Our even more belated 2007-2008 Newsletter

Last winter I set myself a project to research my ancestry…..what an amazing journey of discovery. I set myself a budget and a goal of having a document produced for my siblings for the first anniversary of Mum’s passing. I think the budget was exceeded three fold but then I ended up producing Heritage Tale books for not only my family, but also for Sue’s and Hilary/Sheila’s family. It took hours of research, sometimes perhaps 10 or 12 hours in a single day and to say I had an information overload at times is a great understatement.

Ghosts from the past would visit me in the wee small hours and my lovely Sue was just so patient and even became my chief proof reader. Anyway we met the October deadline and then the four kids got copies of their Heritage Tale books as part of their Xmas present.

In the early part of this year I produced a second edition of my family’s ancestry and some of the information now goes back to the 1600’s. There are now more birth and marriage certificates and some fascinating parish records. It went from 54 to 64 pages and all 13 of my nieces and nephews in New Zealand wanted a copy.

We have had a few travel opportunities in the last year or two but I have given Sue an undertaking that while her Mum is still with us we will restrict ourselves to only two weeks at a time. So longer holidays back to Europe, to Canada and Alaska etc are on the backburner for a while…..hopefully quite a while.

Last April we had two weeks back in NZ and then in late May my sister Joan and husband Fred visited from NZ for three weeks. We had a great time with them and spent the middle week down on our south coast and in the Margaret River wine region.

In August we had 2 weeks in the Eastern States. This trip was planned so that we could be with Sheila (Hilary’s Mum) in Sydney for her 80^th birthday and we also had a couple of nights with old Trafalgar Tours friends Jan and Ron near Gosford. Sue and I then drove to Queensland with a couple of nights at lovely Coffs Harbour and a few nights on the Sunshine Coast where we spent some time exploring the beautiful hinterland. We flew back from Brisbane. A great trip and it was wonderful catching up with Sydney family and our good Trafalgar friends again. Jen and Leo were also in Sydney for Sheila’s birthday so we had a little bit of time with them as well.

But when it comes to natural beauty nothing surpasses New Zealand and Sue and I have just returned from yet another great two weeks in kiwi land. We took about 8 kgs of Heritage Tales for all of the extended family members when we visited but instead of having partly empty cases for the return trip we went shopping!!!! We spent four nights with family at Palmerston North and then flew back down to Christchurch to pick up our hire car and then off into the mountains.

It was bordering on winter but the weather was cool but amazingly fine for us. A cold front arrived in Christchurch just as we were departing last Saturday afternoon (June7) for our return to Sydney and Perth. While our family and friends will always keep us in WA we just love going back to NZ. Apart from its amazing natural scenic beauty, particularly in the South Island, it is very affordable. The roads are fantastic and the country is very well geared up for tourism. We ate well, walked a lot and took the usual trillion photos. An interesting experience for us was to visit the resting place of some of our ancestors. We stood at the gravesite of my great grandparents (my Dad’s side) at Featherston, a country town north of Wellington. We also did the same at Geraldine, inland from Timaru and in Christchurch where in both places we said hello to Sue’s great grandparents, also on her Dad’s side.

It is a bit of an emotional experience especially when you think that in June of last year we didn’t know anything about them.

This winter I have set myself another fascinating project…..more about that next year.

Our four kids are all very well and happy and have special people in their lives.

Keith is living in North Fremantle and has been in a relationship with Ann for nearly two years now. Long may it last. He is still studying for his Environmental Science degree and should qualify early next year. He works part time in a boutique brewery. Ann also works in the admin side of the same brewery. They seem to be very happy together. Last Xmas they were in Melbourne but we are hoping that they will be with us this festive season.

An extraordinary event has occurred in the last few days which will no doubt change Keith’s life forever. It is so special that I have devoted a separate page on the web site for it as it is an amazing story well worth reading.

Jason and Tristen are now into their third year of marriage but no sign of the patter of little feet in the near future. Jason still managers a local supermarket and Tristen is doing well as a phycologist but I dare say it can be daunting even if well paid work. While they are at work Baxter, their pugalier looks after security at home.

They also travel a bit and I think since the last website newsletter they have been to Bali, to Melbourne for the thrill of an AFL grand final, to Sydney for a U2 concert and only two weeks ago were back in Sydney to see the Phantom of the Opera and to see his Nanna. They have a big adventure in late August when they also head off to New Zealand for three weeks….combining sightseeing with a few days skiing at Wanaka. We hope they have the kind of weather that we recently enjoyed. They will just love it and yours truly is giving them as many tips as possible.

Jen and Leo seemed to be as married as a couple can be without being married. They also have a lovely home which they moved into in March 2006. It is about a 20 minute walk from us. Jen still works at the local Wanneroo City Council and Leo is ceramic tiler and his work is largely at the top end of the market. I put my money on them delivering our first grandchild but in the meantime we and they, have to be contented with their Muffin, a pug and Hunter, a beagle.

Like most young people nowadays they have also travelled a bit. They were in Sydney with Jason and Tristen for the U2 concert, they were in Melbourne last July to see Leo’s two lovely kids followed by a visit to Sydney for Sheila’s 80^th and they have also been to Bali in the last year or so.

Last Xmas eve was made more special for us as Leo’s kids were across from Melbourne and they joined in our traditional festivities. They are delightful to have around and it is a pity that they live so far away and that Leo and Jen (and us) only get to see them perhaps once a year. They have taken to Jen in a big way and it is lovely to see the way that they interact.

In mid January Jen and Leo had a great engagement party even though they actually got engaged nearly three years ago. Better late than never they say but what a hoot of a party. Over 100 people, great food and plenty of wine and laughter.

Sandy is really enjoying her work as education officer at our museum, some days at Fremantle and other days at Perth. She is very good with kids and her training as a teacher has helped her with this role. Pity it doesn’t pay more but she just loves it.

In more great news Sandy has new excitement in her life. For about four months now she has been keeping company with Jim….a bloke that we really like and someone who is obviously making her very happy and even takes Murphy, her dog for walks. And while we were in NZ she sent a txt message to say that she was also coming across to NZ. Yup, Jim had asked her to join him for a week in Queenstown for a skiing holiday so she is off in 3 weeks. I have been reassuring Sandy that skiing is quite safe and that they have first aid posts all over the mountain sides.

We are so thrilled for her and hope that her new found love lasts forever. She also had a trip to Sydney earlier this year to visit an old school friend and also a short trip down South to camp out at a weekend concert.

It sounds as if we are all about family and holidays and to be honest they are the real highlights of our lives. We both share the domestic work, love pottering in our garden and enjoy quality time with our friends. Life is really good for us but perhaps we also now deserve it. It hasn’t always been like this.

In late October we are off to Sydney. We will have a day with Sheila and then will pick up Joan and Fred from their Sydney hotel as they will be across from NZ. The four of us are then going to spend a leisurely few days driving down to Melbourne via Canberra, the NSW south coast etc before we have a couple of days down the Great Ocean Road, south of Melbourne. We are then back to Melbourne for the Andre Rieu concert at Telstra Dome on the Saturday night. We fly back to Perth on the Sunday evening and J&F fly out the next morning to NZ. Should be great fun and we are looking forward to the concert as all four of us are fans. Who is Andre Rieu you say………..shame on you!!!!

In the last letter I said in would improve the frequency of web site updates and I even got worse. I am now going to really try for a short update ever 3 to 6 months….I hope…..hope….hope.

We hope that you and yours are well and happy wherever you may be in the world. May you enjoy good health and always be part of our lives

Ron and Sue