This month we welcomed back Jill from her overseas travels.
Responses to Bev’s invitation to write a brief paragraph on the theme of childhood hobbies varied from those who could list a variety of hobbies sampled, those who had difficulty identifying a childhood hobby given the nature of our childhood and those whose hobby became a lifelong passion or interest.
Thus, to our individual memoirs: Graham shared his addiction to Catan under the previous theme of “I quit” and Barry disclosed why he quit after ‘deep and meaningful’ discussions with his US based managing director who had revealed significant changes in remuneration.
Within the theme, ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, Heather wowed us, recounting a time she was the only female scrutineer at the 1985 Grand Prix in Adelaide. In a very masculine environment, Heather was able to create a comfortable niche among the scrutineers and their families when she reassured the men that ‘what happens in Adelaide stays in Adelaide’.
Neville took an alternate track and discussed what historically happened in Vegas. He introduced us to a colorful description of its history and Frank Sinatra’s role in breaking down the colour bar in a very segregated town. Bev intriguingly acknowledged caution in sharing ‘Vegas’ moments from visits in her early twenties to Kings Cross and Bangkok. Looking forward to the unexpurgated memoir!
Jill’s ‘True confession’ memoir found her in the pink! A very welcome pregnancy ‘blessed’ by her husband’s tears of joy, as Toby revealed his gender to his dad and a very surprised mum. Writing in the third person, Ray brought into view the source of his early inferiority complex. Originally very self conscious and shy, Ray celebrated how far he had come from this child with all his accomplishments and public recognition through an OAM.
Heather, ‘changed her mind’, particularly as we followed her intriguing, and ultimately very successful career path across national boundaries and occupations. Will her retirement follow a similar path? That is for another memoir.
Under the general theme ‘Member’s Choice’, Carmyl's story, 'A Steep Learning Curve', engaged us with the challenges and adventure of becoming a youth worker at the age of 50. From opening a youth centre, to abseiling, to motorbike riding, Carmyl led us through a cavalcade of experiences that many of us could only imagine. Finally, in a story titled 'My Family and other Animals', Phiona entertained us with a variety of four-legged family pets which populated her homes in Melbourne and on King Island and educated her through farm stays. She also revealed the challenges of returning pet lambs to a larger flock expecting them to submit to the will of an assertive sheep dog.
Next month’s topics : Topic 1 ‘Retirement’ - Retirement is a transition which can be quite complex, involve a range of losses, be dreaded, involve celebrations and be looked forward to, indeed all of the above! … Share the story of your retirement from a role which was important to you at some stage of your life – how did you negotiate it? How did you feel about the transition at the time? How do you feel about it now? or
Topic 2 ‘An item of clothing which symbolizes a time in my life’ - Write a story about an item of clothing you still have (or have a photo of) which symbolizes a time or event in your life. Tell the story surrounding the clothing, the context in which it appeared in your life, significant moments which occurred while wearing it, what it means to you, why you find it hard to let go. Try to bring along the item of clothing, or a photo of it, if you can!
Graham Jensen
Responses to Bev’s invitation to write a brief paragraph on the theme of childhood hobbies varied from those who could list a variety of hobbies sampled, those who had difficulty identifying a childhood hobby given the nature of our childhood and those whose hobby became a lifelong passion or interest.
Thus, to our individual memoirs: Graham shared his addiction to Catan under the previous theme of “I quit” and Barry disclosed why he quit after ‘deep and meaningful’ discussions with his US based managing director who had revealed significant changes in remuneration.
Within the theme, ‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’, Heather wowed us, recounting a time she was the only female scrutineer at the 1985 Grand Prix in Adelaide. In a very masculine environment, Heather was able to create a comfortable niche among the scrutineers and their families when she reassured the men that ‘what happens in Adelaide stays in Adelaide’.
Neville took an alternate track and discussed what historically happened in Vegas. He introduced us to a colorful description of its history and Frank Sinatra’s role in breaking down the colour bar in a very segregated town. Bev intriguingly acknowledged caution in sharing ‘Vegas’ moments from visits in her early twenties to Kings Cross and Bangkok. Looking forward to the unexpurgated memoir!
Jill’s ‘True confession’ memoir found her in the pink! A very welcome pregnancy ‘blessed’ by her husband’s tears of joy, as Toby revealed his gender to his dad and a very surprised mum. Writing in the third person, Ray brought into view the source of his early inferiority complex. Originally very self conscious and shy, Ray celebrated how far he had come from this child with all his accomplishments and public recognition through an OAM.
Heather, ‘changed her mind’, particularly as we followed her intriguing, and ultimately very successful career path across national boundaries and occupations. Will her retirement follow a similar path? That is for another memoir.
Under the general theme ‘Member’s Choice’, Carmyl's story, 'A Steep Learning Curve', engaged us with the challenges and adventure of becoming a youth worker at the age of 50. From opening a youth centre, to abseiling, to motorbike riding, Carmyl led us through a cavalcade of experiences that many of us could only imagine. Finally, in a story titled 'My Family and other Animals', Phiona entertained us with a variety of four-legged family pets which populated her homes in Melbourne and on King Island and educated her through farm stays. She also revealed the challenges of returning pet lambs to a larger flock expecting them to submit to the will of an assertive sheep dog.
Next month’s topics : Topic 1 ‘Retirement’ - Retirement is a transition which can be quite complex, involve a range of losses, be dreaded, involve celebrations and be looked forward to, indeed all of the above! … Share the story of your retirement from a role which was important to you at some stage of your life – how did you negotiate it? How did you feel about the transition at the time? How do you feel about it now? or
Topic 2 ‘An item of clothing which symbolizes a time in my life’ - Write a story about an item of clothing you still have (or have a photo of) which symbolizes a time or event in your life. Tell the story surrounding the clothing, the context in which it appeared in your life, significant moments which occurred while wearing it, what it means to you, why you find it hard to let go. Try to bring along the item of clothing, or a photo of it, if you can!
Graham Jensen
