In Adelaide in the fifties, I was absolutely entranced by Father Christmas. I firmly believed that he lived in our John Martins department store in his Magic Cave, among the toys.

John Martins was an iconic store and was one of those lovely old fashioned shops with creaky escalators and lifts with a cage door which had to shut before the main door was closed. The uniformed lift attendants also stepped out of the lift on each floor and announced what was available there.

Second floor: 'Children's shoes, children's toys, children's clothes and Father Christmas'. So delightfully old world. The various floors were a bit of a tardis and there were surprises around every corner. My favourite floors were the children's clothes and toys.

Another reason that I liked John Martins so much was that they sponsored the John Martins annual  Christmas Pageant This was held in early November. All the staff and their families used to be able to take part in this pageant. How I wished my Mum or Dad were staff at Johnnys. Then I could have been the fairy on top of Nipper or Nimble, waving a wand and surrounded by tinsel. Nipper and Nimble were two rocking horses, that after the pageant were wheeled into the Magic Cave for all children to ride on. They didn't rock for the pageant of course; that would have been dangerous Can you imagine two fairy girls rocking and sailing over the horses heads? Anyway, those two little girls who rode the horses on the big day were the envy of girls around Adelaide.

Father Christmas used to arrive at the North Terrace entrance to John Martins where he was greeted by the Pageant  queen, who was the envy of all the older girls, into his residence in the Magic Cave.

The Magic Cave was open to children for visits to Father Christmas the Monday following the pageant. I was always anxious to visit the Magic Cave.  Anyway, I pestered my Mum to take me early on that first  Monday morning and, I guess she, for want of a peaceful life, agreed. My OCD was doing overtime. I'm still OCD, but I don't obsess about Father Christmas any more.  I was so over the top excited. I wore my best dress and we set out for town on the steam train.

I practically raced on my short plump legs, from the railway station to the Magic Cave, which is a fair distance. Even my Mum must have had trouble in keeping up and she was a fast walker. We paused briefly at the front of Johnnys to admire the massive Father Christmas which was attached to the outside of the building. At last we were there riding up to the second floor, which was where the Magic Cave was. I leapt out of the lift as soon as the lift attendant announced; Second floor; Toys, Children's shoes and the Magic Cave. Mum bought me a ticket, which I had to give to Father Christmas in exchange for a stocking with a cardboard back and a red net front,  great for seeing the contents of the stocking. I loved those red stockings and kept mine for ages. They usually had in them things like a party whistle, some lollies, a bubble pipe, a paper doll with clothes and maybe some playing cards for a game of Snap. Also some coloured pencils or crayons. Anyway everything looked more enticing through the red net.

To reach Father Christmas, I had to walk along two passages, decorated to make them look snowy and then I was confronted by Father Christmas. I was quite overcome, seeing the object of my affection, but I answered his questions, such as what I wanted and whether I'd been a good girl. Of course I was. He then wished me a Merry Christmas and my eagerly awaited meeting was over. I didn't mind though, as then there were rides on Nipper and Nimble, the funny mirrors which  distorted body shapes, and a lucky dip, separated into boys and girls. To finish up the morning, my Mum took me to her favourite coffee shop the Bohemian, for a ham sandwich and a pineapple milk shake. Actually, my Mum had a pot of tea and a date scone, her favourite.

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At school the next day, I slyly asked my friends if they had seen Father Christmas yet, knowing full well that I was probably the first in the class. They said no and when they found out that I'd visited him they were full of gasps and 'oh you lucky thing. What did you ask for '? Whereupon I'd tell them. It was usually something girly. One year it was a toy koala and another was a fairy dress, inspired by the two little fairies on Nipper and Nimble. My cousin wanted the same, and I've since been told that our mothers were up till 2am making these dresses, which were beautiful and just what we'd asked Father Christmas for.

It may surprise you to know, or it might not, that I still watch the pageant on TV. The floats are wonderfully colourful and varied, but the one I wait for most is dear old Father Christmas in his sleigh, pulled by the reindeer and I whisper: 'Welcome to Adelaide Father Christmas.'

Sadly, John Martins (known as Johnnys) no longer exists. Another department store now stands on the site. It's all black, white and chrome inside and looks and feels like an operating theatre, all crisp and pristine. In fact most of our department stores are like that. What a shame.