The James Clan –

 

Year-2007 Reflections by Robert …

 

 

E

ach year at this time, I wonder about "change" - How is this Christmas different for us from last Christmas, what's changed this year from last, and what do we hope for the year coming?

 

 

One thing that's changed is that our family tree has grown another little bud - my sister Kathy's daughter Rebecca and hubby Richard have given birth to a son Max.  So Kathy is a grandma of two!

 

An "end-of-era" event was the departure of our great friend John to the UK.  He introduced us to the Initiatives of Change (IofC) community, and has been a close friend for many years.  Although we'll miss his wedding in January, Jeanne and I hope to see him and his new wife Mary on a trip to Europe next year.

 

A

drian has just completed the last year of his Outdoor Education (OE) degree course at Bendigo, anxiously awaiting exam results.  His extensive experience earned him credit to allow the three-year course to be completed in two years.  He expects to go on to a Dip.Ed. next year, while teaching.

 

AJ's special friend Alycia is working at King Island (Bass Strait, north of Tasmania), and wrangled a full-time job for AJ, managing OE programmes there next year!  He checked-out King Island on a brief trip recently, and sure looks forward to this next special phase of his life.  We're expecting to spend some time with Alycia's family in Melbourne over Christmas.

 

Squeezed in amongst his Uni work this year, Adrian has led numerous groups from Geelong Grammar School and the Outdoor Education Group on expeditions.  He would like to "run his own show" in the Outdoor Ed. field in due course, as he has a clear vision of a great role for OE in 21st C. schools!

 

Adrian has made firm friends (one in particular!) on his travels, and retained some from his part life at Wamboin.  It’s great to see how these relationships transcend changing life circumstances.

K

aren moved to Melbourne with her friend Wade, now resident in a comfy little house at Mount Waverley.  They're now engaged, and planning the Big Event next year.  There's still a constellation of proposals for the timing, location and style of the wedding, but I'm sure it will come to pass, with our blessing, in the fullness of time.

 

Following casual jobs at a restaurant and the Rialto Hotel, she's now working full-time at the illustrious Windsor Hotel.  This is going quite well, subject to the expected rigours of Melbourne transport etc, but she's planning studies to take her beyond restaurant work into the wider world on human resources management etc.  Wade is a professional chef, formerly of the Crowne Plaza Hotel where Karen worked in Canberra and Terrigal. 

 

Karen loves being with people, and even in Melb, keeps coming across her many friends and associates from the restaurant industry.

 

F

ollowing his graduation in Creative Arts, Chris undertook 15 months or so travelling internationally with the Initiatives of Change (IofC) programme "Action for Life".  That was a tremendous experience that introduced him to numerous wonderful countries, cultures and people. He has ongoing contact with many of these people, and plans for follow-up projects.

 

His extraordinary one-man play "Beyond Truth" appeared in Canberra. and Melbourne.  Chris developed it on his travels, after observing how issues such as father-son relations seemed to transcend countries and cultures.  We look forward to its further development and appearance next year.   

 

CJ has completed the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS) course, in preparation for building a business providing leadership training for young people.  He and IofC friends undertook a trip to Fiji, to inspire and train people there to run their own "Life Matters" course, for which they have traditionally come to Melbourne. 

 

2007 has been a demanding year of challenging new creative endeavours for Chris, living and working in the IofC community in Melbourne, building his leadership training business, and engaging in life on the creative edge!

 

J

eanne has had a good year in terms of improved health and professional satisfaction (I believe that the two are related).  Our kids have no grandparents remaining, but they do have fond memories of Jeanne's mother Lola, who died last year after a long illness.

 

JJ works part-time ESL teaching in school terms, in aged-care at Villagio Retirement Village and Nursing Home.  Although this is a lot of hours, it seems to be working well.  She may migrate back to full-time teaching next year.

 

Jeanne completed her Cert.IV in Aged Care, and should graduate with her Diploma of Community Development studies next year.  One thing that doesn't seem to change is her love of ongoing studies!   She would love to work more in art therapy, having found this to be a most valuable medium with people lacking other means for adequate expression.

 

Close friends of long-standing (I was going to say “old friends”) are a joy and solace to Jeanne, who loves to spend special occasions and times of sharing reflections with Venetia “and the girls”.  Could it be that Karen follows in these footsteps?

 

W

ith “Ma and Pa Kettle" living with Bibs in the five-bedroom house at Watson, there's obviously an argument to downsize.  Problem is that the numerous offspring keep coming home to roost, and there's a certain inertia factor that impedes change.  We have three kids in Melbourne, my sister and family and Jeanne's bro in and around Sydney, and friends in Syd, Melb and Canberra.  So Canberra seems the place to stay for the time being!

 

I escape from my IT-centric world of work at DFAT by engagement with church activities, Initiatives of Change, the Prisoners Aid Assn, in Canberra, the Aust. Soc. of General Semantics and Ross's Jungian discussion group.  My letters of protest to newspapers have abated somewhat with the merciful change of government.

 

Having already lived longer than my parents, I try to see each day as a bonus, realised most fully through relationship with my family.  Chris’s play “Beyond Truth” was a heartfelt expression of his own family experience and reflections, which I received as a precious gift; a privilege that I think would be experienced by very few parents. 

 

My mum’s two sisters Elsa and Sheila are still going strong.  We were delighted to be a part of Sheila’s 80th birthday revelries on a Sydney Harbour cruise, which was a great coming together of many far-flung branches of the family, in some cases after 40 years!

 

I find major change to be rather challenging, preferring evolution to revolution, and tending to support and facilitate change in our lives, rather than driving the change process.  This has strengths and weaknesses, but at least it helps to keep the ship afloat while we maintain a sense of direction and strive to make headway.

 

May you have a most blessed Christmas, and achieve something very special in the year ahead!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert,

(on behalf of J&R, A, C and K)

 

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