I had an idyllic upbringing on the famous Bondi beach in the 1960s. I would swim before and after school and was a member of the local swimming and surf club.

I remember seeing coconut oil sprayed on sunbathers with the intention of getting more burnt for a better tan. There was a dangerous ignorance and total lack of awareness about what the sun was doing.

Bondi Beach this week. Credit:Janie Barrett

Like most kids the only protection I had from ultra-violet damage to my skin was a layer of pink zinc put lovingly on the nose by my parents. They knew no better. A bronzed skin was viewed as a sign of health and vitality. Regardless of the later skin damage I experienced I would not have swapped my upbringing.

My only regret is that my parent's generation knew nothing of the dangers of excessive sun exposure, like we know now. Later the lack of sun awareness in the early years began to take a heavy toll.