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Today’s ‘Weekly Times’ rural newspaper had an Editorial, which provided a nice little summary of the State’s rainfall situation through 2011 –  headed ‘For wetter or for worse’, and I felt it worthwhile sharing and retaining as a perspective on what has passed in the rural sector.

‘This has been a pretty good year for rural communities across southeast Australia. It has been a year where, yet again, the weather dominated. After a decade of drought, 2011 will go down as the year the rain returned with a vengeance. And with it came all the good and bad wet weather can bring. Of course, the floods early in the year across Queensland and Victoria will dominate any discussion about the weather. But we can’t lose sight of the good that has come from the rain. Water storages are almost full, crops and pastures have hit their stride and the financial stress of drought has been somewhat alleviated [though I’m sure not all the farming community will agree with that]. It has been a year where commodity prices rose in unison, despite what should have been a cripplingly high Australian dollar.  For a major exporter, the dollar should have decimated our farming industries. Yet beef, lamb, dairy and wool confounded the experts and continued to rise. The only lowlight has been the steady drop in grain prices, just as grower hit the paddock to harvest a near-record crop. The quiet achiever this year has been the wool industry, where the action finally moved from the boardroom to the paddock. After years as the whipping boy – the commodity that once was – wool came into its own. In June, it hit its highest price in 23 years and while it has come off the boil to more sustainable levels, it remains strong enough for many growers to contemplate a return to the fibre.  Of course, all livestock industries are a replacement game. When prices are high it means buying replacement stock will also be high. It has always been this way. But farmers are happy to pay good prices if they are confident of the year ahead. It is this sentiment which makes next week’s annual weaner calf sales such an important indicator of the year ahead. Early this year the talk was of exorbitant calf prices. They are expected to be even higher next year. If producers believe they can stand to make a quid, they will pay accordingly. Let’s hope they do’. [Of course, there’s the other side to that, faced by us poor customers – meat prices, for quality meat, or otherwise, have been quite high for a year or so now –  and if those indicators are correct, we can expect the prices to be even more out of the reach of many consumers in 2012. I’m certainly glad these days, that I don’t have to buy a week’s meat to feed a family, there’d be not much left over for anything else judging by current lamb and beef prices, etc. The chicken must be quite prosperous these days, as the meat alternative!].

 The Bureau of Meteorology puts a slightly different perspective on things – yes, a year that began, and ended, with floods, but while many people will perceive this as having being a very wet year, most of it occurred at the start and end of the year – the growing season, from April through to October, had been drier than normal in most of Victoria, but the rest of the year had balanced out to a picture of pretty high ‘annual’ rainfall figures. While the annual total won’t be a record, it is expected to be somewhere just inside or outside the top 10 records. Perhaps the rain on Christmas Day might push it inside! Meanwhile the rainfall records for the summer of 2010/2011  did break some records [and the drought] –  339mm for that period [average summer rainfall is 119mm, and the previous highest was 237mm in 1910/1911].  A few individual figures of places I’ve visited in 2011 for eg, showing 2011 rainfall as a percentage of the average, revealed for Melbourne [128%, Sunbury probably similar], Bendigo  [138%], Ballarat [114%], and Charlton [104%, yet that town, which I visited in September, has still not fully recovered from the disastrous floods in the town, early in 2011].

I was able to make reference to some of those facts during this morning’s early radio show  –  from 6am, for 3 hours, as I filled in  for that time slots normal presenter. Ron usually mixes his music up with lots of news, sport and phone interviews. I gave the latter a miss [most of Ron’s regular interviewees were away also], although I did have a guest in the studio at one stage. I must say, that after a night of not feeling well, it was difficult to want to get out at 5am this morning, but once I was out in the morning air [overcast, chance of drizzle, but sunny conditions expected for most of the day, and some very hot weather ahead of us this weekend] and on the road to my destination, felt much fresher and enthusiastic. Bit more traffic around this morning, compared with Christmas morning – from memory, on that drive, around 6.30am, I think I only passed one other vehicle, and one pedestrian, which surprised me, as I had expected to find a few kids around the streets with new bikes, etc, perhaps it was even too early for that, though not from my memories of Christmas mornings when my children were younger. Anyway, the first hour this morning was devoted to country, and them we brought in a variety of music genres for the rest of the program.  I do enjoy being able to play a range of music types – one reason, I ‘created’ the Monday night format!

A little ‘lazy’ at home today, after I eventually returned, from the radio, and a bit of shopping, etc. Lazy, that is, from the point of view of external physical work [it’s a ‘holiday’ week, the cricket is on, some great books to read, etc, etc, etc – those are my excuses any!], but I did catch up with an old ‘online friend’ that I have not ‘chatted to’ for some years. Bronnie and I met up on the internet, over 12 years ago, and for some years, had many lengthy ‘chats’. But over the past 5/6 years, I came to find that sitting at the computer ‘chatting’ [irrespective of how friendly I might have been with the person at the other end] simply tired me out, even bored me at times, with the feeling of other things I should have been doing. Lost a few friends because of that, although Bronnie is one of the few I have stayed in touch with through the occasional email, Face Book etc!!  Anyway, it was a pleasant change to be able to ‘converse’ for a while today.

Rang Shirley this evening  – she’d had her car booked for a windscreen replacement, but with all the storm damage done to cars on Christmas afternoon and evening, I wondered whether she’d been able to have it proceeded with? A bit of a wait, but yes the job was done – however, had she not had the prior booking for the job, would probably have had no hope!! Expensive  but satisfactory outcome. Meanwhile, Susie away all day, working, and the disappeared again quite quickly late this afternoon, after returning home – not back until ‘late’!!

Today’s cricket  – Day 3 of the 1^st Test against India, and after a day in which 15 wickets fell, including another poor performance by some of Australia’s batsmen who should have done better, India was in a strong position to win the game, at the close of the 3^rd day’s play. As the ‘Times of India’ described it ‘On a topsy-turvy day, when Test cricket resembled a rollercoaster ride, India and Australia took turns to seek comfort in discomfort and left the first Test at the MCG poised on a razor’s edge’.  Yes, on a bright and sunny Day 3, during the course of which the pendulum swayed crazily and as many as 15 wickets tumbled, Mike Hussey redeemed himself and rescued his Test career with a gallant unbeaten 79. With two days remaining in the Test, Australia, with 179 for eight on the board in their second innings, enjoy an overall lead of 230 runs. Obviously, only the 4^th day will be needed to finish this game – tomorrow is the day I was considering going to the cricket myself, and if Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey had still been batting together at the end of the day, I would have been on my way. But this match might be over very quickly, and despite the optimism of some of the TV commentators, I think India are a sure winner of this First Test.  Ricky Ponting scored another 60 runs, and while his two innings in this game might be enough to keep his place in the team for now, I don’t think that he personally, would be satisfied with his innings on both occasions  – good strong starts, but individual mistakes cost him a wicket, when a century looked on the cards both times!  Anyway, at Stumps on Day 3 –  Australia: 333  and 8 for 179.  India 282, with Australia’s lead just 230 runs, two wickets left.  I’m predicting the India team will win this match rather easily, later on today!!

With Christmas Day falling on Sunday, an additional public holiday was allocated for today, not that it means a great deal of difference to my routine, now being retired. After a reasonable sleep following last night’s program, I woke at 8am, and was pleased to hear that one of our regular weekday presenters was on air this morning, Christine with her program. In the meantime, I completed one of the books I was given on Christmas Day – from Jodie and Ash, it was a collection of short, easy to read fictional stories by popular Australian author, Rachael Treasure, whose novels seem to be based around Australian farming people, horses, etc, with a strong romantic aspect to the storylines. This collection went under the title of ‘The Girl and the Ghost-Grey Mare’ [which was in fact the first short story in the book] While in general, the stories provide quick and easy reading, and were broadly interesting, of the 19 separate tales, I actually only found about three of them really inspired me in any way and/or created much in the way of an emotional response. The cover described the author as Australia’s favourite rural story teller – perhaps true, and maybe I should read one of her complete novels before I pass complete judgement [there are four of them, and they have been good sellers – I asked for this particular book as I thought it might be a good introduction to her writings.

 If the couple of stories I read and enjoyed are an indication, yes, perhaps the praise is justified, and certainly the description that the book ‘features stories full of warmth and heart and humour, and with characters as diverse and colourful as the Australian countryside itself’ is an accurate depiction.  I just didn’t walk away with the usual warm feeling that ‘I want to keep reading this author’! One day when I feel like another quick and light read, I might try one of her four novels!!

In the cricket, just before today’s scheduled lunch break, Australia were all out for 333 runs, thanks to another good effort by our tailenders, the bowlers!!  By stumps, the Indians had batted themselves into a strong position at 4 down for 214.

I’m reading another book at present [which was in fact a present – from Jodie & Ash] named ‘Worse Things Happen at Sea’ and written jointly by husband and wife team William McInnes [Australian stage and screen actor, and author] and Sarah Watt [AFI filmmaker, photographer & animator], and published a few months ago  –  described as ‘Tales of life, love, family and the everyday beauty in between’.  This book celebrates the wonderful, messy, haphazard things in life — bringing home babies from hospital, being a friend, a parent, son or daughter, and dog obedience classes. It’s about living for twenty years in the family home, raising children there, chasing angry rabbits around the backyard, renovations that never end. It is also about understanding that sometimes you have to say goodbye; that is part of life too. It’s illustrated throughout with Sarah Watt’s photographs of family life and beautiful, everyday objects.  On the back cover of the book, each has the following to say.

‘I don’t think anyone really understands that idea [that the fun begins] until you do give up a part of yourself to another person or people. It’s not even about having children or a family or even having a long-term relationship. It is simply about sharing yourself with people’ [William McInnes]

‘William and I have been living together for more than two decades in the same house. In that time we have been growing happiness in the same measure as collecting grief’ [Sarah Watt].

Sadly, Sarah Watt died from cancer, at the age of 53, in November, a few months after the book was published.  The family published a tribute in The Age newspaper, saying she “died peacefully at home filled with the love she gave to those who adored her – her family”.  “A life of courage humour, intelligence, generosity, honesty and grace.”  She is best known for her feature films Look Both Ways, and My Year Without Sex, which combined her distinctive animation style with live action film.  Watt was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, and secondary bone cancer in 2009.  So when the book was being written, and then published, the authors must have been well aware, the time was running out for Sarah.  I shall return later to comment on my view of the book – expect to finish it in a day or so. Meantime, I am enjoying the read, because it is much in liking to my own style of ‘biographical’ writing, though of course at a much more elevated professional level. I read a few more pages in bed tonight – went there much earlier than usual, feeling unwell, but not really sure why. Restless for a few hours, for that reason, but later slept for a few hours with an early start due, next morning.  

Another ‘book’ I’m trying to gain something from is a ‘Diabetes Cookbook’.  I want to improve the food I’m preparing, mostly for myself these days, with Susan seldom home, and in this particular book, there are over 250 recipes for all meals of the day. But everything has to be so damn complicated, or involve a range of ingredients, half of which I’ve never heard of!! It so often just seems so much effort to go, simply to prepare a meal or two for myself.  In the end, I gave up trying top prepare a soup from the book – went out this evening and brought a few extra vegetables, etc, to add to what I already had in the house, and prepared one of Bill’s ‘famous’ home made vegetable soups.  I honestly believe that will prove just as beneficial  to my health without the addition of the various extra ‘exotic’ items that the book recipes want me to include, and it will provide for at least two meals over the next day or so!  Just about cooked as I type – will allow it to simmer and breathe  for a while, before  adjourning it to the fridge, for tomorrow’s tasting!!

Reasonable overnight sleep – once James & his dog left, and  I was able to get to bed. Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, in Melbourne is traditionally the first day of a cricket Test Match – this year, between Australia and India. In years past, I would have been at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for Day 1, but the crowds, traffic, etc, have put me off in recent years, and I am quite content to sit back this day now, in front of the TV, and watch the cricket. The cricket, and the start of the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, which is also televised, are two sporting items of particular interest to this blog writer.

That would be my Boxing Day  – home, basically alone – Susie returned home for a brief time early afternoon, before going out again [without her car I noticed, again].

Last night I briefly referred to the Queen’s Christmas Message, delivered yesterday – the following is the text of her address, which was actually recorded on the 9 December, a couple of weeks before her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh was treated in hospital for a blocked coronary artery – a bit ironical when the subject matter this year dealt with the importance and influence of family, friends and the community! Being a bit of a traditionalist, I do like to take note of this particular address each year, and one can’t help noticing, that as she gets older, the emphasise of her speeches tend to become more family and personally orientated.

……………………………..”In this past year my family and I have been inspired by the courage and hope we have seen in so many ways in Britain, in the Commonwealth and around the world. We’ve seen that it’s in hardship that we often find strength from our families; it’s in adversity that new friendships are sometimes formed; and it’s in a crisis that communities break down barriers and bind together to help one another.  Families, friends and communities often find a source of courage rising up from within. Indeed, sadly, it seems that it is tragedy that often draws out the most and the best from the human spirit. When Prince Philip and I visited Australia this year, we saw for ourselves the effects of natural disaster in some of the areas devastated by floods, where in January so many people lost their lives and their livelihoods.  We were moved by the way families and local communities held together to support each other.

Prince William travelled to New Zealand and Australia in the aftermath of earthquakes, cyclones and floods and saw how communities rose up to rescue the injured, comfort the bereaved and rebuild the cities and towns devastated by nature.   The Prince of Wales also saw first-hand the remarkable resilience of the human spirit after tragedy struck in a Welsh mining community, and how communities can work together to support their neighbours.  This past year has also seen some memorable and historic visits – to Ireland and from America.  The spirit of friendship so evident in both these nations can fill us all with hope. Relationships that years ago were once so strained have through sorrow and forgiveness blossomed into long-term friendship.  It is through this lens of history that we should view the conflicts of today, and so give us hope for tomorrow.   Of course, family does not necessarily mean blood relatives but often a description of a community, organisation or nation. The Commonwealth is a family of 53 nations, all with a common bond, shared beliefs, mutual values and goals.  It is this which makes the Commonwealth a family of people in the truest sense, at ease with each other, enjoying its shared history and ready and willing to support its members in the direst of circumstances.  They have always looked to the future, with a sense of camaraderie, warmth and mutual respect while still maintaining their individualism.

The importance of family has, of course, come home to Prince Philip and me personally this year with the marriages of two of our grandchildren, each in their own way a celebration of the God-given love that binds a family together.  For many, this Christmas will not be easy. With our armed forces deployed around the world, thousands of service families face Christmas without their loved ones at home. The bereaved and the lonely will find it especially hard. And, as we all know, the world is going through difficult times. All this will affect our celebration of this great Christian festival.  Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of Christmas. Jesus was born into a world full of fear. The angels came to frightened shepherds with hope in their voices: ‘Fear not’, they urged, ‘we bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  ‘For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.’

Although we are capable of great acts of kindness, history teaches us that we sometimes need saving from ourselves – from our recklessness or our greed.  God sent into the world a unique person – neither a philosopher nor a general, important though they are, but a Saviour, with the power to forgive. Forgiveness lies at the heart of the Christian faith. It can heal broken families, it can restore friendships and it can reconcile divided communities. It is in forgiveness that we feel the power of God’s love. In the last verse of this beautiful carol, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, there’s a prayer:

Holy Child of Bethlehem,

Descend to us we pray.

Cast out our sin

And enter in.

Be born in us today.

It is my prayer that on this Christmas day we might all find room in our lives for the message of the angels and for the love of God through Christ our Lord.  I wish you all a very happy Christmas.”  [the Queen, 25/12/2011]

That was Queen Elizabeth II’s 59^th annual Christmas speech, and was filmed in the 1844 room of Buckingham Palace, a seven minute address, actually delivered the day after Prince Phillip underwent emergency heart surgery.  As various media reports indicated, earlier in the day, Queen Elizabeth II appeared stressed without the presence of her husband who was still under observation following his surgery..  The presence of Kate Middleton,  the Duchess of Cambridge, however, and the children who brought her flowers, seemed to brighten the Queen’s spirits.  Prince Philip, meanwhile, is reported to be in better health and excellent spirits. Prince William told The Telegraph that his grandfather, now 90, was “very resilient” and “very determined.”

Meantime, back here in modest Sunbury, the sun has come out midway through the afternoon, though not of any particular strength, but it has brightened up the general aspect of the area

One of the books which, my eldest son in fact, gave me yesterday, was rather an unusual purchase by him, but one which indicated a good understanding of what Dad would be interested in!  A magnificent 700 page book entitled ‘ART’, detailing the historical span of world art in the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, graphics, and technics, to name a few categories. In the introductory section, it was noted that ‘Art can be archaic, academic or abstract. It can be motivated by religion, politics, or simply by creativity, and it serves as a mirror of it’s time. In any case, art requires a personal, intellectual or emotional dialogue between the creator and his environment. Artists make use of certain techniques, sometimes perfecting them or even inventing completely new ones, but without spiritual individuality, art could never be more than kitsch. In addition, art constantly challenges the viewer to open and train his or her own emotions – and eyes. Personal interaction with art can be hard work, but it always provides a glimpse into culture[s] and it imparts wisdom’.  While the survey in this book doesn’t hope to replace that kind of interaction, but it does hope to improve the reader’s understanding and ability to communicate about the various concepts and genres of art. A book I will read through in stages over the next year or so, and am looking forward to doing so. 

As for the 1^st Cricket Test between India and Australia – Michael Clarke won the Toss for Australia and decided to bat.  Another debut player for Australia this match, and a new opening partnership –  Ed Cowan, joining Dave Warner to open the innings. A reasonable start for the Aussies, followed by another middle order collapse, and then some consolidation at the end of the day’s play, to leave Australia at 6 wickets down for 277 runs at Stumps on Day 1, with our wicketkeeper and bowler helping to make Australia’s score a little more respectable than it was looking at 6 down for 214 runs mid afternoon.

Meantime, some brighter news from the hospital front, with music guru, Molly Meldrum, seriously injured in a fall at his home a couple of weeks ago. Now taken off life support, and having spoken his first words since the fall.   While his words were “almost random” and not in response to any questions, they are providing great hope to the loved ones and fans wishing him a speedy and full recovery

My Boxing Day night ended up back at the radio station again – from 9pm for 3 hours of my ‘Smorgasbord’ program. As usual, an enjoyable evening’s music, etc, although by midnight, I was ready to finish up, feeling rather tired, and while I should be use to the ‘aloneness’ of the studio of that time of night, seemed to feel it more this evening.  I noticed that since Christmas Eve, there had only been three of us broadcasting live, a fairly normal situation at this time of year, with all of us volunteers, and the majority deciding not to be available over the Christmas/New Year period.  Each year, as I have undertaken extra time slots to cover some absentees, or simply continued with my own shows, that were it not for myself and generally one or two other presenters, there would be few ‘live’ programs during this period.  With a volunteer component, it is difficult to construct any kind of permanent relieving roster for such times. Meanwhile, I notice that we must have been off air for a time during the early hours of this morning – presumably an outcome of the power blackouts that hit Sunbury last night.  Apart from the power, by all reports, Sunbury survived those storms fairly well – there was widespread news from parts of Melbourne, particularly in the northeast suburbs, of widespread damage, and serious  flooding in many areas as a consequence – not a pleasant way to finish their Christmas afternoons. In light of that, we were rather lucky up here!

It’s 6.30pm Christmas evening, and I’m alone with Susan’s two cats, while outside, the humidity of the afternoon has finally led to the sounds of rolling thunderclaps and rain. I’m made a start of one of the books I was generously given by various members of the family during our gift exchanging session this afternoon, following our Christmas dinner. As I sat here, I almost considered driving back to the family home, share a bit of the evening meal, and a bit more of the company that had occupied most of the afternoon. But with the rain getting heavier by the minute, decided that I would tolerate this rare moment of feeling lonely, and remain where I was. As I look out the opened front door, the rain is driving on a slanted angle in towards the house, as my grassed lawn areas, and even the patio begin to flood. Hope everyone else in the family is now out of the rain, as I am. As the water begins to splash through the screen door, I decide it is time to close the main door, which I left open, hoping to encourage the coolness of the approaching change into the house.

It was an odd sensation that led to that unusual feeling – sitting here alone on Christmas evening. Done it before, but has never really worried me previously – well not worrying me, but just found myself wondering why that sensation had occurred to me! Meanwhile, as the water begins to build up around the front doorstep, I can hear and see the intensity of the rain dropping off, while the thunder goes in the opposite direction. Suddenly quite dark outside!  Whilst this was happening, a call from sister Jean in Ballarat – this rain-belt had gone through their area a couple of hours ago.

About 15 hours earlier, at 3am precisely, I was awoken by another thunderstorm, though didn’t appear to be as much rain in this area on that occasion. Nevertheless, as usual for a Saturday night, I found it difficult to get back to sleep with the knowledge of the usual early start ahead of me. Also feeling a little bit of a diabetic hangover from the pizza and glass of red wine I had [unwisely] indulged in last night after returning home from the Christmas Eve festivities at the radio station. Nevertheless, I looked forward to this morning’s Christmas Day broadcast, which I presented from just before 7am until 10am.  I confined the first couple of hours to traditional renderings by choirs, etc of well known carols, and other sacred songs related to today, and then finished up with an hour of more contemporary and  ‘popular’ versions of carols and general Christmas songs, all of this mixed up with a few Christmassy instrumentals along the way. Also made a point of playing two or three tracks from ‘Songs For All People’, the little CD put out by the young people of the Sunbury Uniting Church a few years ago, and which I make a point of playing each year at this time. I have to admit, that each year when I put those tracks over the year, this presenter is sitting there at the studio desk with tears in his eyes, such is the level of emotion can is created by listening to those young singers, especially the two or three lead girl singers. I’ve not been around the church for the last couple of years, preferring to keep Sunday mornings to my own needs, and so I found myself wondering whether those ‘young singers’ were still in fact singing at the church or elsewhere?  I asked that question of Helen on the internet last night [the lady I had coffee with on Tuesday] but she was unsure as to which group of singers I was referring to. Probably the older ones had moved on, pretty typical of many church families these days.

A brief look at a couple of the lyrics from the ‘Sings for all People’ CD stuck in my memory – ‘Heal the world, make it a better place, For you and for me, and the entire human race. There are people dying, If you care enough for the living, make a better place for you and for me…….’ [from the song ‘Heal the World’ which I’ve heard sung professionally by a well known singer, but still prefer the ‘amateur’ St Andrew’s version].  Then there were the words from ‘Jesus born on this day’  –  ‘Behold the Lamb of God has come, Behold the Saviour is born, singing of His love to everyone. Oh Jesus, born on this day, He is our God and our Saviour’.

A couple of phone calls during the program – from radio President, Olly, thanking me for being on air this morning, Alan James, and Sandy of the duo who normally follow me on a Sunday morning. Her husband, the other part of that ‘country music’ combo, had apparently been rushed to hospital with heart concerns, and his condition was not very good. Sandy wanted me to organise ‘fill-ins’ for their show over the next couple of weeks. Also had another presenter call in to the studio, even if that visit was ostensibly to pick up the glasses he’d left behind last night!  But it was nevertheless nice to have some communication with my Sunday morning program, even though this was a special Christmas program rather than my usual ‘Sunday Classics’ feature! Jck Harris, from Diggers Rest followed me this morning – continued much in the same vein with basically more Christmas music. I notice he also played a number of Scottish bits of music for our loyal listener out at Glenhuntly – Jayne was not well, and not having a good Christmas, but hopefully as she usually claims, she gets a lot of comfort from the music and presenters here at 3NRG. Jack and myself both certainly hoped that was the case this morning.

At 7.45 pm, and another heavy rain belt comes through this area – close to hail, but of much shorter duration than the earlier downpour. Glad I am not out on the roads now!  In fact apparently much of Melbourne, and particularly the north and northwest areas, where we are, were hit by huge hailstones, the size of lemons!!  Thankfully, I didn’t see any of those!  Meanwhile, planes were diverted at Melbourne Airport [15 minutes south of here], as a thunderstorm, hail, and a ‘tornado’ battered the city!!  Again, glad I’m here, and not out in those conditions. Meanwhile, Cyclone Grant over northern Australia has begun battering remote areas with gale-force winds and heavy rainfall hitting communities. Earlier warnings in Darwin have been moderated a little below actual cyclonic conditions but the weather is currently expected to be quite rough.

Had a very pleasant afternoon with the family over at Goonawarra [on the city side of Sunbury] – a relaxed main Christmas dinner meal, followed by the traditional gift swapping exercise. As the ‘estranged’ member of the family, I always feel a little guilty at the level of generosity given to myself, not just by my children, but by Shirley and her mother. A wonderful collection of new books, some gardening items, and some bed linen – all items that Bill was well in need of!!  I would go away with no complaints!! As usual, the bulk of the meal was planned, prepared and cooked by Mrs S, now approaching 91 years old in March!!! Admittedly, she is looking weaker each year, but currently refuses to step down from the task of ‘getting’ her family in Sunbury, their Christmas dinner.  And of course, she continues to use my late mother’s recipe for the Christmas pudding, and always makes sure there is an extra amount left over for Bill to take home, for a later meal.  Joined in later in a ‘family game’ that Susie had been given as a gift – I’m not generally one for such games, but enjoyed the opportunity for all of us to be involved in something, even if the process was a little noisy for this old conservative.  Afterwards, Susan went off to Jimmy’s place  – it seems they were back together again! I felt a bit uncomfortable about that, for Susie’s sake, as not sure how she could manage another beak up! Jodie eventually went off with boyfriend Ash, while Adam had actually left earlier – he had worked at the Bakery this morning, and would be back on duty early tomorrow morning. When I left around 5pm, there was just James remaining at Goonawarra, with Shirley and Mrs S.  He is living there again at the moment!

Suddenly realised that I had  missed watching the Queen’s Christmas message. A bit of concern on that side of things –  Prince Phillip [in his 90s] was admitted to hospital a day or so ago with chest pains – I wonder if she made reference to that in her address? In fact apparently, her speech emphasised the importance of family strengths and community bonds.

Meanwhile, over  large areas of Sunbury, the power went off this evening, but not here at home  – it was out over at Goonawarra where I’d had Christmas Dinner, and throughout that whole area, as well as wherever it was in Sunbury that Jimmy & Susie following another violent storm a few minutes earlier. Both Susie & James contacted me, enquiring as to whether I had lost power – no, and with the wether much calmer now, I assumed it would remain that way. At James’ request, I contacted the electricity authority, and was able to pass on the ‘good’ that the power was unlikely to be restored for some 8 hours!!!  James wanted to play games of poker on the internet, so asked if he could come over here!  No problems, suddenly my lonely night had company – James and his dog [his mother had asked he bring the dog with him rather than leave it over at Goonawarra in the dark], knowing that I was never really keen to have the animal romping around this place.  However, our little friend settled down pretty well, and shared it’s visiting time either sitting with James out in the other room where we had connected him up with the internet, where he was playing his ‘poker’, or for me, watching the TV – I’d already decided to watch a couple of movies on the ABC before James decided to come over. So in fact, neither visitor was any problem, and the fact that my house retained it’s power following the afternoon storms, meant that Bill’s lonely Christmas night went a little differently than anticipated. Susie remained wherever she was with Jimmy, the lack of power obviously not worrying them!  And for the time being, the storms stayed away, having created Christmas havoc across Melbourne over the past few hours, and the temperature outside was much more pleasant!!. Mind you, I did have to encourage James that it was time to leave as midnight came an went, but apparently by that stage he had won his way into an online poker final, which he had to be ready to participate in at 7am Monday!  Worth a lot of money however, so he would obviously make the effort.

Placed  this on Face-book early this morning – 

“No matter your age, treasure your parents always. It may be 42 years, yet sadness, memories and   love remain as strong. Thankyou , Jean, for your separate posting.  Tribute for our dear Father, who left us 24 Dec 1969”. Pleased to see some ‘quiet’ responses [no words, just a ‘Like’  from four people initially –  son Adam, friend Ruth, and  Jean’s [my sister] husband, Ross, and their daughter, Rosie. Earlier, Jean’s words on the same media site expressed similar thoughts – “Well dad after 42 years I still miss you heaps, even more now I have children to, will bring you some flowers up later on. Love you heaps” [daughter, Jean].

[I made a brief visit into town this morning – very busy in the shopping centre, and at Bakers Delight where Adam was working, as he suggested, everyone must be buying their bread needs at the last minute!! I noticed Susie was home, don’t know if she is on the roster to work there today, hopefully for her sake, not, as it looks rather hectic and stressful behind that counter, like everywhere else!!  Adam wandered out from the rear of the shop with a fresh batch of buns, etc, but it was too crowded and busy to even attract his attention – will see him tomorrow – I see he must have finished work not long after I saw him, after a 13 hour shift – two days worth of baking to be done, I guess].

To be continued >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> My little message received responses from various quarters.  Colin [youngest brother] wrote ‘I was driving a train down to Maryborough over night [last night] and was thinking of that phone call we received early Christmas Eve, only 11 years old but still have fond memories of that 11 years with Dad’.  I added to that the observation that ‘Yes, I forget that Jean and yourself were quite young at the time – I had visited Dad at RMH the night before, and stayed at Bev Blyth’s place – her father took at hospital call at 5am, and then at my request, rang Ballarat for me, I couldn’t tell Mum!! Then I had to finish my Christmas shopping at Ivanhoe, before driving down to Ballarat that morning. Met at the front gate by an old schoolmate, who’d just arrived to enquire as to how Dad was getting on!!’……………………..

Sixty nine [69] years ago, these words were written by my father from a war zone in New Guinea.

• Through life’s dim ways
• Sweet memory strays
• Of loving thoughts of one
• Who lives and loves for me
• Of she who is my heart’s delight,
• My love who waits for me.
• That voice is dear
• I long to hear
• Dear heart I dream of you,
• And swear my love t’is true.
• Though all the world may be awry,
• Sweet love, my hearts true blue.
• [by JKK, 23-12-1943, New Guinea]
• Back to 2011, and it is ironic  to read reports of warnings of a potential cyclone ‘attack’ on Darwin, our northernmost city – exactly 37 years to the day of ‘Cyclone Tracy which devastated Darwin in 1974, hitting the city on Christmas Eve that year, and killing 49 people on land and another 22 killed at sea, and destroying most of Darwin. I was in Ballarat those two days, and listening/watching the TV with horror as the disaster hit. Let’s pray we are not going to be doing the same thing tomorrow.
• Meanwhile, news came through yesterday of the death of Bruce Ruxton, outspoken former president of the RSL [the Victorian Returned & Services League], at the age of 85. As one comment made about him noted – ‘Bruce was a fearsome fighter for [war]veterans and their entitlements and [also] for things that he considered to be right [or wrong] in the world’. A man who ‘fought’ for what he believed in, even often at the cost of his personal popularity or standing in the eyes of many. He enlisted in the Australian Army in 1944 and served in World War II in the south-west Pacific, the Dutch East Indies and Balikpapan in Borneo, and then for 3 years with the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, in Japan. As RSL President for 23 years, he was equally well known for his controversial statements which included called Archbishop Desmond Tutu a ‘witchdoctor…..breathing hatred’ in 1987. Some of his other nore controversal views and statements included ‘Their [the republications’ cause] argument is so shallow, if it was water you wouldn’t get your feet wet’, or, ‘I’ve done nothing to the Aborigines and I’m not apologising; and, It is outrageous that public finance should be made available to give boat people access to our legal system. We must be the laughing stock of the world’. Certainly, many of his comments were out of tune with modern sentiments and attitudes,  but that never stopped Bruce from making them!!
• As the afternoon of the 24th draws to a close, it is warm & humid outside, and thunder rumbles in the distance [quite close actually]. I would spend the next few hours up at the radio station, as a part of our annual presenters’ Christmas Eve on air celebrations, and I would return to an empty house tonight – Susie is staying elsewhere, at Jimmy’s place, I assume!!

Made yet another ‘urgent’ call to the ‘Garden Bag’ people this morning  – my ‘garden bag’ [a paid garden refuse pick up service] was due to have been replaced last Tuesday, and despite numerous phone calls over the past couple of weeks, no one is bothering to reply. My work in the back garden has been put on hold, while I attempt to get this situation remedied. This has been a good ‘service’ in the past, so I have been somewhat disappointed at the lack of response to my attempts to speak to the business owners over recent days. Obviously not a good time of year to get any kind of trades people – am also trying to get somebody in the business of replacing windscreens [for Shirley’s car] to respond to a phone call!!  I mean, just how difficult is it to at least pick up a phone, even if you decided to ‘stop work’ before Christmas.  My opinion of the attitude of many trades people has not improved over the years – poor response, high charging however!!

By mid afternoon, I’d given up on the above phone calls – no-one got back to me! Simply pathetic service. If somebody’s ‘accountant’ acted in that manner they would end up in court over some trivial claim, but the ‘tradies’, they can get away with any attitude, because most people chasing them up, do so because they need a job done, which they can’t, or are not qualified to do!!  And the public complain about ‘monopolies in the media’!!!

Anyway, enough of that, let’s try and retain some Christmas ‘spirit’. Speaking of which, we don’t have one of the ‘real’ Christmas trees in the house this year – I have usually purchased them annually from the local Scouts, but when I suggested I would do so again to Susie, a couple of weeks ago, she wasn’t interested – too much ‘mess’ from pine needles, and effort in decorating, etc, etc!! Unexpected response but as she is the regular ‘decorator’ and always does a great job, I let it be! However, a few days ago, the small artificial tree which she has used in other parts of the house previously, suddenly appeared one night, decorated and all lit up, so we finally do have a little ‘tree’ on display this year, plus a few decorations around the lounge room area, and the Christmas spirit is back at 6 Fisher Court!

Now as someone who ‘lives with diabetes’, I noticed a recent item which claims that a ‘diabetes epidemic is on the rise’.  Here in Victoria, local communities are being asked to take urgent action, as new data reveals rates of diabetes have soared in the past ten years. Figures recently released by Diabetes Australia – Vic., show that 252,000 Victorians are now know to be living with diabetes [up from 2% of the Victorian population in 2001, to 4.5% this year], and this figure is increasing by 73 new cases each day.  At the international level, recently released data from the International Diabetes Foundation, confirms that the diabetes ‘pandemic’ continues to worsen – the number of people with diabetes in 2011, estimated at 366 million!!

DA-Vic’s CEO,  Greg Johnson was recently quoted as saying that ‘We are in the midst of a diabetes epidemic and it is imperative that local communities understand the impact and take action. Communities and local government can play an important role in prevention’. The number of Local Government Areas [LGAs] considered diabetes ‘hotspots’ has increased dramatically from only 1 in 2001 to 64 in 2011, presumably based on medical records. An area is designated a ‘hotspot’ when more than 4 per cent of it’s population has diabetes. One of the highest metro areas includes the City of Hume into which Sunbury falls, although we are located on the rural fringe of the municipality, so I think the bulk of the problem would be in the more urbanised parts of the municipality. Australian Medical Victorian President Dr Harry Hemley, called on doctors to be aware of the diabetes epidemic. He said “Doctors must be aware of the growing rates of diabetes in Victoria…..it is one of the most significant challenges that doctors face in the 21^st century. Doctors in general practice need greater resources to better co-ordinate the complex, multidisciplinary care for people with diabetes in their practices”. As a side note, it will be 60 years in 2013, since the origin of Diabetes Australia – Vic was formed – in 1953, at a meeting at the Melbourne Town Hall which supplied the impetus to develop an association for people with diabetes that provided education, advocacy and support, together with things like regular holiday camps for families of diabetic children.  Of course, one possible reason for the vast increase in diabetic cases in the last decade, is that it is probably more in the public’s eye these days – in the past, many of the symptoms of diabetes, were probably put down to some other ailment. Today, our medical people, and the public generally, are more educated as to the signs, causes and treatment of the complaint!!

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Julie Bishop, submitted on her social media site this week, her reflections of  the world as it was in 2011. I found this a useful précis of some of the events of the past 12 months, particularly because there was, in my view anyway though some of her readers obviously cared to disagree,  no real negative political overseas towards the local scene or government policies in general, that we have come to expect from the Liberals over the past 18 months or so. So I decided that the nature of the contents were worthy of sharing on this page, as a reminder of some of major events [usually of a tragic nature, sadly], that occurred around the world over the past 12 months. And in including this, I note on today’s news from New Zealand, that country has faced more earthquakes in Christchurch today, the city so devastated earlier this year.

Meanwhile, from Julie Bishop:-

‘It was a year in which we hardly caught our breath’  –

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2011 was the year of the Golden Rabbit, a year in which you are meant to catch your breath and calm your nerves. There were many events during this past year that tested that astrological prophecy to the limit.

Natural disasters such as the earthquake that struck Christchurch in February and the earthquake and tsunami that devastated coastal Japan in March captured the world’s attention with dramatic footage of the ravaged landscapes. Massive floods occurred in Pakistan, South-East Asia, Australia, South America and the United States. The impact of these events will influence the decisions of government and communities for many years as they struggle to find ways to prevent a repeat of the aftermath of these tragedies. The damage to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear energy plant, for example, has changed the dynamics of the global nuclear debate.

However, it is the actions of people during 2011 that will arguably have the biggest impact on world history.  The universal human desire to live in freedom erupted with a vengeance in the form of the pro democracy uprisings or “Arab Spring” beginning with the fall of the Tunisian regime in January. Civilian protests forced Egypt’s long-serving dictator Hosni Mubarak from office in February. After the strong results in support of Islamic parties in the November elections, there are concerns about the potential for a confrontation between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the leaders of the Islamic parties including the Muslim Brotherhood. Events in Egypt are of particular importance because of that country’s peace treaty with Israel, the Suez Canal (through which about 8 per cent of global trade is carried) and its long-standing military links with the United States. Any Egyptian government more hostile to the West and to Israel would pose an enormous strategic challenge for the world, and particularly for Europe and North America.\ Protests erupted in Bahrain, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Syria and other nations throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  Libyan rebels supported by NATO airstrikes fought for months against the forces of Muammar Gaddafi and took control of the majority of the nation by late August.  Gaddafi was eventually killed in late October, ending a brutal reign that began with a military coup in 1969.

The ongoing violence in Syria has marginalised the regime of President Assad from even its strongest supporters and led to condemnation from and suspension from the Arab League. There have been ongoing reports of thousands killed, captured and tortured and detained indefinitely. Defections from the armed forces have increased the potential for full-blown civil war and there is currently no prospect of a breakthrough to end the cycle of violence that has gripped the country for months.  The short, medium and long-term implications of the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East are far from clear.

The War on Terror launched in the wake of the 2001 attacks on New York and Washington reached a beachhead with the killing of Osama bin Laden by United States Special Forces in May.  In recent days, the death of Kim Jong-il has created deep unease around the world about the transition to a new leader in his 28-year-old son Kim Jong-un.  The secretive Stalinist regime has launched unprovoked attacks on South Korea in recent years and there is grave concern that the new leader will repeat these provocations in an attempt to prove himself to North Korea’s military commanders 

Against this backdrop of instability, the slow-moving European sovereign debt crisis has continued to weigh heavily on global markets and the world economy.  There were repeated attempts to deal with the crisis by providing large bailout packages to various nations, but with the apparent effect of delaying what appears to be an inevitable crunch at some point in time.\ The struggling United States economy and doubts about the sustainability of China’s high growth rates have added to concerns about a recovery in the short term.

Australia has continued to make important contributions to the maintenance of global and regional peace and security with members of our armed forces working in dangerous and remote locations.  The largest contingent by far is the 1550 on deployment to Afghanistan, where we have sadly lost 32 soldiers since 2002.  Australia has 380 troops in East Timor, 80 in the Solomon Islands, 25 in Egypt’s Sinai region, 17 in South Sudan, 12 in Jerusalem and two in Iraq.

As we look back at the events of 2011 and then head into the flamboyant and tempestuous Year of the Dragon it is timely for us to remember those in our armed forces who are serving overseas in support of the enduring ideals that underpin our society.  Perhaps, as Sigmund Freud once said, “One day, in retrospect, the years of struggle will strike you as the most beautiful”  [by Julie Bishop, Dec 2011]

One of the universities with whom I completed one of my qualifications all those years ago, the University of Melbourne, have just sent me their annual generic Christmas greetings, and a bit of self promotion. Probably well deserved – as the oldest university in Melbourne, it’s status and success continues to dominate much of the tertiary sector in Melbourne, and I’m always happy to support their promotions, even though my ‘support’ as such,  is absolutely minimal these days.  Anyway, that greeting included the following advice about the past year in the life the University and it’s Alumni groups of which I’m a member. I do recall commenting on the achievements referred to, in a blog some months ago.

“This year has been a remarkably successful one for the University of Melbourne, thanks largely to your continuing support and involvement.  Alumni are actively engaged with the University, through mentoring, volunteering, teaching, providing internships and employment as well as attending events and reunions.  This year witnessed the formation of the Alumni Council following a highly anticipated election. Having met for the first time in December, we look forward to the Council tackling a comprehensive agenda in 2012.    The alumni community and friends contributed generously to the Annual Appeal, pledging a record $1.46 million to further support students, teachers and research across the University of Melbourne. Funds raised will go towards a number of faculty and university priorities, particularly immediate and long-term assistance to students. We thank you for your gifts.  The University works hard to fulfil its ambition to be one of the world’s finest universities. The 2011 Excellence in Research for Australia Survey confirmed the strength of the University’s research, with 99 per cent of our projects rated at or above world standard. We focused heavily on industry partnerships and were honoured to open the historic IBM Global Research and Development Laboratory in October. Working closely to improve community links, we also sealed agreements to share leadership and management expertise with local groups in Carlton and the Goulburn Valley.  These achievements have culminated in Melbourne being recognised as the leading Australian university in the three most cited international rankings. Your contributions and advocacy help make these achievements possible, and assist the University in its pursuit of academic and research excellence, and its desire to remain a public-spirited institution”.

As a part of my current ‘retirement “Spring” cleanup, I guess I really should do something about ridding myself of those university notes, etc from the 60s and 70s – like so much other material, I have retained my study notes, etc, but to what purpose these days I’m not really sure.  Certainly, over the past few weeks, I have ‘got rid of’ a lot of paper and other material, that a year or so ago., I would never have considered disposing of. And as the weeks advance, that process will [and must] continue, just haven’t got to the university years as yet!!!  I haven’t made as much progress as I would have planned prior to Christmas, however things are slowly been sorted and/or discarded.  My ‘bower bird’ reputation remains with me though, in many respects, but quite obviously, when and if I downsize my living arrangements, that particular side of my ‘personality’ is going to change.

Meanwhile, this year, I am building up a reasonable collection of Christmas card greetings from friends and family – although might I say, I probably wouldn’t have received many that I did, had I not got in first, and sent those people a greeting!! Not that it really matters  – I do like the opportunity that Christmas gives one to once again, get in touch with old friends in particular, although I prefer that kind of communication to be on a more regular basis than just once a year. In some cases it is, while in others, well, I do like to simply let people know I’m still around  – and, it’s good to hear back, but if not, not to worry, I’ve done my bit!!  My late mother was a wonderful communicator in that respect, and I remember the Christmas after she died, receiving a few cards for her, generally after Christmas from friends who were surprised and/or worried that they had not heard from her that Christmas.  Sadly, I was the one who then had to pass on the belated news – we had always thought that we had contacted everyone who would have wanted to be advised of Mum’s passing that year, but there will always some of her former contacts, that we would not have been aware of. As time passed, they gradually became known.

After yesterday’s wasted trip to the major shopping complexes, and their chaotic parking situations, I actually finished most of my ‘Christmas’ shopping in Sunbury yesterday  – perhaps not the best deal always in terms of price, but I balanced that up against fuel, and traffic and parking headaches, by leaving my car in one part of town, and walking from one shopping area to another – probably the equivalent of a major shopping centre in any case, as far as distance and area covered was concerned! Since 1983, when we came to Sunbury, the retail shopping and other facilities have grown enormously, and for many aspects of shopping, there is becoming little need to travel to suburban Melbourne and the larger retail areas.  Obviously, the latter do offer much more choice and competitive prices, but for someone who is not a keen or regular shopper [apart from supermarket & grocery needs], this town suits me just fine.

A busy household tonight  – I was continuing with my reallocation of resources [referred to above], while Susan, home for the evening, was throwing herself into a ‘late Spring cleanup’ of her ‘computer’ room [or 3^rd bedroom in the house] which she generally has the main use of.  Then I ended up with the rare occurrence of watching a movie on SBS TV into the early hours of the morning – rarely do that, but just happened to ‘come across’ this one as I was preparing for bed!!  Bit of a trap!!

One of the universities with whom I completed one of my qualifications all those years ago, the University of Melbourne, have just sent me their annual generic Christmas greetings, and a bit of self promotion. Probably well deserved – as the oldest university in Melbourne, it’s status and success continues to dominate much of the tertiary sector in Melbourne, and I’m always happy to support their promotions, even though my ‘support’ as such,  is absolutely minimal these days.  Anyway, that greeting included the following advice about the past year in the life the University and it’s Alumni groups of which I’m a member. I do recall commenting on the achievements referred to, in a blog some months ago.

“This year has been a remarkably successful one for the University of Melbourne, thanks largely to your continuing support and involvement.  Alumni are actively engaged with the University, through mentoring, volunteering, teaching, providing internships and employment as well as attending events and reunions.  This year witnessed the formation of the Alumni Council following a highly anticipated election. Having met for the first time in December, we look forward to the Council tackling a comprehensive agenda in 2012.    The alumni community and friends contributed generously to the Annual Appeal, pledging a record $1.46 million to further support students, teachers and research across the University of Melbourne. Funds raised will go towards a number of faculty and university priorities, particularly immediate and long-term assistance to students. We thank you for your gifts.  The University works hard to fulfil its ambition to be one of the world’s finest universities. The 2011 Excellence in Research for Australia Survey confirmed the strength of the University’s research, with 99 per cent of our projects rated at or above world standard. We focused heavily on industry partnerships and were honoured to open the historic IBM Global Research and Development Laboratory in October. Working closely to improve community links, we also sealed agreements to share leadership and management expertise with local groups in Carlton and the Goulburn Valley.  These achievements have culminated in Melbourne being recognised as the leading Australian university in the three most cited international rankings. Your contributions and advocacy help make these achievements possible, and assist the University in its pursuit of academic and research excellence, and its desire to remain a public-spirited institution”.

As a part of my current ‘retirement “Spring” cleanup, I guess I really should do something about ridding myself of those university notes, etc from the 60s and 70s – like so much other material, I have retained my study notes, etc, but to what purpose these days I’m not really sure.  Certainly, over the past few weeks, I have ‘got rid of’ a lot of paper and other material, that a year or so ago., I would never have considered disposing of. And as the weeks advance, that process will [and must] continue, just haven’t got to the university years as yet!!!  I haven’t made as much progress as I would have planned prior to Christmas, however things are slowly been sorted and/or discarded.  My ‘bower bird’ reputation remains with me though, in many respects, but quite obviously, when and if I downsize my living arrangements, that particular side of my ‘personality’ is going to change.

Meanwhile, this year, I am building up a reasonable collection of Christmas card greetings from friends and family – although might I say, I probably wouldn’t have received many that I did, had I not got in first, and sent those people a greeting!! Not that it really matters  – I do like the opportunity that Christmas gives one to once again, get in touch with old friends in particular, although I prefer that kind of communication to be on a more regular basis than just once a year. In some cases it is, while in others, well, I do like to simply let people know I’m still around  – and, it’s good to hear back, but if not, not to worry, I’ve done my bit!!  My late mother was a wonderful communicator in that respect, and I remember the Christmas after she died, receiving a few cards for her, generally after Christmas from friends who were surprised and/or worried that they had not heard from her that Christmas.  Sadly, I was the one who then had to pass on the belated news – we had always thought that we had contacted everyone who would have wanted to be advised of Mum’s passing that year, but there will always some of her former contacts, that we would not have been aware of. As time passed, they gradually became known.

After yesterday’s wasted trip to the major shopping complexes, and their chaotic parking situations, I actually finished most of my ‘Christmas’ shopping in Sunbury yesterday  – perhaps not the best deal always in terms of price, but I balanced that up against fuel, and traffic and parking headaches, by leaving my car in one part of town, and walking from one shopping area to another – probably the equivalent of a major shopping centre in any case, as far as distance and area covered was concerned! Since 1983, when we came to Sunbury, the retail shopping and other facilities have grown enormously, and for many aspects of shopping, there is becoming little need to travel to suburban Melbourne and the larger retail areas.  Obviously, the latter do offer much more choice and competitive prices, but for someone who is not a keen or regular shopper [apart from supermarket & grocery needs], this town suits me just fine.

A busy household tonight  – I was continuing with my reallocation of resources [referred to above], while Susan, home for the evening, was throwing herself into a ‘late Spring cleanup’ of her ‘computer’ room [or 3^rd bedroom in the house] which she generally has the main use of.  Then I ended up with the rare occurrence of watching a movie on SBS TV into the early hours of the morning – rarely do that, but just happened to ‘come across’ this one as I was preparing for bed!!  Bit of a trap!!

I referred yesterday to a monthly magazine that I read – ‘Crosslight’ [published by the UCA] –  there was another article in the December edition which I considered worthy of retaining, and sharing, and while I have some reservations as to whether the basic argument expressed in that article is as extensive as suggested [I still think there is a lot of good ‘journalism’ around, not just ‘opinion’ pieces,    there were a number of interesting points which will no doubt, in a future edition, lead to some controversial and/or  varied responses or reactions.  The following is the item I’m referring to.

Titled ‘Media – Information or misinformation’ from Crosslight, Dec, 3^rd, 2011 written by Penny Mulvey

“Have you noticed a change in the way news is presented? Mainstream media no longer seeks objectivity, instead dwelling on the superficial, the argumentative – almost relishing the fight. Our media has fallen in love with combat and so too have we, the consumer. A feature article on commentator Andrew Bolt in the Good Weekend (19/11/11) neatly encapsulated the way our news media has been hijacked by opinion. No longer is news driven by beautifully researched and crafted pieces of journalism, instead it has been reduced to a series of sound bites and headlines.   Journalist John van Tiggelen, in writing about Bolt, said: “He (Bolt) became particularly adept at recasting almost any political debate, be it on reconciliation, refugee policy, conservation, multiculturalism, the judicial system or global warming, into an ‘us versus them’ conflict.”

According to the article, more than five million Australians tune into Bolt’s blog each week. He blogs all day, pouring out his opinion on everything and anything from five in the morning til midnight, each and every day. Some of those people then contribute their own strongly worded opinion on Bolt’s rant. The heat rises and rises and whatever the facts might have existed become increasingly irrelevant.

The spring edition of the Quarterly Essay featured an extended paper by academic Robert Manne titled ‘Bad News, Murdoch’s Australian and the shaping of the nation’. In it he forensically argued that the Australian newspaper had become a right wing voice piece for its owner Rupert Murdoch. Manne was one of a few academics invited to give evidence to last month’s fleeting Media enquiry in which he repeated his deeply held concerns about the News Limited empire’s near media-monopoly in Australia of.  Manne’s essay is a strongly evidence-based attack on the national paper for its perceived anti-government, anti-climate change, strongly ideological viewpoints. In his introduction, Manne writes: “The Australian is ruthless in pursuit of those who oppose its worldview – market fundamentalism, minimal action on climate change, the federal Intervention in indigenous affairs, uncritical support for the American alliance and for Israel, opposition to what it calls political correctness and moral relativism.”

At a recent conference Lachlan Harris, former press secretary to Kevin Rudd, spoke of what he described as ‘the opinion cycle’ replacing ‘the news cycle’. If you have been scratching your head wondering why it is so difficult to find news in The Saturday Age (predominantly replaced by feature, opinion and colour pieces), Harris explained why. Opinion rules.   Journalists no longer even attempt to provide objective reporting. Our politicians speak in five-second sound grabs. Policy has been replaced by entertainment. It becomes increasingly difficult to separate fantasy from reality, even our politicians become confused, as we see our Prime Minister appearing as a special guest on Junior Master Chef, and the Opposition Leader slicing fish at the fish markets or shovelling dirt at a mine just for the cameras.  Former federal minister for finance, Lindsay Tanner, in his book Sideshow, dumbing down democracy (published earlier this year), looks at the symbiotic relationship between politicians and journalists. He quotes veteran journalist, David Salter, who believes that editors don’t want to scare off readers with too much information:  “Frightened that readers and viewers might be bored by any substantial treatment of policy issues, editors and producers now reduce politics to little more than opinion polls, gossip and gaffes.” Ideas are presented in black and white terms, there is no room for nuance or shades of grey.

How does the Uniting Church, a church of nuance and complexity, present more considered thinking. The only way to be quoted is to have an extreme view and to present it in a colourful manner. If the church wants to give a more thoughtful response to such important societal issues as our response to asylum seekers and refugees; our care for the environment; or prison reform – which we all know are emotive but complex – there is no room for it. If the church tries, its views are reduced and caricatured.  Eric Beecher, chairman of Private Media, in talking about this ‘dumbing down’ of information, says it is a story of how not enough people care about ideas ahead of money.  “The future of serious journalism is under threat in large part because it has been replaced by entertainment at the heart of the media power edifice,” Mr Beecher said.

Ideally, the media should act as our canary in the mine. At its best it provides the prophetic voice.  A free press plays a vital role in our society. Without it we become a China, an Egypt, or a Libya. An independent media in whatever form it might take (online, print, radio or TV), but one that has ethics and integrity and transparency, that questions and prods. I don’t want censorship; it is what makes our democratic society.

We need our media, for it is trained, articulate and independent journalists who will keep our leaders honest”

So what do we think, has the ‘news cycle’ being replaced by a constant ‘opinion cycle’  – we are no longer getting the news, but what writers think the news should be saying to those who are listening or reading?   I really don’t think it is that bad  – admittedly, the weekend papers for example do these days include  a lot of ‘opinion’ type pages and features, perhaps more so than in the past, and the writers concerned, do in many cases have considerable influence on public perceptions, etc. I don’t think that is new however – maybe a bit more prevalent, in view of the way in which the availability of news and opinions has changed with the advent of the internet, etc,  I will be interested to see what reactions there are to  Ms Mulvey’s article, although if those responses simply come from readers of Crosslight, they will probably be more prepared to accept her findings! We shall see!!

I undertook an afternoon ‘Christmas shopping’ trip across to a couple of major shopping centres today – and virtually came back frustrated and empty handed, couldn’t find what I was looking for, or more to the point, wasn’t sure what I was looking for!! [Not as unlucky as daughter Jodie – bought a few gifts this afternoon, and promptly had them stolen from her car while she and Susie were playing volleyball!!]. I also found myself getting quickly annoyed with the traffic, the parking, and a left ankle, which was not yet taking too kindly to too much ‘exercise’ after the weekend’s mishap!   So I returned to Sunbury late afternoon feeling a little dissatisfied, and determined that my Christmas shopping was going to be completed in Sunbury despite the obvious wider choice in bigger centres. Despite schools gradually winding down, this time of year meant the traffic on most of the roads was fairly chaotic, and since leaving the daily peak hour grind in October, I’m not keen on tolerating too much of it these days.  I think the only useful thing I did upon returning to Sunbury [apart from cooking a late meal for myself and Susan, who was eating at home for a change after a late game of volleyball] was another quick visit to the radio station to help out a presenter on air who had a minor technical query  – that should bring a laugh to anyone who knows me, Bill helping someone with a technical problem!!!!

I’d been up at the radio earlier this morning – quite early in fact, from just before 6am – filling in for the regular Wednesday morning presenter, from 6am to 9am. Whilst it may have been a little difficult to get up initially, after another poor and restless sleep, I thoroughly enjoyed that 3 hours – a mix of music, sport, news, weather, etc, etc!!! I didn’t have the interviews that Ron normally conducts – he had told them all that he would be away for a few weeks, and they were probably glad of a break also, and I was not too concerned either…………………..as readers will have gathered by now, I do enjoy my time behind the microphones at the radio station!!

Today’s weather has been quite pleasant actually, and, has really only warmed up considerably during the afternoon. I think I spent about four hours in Sunbury today, with various tasks on the agenda of ‘potential achievement., and I think that by the end of the day, I was feeling reasonably satisfied with progress.  Even managed a  ‘coffee date’ with a friend from the church, who, despite my permanent absences over the past year or so, still keeps me up to date with regular copies of the newsletters, and the UCA’s Crosslight Magazine.  I’m still there [at the Church] in spirit, if not in body!!

In actual fact, the December edition of ‘Crosslight’ which Helen gave me today, contains  an interesting perspective on the four Gospels of the New Testament [from the Christian Bible] describing them as ‘Four movements in the Christmas pastoral symphony  – using Beethoven’s  Sixth Symphony [the ‘Pastoral’ Symphony] as a comparative point. I won’t try and go into that article here, but it is basically talking about the four different approaches of St, Mark, St, Matthew, St. Luke & St John to how they treat and refer to the ‘Christmas story’ in their respective Gospels. Written by Randall Prior and Gary Deverell, the introductory paragraph, puts the subject of the article into a précis style context. While I accept that many readers may not have any interest in the content of what was written,  I’ve discovered that I can share it anyway, as the description of the four different approaches by Matthew, Mark, Luke & John, do actually make quite interesting reading in ways that I, for one, had not previously taken much note of.  So from the December 2011 edition of the Crosslight Magazine ass produced by the Uniting Church in Victoria and Tasmania, this is the ‘Christmas Reflection’ on that subject.

Four Movements in the Christmas Pastoral Symphony.

Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral Symphony’, the sixth of his nine symphonies, was recently performed by the Australian Chamber Orchestra. It is a wonderful symphony. It was inspired by Beethoven’s deep love for nature, experienced on walks through the woods of Germany’s Heillingenstadt. Through the varied movements of the symphony, Beethoven captures nature’s beauty, diversity and activity, so as to evoke in its hearers, that same love for nature which he feels.

We may consider the four gospels of the New Testament as comprising a ‘pastoral symphony’, but pastoral, not in the sense of nature’s varied landscape, but in the sense of the news of God’s life-giving Word spoken into the varied contexts of the early church. In distinctive and different ‘movements’, the four gospel writers have been inspired by the ‘landscape’ of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Each in their own unique way has put pen to paper so that readers may also be inspired by a timely pastoral word.

This article considers the Christmas stories of each of the four gospels and how we in our time might be inspired by a pastoral word spoken into our human life and history from the diversity of their unique accounts.

St Mark

It may seem odd to refer to a gospel which, in the case of St Mark, contains no account at all of the Christmas story. However, the absence of such an account and the way in which this gospel writer ‘paints the landscape’ of Jesus is instructive for appreciating the birth stories which appear in the other gospels.

St Mark begins by telling us that he is writing a ‘gospel’, a declaration of ‘good news’. What we therefore find in this writing and, indeed, in the writings of the other three ‘gospels’, is not a biography, telling the life-story of Jesus from his birth to his death. Nor is a ‘gospel’ primarily a history book, recording memorable events of Jesus’ life so that these may be preserved in time. A ‘gospel’ is a declaration of good news, not about who this man Jesus was who lived a long time ago, but about who this man Jesus is as one who is risen from the dead.

The ‘gospel’ of St Mark – as also the ‘gospels’ of Saints Matthew, Luke and John – was written in the light of the Easter event and sets out why people of all generations might therefore consider his story as genuinely gospel for their own lives.

For these reasons, St Mark tells us nothing of the first thirty years of Jesus’ life. After setting Jesus’ life in the context of Old Testament prophecy and John the Baptist, he moves swiftly through the baptism and temptation accounts, to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, announced with the words: ‘The time has come, the kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news’. In other words, what has happened in the life of Jesus of Nazareth is nothing less than the arrival of the long-awaited coming of the presence of God’s kingdom.

Thus, as St Mark writes his gospel, the events and stories he records set out the ways in which God’s rule brings new life to a world plagued by evil, suffering and death, with the climax coming in the Easter event. The centrality of the Easter event is indicated in the fact that, after omitting any reference to the first thirty years of Jesus’ life, Mark devotes his last eight chapters to record the events of Jesus’ final days.

The particular focus which Mark gives to his record of the Easter event is also important. For Mark, the ‘good news’ about Jesus is that in his life, death and resurrection, God engages with the reality of evil, suffering and death, in its most hellish forms. Thus, Mark records in detail the experience of Jesus’ own suffering and anguish, climaxing in the cry of dereliction from the cross ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ The resurrection of this forsaken Jesus becomes God’s protest against, and victory over, the forces of evil and death that plague and dehumanize the world. In other words, in Jesus of Nazareth, God embraces the worst of all human suffering and hell, and determines that the last word is life. He who was raised from the dead was he who descended into hell, says the Apostles’ Creed.

What then of St Mark’s ‘symphonic movement’ and the Christmas season?

St Mark would have us remember that we cannot come to the Christmas stories without seeing them through the spectacles of Easter. It is the good news which is grounded in the Easter event which gives shape to the Christmas stories in each of the gospels. It is artificial and unhelpful then to separate in time the Christmas and Easter stories. They are one and the same.

Therefore, we are invited to hear within the Christmas stories, the symphonic sounds of Easter, which for Mark, is the music which declares that, in Jesus Christ, God has come amongst us to engage with, and to overcome the worst of evil, suffering and hell in human life. That just may be a timely pastoral word for us.

St Matthew

Unlike St Mark, St Matthew gives detailed attention to the birth of Jesus. He opens with a genealogy, not primarily as biographical family tree but as ‘gospel’. Beginning with Abraham, the father of the chosen people Israel, this genealogy traces forty-two generations to Jesus. The birth of Jesus marks the beginning of the seventh lot of seven generations, where the number ‘seven’ symbolises perfection or completion. Already we see a glimpse of Matthew’s unique picture of Jesus. St Matthew declares: Jesus is the one in whom the call to Abraham, and the hopes and promises of that call, are finally fulfilled, not only for Israel, but for all nations. The ‘symphonic movement’ which is Matthew’s gospel gives expression to this bold declaration of good news, climaxing in the Easter event which establishes Jesus’ authority over heaven and earth and authorises a mission to all nations.

Dominant in the birth story told by Matthew is the way in which he parallels this with the story of the exodus of the people of Israel. So striking are these parallels that it is clear that Matthew wants to make it clear that Jesus is both a new ‘Moses’ as one who delivers people from all forms of oppressive slavery, and a new ‘Israel’ as one who is uniquely faithful to God’s calling.

Making use of frequent quotations from Old Testament prophecies, Jesus is presented as liberator from sin , where ‘sin’ refers to all things which imprison human life; he is ‘Immanuel’, God with us and for us, not least in very dark times, when it seems we are dominated by threatening powers. The hostile forces represented in Herod, the escape to Egypt under threat of murder, the killing of all male children under the age of two years and the subsequent departure from Egypt are all echoes of the Exodus story of the people of Israel.

Following this Exodus theme into Jesus’ ministry, Matthew records Jesus’ baptism as a parallel to Israel’s passing through the Red Sea, the temptations for forty days in the wilderness parallel Israel’s forty years in the wilderness, and the sermon on the mount parallels Moses’ ascension to Mt Sinai to receive the law. In all this, it is clear that Jesus’ birth and life constitute a fulfilment of what has gone before. Jesus marks a new beginning, not only for Israel, but for all nations. Therefore, the appearance of the wise men from the east is a key element of Matthew’s account. For these star-gazing magi, their life’s journey finds its own form of fulfilment in the birth of Jesus. No wonder they are ecstatic, ‘rejoicing exceedingly with great joy’. These magi represent the wisdom of all the Gentile nations whose wisdom leads them to the cradle of Jesus where they bow down in worship and offer up the riches of their own life and culture.

We cannot hear the symphonic sounds of Matthew’s gospel without hearing the trumpeting  sounds that, in Jesus of Nazareth, there is liberation from all forms of sin and oppression, accomplished for all peoples and all nations, and now to be received as a gift. That just may be a timely pastoral word for us, evoking unimaginable ecstasy.

St Luke

While St Matthew’s genealogy traces Jesus’ origins back to Abraham, St Luke goes further back – to Adam. This is not accidental, it is gospel. For Luke, Jesus is a new Adam; he will mark the beginning of a new humanity, reversing the failures represented in the Genesis account of the story of the first Adam. Jesus will show what it means to be truly human as one who obeys God right to the end, His final words even in death will be, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’.

Not only does Jesus represent what it means to be truly human, but he is the one who makes the gift of this same humanity available to others. The diverse forms of broken humanity, seen as the legacy of a disobedient first Adam, are visited and healed by Jesus in such a way that people are welcomed into a new and hitherto impossible realm of life.  And it comes purely by the graceful embrace of a loving God.

This is the thrust of the whole of Luke’s gospel. It is represented in the many provocative and controversial stories, unique to Luke, in which this new humanity is given to people who have no claims to it, nor any possibility within themselves of acquiring it. The stories of the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan come quickly to mind, each of them depicting immeasurable acts of compassion and grace. The conversation between Jesus and the criminal on the cross is a further striking example whereby the criminal, justifiably destined to death, is welcomed into paradise. Jesus’ words from the cross, praying for forgiveness for the murderous crowd, provide a final example before Jesus breathes his last.

 This same symphonic theme threads its way through Luke’s report of the birth of Jesus. The story as Luke tells it is a story of astonishing grace which makes the impossible possible.  The focus is on Mary, a woman of teenage years, not yet married, who is to become ‘the mother of God’. Her simple and faith-full obedience brings with it the vision of the powerful cast down from their thrones with the lowly being lifted up.

In Luke, there are no wise men from the East but shepherds from sheep-scattered fields. These ordinary rural folk are drawn into the dramatic joy of Christmas and find their lives transformed by the glory of God in the presence of the new-born Jesus. This same glory which is for Jew and Gentile alike brings a lasting peace to Simeon and a deep sense of fulfilment to the ageing prophetess Anna.

The symphonic sounds of this gospel present a spring-like landscape where new life finds its way into the crevices of a broken world and where we discover that God’s fulfilling gift of peace bursts gracefully into ordinary human life, making the impossible possible. In all the ordinary-ness of our own broken world, this word of hope may just be a timely word for us.

 St John

It is St John’s gospel which records the most unusual but most extravagant account of the birth of Jesus. It is rightly the final ‘movement’ of the pastoral symphony represented by the four gospels. In John, there is no mention of a birthplace, no Mary or Joseph, no angels, no shepherds and no wise men.

St John begins his account with his own version of a genealogy, beginning not with Abraham, nor with Adam, but going right back to the beginning of creation. ‘In the beginning’ quotes the very first words of the book of Genesis and reminds his readers of the story of creation in seven days.  In doing so, it opens the way for John’s claim that in Jesus of Nazareth, there is a new beginning for all creation.

Instrumental for this new beginning is the word of God. For the people of Israel, whenever God speaks, it is a creative event, it brings life. In Genesis 1, God brings creation into being with his speaking (‘God said, let there be …’), so Jesus as ‘logos’ will be God’s way of speaking creation into new life.

Equally, the term ‘logos’ addresses the gentiles. For them, ‘logos’ constitutes divine wisdom which provides the foundation, the order and the meaning of life. Access to this wisdom has been limited to a privileged few who are able to scale the ladder to wisdom through special knowledge and insight.

In a most profound and succinct statement of gospel, to both Jew and Gentile, it is this ‘logos’ which ‘becomes flesh’, (where ‘flesh’ is not simply the physical part of our human body but the fullness of our human lives in all their ambiguity and alienation). In making this claim, St John declares that Jesus is both the presence of God’s life-giving speech and the human embodiment of God’s wisdom, available to all. This ‘logos’ takes up residence in the kitchen of our human life. God’s truth gracefully resides with us all.

Thus, through the remainder of this gospel, Jesus is depicted in earthy life-giving forms: he is the bread of life for the hungry, the light of the world for the blind, the living water for the thirsty, the good shepherd for the aimless, the resurrection and the life for those lost in death.

Jesus’ own death becomes the climax of this new creation. It is through Jesus’ death that God’s victory over the powers of evil, sin and death is finally won, and all people are drawn into communion with God and with each other. This is bread, light, water, and resurrection life for all.

These are the particular symphonic sounds of St John’s gospel, resounding in the birth of Jesus, climaxing in the death of Jesus, and now filling the auditorium of the whole of creation.  In the context of a world of uncertainty and fear, that just may be a timely pastoral word for us.

And so we come to the end of the Christmas pastoral symphony – four very different but complementary gospel movements. Each in their unique way have inspired hearers, down through the generations, to attune their own individual and social lives with their rich harmonic sounds. There is an urgency that this happen also in our time, for the sake of the world.                                         [ Randall Prior and Gary Deverell],

 Meanwhile, the international news of interest dominating the media over the past 24 hours, was the report of the death of Leader of North Korea. As reported by Jean H Lee in statesman.com, Kim Jong Il, North Korea’s mercurial and enigmatic leader whose iron rule and nuclear ambitions dominated world security fears for more than a decade, has died. He was 69.  Kim’s death 17 years after he inherited power from his father was announced on Sunday by a tearful female reporter, on state television from the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. The country’s “Dear Leader” — reputed to have had a taste for cigars, cognac and gourmet cuisine — was believed to have had diabetes and heart disease.  North Korea has been grooming Kim’s third son to take over power from his father in the impoverished nation, which celebrates the ruling family with an intense cult of personality. South Korea put its military on “high alert,” and President Lee Myung-bak convened a national security council meeting after the news of Kim’s death.

In a “special broadcast” on Sunday,, state media said Kim died of a heart ailment on a train because of a “great mental and physical strain” Saturday during a “high intensity field inspection.”  Kim is believed to have suffered a stroke in 2008, but he had appeared relatively vigorous in photos and video from recent trips to China and Russia and in numerous trips around the country carefully documented by state media.   Kim Jong Il inherited power after his father, revered North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, died in 1994. He had been groomed for 20 years to lead the communist nation founded by his guerrilla fighter-turned-politician father and built according to the principle of “juche,” or self-reliance.  In September 2010, Kim Jong Il unveiled his third son, the twenty-something Kim Jong Un, as his successor, putting him in high. Certainly, as a consequence of this announcement, a new heightened world tension has arisen as the likely outcome of the new leadership is attempted to be assessed by world leaders.  The death of Kim Jong-il even caused markets to falter on fear the North Korea’s leadership may be in question, and that that in turn, could cause unrest in a nation which is believed to have nuclear weapons capability. The US dollar rose against most major peers after North Korean state television said national leader Kim Jong Il died, spurring concern instability may increase in the region and boosting demand for the U.S. currency as a haven.  The South Korean won tumbled to a two-month low as an official at the defense ministry said the nation boosted border and coastal defense after Kim’s death. The yen dropped against the dollar for the first time in three days amid concern a destabilization of the Korean peninsula will dim the outlook for Japan’s economy and security. We will watch all columns over the next few days to try an gauge the direction of the future North Korea >>>>>>>