History bounces out of gloom for footy club picture project

HISTORY was a dry old offering for many of us kids growing up in regional Australia as baby boomers. The mechanical accounts were about as interesting as the manuals that arrived in the household appliance flood as the consumer age dawned. Well, to be honest, the manuals were better reading. They related to our lives more than the lists of dates and names with a few colourless bridging clauses.

SOME youngsters who were mentally tough enough to 'stick it out' with the historical books were lucky, towards the end of their school life, to get some great down-to-earth historical references through the ilk of the poet of the bush, Banjo Paterson, and another classy colonial, Henry Lawson. But many had closed the books and gone fishing, or kicked a football around on a paddock down the road. The smell of cow manure on leather is a lasting memory; even 'book worms' had to rest their eyes sometimes and stamp their stops on the slipperiness.

THIS reminiscence follows my browse through Tuesday's Bayside Bulletin and its enjoyable Our History page, with content from Redland City Council Local History and Heritage Library. Ah, the old Capalaba Drive-in, a far cry from the DVDs and digital downloads of today. Twenty-odd pages further into the edition another historical project featured in the Public Notices, with Alexandra Hills Australian Football Club calling for team photos from the past. The contact was a name that has been in the Redland public eye for decades. Murray Elliott first won election to then shire council in 1997, coincidentally the final year of that bituminous paradise of film.

MURRAY has a great love of history and admits his Aussie rules career didn't get out of the paddock. But he says that early in his career as a councillor he recognised the community value of the football club in Windemere Road and became involved. For the past 12 months Murray has been the club's secretary-treasurer. He has moved to fill a big gap in the Bombers' memorabilia, between the club foundation in 1980 and the past few years. The pictures will feature in the clubhouse, for which the administration, led by president Paul Redfern, has big plans. Murray revealed he is working on an application for a gaming licence to provide revenue to support the 350-strong contingent of players.

 "WE get good crowds here for the home games – up to a couple of hundred spectators – and there were about 800 at a round robin we held," he says. Murray says the Bombers coaches – seniors and under 18s Graham Henwood and reserves Troy Beresford – have worked hard with their squads before the season opens tomorrow with home games against Aspley. The oval will be busy again on Sunday with the juniors' pre-season grading.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

It's a mean old world

Just a quick diversion from the Classifieds' selection of pest treatments ... A great struggle caught my eye today as I worked on my house. Actually, it was a great meal for this spider. Hairy caterpillar. Yum.

Drill whirs funeral hymn for data in cyberspace cemetery

Image: High-tech tool ... a beautifully composed picture from fellow blogger, Doctor Drill Bit.

A DRILLPRESS on a workbench in a Capalaba home has become a high-tech tool in the new age of fear and suspicion. The drill has a special purpose. Its sharp bit bites into computer hard drives, making them inoperable. Computing consultant Chrissy Herford has implemented the whirring conclusion on more disks than she can count. It's just one of the services of Chrissy's firm Executive IT Connections, a regular advertiser in the Computers column.

CHRISSY has found a common disregard for ensuring the data on discarded computers does not fall into the wrong hands. "Some people don't realise how dangerous it is to just throw their old computer into the garbage bin," she says. "People sometimes say to me that they don't have anything personal stored. "I ask them, 'How would you like to have pictures of your head on a donkey's bum put out there around the internet?' "When you put it like that they are not so keen to simply put it in the garbage."
SHE has been so concerned about protecting people's privacy that she invited people to leave their old computers at her home so she can hear that special sound that sends the data to the cemetery of cyberspace. Born and reared in the central western Queensland town of Morven, Chrissy developed an interest in computers more than a decade ago. She says she started learning about computers by working on her own because upgrading to new equipment was too expensive; the interest grew into a business that now services not only home computer users but also other clients including state government departments. Chrissy says she started Executive IT Connections "to bring affordable and reputable computers and repairs to executive clientele and businesses at very competitive prices".
 "I OPERATE my business from home to keep my costs down so that I can make owning a personal computer affordable for everyone," she says. "Quality is a must and I guarantee it. I only use parts that I would use myself and all parts come with warranties. "Best part of all is 'I am mobile' – I come out to you." Chrissy has a special mission to help seniors and offers them a discount. She believes many computing experts use 'geek' language when talking to seniors who prefer to plain and simple English. "I am happy to spend more time with them and be available to help them over the phone," she says.
CHRISSY says that in one recent case a widow gave away her husband's computers soon after his death then realised she wanted to write his life story. Although all his stored data was lost, Chrissy could at least supply a computer for the widow's project.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Mystery of dead cat continues: A day in the life of vet nurse

Image: Just one of a multitude of creative expressions inspired by that moustache. This one from The Little Duckling.

INVESTIGATIVE skills to match those of the fictional detective with the curly moustache, Hercule Poirot, would be needed to solve the multitude of 'cold cases' in the Lost & Found archives. Every edition of the Classifieds brings more mystery and intrigue with missing pets often the star players. However, it took a most extreme event to elevate one Redland feline to the cast, with a notice announcing "FOUND Deceased Cat ...", complete with capital letters as a mark of respect.

COMPASSIONATE veterinary nurse Clare Baker placed the notice after a woman delivered the young female tortoiseshell with a black collar to Cleveland Veterinary Clinic last week. "The lady found it in Ross Court – apparently it was hit by a car," Clare said. "It didn't have a microchip so I thought I'd advertise it so the owner could at least know what's happened to it and not need to keep searching." Clare can only wonder if the notice has allowed a grief-stricken owner to "get some closure" as no one responded. The tortoiseshell has been in cold storage awaiting a possible 'viewing'.

FROM time to time finders took dead animals to the clinic although "they are supposed to call the council" for removal from roads and streets, Clare said. While the latest delivery reflects a sombre side of a veterinary clinic soap opera, there must be a lot of joy in working so closely with the animal kingdom. And bright, loving smiles surround baby animals. The clinic sometimes accepts unwanted kittens for people wanting pets. "We desex and microchip them and give them their first vaccination," Clare said. "If they are with us for long enough, they get another vaccination. "The cost of the kitten after the three procedures is $200, which is cheaper than getting them done separately, so the owners do save some money."

CLARE enjoys her career as a veterinary nurse; she started at age 16 in North Yorkshire, England, where she was born and grew up. She came to Australia as a backpacker and worked with the RSPCA in Sydney before moving with her husband Steve to Redland City in 2006.

FOR many generations, browsing the Lost & Found notices has been one of the highlights of the "local newspaper" experience. It's free with every edition, and it really is an intriguing 'soap opera' of our lives and times, although many mysteries are never solved. Just what is the story behind that 'pelvic sling' found in Victoria Point? Sorry, I wasn't game to ask.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Missing bull terrier turns up safely but owners' fear lingers

Image from fellow bloggers who posted a breed profile saying : "Originating in England, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier was bred for bull, bear, and lion baiting. The aforementioned 'blood-sports' were officially eliminated in 1835 when Britain introduced animal welfare laws. However, 'blood-sport' proponents began using this breed for organized dog fighting.

TWO days of gut-churning fear and worry ended with tears of joy this week when a playful Staffordshire bull terrier puppy returned to her Birkdale home. Six-month-old Millie was already home and safe when she starred in a Lost & Found notice in Tuesday's Bayside Bulletin. The owners – a couple and their two daughters – are mystified over how the dog escaped from the property. They are now worried about security and asked not to be identified. Julia, who placed the notice, said the dog's disappearance had made her aware of the high rate of theft of such terriers for dog fights. She said that during Millie's two-day absence she had also posted notices on internet forums including Facebook, researched media reports of dog thefts and confirmed with police that they were investigating the dog-fight claims.
A LOCAL resident found Millie but the fear that she could ever fall into the control of criminals continues to haunt the family. Neighbours reported the dog had barked and yelped late at night before a car pulled up outside the house during heavy rain and quickly had left. "We got our dog back but there are many, many owners out there whose dogs haven't been returned," Julia said. "I have been inundated with calls and emails from people who have lost their dogs. When there is a reaction like this there must be something going." She believed stolen dogs were subjected to unspeakable cruelty in fight rings and the criminals involved needed to be brought to justice.
REPORTS posted on websites about dog thefts in south-east Queensland and the fight concerns have received dozens of comments, including those of sceptics who contend that thieves target purebred dogs because of their value, not for fighting. However, Julia said she had spoken to two detectives, one in the Redcliffe district and other on the bayside, who said the possibility of the dog-fight rings was under investigation. She said a detective confirmed police were still checking claims on one forum that a woman had been driving around Mt Cotton and Redland Bay areas stealing dogs and cats and that residents had taken the registration number of her car. However, the number had not identified any culprit to date, the detective told Julia.
JULIA has put Millie into care at another address, fearing thieves may still target the dog, and was waiting for a neighbour who has security cameras to return home after a break. "We are hoping the video caught something that happened that night and the car that was reported outside our house," she said. "Just how she got out of the property I may never know."

This column has appreared in The Redland Times.

Pencils, paper make ideal way to record bayside beauty

THE tempo of the heartbeat may have increased with tantalising anticipation the other day when the word "plein" appeared in a classified notice. The discovery of a spelling mistake is always a memorable moment for the dedicated readers who, with red pen poised, comb through the fine print of newspapers, ready for a gleeful cry of "Darling, I've found another one" and then some grumbles and mumbles. But there was no mistake in the Training and Tuition notice promoting Vicki Whalan's drawing classes.

THE term "plein air" derives from the French language, and just to ensure that everyone understood Vicki published the translation "open air" in brackets. The cultural touch honours not only centuries of artistic practice but also Redland City's beautiful bayside environment. Vicki was seeking students for plein air drawing classes she will hold in the Oyster Point park every Thursday from 9.30am. "It was the first time I have advertised and I already have seven students, so I am very happy with the result," Vicki said yesterday. "The scenery around the bay is just so stunning it makes the perfect setting." The bay, in fact, was the drawcard for Vicki and husband Peter to move from Lighthouse Beach on the NSW mid-north coast to Oyster Point just under two years ago. They had visited Queensland while their son Kurt and daughter Megan studied at university and Vicki fell in love with "beautiful Moreton Bay" after they came to Cleveland for an Anzac service.

VICKI has studied not only fine arts but also training and assessment. She describes her work as figurative, representational and observational, and admires the work of the masters and some more modern practitioners such as Clarice Beckett, a Victorian hailed by the National Gallery for her "lyrical and evocative landscapes". A drawing by Vicki won the 2012 Redfest art prize and her drawings and watercolour and acrylic paintings will feature in a joint exhibition with the works of Mike Scott and Robyn Dunn in the Old Schoolhouse Gallery, opening on Friday, March 8. She says the exhibition includes her figurative studies of the human form, with some "cropping" providing close-up images.
ALTHOUGH the smell of paint and the gentle, almost inaudible sound of pencil on paper seem a long way from the taps and clicks of the computer keyboard of much modern art, Vicki says the two worlds do come together. She also uses Photoshop to see some subjects in a different light during her research. But she's happiest in the plein air and thanks Redland City Council's Michelle Wilson for assistance with her application to use the Oyster Point park.

'Braveheart of the buffet' finds kilt in family's closet

Image from fellow blogger The Bagpiper.

THE adage refers to "skeletons" in the family closet but a sibling's research found a kilt in ours. Scottish genes must be strong. Noted through history for austerity, the Scots seem to have had quite some influence over me. Thank goodness I found out before I cut open another toothpaste tube. A mate has recalled a dispute or two or three over shared restaurant bills and disparaged my mental notes on those who hogged expensive dishes (and they weren't haggis).

PLAIN packaging on supermarket shelves has been like the call of the bagpipes. And now I understand my childhood fascination with Scrooge McDuck in the Disney cartoons and why I have such deep respect for an elderly mate who buys new tyres one year before he puts them on his car.

WITHOUT actually trying the tyre method I can understand his rationale: the rubber hardens during the interim, making the tyre more durable. A tyre expert has debunked the theory, saying harder rubber would in fact wear quicker, but my mate swears by the practice. After all, he is a Scot. A recent television documentary about the highland warrior known as Braveheart topped the ratings in my household, and some predictable links are now in my web browser. It takes some courage to write that much information about the Scots is available – free – on the internet.

A US site, www.allinmyfamily.us, lists profound Scottish proverbs: A fool may earn money, but it takes a wise man to keep it; a full purse never lacks friends; never marry for money – ye'll borrow it cheaper; a penny saved is a penny gained; and money is flat and meant to be piled up. Such sentiments must explain why the change pocket on my jeans is never big enough for a coin-grabbing clinch of thumb and forefinger.

ALL this ticked over in my mind during my storm season clean-up as I waterblasted everything except the family dog and oiled every board of unpainted timber. No.1 on my conscience was the indignity over a certain retail outlet seeming to 'hide' the linseed oil that is cheaper than the specialist decking-oil products. One would think that all such products would be displayed together but I always have to hunt for the linseed oil, which is so far away I need a McGregory's directory to get back to the checkout. How does all this relate to classified advertising? Well, the Classifieds are a great place to make and save money, and today I simply acknowledge many Scots in the readership.

 This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

FOOTNOTE: A critic has commented at http://www.baysidebulletin.com.au/story/1332234/scots-not-all-scrooges/?cs=220

A walk in the wet forest, Part 2: Beauty in southern Moreton Bay

TODAY has been cloudy with bursts of rain but the sun came out and some jewels of nature radiated beauty to a world that's usually blind to their charms.
Fungi always star in such a show around my southern Moreton Bay island home but have a supporting cast.
The exhibition was enough to bring out the soft side of anyone, maybe even the family dog. So I grabbed the camera and lead to simply stroll a few hundred metres and record the following:

A walk in the wet forest, Part 1: Beauty in southern Moreton Bay

TODAY has been cloudy with bursts of rain but the sun came out and some jewels of nature radiated beauty to a world that's usually blind to their charms.

Fungi always star in such a show around my southern Moreton Bay island home but have a supporting cast.

The exhibition was enough to bring out the soft side of  anyone, maybe even the family dog. So I grabbed the camera and lead to simply stroll a few hundred metres and record the following for your enjoyment:

 

 

'They don't give you a manual' but help is freely available

Image: Lovely illustration of parenting from the blogger known as rightwaysrichard

WHENEVER a touchy topic dominates the dinnertable talk, someone will refer to a lack of much-needed documentation that could solve a problem or two. Nowadays the statement, "They don't give you a manual with one of those", often relates to a mobile phone, and manufacturers are condemned for their failure to give their customers adequate trouble-shooting tools. However, another "product" is traditionally associated with the lack of a manual, and that of course is the child. Parents generally still face up to their duties in bringing up their children with the belief that simply because the hospital didn't supply a little booklet they must navigate through the problems, all by themselves. In fact, handy tools to develop parenting skills have long been freely available, and one has featured recently in our Training and Tuition column.

SHELDON mother-of-four Diane Rooker is offering parenting courses using the respected Parent Effectiveness Training (PET) guidelines that US psychologist Dr Thomas Gordon developed more than 50 years ago. The parenting component is just one aspect of psychological theory that Dr Gordon based on effective communication. Melbourne-born Diane, her South-African-born husband Robert and their children, now aged between 11 and 20, have been Redlanders for about the past decade. She studied at The Awakening Group in Brisbane to qualify as a counsellor and followed up elements of the course to delve deeper into Dr Gordon's much-celebrated systems. "It's all about active listening and building emotional intelligence, showing children how to find solutions themselves and develop skills that can set them up for life," says Diane. "As parents we may feel we need to tell them everything when we really need to listen and allow them to speak more. "There's no yelling in the house anymore. It does come back to the values of the parent, working out who has the problem and whose needs are not being met.

"PARENTS need to work out what their values are and whether they may be in fact those of their great-grandparents and ask if they really want those same values for their child." Diane's agency name is Pearl Counselling. Her notice offers to teach parents to speak to their child so they will listen; understand their child; resolve conflict so no one loses; and help the child become emotionally intelligent. Active and empathetic listening and strategies to cope with stress are also on the list.

THE theories of Dr Gordon have benefited thousands around the world but, sorry, there's no system for the mobile phone user without the manual.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times

Smiles in, tears out as day one brings fun into education

Image from fellowblogger dearoneshealingministry

THE nervous tension that builds during the countdown to start of a new school year always puts the littlies in the spotlight. Not only mum, dad, brothers, sisters, nans, pops, uncles and aunts but often a whole stream of friends and neighbours will whisper in hushed tones: "How do you think he/she will cope?" Will there be smiles or tears on that momentous first day? Without doubt, the first day at school nowadays is less likely to involve the traumas of the past. While I recall I settled down straight away in a battered desk of a country school, a mate decided during the morning recess that he had suffered enough and headed home.

MY vision of day one will always be the plump little boy, red-faced and screaming, bear-hugging a power pole outside the school gate as a teacher tried to prise him free and carry him back to the classroom. As pupil management theories have advanced and society generally has thought a lot about the importance of a good start to education, such scenes have become rare among the happy, smiling faces. Some schools, however, have always been virtually tear free. They are places where the learning is fun, even when that scary word 'discipline' is etched into the background. Take, for instance, a ballet school such as the one Nicole Ashfield set up in the Redlands more than three decades ago. The 'first day' for the littlies there means lots of fun, jumping, skipping, hopping to music and nursery rhymes as well as having an introduction to basic positions in dance training, Nicole says.

ASHFIELD Ballet School's youngest students are just three years old, and Nicole has gained much satisfaction from seeing them grow up. She says the discipline of dance training boosts self confidence and can be a lifetime benefit. Nicole first developed her love of dance under the tuition of her mother, Avril Binzer, and has a long list of performance and education credits. Nicole's daughter, Hayley Ashfield-Predl, who also has many career credits, is her partner in Ashfield Ballet School. They employ other teachers and run junior classes in Cleveland, Alexandra Hills, Capalaba, Wellington Point, Ormiston and Thornlands, with Ashfield Ballet Studio in Moreton Bay Road, Capalaba, as the headquarters.

MANY of their students have been high achievers. The Ashfield award winners for 2012 were: Most promising junior (ballet), Lisa Verstraten; most promising junior (tap), Jaden Guerrini; most promising all-rounder, Anna Booth; overall encouragement award Kiri Morgan; most consistent effort in solos, Jordan Predl; dance excellence, Taylah Forbes; most promising contemporary, Tamara Camilleri; and Avril Binzer Classical Ballet Award, Gemma Carroll. Remember these names, which are likely to get star billing in important places in years to come.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Number games rule as Carl's accountancy mission tallies up

THE news headlines focusing on the official unemployment figures which were released yesterday are like the top of a proverbial iceberg. Nowadays, all but the keenest statistical analysts seem to simply shrug at the government count and ask: What about all the underemployment? The 'grey area' appears to reduce the credibility of many reports and of course apart from the overall national figures every area has its own labour market influences. This week, the Fairfax Media network reported authoritative economists estimating that the national unemployment rate would rise to 5.4 per cent from its current level of 5.2 per cent. While most of such attention to the labour market neglects to look past the numbers to the realities, the 'grey area' is not totally ignored.

ROY Morgan Research said 19 per cent of the nation's workforce were underemployed or in part-time jobs in 2012. This reflects across the nation in homes from which the multitude of underemployed wear out their computer keyboards seeking more work. In a family home in Paterson St, Capalaba, Carl Arganda is not even a number for most of the suited analysts on his television screen. Carl, 19, has grown up in the Redlands and graduated from Capalaba State College in 2010. His schoolmates may remember him as the flanker in the college's rugby union team and the second rower in the rugby league. Some of his teachers, however, will recall Carl's passion for figures and can be pleased he is on a mission for a career as an accountant. "I like playing with numbers and that's what I am good at, pretty much," he says.

CARL says he has written between 200 and 300 job applications since early last year, while he studied at Mt Gravatt TAFE for his Certificate IV in Bookkeeping. Casual work as an office assistant and on a Wynnum factory's product packaging, has been paying his bills and running his 1999 Mazda MX-5 coupe, which is one of his main interests. Now with a qualification and after many months of combing the job notices, Carl has tried a new tactic, advertising in The Redland Times' Positions Wanted column: "Junior accountant looking for an office job, preferably an accounting role." After several calls, Carl was optimistic this week that the ad would help him break into his career. "My aim is to get that job and get more experience," he says.

This column appeared in The Redland Times in January 2013.

Tribal artefacts take sister, brother on cultural journey

Image: From my collection of tribal artefacts, bought from garage sales.

THE great British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, or a similarly eminent personage, could make a 'doco' paddling around in the cultural streams that flow through the Classifieds. Classified advertising always offers some intriguing posts as collectors of all things great and small pursue their passions. Even without the dulcet tones of an educated Englishman, a browse through any edition is a cultural journey littered with messages from the hearts and minds of people who really 'know their stuff'.

RECENTLY I had the great experience of chatting with Beth Saussehrd, who with her brother Jonathan, recently placed 'wanted' notices for Aboriginal and Oceanic tribal artefacts. The Saussehrds grew up in the family home in Price Avenue, Birkdale, and inherited their collector genes through their mum and dad, Angela and John, who had an antique shop at New Farm. With the family now living on the Sunshine Coast, Beth enjoyed a trip down memory lane when she returned to Redland City to follow-up the responses to her notice. She says she bought several small items to add to their extensive collection of artefacts, which they started about 15 years ago; the pair has a special interest in old shields and clubs.

"ABORIGINAL shields were used importantly as weapons of defence to deflect spears boomerangs clubs etc in warfare and combat but there significance is much broader than that," Beth says. "Depending from where or what tribe an Aboriginal belonged the shields and their form varied in shape and use separate to their primary function of defence. Shields from Central Australia were used for making fire; placing the shield face down two men squatting would rub the face of the shield in a sawing motion with the bladed edge of a spear thrower until the surface glowed and began to char.

"CENTRAL Australian groups also believed that shields carried powers of divination forewarning owners of death. Painted with totemic bearing symbols they were also used in ceremony and considered necessary accoutrements in some types of ritual performances. The shields from NSW and Victoria frequently were highly carved with series of parallel undulating lines traditionally incised, using possum tooth engraving tools. The elegant form of these shields and meandering patterns really transcends the ethnographic value and can be appreciated and as standalone pieces of art in their own right."

BETH says the pair's study into the shields' origins and use has uncovered fascinating history about their owners and the former colonial owners. The search has taken them to "far-flung corners of Australia ... from rummaging through junk shops and driving dusty roads in the country visiting old outback farms". Accustomed to some arduous journeys, Jonathon was delighted to find a shield under a firewood pile in a rental house that he had just moved into, Beth says.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Moving house: A truckload of magical moments, memories

Image: Cartons and cultures - from Friends of African Village Libraries.

YUK. That's the quick way to sum up the task of moving to a new address. Now a slower way: It's a subject that everyone seems to dread and certainly would get more thumbs-down clicks than the carbon tax on an internet forum. Chaos rules when moving, no matter how much planning has gone into the 'big day'. There'll always be clashes in normally tranquil relationships as spouses wrestle with heavy objects. It's in the script: She tilts one way while he twists the other, and Newton's law jumps out of the textbooks into painful reality – gravity is fearsome.

A TABLE leg will scar a wall or door; a dent will mysteriously appear in the fridge door; the removal truck will be either early, which creates destabilising urgency and risk of panic, or late, which instills fear of blowing the schedule. A comforting thought for some: Removalists, whether 'good' or 'bad', can be blamed for just about everything that goes wrong. A mate with a truck started doing removals but gave up saying he couldn't handle misplaced blame for damage and losses, and some overbearing master-servant attitudes.
ON my last move, in the cool of the early morning before the sweating and groaning, I called aside the removalist and offsider. Their eyes rolled in agony as I began: "Now, I want you to understand the cartons contain some very important things." Feet shuffled. "I want you to take special care. One of those boxes contains my tax records and I need you to lose it." We got on fantastically after that. They welcomed me to the cabin for the trip and the driver shared personal thoughts and details, including how, as a teenager, he had climbed through the bedroom window of the girl next door in the dead of night and fathered a child. And he explained the beliefs that ruled his life in a population infiltrated by little grey alien men in human skins, pulling strings in people's lives and fiddling in their affairs.
EVERY move offers its magical moments and memories. But today, here's some serious advice: Don't throw out good gear because you run out of bags and cartons. Always get more cartons than you think you'll need, and take everything for a garage sale at your new abode. With a sore back, you'll need the money for painkillers. Removal cartons are available through our For Sale column and the Garage Sale column is the definitive guide to the Redland City bargain hunt.
This column has appeared in The Redland Times. 

Big birthday party, trip of a lifetime now just memories

Image: Steep Point, as recorded on the camera of fellow blogger Lindsay.

A BIG family and dozens of friends had a fantastic lunchtime celebration this month when Cecil Pellow, of Birkdale, turned 80.
About 50 people converged on a Raby Bay restaurant on Cecil's birthday - Sunday, November 4. Cecil came from a family with six kids who grew up in the NSW grain and sheep country at West Wyalong.
All but one of his siblings – a brother who was too sick to travel from Melbourne – were there on the big day.
Another brother, Barry, applied his photographic expertise to record the celebration but almost three weeks later, the party guests are lamenting the loss of the camera.
The party ended mid afternoon, Barry and his wife Carole caught a taxi to their Cleveland motel, only a few hundred metres from the restaurant.

ABOUT half an hour after arriving, he realised he had left the Canon camera, which has a black case, in the taxi.
He has posted a reward in the Lost & Found column saying "memory card very important" but no one has responded.
"The camera can be replaced but the memories can't," Barry said from Hervey Bay, where he and Carole are staying in a van park as their new retirement home is getting finishing touches. "The card has about 1200 pictures."
The couple, formerly from Gladstone, has been among the grey nomads for almost a year, travelling around Australia.

THE lost pictures have documented their experiences during the past six months, mainly across the Top End, south to Perth and through the outback regions – from Kununurra at the edge of the Kimberley region to Perth and back to Birdsville in Queensland's far south west.
Barry considers them the most stunning images of the couple's time on the road – especially those of the most western point of the continent.
He and Carole breathed the sweet air of the Indian Ocean as they looked over the majestic cliffs of Steep Point after a tough stretch on a rough road.

THE trip has been a dream come true for the couple. "We have looked forward to this for about 25 years," Barry says.
They were well prepared with a robust 4WD and a comfortable van.
A highlight has been meeting some "lovely friends", Barry says.
He still has a slim hope that the person who found the camera will at least post the memory card to him.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Ambition loses pace as horse breeder sadly calls it quits

Harness racing is exciting but it has lost some of its charm for John Guy (story below). This image from wikpedia is used to illustrate the sport but has no connection with issues raised in this post. Image: Pacers at the 2007 Interdominion Championships held at Globe Derby Park in South Australia (#2 Make Me Smile, #5 Dee Dees Dream, #4 Braeside Seel Star (number not visible), #1 Tactical Dreamer). #5 wears a yellow bit lifter.

THE soil under the dense urban mix of Victoria Point cannot tell its stories, but the legacy of rural heritage runs through the suburb, deeper than the bitumen and concrete.
Nowadays, most of us can only imagine the joyous scenes of a rural lifestyle in tranquil bushland and fields, with the glorious bay as a backdrop and maybe a group of kids fussing over a horse.
Some can remember. Such a scene is crystal clear in John Guy's mind. He was one of those kids.

THAT rural upbringing planted a seed of ambition that inspired John for decades; he can still hear the horse's snort, but times have changed. He moved away from his beloved Victoria Point to pursue his dream of breeding horses.
Now he's back, disappointed.
John still loves horses and says: "They'll virtually talk to you if you get close to them. They all have different personalities and if you give them attention they are quite happy to give it back to you."
But he says his love affair with breeding trotters is over.

ABOUT a decade ago, John achieved a milestone when he bought a property on the Logan River at Beaudesert with the space for breeding from a few mares. Now, the dream property sold, he's back in his trade as ceramic tiler and the disappointment shows in his voice: "I decided it is time to move along in life before it gets away from me."
John says the breeding operation became too difficult. "It's too expensive," he says. "The horse's feed is too dear, there's no money around to sell the foals at the yearling sales and the prizemoney's no good any more."

JOHN blames the government and the racing authorities, which he says have been fostering the gallopers while neglecting the pacers. The crowds at regular trot meeting are small, says a man who has given up hope of a revival in the industry: "Change? I honestly don't know how they could fix it."
Over the past few weeks, John sought help of the Classifieds as a step in winding up his breeding operation.
He sought agistment for two of his favourite mares, one of which punters may remember. Girl About Town won 11 races from her 40 starts and also ran 11 placings. The other mare is one of her fillies.
John received only one call with an offer he says was unsuitable, so he's still looking.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Echoes of past give new hope for future on vinyl foundation

Image: Hoarders often believe their records are worth a lot more than the real value, says Mr Vinyl.

ECHOES of an amazing mix of cultures drift among the bricks and mortar of suburbia as a Redland City man tries to rebuild his life on a foundation of vinyl records.
After suffering a work-related disability for almost a decade, the man has found hope that the records gathering dust in cupboards, boxes and grimy storage will give him a new future.
With entrepreneurial vision and a sketchy business plan in his mind, he has embarked on a mission through our Classifieds.
The entrepreneur has been advertising his appeal for vinyl records with the catchcry, "Inspire another generation or just get back space in your cupboard ... Let the music be heard again."
He doesn't want to parade his personal details in public but is happy to be dubbed as "Mr Vinyl" and talk about his plan.

"SOMETHING that happened caused me to lose the use of my arms and legs and in 2003 I was mothballed, unable to work," he says.
"I am back on my feet now but I am only 41. I was bored but I didn't think life was over yet."
This year an idea took shape, and Mr Vinyl has been growing a collection of old albums in his Capalaba home.
He came across records at the Redland "dump shop" and decided to "get in first".
"Many people just throw out old records and by the time they get to the tip they have been rained on and had things chucked on to them, and they get wrecked," he says.

IT was almost heartbreaking for Mr Vinyl to hear of hundreds of records washing up on the banks of the Brisbane River during the 2011 floods.
He hopes his hobby will eventually grow a stock that will appeal to collectors or others who simply want to enjoy the music.
"The peak for vinyl records was in the early 1980s but after CDs came on the scene in the mid-'80s the vinyl era was over," he says.
"Vinyl is an entirely different sound and I expect in years to come some people will just want to hear their favourite music in that form."

AN interesting cultural "payback" has become apparent to Mr Vinyl during his project.
He says the punk, metal and some rock records are rarer. He believes fewer have survived the decades because parents ceremoniously dumped them when their children finally left home.
Mr Vinyl has bought hundreds of records in the past few months. He says the values are not as high as many hoarders hope.
"I just want to give other people the chance to hear them again," he says.

This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Chiropractors busy as eyes hunt for hope in sky

Image: A typical vegetation mix creating a fire risk around homes in the peri-urban zone.

A STRANGE affliction has taken hold of a big chunk of the Queensland population. Many need a trip to the chiropractor or the physiotherapist for some serious postural adjustment. Upper back and neck problems can be very painful. You can easily spot the sufferers. They look like they have their noses in the air but actually they have their eyes on the sky.

NATURE has been failing to deliver on the weather bureau's promises, at least until yesterday. Well, we did have a few drops of rain but only enough to dampen the socks that were left on the line to dry overnight. Yes, we can certainly "do with some rain", a phrase that seems to suit the Aussie accent. Which reminds of that great Australian poem from the federation era, Said Hanrahan.

A LOVELY copy of the poem is available at the National Library of Australia website, Trove . The insight of Father Patrick Joseph Hartigan, who used the pen name 'John O'Brien' made a delightful addition to the front page of The Eltham and Whittlesea Shires Advertiser in Victoria on November 14, 1919. His character, Hanrahan, has been giving Australian society a smile for many decades as he voices his fears that "we'll all be rooned", by drought, fires or floods.
THE message seems to be that nature will never perform to the total satisfaction of humankind, and in that regard the 2012 dry spell is probably just a curtain raiser for another wet season. But don't buy umbrellas and raincoats on my predictions because if the bureau can't get it right I don't have a chance. The comparatively dry of winter and spring always gives Queenslanders a final shot at making sure their roofs are ready for the summer rain.
THE roofing specialists who advertise in The Redland Times' Trade Services pages seem to be having a busy spring. Four of them rejected my offer to feature them in this column, saying they had as much work as they could handle. If any others wish to take up the offer I'll still be happy to give some space to the subject.
The Trade Services section is a lively and colourful directory, showing how far publishing has . evolved since the image of that tattered century-old Advertiser where a poem could sit comfortably on page one. It was pleasing to see evidence of the section's success in generating work for the advertisers and providing a handy resource for the readership.

Thanks for joining me in the marvellous community of classified advertising. This column has appeared in The Redland Times.

Grim trophy shows risks that lurk in shadows of everyday life

A GRIM trophy sits beside my keyboard. It's a solemn reminder of the fine line we may walk in life: the line that defines good and bad, ability and disability, even life and death.

It's what is left of one of the screws that held up the stairs to my front door – the rusted screws, each with only a millimetre or so of metal entrusted with the safety of those who climbed an apparently safe pathway.

The stairs would have collapsed if the fault had gone undetected. The disaster may have been only minutes away.

The victims would have been my family and friends, or an innocent stranger, maybe one or two, but possibly more – maimed or killed in a mangled, bloody mess.

My discovery is a warning to householders everywhere to check the security of their buildings, particularly on the high points of older houses. See my earlier post for more.

Behind facts, figures,stats and graphs,church eases pain

Image of despair from the church website.

HIGH or low, fast or slow – the nation's economy has always created top of mind issues, but the intensity of the focus on the ups and downs seems to ever increase. Some believe in 'talking it up' as sentiment and confidence are major players in the complex web of influences. Others do their best to tell the truth without the spin, but the public faces  a quandary in what to believe. Most of us do not have the resources or ability to do our own sums in such a sea of facts and figures.

AWAY from graphs and stats, there are pointers that can help clarify the economic picture. On the ground in the bayside suburbs, Victoria Point couple Phil and Lyn Cropper have no doubt that times are tough. Pastors of the pentecostal Rhema Word of Faith Church Redlands, the Croppers have been hearing many stories of hardship. "Costs have been going through the roof and there have been job losses; there's no doubt people generally are doing it tough and finding it hard to make ends meet," Phil says. FOR the past six weeks, the Rhema op shop at Redland Bay, has sold $35 food parcels including fruit, veges and dairy and pantry items.

PHIL says the number of people using the service has increased steadily as word has spread and although some clients undoubtedly are in considerable hardship others are simply budget conscious. "We don't discriminate," he says. "Even people who may appear to be wealthy can be doing it tough as many are up to their eyeballs in debt."

NOW, the big announcement that I promised a few weeks back. Well, the magnitude has certainly dimished in the interim but that's 'all good' for those who enrolled in the Redlands Community Weight Loss Challenge (Classie Corner, July 6).

Kim Phillips and Gordon Mills, of Capalaba, organised the challenge with eight participants. Kim has advised that Greg Harrison now has the title of 'biggest loser' after shedding 8.9kg in 12 weeks. Kim and Gordon are consultants for a nutritional system to help in losing weight without gym membership but nevertheless promote a balanced program for a healthy lifestyle. Kim, a registered nurse who now has the occupation description of 'wellness coach', says Greg was amazed at the ease of his weight loss.

"Greg changed his eating habits and commenced on one of our Cellular Nutrition Programs, which we have available for people to use if they would like to," she says.

"Four people were using our products and the other four chose not to. We had lots of laughs as well as shared information to help people move towards a healthy active lifestyle, along with encouragement and support."

Thanks for joining me to meet the people in the marvellous community of classified advertising. This column has appeared in The Redland Times.