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.