I was 12 when Leonard Hughes, who lived in the next street and was 3 years ahead of me in school took me with him to the park with his control line plane. I was hooked.
Saved up and bought an unboxed Wenmac 0.8cc glow plug engine for 15/- (30/- full price} & a KeilKraft Cessna kit. Soon got the hang of it & there were about 6 or 8 of us regularly there.
The Park Keepers wanted us away from other kids so cut us a big square in the middle of the elephant grass patch.
Was soon building my own models from balsa and tissue & even made fuel tanks.
Then I was suddenly 15 & expanding working on bikes - mostly servicing them for the owners & started test riding. A mate from school was given a Sunbeam/BSA Scooter & a 2 stroke Triumph Tina that I got running & we road for a year around the fields near their family flat. He sold them and bought a Lambretta for the road.
I didn't buy a bike until I was 18 & took my test.