I photographed this Nativity window in Tewkesbury Abbey on the 9th December, 2016
Dear
Friends,
As you are all too aware, 2021 turned out to be a lot more like 2020 than any of us would have wanted. We all know why so I won’t go there.
As you are all too aware, 2021 turned out to be a lot more like 2020 than any of us would have wanted. We all know why so I won’t go there.
Every
year, when I come to write this letter, I am amazed at how
many wonderful experiences I manage to cram into 12 months.
It took me ages to look through all the photos I took during
2021 in order to choose the best ones to publish here. They
are only a small fraction of the available photos!
January was, as usual, mostly quiet and relaxing. There was
the traditional visit to Ocean Grove to spend the day with
Jenny and Darryl, in the company of Satoshi, Joan, Russell,
Alan (Jenny's brother) and Valmai (Jenny's sister). Also, as
usual, I spent a day with Prue at her place in Cape Paterson
with Chris Hepworth and Barbara McSkimming (all past
teachers at Chatham).
Once again, many weeks of the year were spent working from home. Remote teaching does have positive aspects such as not being ruled by the school bell, increased flexibility, no yard duty, greatly reduced discipline issues, being able to eat when hungry, and going to the toilet whenever the need arises! It was, however, good to get back to face-to-face teaching for most of Term 4. Those students who chose their parents wisely, or were very conscientious, flourished during remote learning. Those who lacked a strong work ethic, or who need the social contact of others, found life very difficult.
Having very much enjoyed our silo art experience last year, Jenny, Darryl, Joan, Russell, Satoshi and I decided to follow the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail over the March long weekend. We were not disappointed. The trail includes painted silos at the small towns of Goorambat, Devenish, Tungamah and St James and the significant Winton Wetlands. We were amazed and delighted by what we found.
The art work on the silos at St James is dedicated to Sir George Coles, the founder of the Coles retail group.
School was mostly
good this year. On the positive side, I had a small
class of only 17 Year 3 students and the members of
staff with whom I worked were all wonderful
colleagues. On the other hand, I had one very
difficult student who was very disruptive almost all
the time. Fortunately, I had strong support form the
Principal who understood the situation and the student
was removed from the class when things got really out
of hand. My friend Anne Geddes visited my grade once a
week in the early part of the year before lock down.
She helped with correction, answered multitudes of
questions, supported some students who needed
assistance and read some picture-story books. The
students enjoyed the times she was with us and it was
lovely to have her there. During the last week of
school, Anne ran a very successful art lesson for both
Year 3 classes during which the students created a
centrepiece for their Christmas table. Anne is a
natural with children!
Anne
with Satoshi and me enjoying lunch at "Miss Marple's" in
Sassafras.
Once again, many weeks of the year were spent working from home. Remote teaching does have positive aspects such as not being ruled by the school bell, increased flexibility, no yard duty, greatly reduced discipline issues, being able to eat when hungry, and going to the toilet whenever the need arises! It was, however, good to get back to face-to-face teaching for most of Term 4. Those students who chose their parents wisely, or were very conscientious, flourished during remote learning. Those who lacked a strong work ethic, or who need the social contact of others, found life very difficult.
Having very much enjoyed our silo art experience last year, Jenny, Darryl, Joan, Russell, Satoshi and I decided to follow the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail over the March long weekend. We were not disappointed. The trail includes painted silos at the small towns of Goorambat, Devenish, Tungamah and St James and the significant Winton Wetlands. We were amazed and delighted by what we found.
The art work
at Goorambat
Silos at
Devenish
The art work on the silos at St James is dedicated to Sir George Coles, the founder of the Coles retail group.
The artwork
at Tungamah
Our visit to the
area also included some time spent at the Eldorado Dredge. This huge
machine only operated from 1936 - 1954 but it dredged
30,000,000 cubic metres from the river flats on the
plain from which 70,664 ounces of gold and 1,383 tons
of tin concentrate were extracted. It was the third
largest consumer of electricity after Melbourne and
Geelong! Some idea of the scale involved can be
ascertained from the picture of Satoshi in one of the
buckets. I have visited this remarkable relic several
times over the last 50 years and it was good to see
that it is being looked after and that one can now
gain access onto it via a gangway.
You
may need to zoom in to read these
interesting facts, not the least of which
is that the machine could be heard from
11.3 km away!
As Satoshi had
never been to the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo, he and
I decided to go on a road trip over 12 days in the
April holidays. The route included Holbrook, Gundagai,
Young, Cowra, Bathurst, Milthorpe, Orange, Wellington,
Dubbo, Parkes, Forbes, Darlington Point, Jerilderie,
Tocumwal and Kyabram.
Although I have travelled through Holbrook a number of times, I had never had time to explore the Woolpack Inn Museum (despite it being there since 1971!) This old pub was absolutely crammed with interesting exhibits.
Although I have travelled through Holbrook a number of times, I had never had time to explore the Woolpack Inn Museum (despite it being there since 1971!) This old pub was absolutely crammed with interesting exhibits.
The
"Gestetner" was
used for printing multiple copies of
printing on paper. It works by the use
of a wax paper stencil. The stencil was
put into a typewriter like a piece of
paper. As one typed, the typewriter keys
cut holes in the wax paper. When the
stencil was put onto the Gestetner
machine, one would turn the handle (seen
on the machine on the right. This caused
a piece of paper to be pressed against
the stencil forcing ink through the
holes of the stencil onto the paper. I
used to create documents for the choir
and congregation at St Mary's in
Chadstone using a machine like this in
the mid 1970s.
The museum also
includes an extensive collection of buildings, including
this old school room.
A highlight of
Bathurst was Abercrombie House, a grand
home built in 1870, in "Scottish Baronial" style. It
is still lived in by its current owners, only the
second family to reside there. Visiting the house is
an unusual experience because its contents include
items of great historical interest all the way down
to what can only be described as junk!
Housed in a lovely old school building dating back to 1876, the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum contains, not surprisingly, a collection of fossils and minerals. I am not particularly interested in either but this collection is truly worth a visit. Satoshi and I spent at least two hours there.
We thought it
likely that the gentleman depicted here was not
quite ready for the size of the tyrannosaurus rex
when he entered the room!
It is possible to drive around the aptly-named Mount Panorama Circuit where the famous Bathurst 1000 car race is held.
The views were wonderful!
Chifley Dam supplies the people of Bathurst with potable water. One can drive across the wall and, again, there were lovely views. It was a very peaceful and quiet place to visit.
The Bathurst
Historical Society has several museums including the
Bathurst Historical Museum and the Bathurst Rail
Museum. The Bathurst Historical Museum is
housed in part of the Court House building, the
left-most section in the photo.
It holds a small
but interesting collection of artefacts including the
one below. Can you guess what it is? You will
find the answer at the bottom of the page.
The Bathurst Rail Museum includes Australia's largest model railway. It was difficult to photograph it in its entirety!
From this map,
showing the railway lines in NSW in 1930, one can
get an idea of how many lines and stations have been
closed.
When
researching things to see at Bathurst, we
noticed that there is a Japanese Garden. It was
not easy to find because it consists only of
several boulders and a couple of bushes!
Although somewhat
underwhelmed by the garden, I did manage to
get a photo of this resident cockatoo!
The town of Milford has a lovely
old station building which is now a café, and an
extensive museum.
What an
enormous traction engine! Such a pity it is not
operational!
In Orange, we caught up with Kaylyn and Clyde Roe (Clyde is Darryl's brother) at Lake Canobolas. We went for a stroll around the lake and then enjoyed morning tea at the café. It was great to see the water flowing over the wall.
The nearby Lake
Canobolas lookout was very impressive!
We enjoyed lunch at the café at Orange Botanic Gardens. during which I managed to "snap" a local galah.
Having watched an interesting episode of "Restoration Australia" concerning Emmaville Cottage, it was interesting to see it "in the flesh".
There is considerable controversy over whether it was a childhood home of Banjo Paterson or not. It is now located just outside the Orange Botanical Gardens.
The Orange Society
of Model Engineers operates at
Matthews Park in Orange.
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19
restrictions, we were not able to
get a train ride but it was great to
see the engines steamed up and to
chat with a couple of drivers. The
engines are worth around $30,000
each!
The Wellington Caves Complex is located near Apsley, between Orange and Dubbo. There are a number of caves at the complex and we were able to enjoy a tour of the Cathedral Cave...
...and the old Phosphate Mine which includes a large number of fossils.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo did not disappoint. Unlike most zoos, the most common way of viewing the animals is to drive around the property, stopping at given places to see some of the 350 species housed there. There were many great photo opportunities and the animals all appeared to be looked after really well. One can also walk or cycle.
Dubbo Regional
Botanic Gardens provided a peaceful place to visit. As you
can see, we were so lucky with the weather!
The Royal Flying Doctor Service Visitor Experience, provided an opportunity to learn about this vital service to those living in remote areas of the country. It is one of the best-designed museums I have ever visited.
In the Bible, Isaiah 6,
one reads about the six-winged seraphim or "fiery angels".
I had never seen a representation of them until visiting
the lovely Anglican Church at Dubbo.
There were many other beautiful windows there.
There were many other beautiful windows there.
Dundullimal Homestead is a
National Trust property on the outskirts of Dubbo.
It
is believed to be the oldest sophisticated slab
house in Australia. "Built in the early 1840s as the
head station of a 6,500 hectare (26,000 acres)
squatting run, the homestead is Dubbo’s oldest
building that is open to the public. Its interior is
remarkably sophisticated for its genre, with louvres
and multiple-pane glazed openings onto the verandah.
The imposing sitting room is noted for its ‘tent’
shaped plaster ceiling and wallpaper, reproduced
from an 1850 patent. The master bedroom is complete
with an iron bed and a campaign chest." The land now
occupied by the Western Plains Zoo was once part of
the estate. We watched a video which showed some of
the restoration work which was required on the
house. It was almost a total wreck when the task was
begun. We were amazed that the homestead could be
saved.
This is definitely the
largest Coolgardie safe I have ever seen. It
was almost the size of a small room!
What a great idea!
Our final visit during our stay in Dubbo
was to the Old Dubbo Gaol. It was quite an
eerie, sobering experience to see the conditions in
which prisoners were kept, especially considering that
the gaol did not close until 1966.
The huge radio telescope at Parkes was
another interesting place to visit.
While I agree
that rubbish bins should be provided for the use
of visitors, having almost one bin per car parking
space is perhaps a little over the top?
The Henry Parkes Museum contains
another large collection. Although all these
"local" museums are somewhat similar, there are
always two or three things of particular interest
in each. At this museum, two such items were the
emu egg and the clock below. The clock itself is
nothing special really until one reads its amazing
story!
The Forbes Historical Society Museum is yet another interesting place which is well worth a visit.
The Forbes Historical Society Museum is yet another interesting place which is well worth a visit.
The exhibits included the old wood-burning stove above together with the rather wonderful "instructions" below.
When one
finds things from one's own lifetime in a museum,
one starts to feel one's age! We had a kettle
exactly like this one. It was used for camping
when we used to go to Wilson's Promontory in the
1960s.
Another example of a
"Gestetner" machine. It's easier to see the two rollers in
this photo.
McFeeters Motor Museum
houses a large number of beautifully restored
cars, all of which are in working order. The
building was purpose-built. The owner's wife
provides the mannequins, all correctly-attired
to suit the period of the cars.
A very good year!
I can remember desperately wanting a pedal tractor exactly like this one when I was young child!
Altina
Wildlife Park is a place I had not heard of
before this trip. It is located on the Sturt Highway.
This zoo operates like a safari park. Visitors are
taken around in a motorised vehicle, or by horse-drawn
vehicle. Sadly, we did not book ahead of time enough
to enjoy the latter option. An advantage of this modus
operandi is that the animals have been trained to come
up to the fence of their enclosures as the vehicles
arrive. This means visitors can get a close-up view of
creatures which would otherwise be hiding somewhere at
the back. Also, keepers can command the animals to
stand up against the fence and open their mouths. This
allows the keeper to check paws and teeth without the
need to tranquillise the animal first. (It also means,
of course, that the animals get lots of treats!) Once
again, the animals appeared to be in a very healthy
condition. We hope to visit Altina Wildlife Park
again!
Satoshi is very
interested in railways (both old and new) so we often
venture a little off the beaten track to search for
relics. This is the old station building at
Jerilderie.
Our last stop as we travelled homewards was Kyabram Fauna Park. This park is more traditional in that one wanders around the property at will. Happily, the animals here appeared to be healthy and well-looked after.
Our next outing was later in April, over the Anzac Day Long Weekend. This time, we had the pleasure of the company of Jenny, Darryl, Joan and Russell. Russell spent many of the school holidays during his youth staying with his grandmother in the town of Bealiba. He likes to attend the Anzac Day ceremony there because he meets people that he knows from that time (or their relatives). This year, the ceremony was very brief and informal due to COVID-19. There was no band or march down the main road.
