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Hi ...
Here are a few little notes of our year. You can find more exuberant detail on the rest of our web site.
August marked 12 months at Watson (We moved from Wamboin-in-the-bush on Robert's birthday 12 August last year!) It seems much less, but I suppose we should now consider ourselves fully-fledged city slickers. The transition has been a big success; we've all saved on transport, and it's great being able to get around by walking, bike or bus. We've some regrets about leaving our very special home at Wamboin, but, well, we had a great time there for eighteen years, and it's been a satisfactory change.
Karen enjoyed Year-10 at Campbell High, with academic, sporting and social activities jostling for time. Her participation in the Play and the Fashion Parade were great fun, and now, of course, we're coming up to the Graduation and "Formal" climax of it all. She's looking forward to new environment, friends and challenges at Dickson College next year.
KJ's drumming continues apace. Teacher Andrew was a great find, a truly inspirational teacher and mentor. Karen was fortunate in finding a work-experience placement at Better Music, vendors of drums etc. Her Street Funk Dancing lessons have been a fun and fitness experience.
She has worked at Carlo's Restaurant at Watson, setting-up the Gymbaroo, cleaning St. Aidan's Church, and is seeking further employment over the next couple of months. Karen and Friends came along with Dad (who is sometimes still useful for transport and camping services) to the Christian Musical Festival Black stump ("a Stump Odyssey"). KJ did a great job in introducing Dad to the likes of Antiskeptic, Elementary Penguin, Funky Dory and the Moron Tabernacle Choir. She had a beaut time with old friends, and met lots of new ones.
Chris' post-School Millenium has started rather energetically. On completion of Year-12 last year, he successfully auditioned for admission to Wollongong University's Dramatic Arts course, but deferred to 2002 pending the outcome of other auditions. He's worked in many capacities at Murramarang Resort, Gecko Gang, Hudson's Cafe, Botanic Gardens Cafe and Rydges' Hotel, among others. He's always asked back, and will never be unemployed!
Chris' Big Adventure this year was his three-month trip to Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia. He saved up the pennies, studied Spanish, planned it all ahead, and reaped the rewards in having a great experience. He was able to meet up with Alison on her AFS-exchange stay, and survive some amazing experiences. Perhaps the challenges now are to: (a) Get people to believe all the strange stories of it, (b) Maintain the Spanish language and (c) Be able to "think globally" while settling back into "acting locally"! Dad went along for four weeks, then left CJ to his own resources. More copious details and some pickies etc. can be found on our web site.
November 23 was a rather grand day, with the presentation of the Queens Scout award by the Governor General to Chris and nine others. It was followed by a dinner with Lt. General Peter Cosgrove, with more presentations and speeches. This culminates years of Joeys/Cubs/Scouting/Venturer work. The Canberra Time carried a large Page-3 picture of the "Fire-Breathing Scout", with an article that managed to combine CJ's circus life, the Lost-and-Found adventure last year, and the Queen's Scout Award.
Adrian, having finished his two-year Diploma of Communication and Media Studies at Canberra Institute of Technology, has sharpened his career focus on "Outdoor Education". He was accepted at La Trobe University (Bendigo), but instead took up a one-year "Internship" at Outward Bound, Tharwa (near Canberra). He going great guns there, undertaking diverse training and working to provide challenging experiences for OB students. It’s fortunate that he is nearby for easy visits home when he has a day or so free. Some of his colleagues come to OB from distant cities, and overseas.
AJ and CJ had a two-week sojourn in Tasmania before we lost AJ to Outward Bound and CJ to South America. This was a beaut opportunity for the Dynamic Duo to have time and adventure together, a practice for Chris' impending trip overseas, and a rare meeting between them, their Uncle Tony, Auntie Stephanie, and Cousins-Across-The-Sea.
Jeanne works at ESL (English as Second Language) teaching at Gordon Primary School. It's ironic that as we moved into town, JJ's employment moved away from us, but it's worked out OK and her contract has been extended into next year. School Reports continue as a stressful encounter each term, but the smiling faces and happy voices of the little ones overcome all obstacles.
JJ has embarked on Masters of Ed. studies by correspondence, which would expect to cover some years of work. This will no doubt bring a mixture of stresses and rewards, but, as they say - "Nothing ventured, nothing gained"! Her work with the Association of ESL Teachers imposes some stresses, with constitutional reforms, teleconferences and continual email correspondences. She's off to their Conference in Adelaide in January. Hubby RJ has generously agreed to go along to carry the briefcase and arrange the twilight river cruises etc.
Jeanne's mum Lola lives in Griffith, so communication there is not so easy. Wouldn't it be nice if our family(ies) stayed around in "the village" as one big happy extended family? Perhaps there are multiple points of view about that(!). Brother Frank is ampling inner-city Sydney life, after half a century in The Bush. Uncle Ned and Auntie Olga Steele were represented by Cousin Pam's life-sized figures at the Oz Centenary "Peoplescape" extravaganza at Parliament House, which was rather grand.
JJ has kept fit and sleek with water aerobics, and in-tune by performing with the ACT Singers. Gardening and meeting neighbours by following Sootie around "Watto" are an important part of her life.
Robert still earns a crust by labouring with computers at Dept. Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT). Recent world events have caused a lot of stress, but certainly less so for RJ than for many. The work is characterised by a strong focus on specific outcomes - quite different to the process-orientation at ABS. The two-year contract terminates early next year, requiring some re-evaluation.
RJ continues to enjoy good health, participation in Family, Church and Community activities, fun(?)-running and interaction with friends. His four-week travels in Argentina were great, both as a multicultural, multi-linguistic experience and for the valuable time with Chris (who stayed on another two months). Participation with Karen and friends in the Black Stump Festival was an eye-(and ear-) opener; an affirmation of the powerful relevance of the Christian experience in young people's lives.
Sister Kathy has done lots of work in collecting family history and reflections. Some of this is now on our web site, available for linking to other sections of the family.
Sootie is still a joyful presence in our family life. He had major surgery for cancer last year, but it returned as expected and we have decided against further and more radical treatment for the sake of a possible short extension of his time. So while his tail is still wagging, we'll do what we can to help him make the best of each day - Perhaps there's a lesson there for all of us!
RJ (Ed).
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