Image of a sculpture formerly on the exterior of St Mary's Anglican Church, Chadstone East (now demolished)


Dear Friends,

It's Saturday, 28th December. All the business of the end of the school year, various social gatherings, the buying of presents, the preparation for Christmas Day Lunch, and Christmas Day itself is over. This means that I can now turn my attention to sharing with you all the many highlights of 2024.

As usual, January was a time of recuperation, and freedom from the pressures of school. How good it is to keep the alarm clock switched off! The year began with the usual festivities at home. Compared with most New Year celebrations, ours is probably among the "tamest" but we enjoyed it and it was lovely to share the time with close friends.

Satoshi and I were members of Zoos Victoria. This gives one free access to the Melbourne, Werribee, Healesville and Kyabram zoos. On the 10th of January, we visited Healesville Sanctuary. Both Satoshi and I felt that there were fewer animals on display and that they were harder to see than in the past. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the time we spent there and were able to capture some great photos and videos.








It was quite a warm day so the koalas were provided with a fine mist of water to help them keep cool.






We visited Maroondah Dam on the way home.


The Melbourne Museum hosted an exhibition on The Titanic. This was most interesting and included a variety of artefacts from the doomed ship together with some recreations of parts of the vessel. It was quite eerie seeing items that have been retrieved from the ocean floor after so many years. Many of them have survived remarkably well.


A recreation of the Grand Staircase



A wall sconce form the first class lounge




Doulton & Co Sink with Taps
The spring-loaded taps on this first-class sink automatically shut to prevent wasting precious fresh water.



Jacket in the Prince of Wales Check Pattern
All paper and clothing, such as this delicate textile, were found within leather suitcases, satchels, or other leather receptacles. The tanning process made leather inedible to micro-organisms, and afforded a measure of protection to the contents. The 'Prince of Wales' pattern was adapted from the glen check by Edward VII when he was Prince of Wales. It features two dark and two light stripes alternating with four dark and four light stripes creating a pattern of irregular checks.



Later in January, we hosted a games afternoon for members of the St John's Choir. This was a happy occasion and we enjoyed playing a number of different games with these friends.


I moved into a different room at school this year. It had not been used as a classroom for a while, so a lot of work was needed to bring it up to scratch. I was very grateful for help from Viv Twigg (my colleague with whom I shared my grade), good friend Anne, her daughter Victoria, and Satoshi. We all cleaned, decorated and organised for several hours on Monday, 22nd January. The result of all our labours was that I was completely set up for the beginning of the year!



I enjoyed spending time with long-time friends Chris Hepworth and Prue Field over lunch at the Studley Park Boathouse on the 25th of January. Sadly, Barbara McSkimming (the other member of this friendship group) was unable to be with us because of illness.


We celebrated Australia Day with a visit to Ocean Grove, where Jenny, Darryl and many members of their family stay each year. Russell, Satoshi and I appreciated the hospitality afforded us and the time spent with loved ones.



Satoshi, Tim, Ben Roe and Russell




It was very blowy on the bluff!


This year, I decided to reduce my working days to three - Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. This has been great for work/life balance but not so good for the bank account! I taught a composite Year 3/4 class of 29 students. Having a grade of this size can be quite challenging, and there were times when this was definitely the case. Several of the students had issues with relating to others in an acceptable manner and this required fairly constant teacher intervention throughout the year. Despite this, I enjoyed teaching the class and all the students made pleasing academic progress. I was so lucky to have such a wonderful teacher as Viv with whom to share the class. She is everything one could wish for in a colleague - kind, thoughtful, considerate, competent and flexible. The other members of the Year 3/4 teaching team were also lovely colleagues. One could not ask for a better Principal and Assistant Principal than ours, to lead a school. Chris and Georgie are knowledgeable, caring, enthusiastic and very supportive. I am so fortunate to work at Chatham Primary School!

The second week of term saw me attending the Year 5/6 camp. This was held at Lakewood Park Camp, which is located at Forges Creek, near Paynesville. The activities for the students included sailing, canoeing, water skiing and raft building. Fortunately, for all those involved (and me), I was rostered to supervise more sedate pursuits such as archery, low ropes course, damper cooking and hut building. The staff accommodation was not great - I shared a bedroom and ensuite with three colleagues. Of course we all got on well but there were some interesting moments! Overall, the camp was both enjoyable and successful.

Once again, I was given the responsibility for overseeing the school's participation in the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). All students in Years 3, 5 and 9 in Australia are assessed in March each year. Chatham's involvement in this activity consumed much of my time in the weeks leading up to the testing (in more than one meaning of that word) days. Tasks associated with this included:
• studying information provided by NAPLAN to ensure that Chatham would complete all tasks required before the running of the tests
• liaising with the ICT technician to ensure that our school IT infrastructure and laptops would be suitable for a large number of students to be online simultaneously
• working with the Assistant Principal to decide on suitable dates and times for the testing
• ensuring that parents were provided with the information they needed
• providing training for the members of staff who would be involved in administering the tests
• liaising with the Assistant Principal and Principal to ensure that those students who required any of a number of possible special considerations, such as extra time or particular assistance, were provided for
• administration jobs such as assigning students to particular test sessions and creating the associated entry slips for each test for each student
• fulfilling the role of NAPLAN co-ordinator during test sessions (student supervision, assisting test administrators, working with the technician to solve computer issues as they arose)
• collecting entry slips after every test session and recording absences
• providing catch-up opportunities for students who were absent for certain tests
• completing post-test administration tasks as required.
What a sigh of relief there was at the end of all that!


On April 2, we hosted a dinner for some friends from St John's. From L to R Sue Lockey, Pat Syer, Betty Ladbury, Margaret Garing and Satoshi



My dear friend, Russell, began to fail at the end of February. His lovely wife, Joan, passed away last year, on the 2nd of December, and he never really recovered. They had 75 very happy years of marriage together - a remarkable achievement. Russell spent some time in hospital and then moved to Eastern Health, Wantirna, He celebrated his 97th birthday there on April 5th and passed away during the evening of the next day. Russell had always enjoyed watching Looney Tunes cartoons and he still displayed delight in seeing some of these when Satoshi and I visited him just a few hours before he died! Right to the end, Russell remained his usual gentle self, still interested to hear about what was going on in the world "outside" and showing obvious pleasure when we visited. I miss Russell and Joan so much. I knew them for 36 years and they were two of my dearest and closest friends. We shared many happy hours together over hundreds of meals and many holidays. It is always said of Russell that he was a "gentleman" and this was definitely the case. In all my time shared with him and Joan, I never witnessed an argument, or even cross words between them. In all aspects of his life, he was a wonderful example of what it means to be Christian. Russell was a biblical scholar who wrote a number of books on that subject as well as at least one on English grammar, a leader and faithful member of his congregation, very generous to family, friends and charities, and unfailingly courteous. I thank God for the privilege of knowing him and that he counted me as one of his best friends. I look forward to seeing him in God's kingdom.


Russell with his three children, Alan, Valmai and Jenny, 22-03-24



One of the last photos of Russell, taken on his birthday


In March, I lost another long-time friend, Hildegard von Kalm. She was a regular attender of our Christmas Day festivities and, like Russell, was a very faithful Christian. Hildegard attended Mass at her local Roman Catholic Church almost every day. She celebrated her 95th birthday a few weeks before she died.


Hildegard von Kalm


After all the events above, it was wonderful to spend some time during the April holidays with Satoshi at Phillip Island.



The main street of Cowes



The pier at Cowes



We enjoyed a dinner with Satoshi's friends Kevin and Maddy James, residents of Cowes.



Another local resident, this time at Summerlands


The Phillip Island Wildlife Park is a great place to see and feed animals.



Satoshi's favourite animals are quolls!





A Tawny Frogmouth



Churchill Island is a small island reached via a bridge from Phillip Island. Once privately owned, it is now a heritage area.
The old homestead is carefully preserved.






I don't see blackbirds as often I used to.





My favourite type of gull is the Pacific Gull.









We laughed at this cup, which was in a shop at Cowes, because it fits one or two of our friends!!



Amaze N Things is an attraction which includes illusions (such as the running tap above) puzzles and minigolf.




The coast near the Nobbies




Satoshi with Pyramid Rock in the background



A new place for us was Maru Koala & Animal Park, located at Grantville. Apart from animals, they also have an excellent minigolf course!









Later in April, we were invited to attend Luzia, a show put on by Cirque du Soleil, with our friend Anne and her daughter Imogen. The feats of the many different acrobats were truly incredible and we all enjoyed the show very much. It was held in a huge tent which was located at Flemington Racecourse.
Satoshi's mother, Junko, who lives in Japan, arrived in Melbourne in May. Unfortunately, she did not let us know very far in advance that she was coming so Satoshi was judging at the Gymnastics National Competition when she arrived! I picked her up at the airport and took her to her friend's place in Frankston. As it was not holiday time, we had very little time we could be with her but we did fit in a weekend away on May 25 & 26. We drove to Echuca and managed to include quite a lot in the two days!


A ride on the miniature train at Elmore



Silo art at Rochester



Junko in two states at once!



The Murray River



We enjoyed a cruise on the PS Pevensey.




The PS Pevensey is still powered by its original steam engine.



A camel ride in Moama!



The Great Aussie Beer Shed and Heritage Farm Museum is an eclectic collection of Australian memorabilia. Many of its exhibits are fascinating.
Satoshi had torn the ACL in his knee in March and had surgery on May 30th. It was good that Junko was around to look after him in the days following the operation as I was at school during the day.

On 8th June, I attended the inaugural recital of the new organ at St John's, Camberwell. Renowned organist Thomas Heywood, played works by JS Bach, Chopin, Dubois, Guilmant, Schubert, Sullivan & Swann. Details of this organ (and information about previous organs) can be found here.





Our next road trip took place during the Term 2 holidays. This took us to Bendigo, Wedderburn, Mildura, Deniliquin and Kyabram (with a few other places in between).


Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo









Our trip began at Bendigo because our friend (and Jenny's grandson), Ben, was playing the oboe at a concert with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra there. The music included one of my favourites The Dance of the Knights from Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet. After the concert, we drove to Wedderburn.


Wedderburn Uniting Church




Information about these murals is available here.



This artwork was created with...
Vegemite!



Holy Trinity, Wedderburn




Dinner at Mildura Working Man's Club



A pelican on the Murray




Our visit to Orange World included a tractor ride around a portion of their huge orchard.



Behind this ordinary-looking house is Langtree Hall which was Mildura's first public hall, built in 1889. It used to be in the centre of the town but was moved here. It contains a huge collection of domestic memorabilia.






I had one of these as a child!



I wonder why this is called "Redcliffs Lookout"?



Rio Vista House was built in 1890 by W.B. Chaffey, one of the founding fathers of Mildura. It is considered to be Mildura's most important heritage building.
When we visited the Chateau Mildura Winery, we were expecting to find something other than a collection of very rundown tin sheds. At first, it appeared that nobody was there but, after a little exploring, we found a lady of European descent who was very difficult to understand because of her accent. We learnt that this was Mildura's first winery, the first grapes having been planted in 1888 and the first vintage was in 1891. It is now a museum, with limited wine tasting. What I found of great interest was that the Mildara brand of sherry and other wines were produced here from 1937 until 1997. When I saw the bottles below, I remembered that my father's favourite sherry was their Chestnut Teal. Wines are no longer produced here but we had a tour of the vats and some of the machinery used in the making of the Mildara range. I felt very nostalgic as I looked at the various exhibits.



How amazing to think that these are the very vats, made of jarrah, in which my father's favourite sherry was matured!




How lucky were we with the weather?!
Psyche Pump Station was built in 1891 by the Chaffey brothers to meet the needs of the irrigation settlement. Water was pumped from the Murray River to Kings Billabong and then distributed throughout the area via a series of channels. The steam-powered pump was replaced in 1959 by an electric pump. The restored original pump is the oldest pump configuration of its type in the world.


This boiler, although not the original, is still capable of providing steam to operate the huge pumps in the pumphouse.




In 2022, the pumphouse was flooded to the level of the darker colour on the walls. It was a mammoth task to clean out all the mud but the pumps still work!

We were fortunate indeed that we happened to be in Mildura at the same time that the Wentworth Junction Rally took place. This event only happens once every three years and involves exhibits such as traction engines, paddle steamers, vintage motorcycles, cars and trucks, heritage crafts
, 
and vintage machinery. The PV Mundoo offered a longer-than-usual cruise from Mildura to Wentworth so it could be part of the flotilla the next day. With return by coach at a very reasonable cost, we decided to join in. The journey took several hours (compared with 30 mins by road) but it was so peaceful making our way slowly along the river. Morning tea, roast lunch and afternoon tea were provided too!



The pelicans didn't seem to mind sharing the river with us.



Approaching the Mildura Lock (Lock 11)



Entering Lock 11



You can see the difference in the height of the river in this photo. The water here is about 3.5 metres higher than that beyond the weir.

You can see the water dropping as it is pumped out of the lock. When the water level was the same on both sides of the lock, the gates were opened and we proceeded on our way.








This bridge had to be raised to allow the paddlesteamer through.


That evening, we enjoyed sharing a meal with Chris Cotching (Principal of Chatham) who has family in Mildura.

It didn't take long to make our way to the rally on Saturday, 6th July. There were a great many things to see and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there.


A 1926 Rugby Type R Sedan




Paddlesteamers don't have to be large...



...but some are!





I can remember "Tilley" lamps such as these from when I went camping as a child. There is quite a complicated procedure to light them
(involving no less than 9 steps!)






There were several Traction engines in operation.





Listen carefully to the announcement concerning the length of this paddlesteamer!




I loved watching the flotilla pass by!



A feature of Wentworth is this "Fergie" Grey Ferguson TE20 Tractor!
On the way to Balranald, we visited Yanga Woolshed. Yanga Station was established by William Charles Wentworth, one of the three explorers who blazed a path across the NSW Blue Mountains in 1813, and was the largest privately owned station in the Southern Hemisphere, covering 85,000 hectares or some 850 square kilometres. The woolshed is easily the largest one I have ever seen. It could house no less than 3,000 sheep! The whole station is now a national park.




It goes on and on!



Forty shearers could all work at the same time!



The last shearing took place in 2005.



Note the sophisticated lid on the heater!



Note the size of the fireplace at the far end. I bet some wonderful meals were cooked there in its time!




Swallows' nests.



I'm not sure how much longer some of the outbuildings will still be here!



Can you spot my car? It seems that they expect a great many visitors on some occasions.
The next day saw the most Monty Pythonesque moments of our holiday. Having done some research, I discovered that it was possible to visit the homestead of Yanga Station. Armed with this information, we visited Balranald Information Centre to enquire. Yes, we were told, it's about 20 minute's drive from here. Off we went. On arrival at the homestead, we soon saw the signs:



Not good! What's a "pecinct" anyway?? We found that, in order to gain access, one must have a key. We also found some doors unlocked so ventured inside as much as we could. I then decided to call the Baranald Information Centre.

"Hello, my name is Tim. I was there about half an hour ago. We are now at the Yanga Park Homestead. The signs say we need to purchase a tour of the buildings from you."
"Yes, that's right."
"So despite the fact that I was there about half an hour ago and told you that we planned to go to the homestead, you didn't think to let us know that?"
After a short pause....
"Um, yes. Sorry about that."
"So the only way we are going to get access is to drive 20 minutes back to you, then drive 20 minutes back here, then drive 20 minutes back to you to return the key, then drive 20 minutes back to continue on our way?"
"Err, yes."
"Can you understand why I might be really, really annoyed with you?"
"Yes."

Hmm...

Some of the buildings near the homestead were offices of national park rangers. I decided to give them a try. Initial knocking produced no response. Some lights were on. Venturing round the back, I could see someone. More knocking. Selective hearing was definitely in operation! OK, more knocking, trying to sound like I wasn't going away anytime soon. Success, a rather grumpy ranger came to the door.
"No, we don't have anything to do with the tours and no, we don't have a key." (Yeah, right!)
Just then a more senior ranger arrived. After listening to our tale of woe, he begrudgingly said he could give us five minutes.
I asked what I hoped were intelligent questions to keep him occupied. He appeared to know absolutely everything there is to know about the place and seemed to warm to us as we moved from room to room. So, in the end, we had a 30 minute personal tour with an expert and didn't even have to pay (we did offer).




Apart from being double the size, this stove is exactly the same as the one we had at my childhood home.



The family left the homestead as it is, furniture and all. Overtime, many changes were made. It was decided that, rather than opting to "restore" the home to a particular period, it would be left as it was. A very good idea in my opinion!




We assumed that the skylight was made of perspex but it is actually corrugated glass.



It is said that this telephone, which connected the manager's office to the shearing shed several kilometres away, could be the first ever in Australia. It was installed by one James Cromyn under instructions from his uncle... Alexander Graham Bell!




The manager's chair. I bet others enjoyed sitting in it when he wasn't there!



Note the hand on the "handle" of the safe.





Yanga Station also had one of the first refrigerators.





Our next stop was the town of Hay. This is the water tower.



Bishop's Lodge is an 1888 iron house, built for the first Anglican Bishop of Riverina. It had all sorts of technical innovations. Click the link to find out more. Even in these modern times, it is innovative. When one approaches the front door, one is greeted by a voice from nowhere asking what we were doing there. We were given instructions to pay via tap and pay and then the door was, seemingly by magic, opened for us!



This room was the chapel.





Hay Railway Station is impressive!
Our next town was Griffith which is the home to the impressive Griffith Pioneer Park Museum. It houses many historic buildings from the area, each one filled with exhibits. We didn't have time to see it all!


This clock is in the entry area



The old Griffith Hospital






Goolgowi Railway Station was moved here.

This was the ONLY cheese as far as I was concerned as a child!



All the dolls and Christmas decorations have been knitted...



...as have these flowers...



...and these vegetables!




I'd forgotten about red phones!



What a wonderful rainbow! If you look carefully on the left, you may see that it is actually a double rainbow!

Our next town was Deniliquin.


Deniliquin Uniting Church (rather like a cake, we thought!)
One of the highlights of our visit was The Depot  which is a huge collection of historic vehicles and memorabilia. It is one of the best I have ever been to!






It's quite a while since the interior of buses was like this - but I remember!



Not one, but a whole collection of fire engines
The collection of Golden Fleece memorabilia reminded me of the roadside restaurants. These were, in my memory, excellent places in which to dine. Among the items on display was an instruction sheet for employees. Part of it read:
The 'Five Basic Rules' of Golden Fleece Restaurant Table Service
1. Serve all Food to the left hand side of the customer using your left hand.
2. Serve all Drinks to the right hand side of the customer using your right hand.
3. Take food and drink receptacles away from the customer from the right hand side.
4. Always move in anti-clockwise direction around the table.
5. Never lean over or reach across in front of your customers.
Wouldn't it be good if waiters at restaurants these days, even more upmarket ones, followed these rules?!




A 1948 Armstrong Siddely "Typhoon" from the UK. Note the matching picnic set!



Sorry about the finger!




Remember these "telephone" tables?



This was part of a newspaper page and was placed in the middle of a completely unrelated article. We had a good laugh at Colin's expense!



My father had one of these kerosene heaters in the garage. He loved to tinker with his car which was a 1951 Wolseley 6/80.





Definitely the smallest BMW I have seen!


We enjoyed a leisurely stroll around Deniliquin's Waring Garden

Deniliquin's water tower art



More nostalgia! Forest Hill Shopping Centre used to have a rocket exactly like this which was the highlight of a visit there in my childhood


The last town visited during this trip was Kyabram so that we could visit Kyabram Fauna Park.
 


How nice to find such an active koala!



There were several of these animatronic dinosaurs. They were pretty good really!






A reticulated python. This species is the world's longest snake, growing up to 10 metres in length!
At the end of a lovely holiday, it was good to get home to one's own bed and the cats!


Not just on the couch, but with a cushion and nice soft blanket as well!




July saw my 64th birthday. Of course this song was in my head all the time!


A happy celebration at the Roe household



A sunset in Arthur St
The last of our four visits to Zoos Victoria was to Werribee Open Range Zoo. The main feature of this zoo is a safari ride on a bus. The standard of the buses has improved since my last visit but whether or not you get good views of the animals is somewhat random. There are also many enclosures which one can walk to.

The king of the jungle zoo.




It's a hard life!




Got any fleas?
Jenny wanted to visit friends in Canberra and Bega during the September holidays. Our main destinations were Holbrook, Canberra, Pambula Beach and Lakes Entrance but, of course, there were lots of other stops along the way. Although we were only away for eight days, we managed to do a lot of things!


Cherry blossom at Holbrook




The Woolpack Inn Museum at Holbrook is in an old hotel. The museum has been there since 1965 and includes 22 rooms of exhibits and some extra buildings outside.





Any guesses as to what this is?



How about with the cover open?



Does a close up help? You will find the answer at the end of the letter!



The dining room. Note the pressed metal ceiling.



This pad of  "pudding" recipes contained a different dessert for each day of the year!



There is nothing like bread or scones baked in a wood-fired oven!



What's that at the top of the water tower?




It's a tree of course. What else would you want in a water tower?





The Dog on the Tucker Box, five miles from Gundagai
As we were travelling on the freeway towards Canberra, we spotted a sign claiming that a nearby café served the world's best afternoon tea. Who could resist? Following the signs, we arrived in the town of Bowning and found the Rolonin Café. Although probably not the world's best, the scones were delicious!


The "kettle" teapot was novel.




The proprietors have gone to a lot of trouble to provide an interesting outdoor area including...



...a facade only "Old Bowning Town"...


...and a cubby house for children!




The Rolonin Café is highly recommended!



Although the railway is long-closed, the station at Bowning has been kept in good condition.



With friends Dawn and Graeme Smith at the National Arboretum, Canberra. Graeme was the best man at Jenny's and Darryl's wedding in 1969!




The bonsai collection is extensive. Note the teabags which are used to hold fertilisers.



There are extensive views!



A cheerful local resident



Kite flying was a school holiday activity at the Arboretum.

While Jenny spent additional time with Dawn and Graeme, Satoshi and I visited the National Zoo and Aquarium. (Yes, another zoo and more animals!) Satoshi organised a "close encounter" experience. This time it was with lemurs. They were very tame and social, especially when there was food in the offing! The close proximity of the animals provided excellent photographic opportunities! I would rate this zoo as one of the best in Australia.



















Floriade is an annual festival of flowers and Spring held at Canberra's Commonwealth Park on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin. It is very extensive and is easily the largest display of flowers I have ever seen. I am not particularly interested in flowers but one cannot fail to appreciate the beauty of them when displayed like this.











During road trips, we often make detours because Satoshi likes to go in search of old railway stations. This was the case as we travelled from Canberra towards Pambula. Sometimes, as in the town of Michelago, we find substantial buildings of interest.






It took us quite a while to locate the station at Bunyan. You can imagine the comments!!




We were pleased to find that there are still kangaroos to welcome us at Pambula Beach Caravan Park. Note that there are two in this photo.






You can appreciate the size of this hooded plover chick by the size of the kangaroo poo in the photo!
Jenny had never seen a whale so Satoshi and I decided to give her a ticket for a whale watching cruise for her birthday (a special one this year - 75!). It is not easy to take photos of whales because they usually only appear on the surface of the water long enough to take a breath. This fact combined with the movement of the boat in the water makes getting ANY photo of a whale quite an achievement so our photos of whales below are not spectacular.



Not a whale






Sometimes, it's just a splash!




We spotted this seal enjoying the sun as we returned to Merimbula Lake.



Did you hear the one about....?



We were not quite sure why this sign was in the bottle shop at Merimbula.


The old Merimbula School is now a museum.



The old Bega Hospital was severely damaged in a fire in 2004. It has taken 20 years to restore it.




At Tathra Wharf

Breakfast at Oaklands Barn, Pambula, just before we began our journey to Lakes Entrance



The skeleton of "Old Tom" at the Eden Killer Whale Museum. His is a fascinating story.




The area surrounding Genoa Falls was severely burnt in the fires of 2019. Fortunately, eastern water dragons can still be found there but only small specimens compared with those we have seen hitherto.


On our way to Stony Creek Trestle Bridge (near Nowa Nowa), this koala wandered across the road in front of the car.



Fortunately, it made it across the road safely and quickly climbed to safety.



Stony Creek Trestle Bridge is the largest of its type in Victoria.



The size of it can be appreciated when comparing it to the person on the bicycle.


Cosstick's Weir, a little further on from the bridge, is where we spotted this snail.


It often rains when we visit Lakes Entrance, but not this time!

Fudge and Butterscotch were waiting for us when we got home, having been faithfully looked after by Darryl in our absence. Thanks, Darryl!




We wondered where all the cats' toys had gone - they were all under the cupboard!



They both like their new cat tower.



Fudge likes her window seat. As you can see, it attaches to the window via suction cups.


Butterscotch was keeping me company as I was writing this letter!



The apricot tree on which Fudge is climbing grew inside the cat run after it was built!
In late November, Satoshi and I ventured to Caveat, a few kilometres north of Yea. Our friend, Betty Ladbury, hosts the Parish Picnic at her property. She always goes to a huge amount of trouble to make sure everyone is made to feel welcome there, including providing scones with jam and cream on arrival. Thanks, Betty! Satoshi and I made a weekend of it by staying the night at a nearby Airbnb. How lucky we were to enjoy such a peaceful and relaxing time away!

In early December, it was time for the Year 3/4 camp. It was held at Lyrebird Park which is at Yellingbo in the Yarra Ranges. As I was the teacher in charge of this event, I spent many hours in preparing for it. How good it was when 80 students and 9 members of staff arrived safely back at school after a happy and successful camp!

During 2024 I was privileged to be able to attend a number of concerts and musicals. The two concerts that stand out are a performance of Faure's Requiem by the Melbourne Symphony Chorus, and a particularly fine rendition of Handel's Messiah by the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra and Polyphonic Voices. The counter tenor soloist was Alex Ritter, who I taught when he was in Year 2! I also attended several theatrical productions including Wicked and Beauty and Beauty and the Beast, Oliver! (in which the star was August Kennon who I taught in Year 4 last year) and Circus 1903.

Satoshi and I continue to be regular parishioners at St John's Anglican Church in East Malvern. Satoshi sings in the choir (which is often said to be one of the best church choirs in Melbourne) and I play the organ about once a month. We both find that St John's fulfils our spiritual needs with its rich liturgy, beautiful music and excellent preaching.



St John's in May, 2024
Writing this letter each year gives me time to consider just how fortunate I am. I have a roof over my head, a good job, and very close friends. These are the most important aspects of life. There are so many things for which to be thankful, especially when one considers the violence, destruction and poverty being experienced in so many places, especially Gaza and Ukraine.

I wish you a happy, healthy, successful and peaceful 2025!


With much love,
         


And now..... the answer to the question:

It's a machine akin to a pianola which can be rolled up in front of any piano. The little projections press the keys of the piano. It's only the second time I have seen such a machine. The other one was held at the now closed musical village at Darnum.


PS. If you would like to read letters from earlier years, you can do so here.