The Apothecary's House Adrien Mathews. Novel.
Set in Amsterdam present day. Reichmuseum researchers returning Jewish artworks stolen by Nazis during war. Piece in question has separate claimants and mysterious pursuers and embodies a mystery.
The Men Who Stare at Goats Jon Ronson. Non-fiction.
Journalistic investigation into American Military's alleged use of psychic and occult powers, and their misuse, particularly in the "war on terror".
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Christmas Newsletter 2006
Another year has flashed by, Ann’s first full year and Ian’s second of so-called retirement. It’s been great.
The
year kicked off with Rebecca still in South America part way through
her nine month travel adventure, and with Megan living back at home,
running her graphic design business out of our front room. Ian and Ann
took a short break in an apartment by the sea at Port Elliot, about 50
miles south of Adelaide.
In
the early part of the year, Ann joined the board of the Seniors’
Information Service (SIS) and was also appointed to the Libraries Board.
Ian continued as a member of the Board of Community Information
Strategies Australia (CISA) and also undertook a review of the
Development Assessment Panel of one of Adelaide’s larger municipal
councils, in association with Greg Crafter.
Not
too far into the year saw us involved in the State General Election.
During the campaign, the Adelaide Festival of the Arts and the Fringe
Festival were going on. We managed to fit in a few events: the
Glyndebourne Opera’s production of “Flight”; a nostalgic revival of the
Adelaide University Footlights Revue with many of the original student
performers now in their 50s and 60s; the premier of the play from Peter
Goldworthy’s funny and thought-provoking novel “Honk if you’re Jesus”;
the Amsterdam Sonfonetti and the Leningrad Orchestra.
We
also went to a Womad session, the world music and dance festival that
runs in parallel with the Arts Festival, featuring Miriam Makeba. Also
during the latter part of the year we enjoyed performances of the plays
“Life x 3” and “Private Lives” at the State Theatre, and a concert by
the revamped Australian String Quartet at a winery in the Barossa
Valley.
As
Autumn moved towards the Australian winter, our big event for the year
started, our 12 week overseas holiday. Arriving first in the UK, we soon
departed to spend a few days in Venice, then in Como in northern Italy
where we caught up with Rae and Greg with whom we travelled for the next
four weeks. We all took the train to Lodeve near Montpellier and were
joined by Bob and Pat from Canada for the next two weeks. The six of us
explored the local area, ate like royalty and spent a couple of days in
Barcelona as a side trip.
When
Bob and Pat left to continue the next part of their European trip, the
four of us travelled via Paris and Athens to the Greek island of Paros
for an idyllic week in the fishing town of Noussa. We flew back to
London where Greg and Rae got ready for their return to Australia, while
Ann and Ian began our stay in the UK catching up with family and
friends, making our base with my sister Ruth and Aunt Else. They looked
after us marvellously.
Another
highlight was when our daughter Megan met up with us in London. She had
popped over to the UK to catch up with her boyfriend who was working
there at the time and to go with him to a wedding. We flew back to
Adelaide via a few days in Hong Kong. It was all a magnificent
experience.
While
we were away, Rebecca returned home and stayed in our house. Shortly
before we returned, she moved back to Sydney to take up the offer of a
flat overlooking Bondi Beach. Almost immediately, Chris, her partner
went with Oxfam to Pakistan to help wind up their earthquake relief
projects. Bec started up her own communications consultancy and business
has picked up quite quickly for her. She is undertaking some
interesting projects relating to sustainable and alternative energy.
About
the same time, Megan moved out into a rented house five minutes away
from ours, sharing with her boyfriend who had returned with her to
Australia, and one of her girlfriends from University. However, things
didn’t work out and later in the year he moved away with plans to return
to London. Meanwhile, Megan set up a new office in the separate “rumpus
room” and continued to run her business from there.
In
August Ann and Ian spent a few days in Melbourne, seeing the Picasso
exhibition and the new production of “The Boy from Oz”. Then shortly
after, we spent a few days in Sydney catching up with Rebecca in Bondi.
In September, we celebrated my 60th birthday
with a party at our home for friends, some of whom travelled interstate
or from distant parts of South Australia to join us. It was great
chance for people to catch up with others they hadn’t seen for a while.
Ann and several of our friends did the catering and organising.
Shortly
after, Ian’s band finally got its act together after a stop-start sort
of year, and we performed three gigs at a city pub before a couple of
the members moved on, amicably. In the last couple of weeks the
remaining three of us have started to rehearse with a new drummer and
lead guitarist, and we hope to able to gig again in the new year.
Ann
and Ian wound up the year with an actual and symbolic spring clean,
repainting the lounge and dining room. Now we are looking forward to
visits from long-standing school-friends planned for the first part of
2007.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Vale Ron Crafter
Ronald Ernest Crafter spent his early childhood in Elson Street, Lockleys in the family home built by his father.
Ron’s long and varied working life began with farm work when he worked at Warrakilla the family property at Mylor. This included making many trips to the East End market with produce.
Ron loved sport of all kinds and was an outstanding sportsman himself, playing A grade football for Mylor for 16 years. He was the Mail Medal runner-up in the Adelaide Hills Association in 1933. The following year he played league football for West Adelaide and later returned to captain the Mylor team. He played on the Adelaide Oval in a combined side as a curtain raiser to the 1940 Grand Final.
He married Molly Keefe in 1939 and they lived at Willaston during the war when Tony was born. Through the war years, Ron drove trucks carrying uranium from Mount Paynter in the northern Flinders Ranges to Adelaide.
After the war he and Molly moved back to the Adelaide Hills, living in Hahndorf and then Littlehampton. Ron managed a farm milking cows, growing potatoes and other vegetables and preparing yearling horses for thoroughbred sales on Miss Betty Taylor’s property, Kinross.
During these years Greg and Trisha were born. Ron and Molly and Ron’s parents-in-law Len and Addie Keefe were all very active in the life of the town and the district. They made many friends and enjoyed life to the full.
Ron was then employed to manage a thoroughbred horse agistment property being established at Smithfield. The family moved there in 1950.
No sooner had Ron set up the enterprise and “rested” racehorses had arrived than the Playford Government acquired huge tracts of land in the area to establish the new satellite city of Elizabeth. The property was sold and Ron’s position went with it.
It was at this time he and Molly decided not to continue on the land. Ron went back to work at the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury where he learnt the trade of machine engraving.
During those years he was an active member of the WRE lawn bowling club, winning three championships in one year. Catherine was born in 1954.
Ron and Molly decided to move to Adelaide in 1960 where education opportunities for their children were better. They bought their first house in Taperoo where they lived for the next 36 of their 57 years of marriage.
On Ron’s retirement in 1974 at age 60, he and Molly spent six months with their close friends Pat and Mary O’Brien on an around-the-world cruise. They enjoyed it immensely. For Ron, this was the beginning of a long and satisfying retirement, with many pleasures and good times to look back on.
Ron became a well-known identity around the Taperoo district, being involved in many community activities. In 2002 he moved to a nearby retirement village with his friend Jake, a trusty Jack Russell terrier. Ron continued as a helper at the Taperoo Meals on Wheels kitchen until his 90th year and remained active in the local community until his recent decline in health.
Ron will be remembered as a great family man. He was never happier than when the family gathered. And these gatherings often included an “extended” family of his and Molly’s and their children’s friends who were welcomed into the fold.
Ron’s immediate family gave him much pleasure and satisfaction as it grew. He took great delight in playing with, photographing, entertaining and thoroughly enjoying his grandchildren and, most recently, his great-grandchildren.
Ron’s long and varied working life began with farm work when he worked at Warrakilla the family property at Mylor. This included making many trips to the East End market with produce.
Ron loved sport of all kinds and was an outstanding sportsman himself, playing A grade football for Mylor for 16 years. He was the Mail Medal runner-up in the Adelaide Hills Association in 1933. The following year he played league football for West Adelaide and later returned to captain the Mylor team. He played on the Adelaide Oval in a combined side as a curtain raiser to the 1940 Grand Final.
He married Molly Keefe in 1939 and they lived at Willaston during the war when Tony was born. Through the war years, Ron drove trucks carrying uranium from Mount Paynter in the northern Flinders Ranges to Adelaide.
After the war he and Molly moved back to the Adelaide Hills, living in Hahndorf and then Littlehampton. Ron managed a farm milking cows, growing potatoes and other vegetables and preparing yearling horses for thoroughbred sales on Miss Betty Taylor’s property, Kinross.
During these years Greg and Trisha were born. Ron and Molly and Ron’s parents-in-law Len and Addie Keefe were all very active in the life of the town and the district. They made many friends and enjoyed life to the full.
Ron was then employed to manage a thoroughbred horse agistment property being established at Smithfield. The family moved there in 1950.
No sooner had Ron set up the enterprise and “rested” racehorses had arrived than the Playford Government acquired huge tracts of land in the area to establish the new satellite city of Elizabeth. The property was sold and Ron’s position went with it.
It was at this time he and Molly decided not to continue on the land. Ron went back to work at the Weapons Research Establishment at Salisbury where he learnt the trade of machine engraving.
During those years he was an active member of the WRE lawn bowling club, winning three championships in one year. Catherine was born in 1954.
Ron and Molly decided to move to Adelaide in 1960 where education opportunities for their children were better. They bought their first house in Taperoo where they lived for the next 36 of their 57 years of marriage.
On Ron’s retirement in 1974 at age 60, he and Molly spent six months with their close friends Pat and Mary O’Brien on an around-the-world cruise. They enjoyed it immensely. For Ron, this was the beginning of a long and satisfying retirement, with many pleasures and good times to look back on.
Ron became a well-known identity around the Taperoo district, being involved in many community activities. In 2002 he moved to a nearby retirement village with his friend Jake, a trusty Jack Russell terrier. Ron continued as a helper at the Taperoo Meals on Wheels kitchen until his 90th year and remained active in the local community until his recent decline in health.
Ron will be remembered as a great family man. He was never happier than when the family gathered. And these gatherings often included an “extended” family of his and Molly’s and their children’s friends who were welcomed into the fold.
Ron’s immediate family gave him much pleasure and satisfaction as it grew. He took great delight in playing with, photographing, entertaining and thoroughly enjoying his grandchildren and, most recently, his great-grandchildren.
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