After decades of scoffing at after-school trick-or-treaters, I now wear a witch’s hat and hit the streets with my junior hobgoblins

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Halloween has become a fixture in Australia’s cultural calendar, but that hasn’t always been the case.

Growing up, Halloween only existed in American pop culture. The first sign it had spread here came sometime in the 90s, when a group of kids knocked on our door. My mother, bewildered by their seemingly random request for sweets, hurried off to the pantry. I never saw their reaction but I’m sure they enjoyed their wholemeal Saladas and tinned peaches.

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