I acted like a bloke for most of my life.
Two years later we married.
During the week, I lived as a man but at home, I dressed as a woman.
Linda’s kids were grown up and had moved out so they didn’t know.
Linda was a gem, so understanding, but it was stressful for her.
Often, I’d be in a skirt and heels when there’d be a knock on the door.
I’d bolt for the bedroom to change and wash off make-up.
We decided to buy a farm to avoid people dropping by.
Miles from anywhere, I could truly be myself.
Sometimes I’d go three months without seeing a soul.
There were still close shaves though.
One day, dressed in a skirt and heels, I was driving a tractor towards our home.
As I came over a hill I saw the local stock and station agent parked in our drive.
I dived off the tractor and hid in the bushes until he left.
Buying women’s clothes was a problem. There wasn’t much choice in the country.
I had to wait until I had a trip to Melbourne and then I’d go to the department stores and tell the sales staff I was looking for something for my wife.
Eventually we sold the farm and settled in Violet Town, Vic.
Linda and me on our wedding day.
Small rural towns can be conservative, so I kept my secret life under wraps.
I put an infra-red alarm on my front gate to give me time to change if anyone came round and erected high fences so nobody could look in.
Over the years, as society became more accepting of transgender people, I relaxed.
We told Linda’s kids and they were great.
“You can be our wicked stepmother,” they teased affectionately.
Some friends knew my secret.
Among them were a few people from a local trike club we joined.
When the club did a procession for the Bendigo Easter Parade I decided to test the waters by dressing up as a woman.
To the crowd it looked like I was having a joke.
But to me, wearing a frock in public for the first time felt exhilarating.
Afterwards, I walked into a pub where the rest of the trike club had gathered, and got a cheer from my friends.
“I felt really accepted,” I choked to Linda later.
Then Pam, a friend who knew my secret, asked me to go to a meeting at her country ladies’ group.
The members would bring in things that had an interesting story.
I decided it was time to go public about my true self so I agreed.
Me and Linda today.
I hid behind a curtain as a couple of ladies did their show and tell about crockery and plants.
Then Pam got up, delivered a speech about what transgender means, and said, “I’d like to introduce you to Diane.”
When I walked out, dressed to the nines, the other ladies’ jaws hit the floor but everyone was very nice and welcoming.
From then on, the cat was out of the bag.
I legally changed my name from David to Diane and began living as a woman.
It was a huge relief for Linda.
Neither of us had to hide anymore.
If people said to Linda that not many women could have done what she’d done, she replied, “We love each other. Nothing has changed.”
Not long I after I “came out” I went to our local market.
It usually took me 20 minutes to get around it.
This time it took two-and-half-hours because so many people wanted to stop and congratulate me.
Now, if I go to the shops, I always wear a dress and heels.
Sometimes people stare and I look away but Linda stares right back to show she supports me.
Most people have been so kind and told me how brave I was.
A part of me wishes I’d done it years ago but people were nowhere near as accepting back then.
And, if I had, I’d probably have had full transition surgery and wouldn’t have met my wonderful Linda.
Things have a funny way of working out.
I can finally be myself.
Nobody chooses to be born transgender.
For me it was over 60 years of torment; I was born in the wrong body.
But now, at last, I can be the woman I was always supposed to be.
