.  I snapped. I snapped a 2^nd time, and then a 3^rd, recording the landing.

There you have it!

I was the man, I was there. (as Walt Whitman said).

Isn’t that what every photograph says? I was a witness for a moment…