Craft clock

One of my decoupage clock creations.

Rick's birthday

Kerran and Rick enjoying the food and the company, albeit on a very cool "summer" day.

Jessie and Kerran

It has been so good to have both Jessie and Kerran at home at the same time, especially for Christmas and Rick's birthday.

Jessie

Jessie has lost so much weight due to being unwell, although she now has something of an appetite and is eating better than she has in some time.

Hopefully today we'll get a phone call from the hospital for her to have the iron infusion. There has been a problem obtaining it from Adelaide and the holidays have delayed it even further.

New Year

Sadly, my Christmas present to Rick was accommodation at Bright, Victoria for a couple of nights (followed by a night or two with more friends just north of Albury) over the New Year break. Since it was a surprise I had not discussed it with Rick - that's why it's very sad. I should've known better. Summer is a busy time for stock and land agents - and Rick is no exception. And he's too conscientious for his own good.

Since he (Rick) is booked in to have surgery in just over a week, I guess he wants to have everything just right, so can't afford to take time off now when "everyone" else seems to be in holiday mode. Of course, more than half the world is not in holiday mode. And just because I'm a teacher I shouldn't assume that everyone can take holidays at this time of year.

Our good friends in highland Victoria were within an inch of the bushfires last week - and are now in mop-up mode - the fires came within 500 metres of their house - so they will really celebrate New Year's Eve - minus us!

Christmas Day

Our best Christmas present was yet to come...at last Jessie is making some progress with her medication and managed to eat (and largely enjoy) a reasonable-sized meal at lunchtime on Christmas Day.

Some time this week she will have an iron infusion (when it arrives at the local hospital) which will hopefully help her energy levels and general wellbeing - to date iron injections have had little effect.

Crohn's is an insidious disease which affects your whole life and there is no cure. Whilst we concur that there are much worse things in life, Crohn's is not at all pleasant. Something I wouldn't wish upon anyone.

We eagerly await Jessie's admittance into the Infliximab trial - sooner rather than later, we hope. By all accounts the drug makes a huge difference to the lives of Crohn's sufferers, but we (and many others) still need it to be included on the PBS so that it is affordable and accessible to those who need it.

If you haven't yet voiced your opinion on the petition to the Australian Government, please do so on http://www.infliximab.org/

There are links and explanations about Crohn's Disease (as well as Ulcerative Colitis). If you read what other sufferers and their families have to say you will quickly come to the conclusion that noone should have to suffer this debilitating disease or the ugly side effects of drugs currently used to treat the disease.

Thanks - we need all the help we can get.

Scholarships link

The University of Adelaide has updated their scholarships site - for more info click on http://www.adelaide.edu.au/scholarships/profiles/
It's the same article Jessie had earlier but in a new format.

Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas to everyone.
The best Christmas present of all arrived yesterday morning in the form of a glorious 21mm of rain! The tank is full, the garden refreshed and I am over the moon, along with many others in the vicinity.
We will be celebrating the Christmas Day quietly at home with Jessie and Kerran.
Will get some photos up over the next few days.
Rick also has a birthday next week, so we hope to have another small celebration while Kerran is still home (he goes back to Adelaide to work on the 29th).
Hope to catch you all in the near future and that you enjoy good health and happiness at this time of year and throughout 2007.

Crohn's drugs

If you are interested in helping us convince the government to include the drug Infliximab on the PBS, go to http://www.infliximab.org/ and complete the petition to be sent to the Health Minister, Tony Abbott.
This is the drug Jessie badly needs - it has recently been included on the PBS for arthritis sufferers, but is dreadfully expensive at the moment.
There are also links to the Crohn's Association and other associated organisations.
Thanks for your help - the more the merrier.

Voice update

Still can't find that voice! And I've looked everywhere. Even went to outpatients yesterday, so am now on antibiotics.
I had to forego the teaching today - pity we relievers don't get paid when we get sick - just have to miss out on a day's work. No holiday or sick pay for us.
Never mind - I did have an afternoon rest and got some Christmas cards made and written, so it wasn't all bad.
However, those persistent tele-marketers don't like whispering or husky voices - they just hang up when you answer the phone - is there a clue there? Maybe I'll perfect the voice (or lack thereof) for later reference!!!!!

Laryngitis

Some may say it's a blessing - Rick thought it was until it happened!
Yes, I have laryngitis and it's very frustrating, not to mention the painful sore throat and the sinus infection to go with it. It has now totally claimed my voice and I've even resorted to trying the vinegar and honey remedy, but as yet it hasn't done a thing!
I am meant to be starting a 3-week teaching block tomorrow- it might be a very quiet affair. I actually taught on Friday - had to resort to sign language, clapping and blowing a whistle (for PE) to get attention. The students were very well behaved and most considerate.
So now I have to blog to get my message across.
Time will heal all - I hope.

Germans in South Australia

Our German heritage has long interested Jessie who recently wrote the following extremely insightful essay on their plight in Australia during World War I.




“During World War I, South Australia felt threatened by German connections”. With reference to particular historical events and legislation discuss the changes made in South Australia at the time.


When the British Empire declared war on Germany in 1914, the previously secure world of the German community in South Australia changed forever. Hostile attitudes towards ordinary citizens of German ethnicity were exacerbated as news from Europe of the atrocities on the front line made its way to Australia. Introduction of callous legislation including the War Precautions Act 1914 (Cth)1, the Nomenclature Act 1917 (SA)2, and the Enemy Property Act 1915 (SA)3, was a direct result of the xenophobic tendencies of the majority of British-Australians. With the implementation of such anti-German legislation in South Australia, community leaders of German descent were placed under house arrest, houses were searched and often ransacked; some were even compulsorily removed from their homes and interned, usually without specific charge, based only upon inconclusive complaints, often from sole informants. German schools were ordered to close, German language newspapers were obliged to cease publication and some sixty-nine place names were anglicized. With Australian Soldiers fighting Germany in Europe, British-South Australians felt threatened by people of German ancestry, questioning their loyalty to the British Crown. Unfortunately with the outbreak of War, the German contribution to South Australia
during the first eighty years of white settlement was buried beneath a sea of prejudice as they were subject to ‘a continuous campaign of cultural genocide.’4

Prior to 1914, German South Australians were ‘regarded as a valuable contributory group within South Australia’5, but when war broke out in Germany on August 4, 1914 there was a general feeling that the loyalty of South Australia’s German population should not be discussed or questioned, with South Australian Premier Peake stating, ‘there would be nothing of racial animosity in this state’6 and except for the odd smashed Lutheran church window, the situation initially remained relatively calm. However, British-Australians believed that to ‘be Australian was to be British and from this category, citizens of German descent were excluded.’7 Previously, in the state

they [the Germans] had won a leading position in the political, commercial and cultural life of the community. They had been admired and respected. But, the Australians, so heavily committed to the war emotionally, needed to manufacture a war close at hand lest their knitting and their fund-raising be their only war experience. The German-Australians became the scapegoats for Australia’s innocent embrace of war.8

It was not long before these differences in social outlook became apparent. Just three weeks after Peak’s statement for racial tolerance, two military officers with fixed bayonets, stormed South Australian Attorney General Hermann Homburg’s office demanding the right to search, subsequently taking all the books they believed to be subversive. Homburg, the King’s Senior Legal advisor in South Australian had never been out of the state but due to his German heritage became the target of xenophobia. Homburg’s plight is the most obvious example of the attacks against all things and people of German extraction that intensified as the war progressed.

British propaganda and the course of the war took a heavy toll on the Australian people and within a short period of time, managed to brainwash British-Australians that far from being the

sentimental, rather unworldly, music loving, beer drinking jolly German cousins of the beloved Queen Victoria, they were loathsome heartless brutes, known as the Huns, for like the Huns of old they ravaged, raped and pillaged all before them.9

The fact that Australia was at war with the Germans created a climate in which all people of German origin were treated with utmost suspicion or total rejection, and denunciation by British-Australians came into effect.10 Mounting xenophobic hysteria grew as the number of soldiers fatally wounded in Europe rose, further fueling the barrage of propaganda. The stereotype of the

Hun…came to personify a particular perception of the quintessential immorality of ‘Prussian Militarism’…in order to bring home the terrifying consequences of defeat and thereby sustain the will to continue the struggle until victory was secured, 11

scaring ordinary South Australians into believing that anything German was evil.

Anti-German sentiment grew rapidly in Australia’s most German-populated state; it soon became clear that the South Australian Government felt publicly pressured to legislate. At this time, according to the 1911 census, ten percent of South Australia’s population were born in Germany or of direct German descent.12 South Australian Legislative Council parliamentarian, the Honorable
J.P. Wilson presented to the Legislative Council,
A petition signed by 49,000 people of the adult population of South Australia … rallying to disenfranchise people of enemy origin and to remove persons of enemy origin from the roll of justices of the peace and to remove persons of enemy origin from official positions and fill their places with British people, and to close German schools. 13
The minister felt that it was ‘hard for any Government or any Parliament to set aside a petition of that magnitude, particularly when it represents such strong sentiment’.14 From the floor of the House, Premier Verran proclaimed ‘the German people have tried to monopolize the best country in the world’.15 The Premier, with a few of his vehement supporters, saw ‘all Germans as the embodiment of evil’.16

Such a petition, of which led to the first official Act by state parliament against the Germans, the Enemy Contract Annulment Act 1915 (SA)17, effectively rendered all contracts with Germany null and void. This was quickly followed by the Enemy Property Act 1915 (SA)18, which made ‘provisions for the custody of property of Alien enemies during the present war’19, meaning that companies with German or even German-Australian owners, or those with subsidiaries in German-owned firms, were forced to close. Several of these cases are listed in the files of ‘The Royal Commission upon the Question of Loyalty to the Crown of German National Residents in Australia who are Property Holders’.20 Where disloyalty was proved, Germans were interned and their land confiscated and returned to the Crown. Carl Ernst, who had resided in Pyap West
near Loxton in the State’s Riverland, for some thirty years, made a statement that was interpreted so, as to throw into doubt his loyalty to the Empire - subsequently he had his property seized. Ernst’s case before the Commission in February in 1917, suggested that Germans who had become Naturalized Australians were in fact safe and equal before the law; but this proved not to be the case as many South Australian-Germans had their properties seized, with imprisonment following.

In 1917, a Nomenclature Committee was appointed, headed by South Australia’s Surveyor General, ‘to change the names of towns with German designations’.21 In presenting the committee’s recommendations to the House of Assembly the chief secretary, the Honorable A. H. Peake is quoted as saying,
…it was generally agreed that something should be done in order to remove from the map of this State names of enemy origin which have become obnoxious to the people of the State generally…These names have become well known to us, and names like Blumberg, Lobethal, Rhine and many others, which have been enumerated in the reports of the Nomenclature Committee. As many of these have become obnoxious, it was felt that everything possible should be done to remove what might be described as a preservation of racial instinct so far as the enemy countries were concerned. For that reason it is proposed in this measure to remove names of enemy origin and substitute others.22
In discussing the introduction of such a radical Act, House of Assembly member, Mr Twopeny stated that,
Honorable members are agreed that it is desirable to strike off certain alien names and replace them by good British names…the principle has been agreed to that German names should be removed from our map, because we cannot afford, and do not want to,
extend and perpetuate racial memories and feelings…I take it for granted that these German names, which have been put on the map, have to come off.23

The Nomenclature Act 1917 (SA)24 omitted sixty-nine names from the South Australian map, including Klemzig, which became Gaza; Hahndorf – Ambelside and Lobethal converted to Tweedvale25 along with numerous towns in the Barossa Valley. Interestingly, it can be noted that the city of Adelaide – named after Queen Adelaide, the German wife of William IV, was not altered.

South Australian parliamentarians took the ever increasing anti-German sentiment within the community into account, introducing additional bizarre legislation that further affected the lives of South Australia’s German populace. Speaking at a political rally in Wallaroo in 1915, ex-Labor Premier John Verran, said that

he was opposed to any Germans being employed, even if they had been naturalized and stated that given the chance he would not naturalize any more; that the time had come when the Education Department should not employ as teachers persons of German origin or German name.26
There was tremendous pressure imposed upon people of German ancestry, a ‘Mr Schubert changed his [name] to Stuart and started to wear a kilt to prove he had become a true blue British Subject’.27 It was such anti-German sentiment from Verran that lead to the tabling of the Education Act Amendment Bill 1916 (SA)28 in state parliament. Discussions by the Attorney General in parliament Hansard, required that
throughout the State the English Language shall be taught, so that we can foster English ideals and English habits of thought amongst our population at the time when their minds are most amendable to impressions.29
At the time the ‘present [education] Act provid(ed) that instruction must be at least four hours each day through the medium of the English language’30, however under the proposed Bill, section 53 was altered so ‘that no instruction in any school shall be given other than in the English language.’31 The Attorney-General drew on comments made by Mr Theodore Fink, a member of the Victorian Council of Education, to further his argument for the school closures where he quoted him as saying,
they maintain the separation of races; they keep alive German characteristics and traditions; they strengthen racial associations; they perpetuate Germanism. Segregated in these schools established by Germans, whose support of the schools is evidence of their desire to cling to German traditions and sentiments, they constitute the soil from which in future may be raised a foreign garrison in our midst. This is what, in view of the great German hatred of Britain and the passionate German desire to compass our downfall, they necessarily become. The isolation of children of the German race in German schools, keeping them throughout the most impressionable period of their lives – their hours of teaching and play – apart from their fellow Australian children, will ensure the persistence of the racial outlook and keep them Germans – a race apart.32

That said, the Attorney-General concluded, by adding that ‘we should induce the German-Australian in our midst to be of us, with us, and in every sense to become a Britisher [sic] in language, thought and sentiment.’33 Under the proposed legislation, ‘power [would] also be given to the Minister of Education to close any school wherein an offence has taken place.’34 After a swift passing of the alterations, the Education Amendment Act 1916 (SA)35 was introduced, forcibly closing down all German run schools within six months of ascension. Immediately before their closure many schools were searched, in some cases floorboards were removed for fear that they were harboring munitions supplies for the enemy. However callous these practices were, parliamentarians felt compelled to act, in the apparent best interests of national security.

The crimes and atrocities purported to have been committed by German soldiers in Europe were said to have been directly related to their German culture, the same customs that were being practiced by Germans in South Australia. As a result, British South Australians became increasingly intolerant of people of German heritage, giving South Australian lawmakers more ammunition to introduce further parliamentary bills. Debating the Naturalized Subjects (Justices) Bill 1916 (SA)36 in Parliament on August 31, 1916, it ‘was moved to introduce an Act to disqualify Justices of the Peace of enemy origin from acting in their offices for the duration of the War.’37 Hansard Reports also indicate that an attempt was made when debating this Bill by Premier Verran to disenfranchise naturalized German persons in South Australia.38 In 1917, Verran once again moved for the ‘disenfranchment of all persons of German origin or birth, excepting those who or whose sons have offered their services and have been accepted for military service abroad’39; it was passed with a great majority in the Lower House, but was subsequently defeated in the Upper House.


Just as German place names were under attack, so too the German language came under heavy fire from the Australian public, but the South Australian Protestant Lutheran Church defended its adherence to German in sermons and scripture lessons on religious grounds.40 In a written statement defending government restrictions, the church stated that ‘the decision touches a question of religion and of the exercise of religion…The manner in which we give our children instruction in religion in our schools, is a part of the exercise of our religion.’41 Discussions mounted in parliament and in the public sphere about use of the German language in South Australia. Campaigning by Parliamentarians and public officials called for the general prohibition of the German language. Despite no legislation ever being enforced as to the use of the German language in private settings, the language debate continued until the end of the war in 1918.

As a result of hysteria and high emotion, German tradition was openly attacked. Public opinion even forced some one-hundred and fifty-nine South Australians to change their names during the war years to have more British sounding ones.42 A changed name seemed for many British-Australians as a way of denouncing their German connections and was openly praised. There were fervent calls for the Anglicization of plant names, language, music, and even the names of some everyday goods. The South Australian Government tried unsuccessfully to change the name of the sausage ‘Fritz’ to ‘Austral’, but was successful in changing the name of the sweet bun ‘Berliner Pfannkuchen’ to ‘Kitchener Bun’ and a well known rose variety ‘Frau Karl Druscke’ became ‘Snow Queen’.43 In
March, 1917 the Sydney Sun newspaper printed a lengthy article suggesting that all German Clubs were a ‘hot bed of sedition and treason.’44 Just four days after publication, through public pressure, the federal Minister of Defence issued an order that led to the closure of all German Clubs in Australia.

If the State Government’s attack was concentrated on the German culture, that of the Commonwealth was focused on basic civil rights. Following a rather harsh remark in the British House of Lords, that ‘the only good German was a dead German’45 and as a result of the xenophobic sentiment within the wider Australian population, Federal parliament enacted the War Precautions Act 1914 (Cth)46, prohibiting those of German heritage proceeding with their everyday lives. Such abhorrent legislation, ultimately suspended the constitution, allowing the ‘Governor-General to make Regulations and Orders for the safety of the Commonwealth during the present state of war.’47 Under the legislation, employees were given the right to ‘dismiss any person with enemy origin, or allowed co-workers the right to refuse to work with such people’.48 Published in the Government Gazette, the Act amongst other regulations, also enabled the military or their agents under the guise of acting in the public interest the ‘power to arrest, search or detain any suspected person who was disaffected or disloyal’49, handing the military unlimited powers.

In South Australia some 355 German nationals were interned at the Torrens Island Camp, which had the worst reputation in Australia; of that figure some 261 were naturalized or Australian born Germans.50 In November 1915, camp internees formed the Association of Interned Australian-born
subjects. Questioning the rationale behind their incarceration, a petition was sent to the Defence Minister, protesting the injustices of their imprisonment without trial, denying that they had committed any illegal acts or spoken any words of disloyalty, and ‘demanded that definite charges be laid against them, as was their right as British Subjects.’51 They claimed that their internment was a ‘result of personal animosity or business jealousy.’52 In reply to their request, the Defence Department decided that they should remain interned as ‘it is not expedient in the public interest to reveal the evidence against you.’53 Lutheran Church Pastors were imprisoned because their parishes were allegedly directly affiliated with the Prussian state Church in Berlin. Often those incarcerated were arrested at gunpoint in their own homes or at work, immediately being imprisoned without knowledge of their assumed offence. The Torrens Island camp only operated for ten months after it was discovered how badly the Australian military were treating the German internees. It could best be described as a witch-hunt undertaken by authorities to find people purportedly associated with the enemy, people who had failed to take up citizenship in Australia and those who frequented German Clubs, Churches and allowed their children to go to German run schools.

A clause relating to the German language was also included in the initial War Precautions legislation: ‘Any person who writes, prints, utters or publishes seditious words shall be guilty of an indictable offence punishable by three years imprisonment’54, saw the closure of all registered circulating German language newspapers as public figures felt there would be no way of knowing what the ‘Huns were planning through the circulation of their newspapers.’55 The Act ultimately turned Australia into a nation of informants – a nation spying on itself.


The Trading with the Enemy Act 1914 (Cth)56 also enacted in the first year of the war effort, forbad all ‘trade with enemy aliens and the payment of money to any such persons, no matter in which
country they lived.’57 This ultimately stopped trade by non-naturalized Germans all around the country.

The treatment of Germans in South Australia during the First World War shows that South Australians were indeed still a ‘parochial British outpost which had failed to come to terms with the significant non-British minority in its midst.’ 58 In a time of desperation, Australia – often the birth country of many German-Australians - ill-treated them as they turned against their own countrymen and rejected them without legal or moral reasoning to the point of internment, purely because of their German roots. Because of their inherited cultural interests, they were perceived to be scheming against the British Empire, in order to further the German war movement. The Germans were cast into the role of the enemy through the unfortunate events of the war; they were ‘passive recipients of injustice, innocent victims caught in a world of upheaval over which they had no control.’59 It could be argued that if they had spoken English and embraced the British way of life, they could have avoided many of the unpleasant experiences they were forced to endure during the war years. At the end of four years of harsh treatment, a German expressed the thought that ‘there should be no Englishmen, Scotsmen, Irishmen, nor Germans, but all South Australians.’60

Vandalism update

The police are on the trail of the mysterious vandals, who over the weekend bent street signs and harassed a number of other people besides us.

The teacher across the road was also targeted with eggs(on both occasions we have had them), and then we discovered he had our smashed solar light from the previous "attack". He had been unaware that it had been stolen from us - he found it smashed on his front doortep, having been hurled at his front door! I hadn't thought to talk to him about the issue previously as he is pretty harmless and doesn't even teach the age group which is more than likely responsible.

My own enquiries include discussions with the local supermarkets to see whether there has been increased trade in eggs recently. But, sadly, the answer was "No". So, someone has a hearty supply of eggs coming from home and a very sad life if they have to resort to such measures.

You know what we'd like to do to them if we caught up with them!!!!!

Egg throwing

The advantages of life in a small country town far outweigh the disadvantages. However, last night was a wild, stormy, thundery night when you would have thought noone in their right mind would have been roaming about the streets. Wrong!
Not long after we'd gone to sleep around midnight, at least two eggs were thrown at our house - hitting the front verandah and the roof - the remains are extremely difficult to clean off and a great inconvenience to say the least.
Another family, who has nothing whatsoever to do with school, has frequently been targeted on the same occasions as us - last night was no exception, leading us to ponder what we have in common. Kids don't walk around with eggs in their possession for no reason.
Why would they bother? When there are no police on duty in the town, how do we ever catch the kids (they must be kids - anyone over 16 years of age with this mentality is usually hooning around in their cars doing other damage, not "minor" things like disrupting the sleep of innocent people) who are behind this malicious behaviour?

Teaching positions

In its wisdom DECS has decided not to advertise a position at our school that I would love to have had the opportunity to apply for - SOSE, Australian Studies and English.

Despite the fact that the school wanted it advertised as a school choice position, the department is only offering it to permanently employed teachers - not those who are on the "employable" teacher register, like me.

Earlier in the year I was heartened by the fact that I could (potentially)finally apply for "school choice" positions, just like eveyone else, having resigned due to ill health and parenting some 20 odd years ago.

Whilst I agree that younger teachers need to be encouraged into the system, the system also encourages many to play the system, taking one lot of leave on top of the other.

2007 will see me continue relief (and if I'm lucky a short term contract may come along) teaching as I have been for over 15 years.

It's a long, frustrating apprenticeship! There's no continuity and not a huge amount of job satisfaction in relieving.

Cheyne and Mel's wedding

Anisia, Elyssa, Mel, Cheyne, Rikki.

Reports of a 38 degree day reminded us of our January wedding day, some 23 1/2 years ago, on a 40 degree Adelaide day, with a hot north wind.
And our reception (very casual) was at Anne and Kevin's in Modbury North. Rikki and Cheyne might remember it!

Cheyne and Mel's wedding, Sydney

Cheyne and Mel Lambert - the very happy bride and groom.
So sorry we couldn't make it.

Cheyne and Mel's wedding, Sydney

Anne and Kevin, proud parents of the groom.

Kerran's Blog

Although I haven't yet been successful in adding Kerran's blog to my links, his address is:

http://www.wingardkerran.blogspot.com/

if you're interested - he has a "slightly" sports biased site!!!
I've "employed" Elyssa and Jordan to try to get the link up and running.

Teenage behaviour in 2006

Reflecting on teenage behaviour in recent times, I am saddened by the fact that many parents don't seem to think their children are ever in the wrong and that children as young as ten years old should be free to roam the streets of our towns and cities well into the night.

Over the last few years the following is just a taste of the things which have happened to us and our property:
Bottles smashed onto our roof (Rick was up there vaccuuming the next day!!)
Large rocks thrown onto and over the roof
Car aerials broken off
Petrol syphoned from the car
Condoms on Rick's car under the windscreen wipers
Chocolate milk poured over the car
Rotten eggs thrown at the car
Scratches down the side of the car
Side window of car and front door damaged by a bottle being thrown by a student from a moving vehicle - he was caught and had to pay, no apology
Car damaged at football training - noone owned up
Sprinkler taken
Eggs thrown at house windows/walls - VERY difficult to clean once dried!
Solar light stolen
Cars broken into (in broad daylight - luckily police caught this lot)
Obscenities yelled out in the middle of the night as they pass in cars
Kids throwing rocks in daylight hours - phoned parents who claimed the child was at home - how does this help the child?
Two boys seen urinating on the car outside the yard - total denial, despite involving their parents
Crank phone calls

Then there are the 2 cars Rick has almost had "written off" by drunken drivers (both were caught later), the car which demolished our front yard and landed on the side fence in the middle of the night and the car which hit a tree out the front - head on!!!!

The joys of living on a main thoroughfare and a corner.

We have spent countless hours awake and/or standing out in the cold waiting for the return (which usually happens) of these thoughtless hooligans. Rick has even jumped the fence and chased one who was about to spray paint the fence - he was particularly stupid, since he accounted for his movements in an essay at school the following week - a copy was given to the police.

Most of these "attacks" have been reported to the police but until they actually catch the culprits in the act nothing can or will happen to them. We have a pretty good idea who they are. Fortunately, only the minority of kids behave this way but they make life uncomfortable for many.

Term 4

Workwise, the term has started well.
During the first 2 weeks I had 8 days teaching music - well, not actually teaching music, but I did have to sing (a lot) - lost my voice too, because I didn't bother to do any voice warm-ups! Very silly.
In addition, I have had my usual one day a week teaching primary Art, SOSE and Phys Ed and this week 3 days of primary work. So, it's been full on - even though my preference is always secondary students.

At short notice, we decided to go to Adelaide for the weekend - it was the first weekend Rick wasn't working for many weeks, so we needed a break.
Upon our return, we discovered that we, along with a number of others in our near vicinity, had had property stolen and/or damaged from our yards over the weekend. The local police believe it was associated with muck-up day, a day that should be banned - not because kids don't need to have fun or to unwind, but because it is a total waste of time and energy by young people often acting illegally or in a very childish manner. I had been drenched at school by water pistols being fired at close range by masked anonymous kids - incredibly infantile.
There, that's my beef for the week.

Thomas and Lisa's Kingston farewell

Liz, Deborah, Georgeana and Lisa - fond farewells.
On our back patio area.

Thomas and Lisa's Kingston farewell

Georgeana, Mary and Phillip

Thomas and Lisa's Kingston farewell

Mary loves my staghorn

Thomas and Lisa's Kingston farewell

Thomas - unfortunately he had to leave his own farewell to work!
To top things off I had the worst migraine I've had in ages and had to have an injection just after everyone arrived!!!!!
Fortunately the medication worked quickly, but I didn't really feel 100%. Nevertheless, it was a lovely day.

October garden

One of my favourite spots in the garden

Grevilleas thrive on the coast 

October garden

Alstroemeria - my favourite - reminds me of Fran

October garden

The irises have been spectacular this year

October garden

Cabbage rose

Harry's farewell

Janet (Zimbabwean) and Liz at Harry's farewell recently. 

Crohn's drugs

There is a new drug being trialled in Australia for the treatment of Crohn's. However, it is currently not on the PBS, which means it is VERY expensive to administer and can only be administerd (intravenously) at a public hospital as part of the trials.
If you are interested in helping to get the drug onto the PBS, please complete the petition on the Infliximab website:

http://www.infliximab.org/

there is also some wonderful information on the Crohn's website you may like to read at your leisure:
www.acca.net.au

Thanks for your support.

HELP!!!

Well, in fact I can edit if I want to go through all the jargon on the screen, such as

:
Jessie's self portrait! 

That's what I have to work with and no taskbars.

By the way Elyssa and Jordan - your blog won't appear - the blog does but not the actual posts. Does anyone else have this problem???

Editing blog

As you can see I have managed to download several photos in the last couple of days. You will also notice that there a few errors!
For some reason I am unable to edit my new posts. There is no taskbar in my Compose mode and no Edit HTML as Elyssa and Jordan so kindly suggested I try.
Very frustrating - I must need to adjust something in my template - but what???
In fact the only posts unable to be edited are those with the photos - that I've downloaded through Hello/Picasa.

Jessie

Jessie's self portrait! 

Lawn mower - rivetting stuff!!!

Our environmentally friendly mower - with a small lawn this is all we need.
Since this photo was taken I have pruned, weeded, fertilised and mulched heavily for the forthcoming hot weather. With water restrictions now imposed we all have to be careful with water consumption. 

Lisa's farewell

Jessica is the cute one. 

Lisa's farewell

Aiden is the thoughtful one. 

Lisa's farewell

Lisa, our Zimbabwean friend is moving shortly to Western Australia. We wish them all well. 

Lisa's farewell

Georgeana 

Lisa's farewell

Mary is a beautiful young lady. 

Lisa's farewell

The Kaleis are our good friends from Kenya.