ANZAC Day

ANZAC Day has always been a special day for me. When I was young, it was mainly because it is also my birthday but as I grew older and learned the meaning of this day and the reason we commemorate it, the day has become even more special for me. I remember in primary school we had a large elaborately framed painting (I suppose it was a print) depicting the landing at Gallipoli and I would stare at that painting and wonder at the bravery of those soldiers on the beach. Of course I was always the envy of my school mates because my birthday fell on a public holiday. As an adult my appreciation of this sacred day increased and I read all I could about the tragic Gallipoli campaign and the terrible Western front. When I began my oral history collection, I was determined to make my first (outside family) interview with a World War 1 veteran and he was a great privilege to meet. Sadly I think they are all gone now, at least in Australia. I have attended many ANZAC services over the years, as well as marches. I was most proud to attend a march a few years ago in which my son who was then serving in the Air Force marched. To my shame though, I have not yet attended a dawn service - but I hope to do so next year. This year I attended a local suburban service which attracted hundreds of people including many local schoolchildren. So the ANZAC spirit is alive and growing. LEST WE FORGET.

Weight Loss

I've completed my 12 week weight loss program and am very pleased with the results. I lost 5.3 kgs and 5.5 cm from my waist. It was a fun way to do it. We had lovely ladies in our group who met twice a week for our gym session with a terrific personal trainer. The first couple of weeks were difficult as I got used to the diet, which is mainly protein and using a protein supplement. The best part of the diet was having one day a week when we could eat what we like. But as time went on, even on those "free" days I was still eating carefully. I've been jogging most days of the week as well as going to the classes. So now that it's all over and we've "graduated" the challenge will be to continue on this health and fitness path.

Camera Club Honour

I'm very excited to have won another Honour at our last Camera Club meeting. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the judging night as I was at the last class of my weight loss program (more about that in a later blog entry!!). My friend and fellow Camera Club member, David, gave me the good news about my entries. I received an Honour for my "Nimbin Smoko" photo of a couple of middle-aged hippies having morning tea outside a shop in Nimbin. They were just two of the many colourful characters in the town which attracts a lot of tourists keen to see the "alternative" lifestyle in action. It's a lovely part of the world. You can see more of the wonderful photos taken by members by clicking here.

Jury Service

Recently I did what I believed to be my civic duty and served on a jury. I had been called twice before but had declined because of my occupation but this time, as I'd retired, I thought it might be an interesting experience. I checked the jury list every day to see if I was required to attend the following day and after a week it was finally my turn. I was herded into a large room with other potential jurors and gradually large groups were taken away. Those left behind were given no explanation of what was happening and what we were waiting for as we whiled away an hour watching the overhead TV or reading magazines provided. At last it was my turn to be taken to the court for empanelling. Our names were read out and the Defence barrister and Prosecutor decided whether to allow each person to be sworn in. My name was called and there was no objection so I found myself on a trial with 11 other jurors. The trial was not a pleasant experience and dragged on for three days. There was a lot of traipsing back and forth from court to jury room. When the trial concluded, we had to deliberate on our verdict and that was an interesting social experiment as there were many different personalities who had different viewpoints on the trial. We had to make our decision on the evidence presented and that included the word of the defendant and the complainant. So for the most part we had to decide who was telling the truth. We were unable to make a decision by late evening so then were herded off to a motel for the night. As we were in deliberation mode, there was no contact with the outside world except through our bailiff, who was very nice and looked after us well. The next day we returned to the jury room to make our final decision. In the court room we gave our verdict and were discharged. I went to the public gallery to hear what happened next. I wanted to see it through. The defendant was duly sentenced.

I found the whole experience emotionally exhausting and something I never want to repeat. My case was comparatively mild to many you read about in the papers and I feel for the jurors on those, but I still found the process traumatic and took me a couple of weeks to stop thinking about it. I was happy to return home after that terrible week. Jurors are not supposed to discuss the case except with their GP, and I did. I'm feeling better about it now but I never want to be in the situation again where my decision will affect someone else's life. I don't want that responsibility. It is too heavy.

Camera Club Honours

Last year I joined a camera club, Queensland Camera Group, to meet like-minded people and learn to improve my photos. The club is full of enthusiastic friendly people inspired by a love for photography. There are monthly club competitions and seminars by guest speakers teaching us about different aspects of photography. I have entered some of my photos over the last few months achieving an "Acceptance" and receiving some helpful tips from judges on improvement. This month, I am very excited to have achieved two "Honours" from judge Anne Russell. In January I did a weekend course on Digital Photography at the Queensland College of Art, at Southbank which I very much enjoyed and learned a great deal. I took several photos during that weekend and two of them were the ones which got "Honours" at this month's competition - "Yeller Propeller" and "Fountain or Ashtray?" So now I am "honoured" to be part of the group to have won "Merits" or "Honours" and therefore featured in "Club Competitions" gallery. There you will find my photos among a number of outstanding photographs by other club members. I am very proud to be among them and am sure you will enjoy them all too.

Losing Weight

Like many other people at the start of the year, I have begun a weight loss program at my local YMCA gym. After putting up with a very unattractive spare tyre around my middle, I was determined to do something. So I've rejoined the gym for an intense 12-week weight loss program. I was told the first two weeks are the hardest, especially with the diet which is mainly protein, fruit and vegetables - no carbohydrates. The diet is difficult but I'm getting used to it. The best thing is that one day a week I can eat whatever I like. I've begun dreaming about food. Part of the program is walking at least 10,000 steps a day and I've now gotten into a routine of getting up and doing about 6,000 steps before breakfast (protein shake and fruit). I also drink lots of water which is okay and something I've always done anyway. Our group of about 10 has two sessions per week at the gym with our personal trainer and I'm enjoying that. So I really feel I'm getting somewhere and may even get to my target weight of 60 kgs by the end of the 12 weeks. The gym took a "before" photo side-on in all my pot belly glory. I feel like one those sad people on those "lifestyle" shows(which I emphasise I don't usually watch!) who are cajoled into pushing themselves. Fortunately our personal trainer is very sweet and doesn't bully us into submission. I've already lost about 2 kgs so that's some progress. But gee I look forward to my "free" day when I can indulge without a guilty conscience.

P.S. no the photo is not me - it's a promotional photo from the gym (but it could be me in 12 weeks - fingers crossed!)

Muriel Bath

I've completed my oral history project on Muriel Bath which you can see on my web site. She is a remarkable spritely 99 year old womanwho has had an incredibly interesting life. She was an officer in the WRANS during World War II and then was one of the first policewomen working in Queensland. She wasn't sure she would last, as she tells in the video clip. This was an era when there was a place for "style". Muriel wore hat and gloves (not a uniform) to work. In 1948 when she married, it was a race against time to have the ceremony over before 8.00 pm (after which it was illegal to marry), as the wedding cars didn't arrive. Muriel is a treasure-house of wonderful stories and I wish her good health so that she makes it to her 100th birthday later in the year. I feel privileged to have met her.

Atonement

Terry and I went to see Atonement this week. I had read the book a few years ago and remembered most of what it was about, but had forgotten the ending. Consequently I cried buckets. Terry didn't like it - too gloomy. It was a clever story and the ending was "right". There have been a few articles in the papers and on-line about what "atonement" means and whether it is ever truly achieved. In this movie, based on the book by Ian McEwan, a young girl witnesses an act which she misinterprets then lies about one of the people she saw, then spends the rest of her life trying to make things right. The moral? We must always be conscious of the consequences of our actions and try not to hurt people.

Alan Roaf

I've just completed my oral history project on Alan Roaf, an international rowing coach based in Canada. He was significant in Queensland rowing as a head coach and mentor for Queensland in the 1980s. His expertise was again called upon recently when he was asked to review Queensland rowing. You can read the interview on my web site. I'm going to try adding video to this blog - click the "Play" button below.

Happy New Year

Well I survived the stress of Christmas and catering for 23 relatives for Christmas dinner and ended up enjoying the experience. It's always easier looking back than forward when faced with the prospect of feeding and entertaining 23 people!! Everyone seemed to have a good time. We had a lovely ham from the local butcher (see photo of Terry carving). My sister and husband brought a roasted turkey which went down a treat. Terry also barbecued chicken and sausages. We had lots of salads, vegetables, cakes, desserts which many guests brought along to contribute to the mountain of food - lots of good cooks in the family. We fit everyone in the garage for our meal and we were blessed with unusually cool weather for Brisbane's summer.

Terry and I had a very quiet New Year - early to bed. Now 2008 has begun and everything is back to normal.