Your Time Magazine Brisbane - December 2021

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THE GIFT OF HEARING

Season’s meetings REMEMBERING THE JOYS OF CHRISTMAS PAST BRISBANE EDITION 81 DECEMBER, 2021 01.indd 1

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Editor’s note

F

or decades, at this time of year I was madly writing Christmas cards to get them away in time to be part of Christmas decorating — just as those I received were displayed in December. And if I wasn’t writing them, I was worrying that I should have been.

Christmas was often the only time of year I made contact with old friends from previous lives, so it was never just a case of writing “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” and signing off (I really resented it if I got one of those).

It was a big job, sifting through the address book to make a list, prioritising overseas post and hand-writing the year’s big events in the 10 or so sentences it took to fill a card, while hoping addresses hadn’t changed.

Cards were chosen carefully. I could

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never see any point in sending friends in the Northern Hemisphere greetings with snow, sleds, carollers and giant conifers which bore no resemblance to the scrawny pines we put up each year.

I was immensely relieved when designs abandoned a white Christmas in favour of Santa riding a surfboard and kangaroos pulling sleighs. It meant I no longer had to buy special “Christmas across the miles” cards.

The advent of computers made it easy to write a longer generic letter and pop it in with each card, although I tried to avoid the tedious blow-byblow accounts. Mind you, if I ever need a reminder of what I was doing in, say, 1994, it’s still there.

I can’t pinpoint when the card tradition ended, but my list gradually got shorter until one year, it simply disappeared. Perhaps it was the more regular contact that came with email, or that old friends in distant parts had moved on or faded away.

It’s a pity, as the annual task of making time to contact old friends and receiving their greetings gave real meaning to the Christmas season.

I hope this month’s Christmas thoughts of our writers stir up some good memories for you.

Dorothy Whittington Editor

Contents 4 8 10 12 14 16 17 18 20 22 24 25 26 27 30 31 32 33 34 36 38 45 46

COVER STORY WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE OUR PEOPLE AGES AND STAGES READER’S STORY CARE AFFAIRS BRAIN MATTERS FUN FACTS BITS AND PIECES SUMMER READING ACTIVE LIVING ON TRACK BOOK REVIEW MOTORING YOUR CITY FINANCE WELLBEING GENERATIONS WHAT’S ON RETIREMENT LIVING TRAVEL TRIVIA QUIZ PUZZLES

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27 33

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PUBLISHER Michelle Austin 5493 1368. EDITOR Dorothy Whittington editor@yourtimemagazine.com.au ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES 0438 717 210. sales@yourtimemagazine.com.au.

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December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 3

24/11/2021 4:52:15 PM

COVER STORY

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas Ask about Christmas memories, and everyone has a tale to tell. Four Your Time writers share their views and stories of what springs to mind at the mention of Christmas past. We wish all our readers a joyous and safe holiday season – and rich Christmas memory-making.

Julie Lake THE vivid red and green of the poinciana tree represents the traditional colours of Christmas for me because this was the tree that bloomed every festive season during my Kenya childhood.

I grew up on the tropical island of Mombasa on the Kenya coast, with its endless white beaches, offshore coral reef and palm trees. There, Christmas was hot and humid so usually we spent it “up country” on my grandmother’s farm.

We would drive up the day before Christmas Eve, the car boot filled with packages.

On the roof rack was strapped a huge wooden trunk, wrapped in sacking against the dust, that contained all our clothes.

Throughout the long, hot, drive that took about seven hours if the road was dry we sang carols or played games devised by

my father to keep us quiet. Better still, he paid us to “game spot”, offering anything from one cent (10 cents Australian) for ground squirrels and mongooses incrementally upwards through baboon and monkeys, zebra and common antelope, elephant and rhino to the “big three” of lion, leopard and cheetah which were worth 10 shillings.

On one memorable occasion we saw a mother cheetah and four cubs, just at daylight, on a slight rise near the side of the road. Another time we came round a corner and found a large bull elephant blocking the road, stirring up the red dust in anger so that my father had to back up.

When we arrived at the farm there would be a specially imported ceiling-high coniferous Christmas tree. We spent Christmas Eve decorating it, with the help of the servants, one of whom would lift up the youngest child to place the large gilt star at the top.

All would gather around the tree to sing carols while the children of the

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flat ground about a mile from my grandmother’s house. Beads, skins, feathers and other finery would be put on.

Instruments would be warmed up, especially the drums which were left all day in the sun before use.

Preliminary stampings and whirlings would take place among those planning to perform. Old men would gather in one part, old women in another, to urge the dancers on, or else assess the individual performances.

Sometimes they would join in, intoxicated by the rhythm and the increasingly frenzied drumming. But mostly dancing was for the young, as it is everywhere.

For that brief time of the dance the young men would be warriors again, as they had been before the British arrived and the maidens would release themselves in the dancing before submitting forever to a life of servitude and drudgery. We little white kids were encouraged to join in.

Then, suddenly it seemed, I was grown up and married, Africa was behind me and, with my husband and small children, I was about to spend my first Christmas in Australia.

We knew nobody and everyone we loved was thousands of miles away in the days before email and smart phones, when communication was mostly by blue airmail form.

But – oh lucky and generous country – neighbours we scarcely knew rallied round and left small gifts and invited us to parties and made us feel less alone.

And the poincianas spread their familiar branches and scarlet flowers to remind us that home is wherever you choose to make it.

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Julie and Bob Lake and their young family taste their first Australian Christmas in 1966.

African farm staff would join us from the veranda. My brother, myself and cousins would then distribute small presents to these children.

Our own presents would be laid around the tree for opening with great ceremony before breakfast the next day though we’d have stockings, mysteriously filled in the night with small stuff, to thrill us when we woke.

Christmas lunch was traditional – massive turkey, baked ham, haunch of locally-shot venison, all the trimmings.

Christmas puddings filled with silver sumunis (50 cent pieces).

Best of all was the Fortnum and Mason hamper flown all the way from London, full of luxuries including a whole smoked salmon, a huge round Stilton cheese, chocolates, mixed nuts (which all had to be cracked from their shells) and jams not readily available in Kenya.

The Boxing Day meal was as large and sumptuous as the Christmas dinner, except that it was served cold and out of doors and all the European staff and their families attended as well as several neighbours.

And of course there was music; more carols and Christmas songs and old favourites such as You Are My Sunshine and My Old Man Said Follow the Van. Everyone had to perform, my own contribution was usually The Little Match Girl sung with appropriate pathos.

Music was not confined to the farm’s small number of Europeans. The local tribe would celebrate Christmas with their own feast and a tribal dance. These ngomas were fine affairs, attracting people from far and wide.

The crowd would gather on a piece of

Brisbane

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COVER STORY

SIMPLE PLEASURES OUT ON THE FARM Glenis Green GROWING up on a dairy farm in New Zealand, my first memories of Christmas hark back to one of Mum’s holey nylon stockings hung from the mantlepiece above the lounge room fireplace in a small weatherboard house at Pirongia.

My Dad was a share milker on the farm, with Mum usually helping in the dairy before dawn and in the evenings - and pennies were scarce.

But I still remember the excitement of waking up with my older sister on Christmas morning to find a glass bottle of Fanta, some unshelled nuts and a few sweets in that stocking. And a carefully wrapped book under the sparsely decorated Christmas tree that Dad had cut down with his axe a few days earlier.

We’d crack those nuts with Dad’s hammer on the verandah and snuggle into an armchair with Mum while she read that book. It was a children’s album with several stories, comics and puzzles – and the tale of the lonely little Christmas tree who became the most popular once he was decorated with baubles and tinsel.

In the days before Christmas Day, Mum bought green, red and white crepe paper which we children carefully cut into strips and folded together to make decorations for the dining room ceiling (next to the ever present fly paper!) as well as turning old Christmas cards into little lanterns with snipping and sticky tape.

We had a couple of large and friendly pigs which Dad had unkindly called Pork and Bacon in a paddock near the house.

Somehow Bacon went missing on Christmas Day but for our lunchtime feast we had a magnificent leg of pork topped with the best crackling ever. In my youthful innocence I never made the connection and Dad always said Bacon

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Glenis Green on the family farm as a girl and (right) making new memories with grandson Jax. had gone to a neighbour’s house to live.

Fast forward to my teenage years and we were living on another farm that Dad and Mum had managed to save up and buy for themselves near Otorohanga.

Christmas Day there consisted of Mum’s amazing cooking – always a plum pudding cooked in a floured sack to give it a delicious, gooey thick crust and peppered with threepence and sixpences which, if you weren’t careful, could chip a tooth.

The main meal would sometimes be a turkey from the farm, or even roast wild duck which Dad had shot during hunting season from a hide beside the farm dam.

Often you would get a mouthful of shot from the shotgun as well.

Sometimes Christmas was spent at my maternal grandparents’ home at Tauranga.

It was a long and winding drive there and I was given crushed up tablets in jam so I didn’t get carsick on the treacherous drive over the Kaimai Range.

Cricket would be playing on the old Holden’s car radio and with the tablets and the drone of the commentator’s voice, it was easy to drop off to sleep and not wake up until we arrived three hours later.

Peas were collected fresh from Grandad’s extensive garden, along with spears of asparagus, beans and new potatoes to go with some meat that Dad

usually brought over in a Chilly Bin (NZ speak for Esky).

After we had feasted my sister and I would sit together on a stool and play Chopsticks on Grandma’s piano while Dad and Grandad played cribbage.

We would always make an excuse to traipse down the lane to our old neighbour, Mrs Spreadburrow, where we would feign innocence of a friendly visit but always had our hands out for boiled barley sugars from a jar she kept in the kitchen.

Traditions changed a bit when I moved to Australia. Now that I’ve had more than twice as many Christmases in Queensland as I did in New Zealand, the hot roast lunch has morphed into salads, ham, prawns and Moreton Bay bugs.

The excitement of presents under the tree waned with age, but has been renewed with the arrival of grandchildren Lily, Jax, Eva and Arthur.

The anticipation and shining eyes as they lay out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, brings all the best childhood memories rushing back and the thrill of finding surprises under the tree the next morning is contagious.

Surrounded by little ones dressed as elves or wearing reindeer ears and Christmas costumes as they rip open wrapping paper and excitedly show off their prizes makes plenty of happy new memories.

Cribbage has been replaced by a swim to escape the heat, along with an afternoon nap to digest the surfeit of ham, trifle and pavlova.

WHEN LESS IS MORE Scott Dixon

LIKE Greta Garbo, for some reason I just wanted to be alone. And on a steamy Christmas Day, a rented “renovator’s delight” in suburban Brisbane proved an accommodating substitute for the Belle Epoque grandeur of Greta’s Grand Hotel.

I get Christmas and generally play along willingly. Christmas is for families.

It’s for friends. It’s for gluttonous gatherings gorging on peace, love and understanding. continued over >

December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 5

24/11/2021 4:54:46 PM

COVER STORY < from previous page But it’s all so crowded and loud – a cyclone of emotional exhaustion. Admit it.

Haven’t you, even once, hankered to say, “Sorry Santa” and enjoy a truly silent night?

I’m a minor fraction of a bulging Catholic family, empirical evidence the rhythm method was yet more papal bull. Our Christmas Days are delightfully boisterous.

To our wild bunch, add random kids, in-laws, out-laws and often innocent passers-by. Things quickly reach a level of raucous that can scare family newcomers into therapy. Christmas is “a baby shower that’s gone way overboard”, someone wrote and they have my vote.

Blind faith won’t get me over the line.

Religion and I aren’t on speaking terms, in tongues or otherwise.

And instead of warming my heart, the annual procession of publicity-ravenous worthies leaping from limos to feed the needy leaves me as cold as kelvin zero.

“Next to a circus there ain’t nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit”, noted one wit. It’s the only time of the year I look at Muslims in Australia and think, “You lucky, lucky people”.

So, one year the chance came along to spend Christmas Day alone. All by myself.

No crowds of hazy faces with their mystery names. No housemates wanting to do stuff.

The energetic offspring off some place else.

This Christmas was going to be all about me and my housemate’s cat could make its own arrangements (we were never close).

Swatting away invitations from wellmeaning friends concerned about my “orphan” status, I went Garbo with gusto, albeit a very merry one.

A mate supplied Veuve Clicquot¬ so cheap it was a true Christmas miracle the bottles hadn’t broken when they bounced off the back of the truck; some retro chardonnay, so full-bodied it appeared to have been aged in a butter churn.

My seafood hoard was a masterclass in over-catering (thanks for the genes, Mum!) ¬– oysters, kingies, bugs, sandies – backed up by baguettes, avocado, mango and other must-haves.

At one point I read a bit but for most of the time I sat on that hot veranda, listening to inappropriate music and reflecting on how lucky I was.

There are so many people for whom for Christmas is the worst day in their yearround struggle, emphasising everything that makes them sad.

I’d won life’s lottery – loved ones who loved me back, fair dinkum friends, a steady income and a roof over my head. I felt a tad guilty for demanding less on a day when all our love should be spread around. Mind you, top bloody day it was, though!

Have a great Christmas.

Brian Thomas plays Santa for his grandchildren, with 17-year-old Kalesha happier about it than the grandbabies. Photo by Raymond Thomas

THE GRINCH DOESN’T LIVE HERE Brian Thomas DESPITE being a staunch atheist, I admit more than a passing affection for the festivities that celebrate the birth of Jesus.

Like many millions of

Australians, I celebrate the occasion while paying lip service to its religious underpinnings, even if I have been to Christmas Eve carols at the majestic St John’s Cathedral

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COVER STORY After I left home, Christmases took on many a hue. Among the more memorable were a hangi at the beach where the pork was washed down with beer on the luke side of warm on New Zealand’s west coast; and an occasion in Port Moresby where we feasted on a basted ham and watched movies on a borrowed television all day to mark the best part of a year without the box.

Of course, my atheism had to take a back seat when children arrived and even more so now that my wife and I have a growing fleet of grandchildren.

She is still very much a believer: Christmas lights start going up at the beginning of December and the sound of carols and her beautiful voice echo through the house.

Last year I even allowed myself to be persuaded to don a Santa suit and have the grandchildren sit on my knee to receive their presents.

This did not go down at all well with the one-month old twins, who bawled their eyes out, and three-and-a-halfyear-old Aurora, who instantly picked me as a fake Santa.

How could she tell? Easy. The real one had sent her a personally addressed video from the North Pole.

If I cop the Santa job again this year, and I have fattened up slightly for the role, my only wish is that the twins will tolerate being nursed for the occasion.

in Brisbane. And as I look forward to my 69th Christmas, it’s worth reflecting on the shape of things past.

My earliest memory of something rather special approaching is of Mum and Dad cleaning the chimney of our little wood-burning stove.

I must have asked why because I remember being told that they were clearing the way for Santa to deliver presents.

This would have required a miracle indeed, despite Mum being a slim woman a little shy of five foot in the old money.

Oddly, I recall nothing of those childhood presents apart from my first wristwatch and pushbike, second-hand though the latter was.

Those were the days, when Apples only grew on trees and you could buy a pushbike for less than a wheel costs today, even allowing for inflation.

As soon as my year-older brother and I were up to the task, preparation for the ritual began with trekking to the end of our country road and raiding the pine plantation for a specimen to drag home.

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WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE

Usage provokes an iconic volcanic outburst Some words are so regularly used in the wrong context that they have become an accepted part of the language. ALLISON WHITE discusses a popular usage that rubs her up the wrong way.

M

ost of us have words that grate. I have a few, such as “kick off” rather than just saying begin or launch, and memorials stating the dearly departed “left behind” a list of loved ones.

I don’t feel left behind because I’m still alive, but I sure have felt “left”.

But at the top of my list, the biggest annoyance of all, is the downright abuse of the word “iconic”.

Only in recent years has it crept into the vernacular to cover everything from athletes and film stars to buildings, logos, streets and anything else considered to be vaguely remarkable.

The Oxford dictionary definition is: “of, pertaining to, or resembling an icon” and the definition of an icon is “likeness, image, similitude; a portrait especially of an animal or plant in a book of natural history; an image in traditional Byzantine style of Jesus or a holy person venerated in the Orthodox church.”

It was given additional meaning around 1987, when it was introduced to refer to the computer screen picture clicked on to open a program. Some of these icons have since turned into emojis.

But even in the popular context of “a

8 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

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Are we looking at icons or landmarks? person or thing that is revered or idolised” it cannot be spread so wide as to include inanimate street scenes, animated characters, actions, and, well, pretty much anything.

Old buildings may be historic or perhaps a landmark without being iconic.

The Titanic was an ill-fated passenger liner, unlucky, tragic even, but there’s nothing iconic about it.

Then I spotted an Anzac Day reference to the “iconic game of two-up”. A game popular among old soldiers, it is a traditional game, an Aussie favourite,

typically Australian, but it’s not my idea of an icon. “The iconic poppies” also regularly turn up on Remembrance Day. They are red, symbolic, synonymous with remembrance, wartime memorials from the Flanders fields, but calling them iconic is a failure to find a better, more descriptive and perhaps, a more appropriate word.

I once saw a reference to the “iconic Victoria’s Secret parade”. Seriously?

I find it hard to imagine that a lingerie fashion parade that came from a clever marketing idea for a commercial brand less than three decades ago could ever aspire to being iconic.

A magazine reported on the “iconic superhero Aquaman”. Wow. It beggars belief that a comic book hero could measure up as an icon.

Cinematic hero, or underwater superhero is more than adequate.

Then comes the long list of geographical landmarks.

The Gold Coast, for example, is not an iconic region but a popular, beautiful, glitzy holiday location or specifically, a wellknown tourist/surfing/fishing magnet.

An old hotel or department store is not an iconic space, but it may be a landmark

or historic, significant, famous, celebrated or notable.

Even the Eiffel Tower can be much more than a Paris icon – it is one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, a celebrated piece of French history, a popular attraction.

People too can be much more than icons. They can be celebrated, renowned, clever, talented, entrepreneurial, famous and popular or rogues, villains, rascals and scoundrels.

And as for footballers, don’t we have enough ridiculous superlatives – heroes, superheroes, legends, immortals – we don’t need to add iconic to the list.

The English language has so many descriptive words, it suggests laziness not to use the best word to describe something – monuments, milestones, memorials, benchmarks , or as the thesaurus suggests: archetypal, exemplary, paradigmatic, ideal, important, seminal, supreme, traditional, recognisable.

Or perhaps, the word has become so iconic that it’s time for the lexicographers to simply change the definition, at least I don’t feel the need to rant and rave every time I have an iconic moment.

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OUR PEOPLE

Santa Claus has already come to town There’s much more to Santa than a silver beard, a big belly and a red and white suit. GLENIS GREEN meets the jolly gentleman himself.

Y

ou would expect a professional Santa Claus to be rather portly, certainly very whiskery and perhaps sport chubby red cheeks and a very deep voice for all that ho-ho-hoing.

But Russell Krause, who has been playing Santa for more than three decades, is quite the exception … apart from a distinct Santa twinkle in his eyes.

Trim and fit and a youngish looking 58, Russell is the consummate performer who can transform from meek and mild everyday dad into the most traditional of Santas – not quite in an instant like Superman, but definitely in a short space of time thanks to his magnificent velvet costume, flowing beard, antique book of children’s names and feather quill.

And don’t be fooled by his normal chatty voice. After a little throat clearing, he can produce the deepest and best ho-ho-ho of any Santa around.

But like Superman who started as mild and meek newspaper reporter Clark Kent, Russell actually began his working life in a bank, as a marketing officer, although his heart always lay in performing and acting.

Born in Kingaroy and now a longterm resident of Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast, he moved to Brisbane where he worked with the CBA Bank which then became Westpac.

Following his performing passion he auditioned for a two-year acting course in Brisbane and was accepted and then graduated to work in the Queensland Theatre and La Boîte.

He and his wife Alison also ran an antique shop at Ashgrove for a while.

When World Expo 88 came to Brisbane, Russell formed a troupe with other roving theatre performers and started a company called Zest Factor.

It was a team of multi-character roving theatre acts – mainly in Brisbane at that stage – but it grew bigger and bigger and eventually turned into major company bookings, even to the point of

Russell Krause transforms into Santa. supplying knights and horses for medieval conferences and such like.

There were aerial performers, jugglers, bands and MCs and the company became well known for its quirky style and variety.

Russell, meanwhile, was in big demand for television commercials.

It turned out he also had a great singing voice as well as a flair for acting and many people may recognise him as the man behind the beer in such ads as Redback Bitter, Fourex Gold, Fourex Bitter and Powers Brewing.

He also became the face behind QSuper and the Father’s Day Instant Scratch-its advertising.

“I guess I just have the face of the bloke next door,” Russell says.

One constant through playing a host of characters for so many and varied functions from corporate events to golf days, was taking on the role of Santa Claus every Christmas. Or sometimes it was transforming into a Christmas elf.

His wife, a high school teacher,

becomes a very convincing Mrs Claus.

“I’m not usually a shopping centre Santa – I do Christmas Day functions and company Christmas parties and it’s a bit more quirky,” he says.

“I get the background info on people, especially CEOs and such, and personalise it. I don’t do a drunk Santa but I’ve done a bad Santa, although that’s not very common.”

Russell also managed, for many years, to convince he and Alison’s son Jackson, now 13, that Santa was the real deal.

When the very smart and tech-savvy Jackson was a bit younger he was so keen to catch Santa out that he set up a camera overlooking the cookies and milk he had set out for the big man on Christmas Eve. “I worked it out,” says Russell.

“He was videoing very fast, so I first got a torch and shone it straight into the camera, then I got a furry pillow and ran it past the camera to look like a reindeer, then I got in full costume and kept my back to the camera while I ate the cookies and drank the milk.”

Jackson swallowed the ruse.

Along with Alison as Mrs Claus, Russell has been Santa-ing at the upmarket Noosa Sofitel Christmas Day event, handing out presents to the children.

He always does his research to ensure he knows as much about the children and what they want – or have already been given – as possible.

The amazement and joy on the kids’ faces when he seems to know so much about them makes it all worthwhile.

He has also agreed to be a regular

Russell Krause with his son Jackson who is now a teenager.

Santa at one local shopping plaza.

The tricks of the trade for his transformation are his heavy traditional costume with lots of padding and an ice vest.

Russell said Covid-19 had certainly knocked bookings for six, but this year they were gradually coming back and he and his wife and son were also kept busy with amateur theatre .

It seems Jackson has inherited his parents’ talents and has the role of Benji in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert with Mad About Theatre.

But transforming into Santa will also be a favourite with Russell who says he’s not one to just sit and ho-ho but prefers to be proactive and find out all about the children – and adults – who come to see him, just to underline that sense of Christmas magic.

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24/11/2021 4:58:17 PM

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24/11/2021 4:58:46 PM

AGES & STAGES

with Mocco Wollert

THE joy of buying presents! I am like a bower bird and used to start assembling presents from August onwards.

There were wonderful specials to be found in pop-up shops and unusual things on bargain tables which one never sees again around Christmas time.

I have a special drawer where I keep trinkets, books , candles and specialties which I collect all year round so, come birthdays or anniversaries, I always have

presents on hand. It is not only the joy of finding items that will bring surprise and cries of joy but also the fun of wrapping them up, and choosing beautiful paper and ribbons.

One of my biggest joys was buying Christmas or Easter presents. That joy was taken away from me quite a while ago.

When I ask the parents what a grandchild might like, the answer was usually, “oh, just give him or her some money, then they can buy what they want.”

I have accepted that fact over the years, but it has taken away a great lot of joy for me.

Many families are hard pressed to find presents for their children and grandchildren who have everything. I hear it time and time again: “I just don’t know what to get her – or him – they have everything.”

One year I decided not to buy any presents at all and instead gave the money to the Salvation Army. In return they issued wonderful certificates, nominating each teenage grandchild on them as a donor.

When I gave them to the children at Christmas rather than a present, it went down like a lead balloon. I certainly was not a beloved grandma any more but had become persona non grata big time!

But consider the following. How about, when you make up your spending budget for Christmas presents, you divide that sum – one half to buy presents, the other half going to a charity. Or maybe to a neighbour in need of something.

Are there relatives in your family who are half forgotten? Who might need some help and who would never ask?

What about a homeless person? They don’t even think of presents but would certainly welcome just a cup of warm coffee or a blanket?

Maybe that money could be collected into a fund for a monetary reward for our firefighters, our nurses, paramedics and doctors?

They often put their lives on the line for all of us and are mostly paid a pity or nothing at all.

They certainly deserve a present from all the people they keep safe – us!

It would maybe be a good way of introducing even small children to becoming a “giving person” rather than a “taking person”.

Christmas can be a joyous time with family and friends, with barbecues and drinks on the lawn, with emphasis on celebrating Christ’s birth together, without being a mini toys-are-us under the tree on Christmas morning.

May your Christmas be blessed and your presents be beautiful.

with Cheryl Lockwood

‘TIS the season to drink coffee. For many, this is year-round. I have developed a new appreciation for the wondrous drink as I have made my coffee from scratch – right down to growing it!

I don’t have a green thumb and confess I did not even know the identity of a little shrub that was already settled in the overgrown garden of the house we bought seven years ago.

Discovered after some extensive weed pulling, it seemed quite attractive, so I left it where it was growing.

Obviously, it was hardy, a prerequisite for any poor plant that falls into my hands.

I’m fairly sure I could kill even the artificial variety.

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AGES & STAGES The plucky little plant grew into a tree, then possibly to attract some attention from me, sprouted little berries which turned a shade of dark red. Still clueless, I turned to Google and discovered that it was a coffee tree.

Excitedly, I did some more online research to turn those berries into my favourite beverage. As you may be aware, this is quite the process, so much so, it beats me how anyone figured it out before the magic of the internet.

One legend suggests a 16th century goatherd noticed lively behaviour in his goats who had consumed berries from a certain tree. No kidding! See what I did there? Anyway, my coffee making went something like this: Pick berries from tree. Peel off skin to reveal two slimy coated beans in each one.

Wash beans. Spread beans to dry for a couple of weeks. Peel the dried husk from each bean. Rub off another thin, papery layer. Spread on a tray and roast in oven.

Keep in mind how long it has taken to get this far and realise this is the first time they start to actually smell like coffee.

Grind the beans in a food processor of some kind. Get a bit excited because it’s now close to making the drink.

I don’t own a coffee maker because I don’t need to spend more time sitting on my couch with cup in hand, but I have a hand-operated plunger. I used it to turn hot water into the brown liquid I love. That

first attempt yielded just four cups of coffee. This year, no thanks to me, the tree flourished.

I was raised on a fruit-growing property and was taught not to waste food.

Kids who dared to whine about being hungry were told to go outside and eat whatever happened to be in season.

When coffee berries started to rain on me as I walked under the branches, I knew I could not let them go to waste. Many evenings in front of the TV were spent skinning, washing and peeling.

Am I enjoying the fruits of my labour?

Yes! Is it worth it? Considering the ease of buying a delicious cup of coffee from a café, I’m not so sure.

Sometimes, I open the lid of my ground-up granules and sniff. I know how much work went in, so I don’t want to use them up too quickly. I also try harder to savour my morning brew now.

Enjoy your coffee and season’s greetings to all!

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December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 13

24/11/2021 5:00:31 PM

READER’S STORY

The sounds of Mereaira’s miracle

By Valerie Merwood

I

t is the sound of my voice, the voice of a friend; it is the voice of Loucas, her audiometrist. We know this, because, recently, we saw something special take place. It had the eyes, the smile, the tears of Mereaira – it is her miracle and Loucas and I shared it.

He had slipped a gadget into each of her ears – what do we older women know about the names of modern technology?

They were a gadget.

Loucas had started this appointment with checking Mereaira’s hearing aids, replacing parts, testing volumes. He rustled some plastic. “Do you hear that?” he asked.

The miracle began to unfold.

He took her phone, saying he could set it up for her to use in changing volume on her aids – easier for her not-so-dexterous fingers he suggested. And doing that, he reckoned, could help her cope with “other” noises. Really?

When I speak of Mereaira’s hearing aids I am speaking of the large heavy plastic pieces that flow over her ears. She is used to them. She has worn them for as long as she can remember.

There is no sound for her at all without them, not even noise. She doesn’t like them but says they are a lot better than the awful cords she wore as a child. They hung from her ears, attached to the gadgetry that swung from her little chest and brought her so much teasing, name-calling.

Mereaira recalls that they didn’t help much but they were all that was available decades ago. And she had to wear them.

She was a chronically deaf child, but her mum and dad ensured she was not mute. Oh yes, how she remembers her teachers. She wasn’t allowed to sign until years later – her hands were tied behind her back. She must lip read, she must speak.

She is, according to those who understand the yardstick of the deaf world, one of the best-ever users of that singular skill to grace NZ and Australia, her two homelands.

Until she fails to respond to a voice out

Valerie gives Mereaira a hug. of sight, or where multiple sounds and lips invade her range and send her back into the safety of aloneness, it is likely that people don’t realise she is deaf.

She could always hear some noises, but never make sense of them. She loved music – she could feel its beat, the vibrations.

At school she didn’t take to the 3-Rs but loved sport where her hearing did not matter so much. Later, she found work as a machinist where her hearing did not matter so much.

Mereaira has lived in her deaf world and made her way as best she could – she has made her way to where she now stands on the brink of new technology.

Recently her audiometrist nudged open a door, and the view was exciting.

At 68, could Mereaira be a candidate for surgery? Perhaps an implant?

She attended her tests, waited. But the door closed. There would be no surgery because there was some noise getting through – noise but not hearing.

She was advised to return to her audio specialist so here we are in his rooms and he is talking about new phone technology.

“She is struggling with the disappointment of the ‘no surgery’,” I told him. “Can these hefty aids be lightened up?

Replaced? What’s around these days?”

He smiled, “let’s try these”, and slipped a gadget into each ear. I had my phone with me, so Loucas suggested she call me. We

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had always used FaceTime to chat so she could read my lips. When I wanted to start a link with her, I sent her a text.

I am talking to her now but reckon she is “reading” me. She denies it, so I go outside the room. I turn off the camera.

We carry on talking. I return to my friend who is crying, and Loucas whose smile is 10 miles wide.

“You have a nice voice,” she says. I stand behind her and say “hello Mereaira.”

“Hello Val” she says. “Are you having a nice day?” She giggles. Tears and giggles sit well together.

“What colour is the blouse you are wearing, my friend?”.

“It is pink,” she replies.

I am crying. The miracle is in full flight.

She sends me out of the room to speak to her. Loucas laughs and says that no one can hear through that door, but I know what she means. I knock, open the door a sliver and say her name.

“Come in!” she cries with her back to the door. We hold each other tight, almost unable to comprehend. She is hearing.

This talking we were doing together was simply ordinary – normal speech between ordinary people. Can we call such ordinary-ness a miracle? Of course we can!

Back to earth, with the wonder still upon us, I knew that I must ask two questions: “Is this just about technology? Is it that simple?” Yes. This is just technology.

It is what we can do now.

“How much?” I say to my friend. We must find a balance between the wonder and the dollars.

I am humbled. We all know that some good folk, selves included, can find that money with their next breath. Mereaira and I know that she cannot.

She will need many deep breaths before, “yes please” can be spoken. We agree that we have work to do, and she feints a refusal to let him take the precious gadgets from her ears.

“You will have to fight her to get those back,” I tell him. And we all laugh while the

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old hearing aids flow over her ears again and she returns to hearing loss.

I move back into her sight range as Loucas tells us his next steps towards her acquiring these new whizz-bang superduper thank-you-very-much hearing aids that will have her watching – and hearing her television, listening to music, making phone calls, calling “come-in”.

We head off for a coffee – and start thinking about the not-small matter of money. We agree that we will keep her money worries within the positive flow of her miracle. We plan for first steps.

Can Mereaira’s dream come true? It will not be easy, but it must happen.

A few weeks go by. What has happened? Everything … a sequence of steps to Mereaira’s miracle. I had told my friends and they had told their friends. The word was: “this lady must have her new hearing aids” and the money came in.

Assured that we were safely underwritten, we made our way back to Loucas who filled Mereaira’s ears with wax and made his fittings.

Then my husband and I were driving our friend to the audiometrist when the car radio began playing Neil Diamond singing It’s a Beautiful Noise. What timing.

I speak the lyrics towards her so she can read my lips: “What a beautiful noise, comin’ up from the street, got a beautiful sound, it’s got a beautiful beat.”

She says “I want to hear that song” – and by the end of the day she does.

The aids went into place. Mereaira could hear – those cars, that bird, the wind coming around the corner.

In the community that is our retirement home a group of well-wishing donors gathered to greet Mereaira. With her smile reaching past her ears she handed around thank-you cards with a crepe paper flower she had crafted for each one. Gratitude exuded from her soul.

After that? We found Neil Diamond and danced, “And it makes me feel good …

Yes it does, Yes it does”. Every day.

Call 134 478 or visit irt.org.au 14 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

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CARE AFFAIRS

Christmas is the time to be joyful Repeated lockdowns, restrictions and mask wearing have stolen our spontaneity and joy. KENDALL MORTON proposes that Christmas is the time to rediscover the joy of life and to share it with older members of the family.

P

arents and other older relatives may still be feeling fearful and isolated. This makes sense as the early health advice was for them to stay home as they were “too vulnerable”.

Concerns about their health were paramount.

As this crisis drags on, many older (and younger) people experience fear and foreboding day after day. Living in a state of fear overloads one’s body with cortisol.

This reduces immunity and can increase the risk of diseases such as atherosclerosis and depression. To combat stress and replace it with joy, here are a few suggestions: 1. Turn off the television news.

Apart from knowing what the current health orders are, there is no need to have a daily update on what is happening in hospitals. There is not enough detail in the reporting for it to be meaningful. Statistics do not help anyone feel safe.

2. Make a list of things that feed the spirit. Discuss ideas with older relatives and arrange to make them happen. It may be fish and chips by the water,

watching children swimming in a lake or writing poetry. The aim is to bring light and joy back into everyday life for yourself as well.

3. Connect with people again.

Ample research tells us humans are social beings. We need to belong to groups. Being with others brings spontaneity back into our lives. Look at what older relatives have given up during Covid lockdowns and see what connections and group activities can be

resumed.

4. Use the rituals of Christmas. Most families have Christmas rituals that give us a sense of continuity from year to year. They involve members of different generations. Rituals create a common dialogue.

Assist older family members to complete their usual Christmas rituals such as sending cards, putting up decorations, going to a church service or making shortbread. Engage other family

members in these rituals where possible.

5. Be with nature. The magpies don’t know about Covid. They sing their morning song regardless. Spend time in nature and help older relatives to do the same. Studies have shown that time in nature reduces cortisol levels and combats depression.

Perhaps you could arrange a picnic or a Sunday drive by the water. There are many cafes in scenic locations that do not require much walking. Google will help find cafes with easy access.

6. Go greener at home. Having a window with a garden view can be enough to lift someone’s mood and reduce anxiety. Even pictures on the wall can be beneficial.

One study compared heart surgery patients. Some had direct views of pictures of trees and calm water and it was found they had less anxiety and less need for pain medication than the control group.

Kendall Morton is Director of Home Care Assistance. Email kmorton@ homecareassistance.com

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Brisbane

24/11/2021 5:01:59 PM

BRAIN MATTERS

ARR-R me hearties, think like a pirate There are multiple stages to the formation and storage of explicit memories. KAILAS ROBERTS explains the core components of long-term memory – and how to remember them.

W

e are far from fathoming the mystery of human memory, but we do now recognise a few

basic facts.

The first is that different types of memory exist. We talk about explicit and implicit memories.

The former category relates to things we consciously think about and can be further broken down into episodic memory, what we can remember of the episodes (events) that we have experienced in our lives; and semantic memory, that related to learned facts about the world.

Implicit memory on the other hand is something we don’t pay attention to.

The classic example of this is driving a car: once practised, we no longer have to think about what we’re doing. There is a certain elegance in our brain’s ability to generate implicit memory – it is a more efficient and automated and allows our brain to use its precious energy supplies for more novel requirements.

Explicit and implicit memories are stored separately in the brain, explaining the not uncommon scenario where individuals with early dementia may struggle remembering but have no major problems with, for instance, driving.

Neither type of memory is stored in one particular place, however; rather they are underpinned by a network of nerve cells. For implicit memory, these tend to be deep in the brain in an area known as the subcortex.

The formation and storage of explicit memories is quite involved, with multiple stages. The acronym ARR-R may help you remember these steps. The first three letters stand for Attention, Retention and Retrieval - all core components of longterm memory. The final ‘R’ stands for Remember.

First, let’s consider attention. If you don’t pay attention, you don’t notice something in the first place. This is often the problem when misplacing things – for instance not noticing where you’ve put the keys when you’ve come home. Without

adequate attention, there will be nothing to later remember.

Attention seems to be heavily reliant on the front part of the brain (the frontal lobe) and can be strengthened by mindfulness and active practice – deliberately paying attention when you are doing things.

Meditation also seems to strengthen attention. Conversely, stress, tiredness and alcohol (and social media!) all potentially diminish it.

Once something has grabbed your attention, you then have the chance to “hold it in mind” for a brief time while you use the information. This again relies on the front part of the brain and is often termed working memory. An example is mentally reciting and using a phone number just given to you.

At some stage, whatever you have experienced will leave your awareness as you become distracted and think about other things. It will then either be forgotten or sent through to another brain structure called the hippocampus, situated deep in the temporal lobe.

This structure is critical for the next step of memory formation – retention.

The hippocampus encodes the

experience, bringing all its parts (visual, auditory, tactile etc) together and binding them into a composite memory that is then distributed to various parts of your cortex (the wrinkly outer layer of the brain).

It is the hippocampus that is often an early site of damage in Alzheimer’s disease.

Finally, to bring this embedded information back to mind, you need to retrieve it.

This again relies on the front part of the brain and seems to be quite susceptible to the ageing process – meaning that things take longer to remember than they once did. Even in middle age, I can attest to this!

So, to remember how you remember, think like a pirate: ‘ARR-R’!

Kailas Roberts is a psychogeriatrician and author of Mind your brain The Essential Australian Guide to Dementia now available at all good bookstores and online.

Visit yourbraininmind.com Dr Roberts also has created BrainScan, an iPhone app to help identify and respond to modifiable risk factors for dementia. Find it at the App Store.

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Celebrating our story & memories | Connecting generations

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17.indd 3

December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 17

24/11/2021 5:02:34 PM

FUN FACTS

World of difference

Do you remember?

By the numbers

one month The current skin you’re in will be gone in a month. Our skin sheds 30,000 to 40,000 skin cells each day. But it rejuvenates just as quickly as it deteriorates.

Planet Earth. Researchers calculate the age of the Earth by dating both the oldest rocks on the planet and meteorites that have been discovered on Earth. Their findings say Earth is about 4.54 billion years old.

45,400

The Paul Hogan Show was a popular Australian comedy show that aired on Australian television from 1973 until 1984 for a total of 12 seasons. It made a star of Paul Hogan, who later appeared in Crocodile Dundee.

His friend (and producer of Crocodile Dundee) John Cornell also appeared in the show, playing Hogan’s dim flatmate Strop. Cornell married TV presenter Delvene Delaney in 1977, and died at their home at Byron Bay in July, aged 80.

This month in history 1826 - NSW established the first settlement in Western Australia at King George Sound. It was a military garrison called Frederick Town and was renamed Albany in 1832.

1921 – Ireland’s 26 southern states gained independence from Britain to become the Irish Free State.

Quote of the month “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy.”

– Martin Luther King Jr

1936 - King Edward VIII abdicated the English throne to marry a twice-divorced American named Wallis Simpson.

By the time a person reaches 70 years of age, he or she will have consumed more than 45,400 litres of water.

five

Humans spend about five years of their lives eating.

1945 – The first Sydney to Hobart yacht race was held.

1967 – Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach, Victoria 1988 – A PanAm jet was blown up over Lockerbie in Scotland, killing 259 on board and 11 people on the ground.

1989 - The Cold War ended after a summit between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and US president George Bush.

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BITS & PIECES

LETTERS SOMETIMES I wonder if I am the only senior introvert in Queensland. By the term “introvert” I mean a person who feels drained of energy by social interaction. It doesn’t mean that I necessarily avoid social interaction, but I do sometimes. It is a conscious choice I make in each situation in my daily life.

Sometimes it means giving the extroverts I know the encouragement they need to be themselves. They are invigorated and energised by social interaction (and struggle in lockdowns).

I expect there are degrees of introversion and extroversion ranging from mildness to extreme.

I don’t often welcome social interaction, so I’m probably a bit on the extreme side.

However, it can be a problem when one doesn’t live up the expectations of others.

Particularly as one ages, I wonder if people disinterested in certain activities or not in the mood to socialize at that particular

time can be labelled “depressed”.

(Of course, they might also be hard of hearing).

Name withheld for social reasons I’VE just read the ageism issue of Your Time (Nov) and agree with the general premise, i.e. keep busy!

I am 74 and am very busy, cleaning seven units, managing an Airbnb, being on the body corporate of the building where I live, regularly dog sitting for my daughter and visiting a friend in Toowoomba.

I still make time for coffees and movies and walking three to five kilometres every day.

Yes, I am very busy and i think this is what keeps me alert and involved with life.

I’m not a big fan of the ageing process and am doing all I can to delay it. Having said all of the above, I do want to say that I take care of my health, I eat “clean” and don’t drink alcohol, so maybe that helps.

I have also read that a walk in nature is better than anything else for our mental and physical health, so all you mature people, get outside, smell the flowers and keep moving.

Patricia A Heron I PICKED up Your Time (Nov) today and as usual I enjoyed it, but the column titled “When one word will do” struck a note with me.

I had just been saying to my sister how infuriating I find the phrase “start a conversation”.

Whatever happened to “talk”?

Also, thanks for the piece about “cracker night”. My siblings and I so looked forward to it, having saved our pennies to buy supplies. My brother always made a scarecrow (gruesome when you think about it though) and the dog was unimpressed, especially as he was locked under the house until it was over.

Peta Douglas Have your say. Email editor@ yourtimemagazine.com.au

IN THE GARDEN — with Penny

WITH the rain in November all plants are putting on phenomenal new growth. What a difference rain and warm days make to the health and vitality of our gardens.

Of course, with that there are weeds, and lots of them.

Remove while small and definitely before they set seed.

The jacarandas put on a lovely show along with the grevilleas. In the vegie garden, cucumbers are prolific, and there’s still time to put in more seeds.

Don’t forget to fertilise for optimum crops. Plenty of roses and dahlias in flower. Both are excellent cut flowers.

Zinnias are available in punnets, plant now for a good summer display.

Seasonal vegies include spring onions, tomatoes, beetroot, lettuce, radish, carrots and corn.

Prune any scraggly plants, pop some seedlings in and rearrange your patio plants ready for the summer months.

Stuck for a Christmas present? A gift voucher from your favourite nursery can’t go wrong.

Happy gardening to all and a Merry Christmas and happy and healthy new year.

Penny Hegarty is the Sunshine FM garden show presenter.

CALL TO ARMS IT may sound an unlikely match, but Australian Armwrestling Federation champions are on a mission to raise awareness about skin cancer.

More than 250,000 Australian men are diagnosed with skin cancer every year – twice as many as women – and research shows that men are less likely to see a doctor about their health concerns.

A recent online survey of Aussie men conducted by National Skin Cancer Centres found that 79 per cent of respondents hadn’t had their skin checked this year. This can lead to late diagnoses and deadlier outcomes.

“You think, ‘I’ll be fine. I’ve never had anything wrong. Why would something happen to me

now?’” says AAF president Phil Rasmussen. “My advice is, if you spend a lot of time in the sun or work in the sun, go in and get checked.”

His colleagues at the maledominated sport have similar sentiments, sharing stories of family and friends being diagnosed and treated for skin cancer.

More than 14,600 skin cancers have been diagnosed by doctors at National Skin Cancer Centres in Australia this year alone.

Select locations manage high-risk patients with total body photography for the earliest skin cancer detection when treatment is most successful.

Visit skincancercentres.com.au/ blog/dont-let-skin-cancer-have-theupper-hand

IRT Home Care Queensland IRT has been caring for older Australians for over 50 years.

Our Queensland Home Care team helps seniors live their best life at home, providing services you can trust.

We had a blue and white Canned Cold Magic Brick tin in the freezer which took up a fair bit of the space but was super useful in our metal esky. Another popular version was a tartan patterned tin. In summer there was always a supply of homemade cordial ice blocks in cylindrical moulds, while a ready supply of ice cubes was possible using an aluminium ice tray with a lever. It had been developed by GE in the early 1950s.

Extract from Pam Van Der Kooy’s Stuff We Had in the ’50s and ’60s available from all good bookstores.

The pig is rated the fourth most intelligent animal. Pigs are part of the order artidactyla (even toed, hoofed animals). They have an average lifespan of 20 years and litters from two to 12 piglets. So much for Christmas ham!

Personal care

Health and wellbeing support

Cleaning and household tasks

Social connection

Nursing services

Home safety and security

Getting out and about

Concierge service

Call 134 478 or visit irt.org.au/homecare 20 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

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Brisbane

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24/11/2021 5:05:16 PM

SUMMER READING

Grab a good book Summer holidays are the perfect excuse to sit back and relax with a book, or, if you are looking for a unique Christmas gift, it’s hard to go past giving a good read while supporting a local author. Here is some inspiration from southeast Queensland writers.

THOSE BRISBANE ROMANTICS

By Danielle de Valera Brisbane 1961: Women are now back in the home after being drafted into the war effort. Tara Mahoney, a budding artist, has fallen for Joe Gordon, whose ambition is to make it in international music. Marriage at 22 will ruin their career chances but they are desperate for one another. With no access to reliable birth control, it’s hands-off.

DREAMWEAVER

By Gregory Cahill Orphaned at birth, Charlie Shepherd was moved from foster home to foster home until he was 18. The one constant was a strange recurring dream he experienced throughout his life.

In his vivid and unsettling dreams, he is swimming through shadowy freshwater caves, deep beneath the desert in Central Australia. Sometimes the dreams were peaceful, but mostly they were frightening, especially during his childhood.

Though he never knew his parents or where he came from, he always felt there was a deeper meaning – if only he could find it.

An invitation to scuba dive in Central Australia with two university friends is too tempting to ignore. Can Charlie unravel the meanings of his dreams down in the caves and discover his past, and his future?

Available from Red Poppy Art Collective and Wilbury’s Books in Redcliffe and online at inhousebookstore.com.au/products/ dreamweaver. The eBook is at amazon. com.au/dp/B08PF24TTL

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Into this fraught situation steps a Hungarian ballet dancer. When she becomes pregnant to Joe, tragedy ensues. Joe turns back to Tara, who faces the choice of marrying a man she doesn’t love and keeping her career, or playing second fiddle to Joe. As she wrestles with these choices, a deeply conservative society is stirring around her.

The novel captures the essence of Brisbane when it was a big, subtropical country town still scarred by World War II. It’s about being under 25 when Donald Horne called Australia “the lucky country”.

Available at Iwan Bookshop, 608 Brunswick St, New Farm and Merthyr Road Newsor at books2read.com/u/ mVapMp

CRUCIAL STEP

By Ian Laver After his father’s suicide, Theo Perry travels to Malaysia on a quest to discover the truth about the man who disappeared after the Vietnam war.

From touchdown, Theo’s world begins to unravel.

Events, as violent as the tropical storms that sweep the Malay Peninsula, accelerate when he becomes infatuated with a beautiful Muslim woman and is propelled into a dark underworld where his western values count for nothing.

His youthful bravado crumbles – the closer the truth, the more tangled things become. Mysterious friends – and enemies – know more about him than they should. Theo realises, in this different world, life and death decisions are on the razor’s edge.

Laver, an award-winning writer, takes the reader on a backpacking journey of mystery, adventure and suspense.

Available as paperback or eBook from all online bookstores including Amazon, Booktopia, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, Fishpond, Ingram, Apple iTunes/iBooks and Kindle.

GARDENING IN YOUR NINETIES

By Doreen Wendt-Weir Doreen Wendt-Weir made good use of her time in isolation to write the sequel to her successful book Sex in Your Seventies. The 93-year-old tells of her efforts (post sex life) at gardening, sharing old-fashioned recipes as she harvests her vegetables.

As she works, her thoughts wander to her long life. She talks of childhood on the dairy farm on the Logan River, and remembers her many subsequent adventures as a midwife, hitchhiker, traveller, guest speaker, and as “Dear Doreen” on TV. Through it all, is woven a love story which may, or may not be, resolved.

Doreen was attending Brisbane Girls Grammar School when the war intervened in 1943, but went to become a trained nurse. At 71, she was accepted to Griffith University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree.

Available at sexinyourseventies. com

DANGEROUS PLACES

By Tracey-Anne Forbes Ven is struggling to find romance and excitement despite her all-consuming love and duty for her children; Mark is striving for his own dreams in a century that demands he compromise; Peri is escaping her controlling mother by embracing sub-cultural ideas and lifestyles and Yanni is confronted with his own failings and losses in pursuit of the perfect life.

For them all, between the thought and the reality, falls the shadow of haunting memories which can be dangerous places.

Alternating between dreamscapes of island life and the stark interior of suburban family existence, Dangerous Places delves the depths between desire and duty, dreams and domesticity, and the myths we sometimes use to make meaning of our lives.

Available online at ginninderrapress. com.au or email tracey_dunn3@bigpond. com for a 10 per cent discount, plus postage.

LIFE IS A DANCE

By Tom Stodulka Writing about real people, authentic feelings and the truths of everyday life, Tom Stodulka creates memorable pictures with words that are simultaneously accessible and remarkable.

Life, love and work intertwine with nature in a unique series of poems as he shows through his poetry, that life is about enjoying what we can every single moment.

Join Tom for tales of Australian life, discover local flora and fauna and learn from his experiences in his work as a mediator. Tom shares his appreciation of nature, his passion for his work and shows the reader how to remember that life is a dance, not a journey.

His new book Life is a Drama – Be Calmer, a companion book of poetry and third in the series, will be out soon.

Available as an eBook and Audio book through Audiobooks.com, Amazon, Audible, iTunes and Google or visit tomstodulkaauthor.com

FINDING ME, MYSELF AND I: JOURNEY TO LOVING YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF

by Yogita Ridgley Yogita writes about 30 years living with a sense of not being loved, and how being told she was not good enough affected her thinking and made her slowly become someone she wasn’t in an engaging memoir of her journey of self-discovery, acceptance, selfawareness, and self-love.

Self-critical thoughts can cause anxiety, and the author’s quest to take control of her life motivates and encourages readers to beat the odds, realise how weaknesses have made them stronger, and to leave emotional baggage filled with guilt, depression, anger, and fear.

The book is raw, straightforward, and honest, as Yogita’s story encourages readers to break the cycle and activate the power of compassion, tolerance, grace, intuition, patience, creativity and forgiveness to end up loving yourself.

Available from travelingwithmemyselfandi.com/book Free postage in Australia.

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ACTIVE LIVING

Pack up your troubles with exercise Exercise can be meditation in motion, as you focus on movements rather than problems.

TRISTAN HALL explains the benefits of establishing a routine.

T

here have been some unexpected challenges thrown at us during 2021 – health concerns, social isolation, accommodation uncertainty or financial worries – and these impact body and mind.

The body responds to threat by increasing blood pressure and heart rate. It increases mental alertness and releases the cortisol hormone into your bloodstream. These responses can help in acute situations such as avoiding a car accident.

But today’s stressors are so frequent that our system can become overloaded. This can damage health and increase the risk of diseases such as atherosclerosis and depression. Exercise can counterbalance this.

A study in Chicago compared the stress responses of people who exercise at least once a week with those who don’t exercise. All 111 participants self-evaluated their mood before and after a test.

The test included making a speech to two examiners and doing some maths problems. The test exercisers had a small drop in mood while the non-exercisers showed much more decline in mood and positivity.

The authors concluded that exercise is correlated with emotional resilience.

When you exercise, the body produces endorphins which can stimulate a feeling of

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wellbeing. Exercise puts the body under controlled stress which can train it to be less reactive to life’s troublesome events.

Exercise can be meditation in motion, a way to escape your thoughts and enjoy being one with your movements.

I encourage everyone to make exercise part of a stress management plan. Here are a few ideas: • Choose an activity you enjoy. Try something new, such as dancing, kayaking or joining a Bushcare group.

• Get social. When you exercise with a friend you are more likely to stick to your plan.

Swimming, tennis or walking are ideal. A good coffee is always a bonus.

• Walk a dog, your own or someone else’s.

Tristan Hall is an exercise physiologist with Full Circle Wellness. Call 0431 192 284 or visit fullcirclewellness.com.au

FIT HAPPENS With Tom Law WE ALL know someone who starts something but never finishes it.

It could be restoring an old motor vehicle, home renovations, a self-improvement class or perhaps even an exercise program.

My experience as a personal trainer exposes me to many people who start their new exercise regime with gusto – new shoes, perhaps some equipment or a gym membership.

They talk about it all the time to family and friends in an excited fashion, they use physical fitness language and slang talking about reps and routes, cardio and resistance training.

Some continue on and set a healthy habit for life but unfortunately, some do not and the fire to be a healthier human that once burned has diminished or gone out completely.

We can never guarantee anything in life except death but once you have decided to live a healthier life you may find the following tips beneficial to help you keep up a good habit: 1. Write up a weekly schedule to include your exercise program.

2. Maintain an exercise diary for

reflection and comparisons.

3. Exercise with a partner to aid accountability.

4. Continue to educate yourself about the benefits of regular exercise.

5. Do not let anything deter you from your program, including weather.

6. Find ways to include variety into your exercise program.

7. Get some professional advice about what exercises you can do.

8. Listen to your body and get plenty of sleep and rest.

9. Work on a good nutritional plan.

10. Make sure you incorporate fun in your activities when possible.

Yoyo dieters is a term sometimes used to describe people who achieve good nutritional balance only to go back to undisciplined habits at the end of a particular program. Some exercisers could be described the same.

Good healthy habits do not come in 4, 8, or even 12-week blocks.

Being generally healthy and leading a clean and balanced lifestyle all the time may not be easy, but the benefits can be amazing.

Tom Law is the author of Tom’s Law Fit Happens. Visit tomslaw.com.auHow to maintain a good habit

Brisbane

24/11/2021 5:31:16 PM

ON TRACK

Keep up with the times to avoid becoming invisibile Staying current and relevant as we age and in retirement helps provide an armour against the invisibility sometimes experienced by older people.

JUDY RAFFERTY explains that it’s not about the wrinkles but the spring in your step.

I

have a chapter in my book about staying current and relevant, and heard from a reader who said she had reassessed herself and made some changes. The result, she said, was not startling and probably not even noticeable to others but she felt much better about herself.

With a newly boosted self-confidence she was able to take the first steps to staying current and relevant.

Do you recall a dawning awareness that you were no longer quite as present and visible as you once had been in among the rest of humanity? Members of the opposite sex did not seem to notice you; other people were included in the conversation before you; younger people seemed to treat you kindly but without real interest.

Relevance and currency are two important concepts to ensure your visibility when you retire and as you age. It is about making sure that you are not a dinosaur.

Dinosaurs are interesting only at a museum. We tend not to ask their

opinion or invite them to dinner.

It is important that your retirement plans include a way of ensuring you maintain connection to others, and to the world, by being relevant and current.

Relevance and currency are closely connected in the context in which we are discussing them. If you are not perceived as current, and up to date, then you are more likely to be perceived as not having relevance.

“Relevance deprivation syndrome” was a term first coined by former

yourself to the world. You don’t have to dress like a young person, but it is important to dress for the times.

It is easy to bring to mind images of older people who look old and those who, although the same age, look young.

It is not about being less wrinkled or thinner. It is about holding your body upright, having a bit of a spring in your step and a brightness of eye. Stay up to date with new methods of communicating. This is one of the most important ways of staying current and achieving relevance.

When invisibility strikes, try not to settle back into obscurity. Perhaps make the effort to participate with curiosity and interest.

A thoughtful listener with an inquiring mind, a ready smile and an optimistic view of the world will almost always be viewed as having currency and relevance to the situation – regardless of age.

Judy Rafferty is the author of Retirement Your Way, A Practical Guide to Knowing What You Want and How to Get It, at all good bookshops and online.

)

A dental emergency is enough of a toothache.

Australian foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans after his retirement. It is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but it will mean a lot to many people in retirement.

Evans, in retirement, went on to have a role with the International Commission on Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament.

In an interview with Laurie Wilson at the National Press Club in 2010, he said, “I could not be suffering less from relevance deprivation syndrome, because this is really one of the great issues of our time and we in Australia are right in the thick of it.”

Ensure currency by keeping your interest in the present and the future.

Bringing back memories is dangerous territory.

A quick relevancy death is to hark back to your memories. Stay optimistic.

Sometimes there is a tendency for older people to express the view that the world is not as good as it once was.

It does not matter what age you are, being a pessimist is a bit of a downer for everyone around you.

Take care with the way you present

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BOOK REVIEW

BILL MCCARTHY I suppose it’s not often that an author finds the genesis of a great story buried in his own family history. The novel is based on facts and recounts the amazing and sometimes tragic journey of three peasant families from northern Italy to a proposed utopia in New Ireland. The story is seen through the eyes of Domenico and Marietta, the son and daughter of Lorenzo and Marietta Perin.

The families are persuaded by a French nobleman and various other rogues to start a new colony in the wilds of New Britain. The sea voyage is taxing enough but this pales into insignificance with the challenges faced on arrival.

Eventually the venture fails and as a result, they continue via New Caledonia to Australia. An interesting story well told. The rest, as they say, is history.

MARY BARBER This is a fine novel. Steve Capelin has drawn vivid characters with Domenico and his older sister Marietta. The expressive language reminds you this is about an Italian family and their adventures. When they are leaving Italy in search of a better life, Domenico’s Nona hugs him so hard it is “like the grip of an olive press.”

I knew nothing about this period of Australian and Italian history. It was enlightening to read about the journey across the oceans and the cost the family had to pay to start life in a new land. The story followed a straight timeline which made it easy to follow. If you are interested in Australian history, I can highly recommend this book.

BOOK review SUZI HIRST I really enjoyed this book. It is beautifully written and an easy read. The fact that it is based on fact makes you sit back at times and wonder how they survived, and how soft we have become. I know I would never have survived the six months of hell on the boat with 300 others heading from Italy to the promise of a better life in the Pacific.

The trip began in 1880 when the peasants uprooted their families in the hope of finding a better life! The reality was so far from their hopes and dreams.

An absolute must read. Loved it 9/10

In 1880, 300 Italian peasants left the fields of Veneto in northern Italy and join a French expedition to establish a Utopian colony in the Pacific, lured by the promise of liberty and wealth. Lorenzo Perin is prepared to risk everything for his family. His wife is not convinced, and their two children are eyewitnesses to the ill-conceived scheme. The hard sea journey takes them to the remote jungles of New Guinea where the dream disintegrates and Australia beckons.

Lorenzo was the author’s great grandfather.

PARADISO

by Steve Capelin

JOHN KLEINSCHMIDT Family history books are seldom of great public interest, but this may be the exception. I enjoyed this well-written story of the migration of the author’s ancestors from Veneto in Northern Italy through Barcelona, Aden, Singapore, New Ireland in Papua New Guinea and eventually to Australia.

The hardships of poverty, disease, lack of food and medical supplies that the family and others on the journey experienced are cleverly described by two children and are at times heart wrenching, especially the loss of many of their number to disease and misadventure trying to create a new settlement at Port Breton. Well worth reading.

TONY HARRINGTON This book is for those who have ever wondered about or researched their family history and questioned why their descendants immigrated to Australia. Set 1872 -1918, this true story tells us of 300 subsistence farmers from the Veneto region who left Italy to follow a Utopian dream to find riches and paradise in PNG. In their search for a better life starvation, disease and death follow their failed farming and settlement venture. Those who survived finally reached Sydney and settled in a much-visited place, the New Italy museum NSW, on the highway between Brisbane and Sydney. The imagined details of their disastrous voyage are told through the voices of a young brother and sister who give us a good insight into the male and female perspective of this tragic adventure.

The author’s 10 year family history labour of love is Incredibly well researched, and written “con passione” to use the Italian expression. Avid Reader bookshop in West End Brisbane supported the author and is well worth a visit for book lovers. Bravo Steve! Excellent work. 10/10

JO BOURKE A novel based on historical fact – that’s seventh heaven reading for me! Told in unadulterated language by two children, I was swept into tangible accounts of very poor Italians paying for the promise of Utopia in 1879.

Long months by train and ship were utterly horrendous only to find that the destination of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea was no Utopia and resulted in more illness, death and the final realisation of how hopeless the dream had been.

It is testament to the courage and determination of the survivors that 300 finally settled in NSW and set up New Italy. Thank-you Australia for accepting these refugees!

I was disappointed with a huge gap in this novel covering the period from 1881 to 1918. After being absorbed in the characters throughout the story from day one, I was given a two-page “bare bones” postscript.

Fortunately, an Italian friend told me of visiting New Italy and the wealth of information in the museum there. Despite being allocated barren land the settlers developed a thriving community producing wine and silk which won world acclaim. Definitely worth reading and see the website newitaly.org.au/history

Look king g forr a grreatt rela axin ng da ay trrip?

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MOTORING

Hardy veteran of the SUV market adds a premium splash The Subaru Outback is one of those rare machines which continues to live up to its badge and reputation. BRUCE McMAHON takes a look at the sixth generation.

F

irst seen in Australia in 1996, some 150,000 Outbacks have been sold around the country and the latest version doesn’t let the side down.

While familiar in style and substance this sixth generation of the Japanese all-roader is better yet again – highlighted by a more premium interior as much as improved mechanicals.

Subaru had already been building four-wheel drive passenger-style wagons and utes before the Outback.

It had advantages over rival fourwheel drives of the day – a lighter body and Subaru’s boxer, flat-four engine which allowed for a more symmetrical drive train and lower centre of gravity.

Those Leone wagons and Brumby utes were game machines, albeit sometimes at the expense of clutch plates.

So, the company had the knowledge and the bits and pieces by the early 1990s to turn the road-biased Liberty wagon into a higher-riding, four-wheel drive capable of tackling all manner of roads from the Birdsville Track to the Snowy’s ski fields. This was one of the godfathers of the Sports Utility Vehicle family.

Today’s all-wheel drive Subaru Outback, unlike some so-called SUVs,

Brisbane

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maintains an honest approach to the business of venturing off tarred tracks.

The five-door body – measuring 4870mm long by 1875mm, with 213mm of ground clearance – offers good space for four or five adults, plus decent cargo room (and a full-sized spare tyre below).

The cabin’s a well-appointed and well-sorted interior with a premium feel to trim and surfaces. Fresh features include a smart 11.6-inch touch screen for navigation, phone connectivity and entertainment.

Automatic up-and-down for all four windows is a minor, but welcome, feature

which lifts the appeal of a wagon starting from around $40,000 before on-road costs.

It has good ergonomics, excellent safety ratings of course and a raft of driver aids which include distraction warning, drowsiness warning, speed sign recognition, blind spot monitoring, lane change assist and rear cross traffic alerts.

Subaru’s driver monitoring would be handy on a long day over Queensland’s hillbilly highways (as would the tyre pressure monitoring system) but some elements here appear a tad overprotective.

Glance sideways at oncoming traffic, nudge a white line, tuck in behind a car to make that turn on the green arrow and the Outback lights up with alarms and maybe a tweak of the steering wheel. It can be disconcerting.

There are few complaints about the Subaru’s road manners. For a wagon that sits that bit higher than a conventional vehicle it steers and handles fine. Ride comfort is good though in some rutted conditions a taller profile tyre than the Outback’s 225/60R18 tyres might be appreciated.

Powering the 2021 Outback is an upgraded version of the faithful 2.5 litre engine, now producing 138kW and 245Nm of torque.

This is delivered though a Constantly Variable Transmission with eight “steps” which can be controlled by paddle shifters on the steering wheel; the engine-transmission combination is smooth and efficient if maybe a little thirstier, at 7.3 litres per 100km, than some.

The Subaru Outback remains a well-designed SUV, today more capable and comfortable than ever for heading hell, west and crooked.

December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 27

24/11/2021 5:32:53 PM

BOKARINA BEACH IS BOOMING

Location, Luxury & Lifestyle

Centrally located on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, between Caloundra and Mooloolaba, and only 89km north of Brisbane, Bokarina Beach provides the opportunity for you live the perfect coastal lifestyle.

Bokarina Beach is very much on the radar of buyers with owner occupiers being enticed by the location, lifestyle, and very attractive capital gains, whilst investors are enjoying very low vacancy rates, strong returns, and high yields.

Walter Iezzi Property Group have been actively involved in developing luxurious residential projects on the Sunshine Coast for over three decades, they sold out Oceanus Bokarina Beach before construction which has now commenced.

AZZURE Bokarina Beach is Walter Iezzi’s latest Bokarina Beach development that has achieved $75 million in sales since January 2021.

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$75M IN SALES SINCE JANUARY NO BETTER TIME TO BUY

Ultimate oceanside living now selling OCEANSIDE LOCATION

GROWING ECONOMY

Bokarina Beach masterplanned community is only minutes to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, University of the Sunshine Coast, new Maroochydore CBD and Sunshine Coast Airport.

The Sunshine Coast’s economic growth outperforms every other regional economy. With GDP forecast to more than double to $33 billion in 2033, economic growth is predicted to deliver 16,000 new jobs over the next five years.

NEWEST OCEANSIDE COMMUNITY Set on 30 hectares, Bokarina Beach will be a premium mixed-use community, home to more than 2,500 people, and will include parklands, a lifesaving facility, beachside cafes and shops, plus more than five hectares of open space.

LUXURIOUS DESIGN Two, three and four bedroom apartments plus penthouse apartments with generous floor plans designed for luxury oceanside living.

SUPPLY & DEMAND With current rental vacancy rates at less than 1% on the Sunshine Coast, and people continuing to move from NSW and Victoria, demand will continue to further tighten availability.

POPULATION GROWTH The Sunshine Coast continues to be one of Australia’s fastest growing population centres.

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INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT The Sunshine Coast’s economy is set to more than double to $33 billion by 2033 and 16,000 new jobs being created over the 5 years. $12.5 billion game changing infrastructure projects include the Sunshine Coast International Broadband, expansion of the Sunshine Coast Airport and University, Australia’s only greenfield CBD under development at Maroochydore and the Southern hemisphere’s largest health precinct in a mature stage of development, including two new hospitals.

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YOUR CITY

Impressive architectural pile contains historical treasures ADMIRING the architecture and history of old churches is a common pursuit when visiting other cities, yet we seldom visit our own.

The formidable red brick church that fills the skyline when exiting Central Station in Ann St is hard to miss, yet despite its external austerity, St Andrew’s Uniting Church is a treasure containing some historical gems.

It opened as St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in 1905, on the corner of Creek and Ann streets, and has been dominating its corner since the days

when horse-drawn carts didn’t need traffic lights.

Built in the somewhat stern Romanesque style – before the grand excesses of the Gothic St John’s Cathedral– the building is an excellent example of the ecclesiastical architecture that emerged in the late 1800s.

It is one of the earliest buildings in Brisbane to have Romanesque detail and is also recognised as one of the best examples of the neo-Romanesque style in the southern hemisphere.

The congregation had to replace their

elegant English Gothic brick structure in Wickham Tce which had opened less than 20 years earlier in 1887, when a tunnel was needed for the railway line to be extended from Central to Brunswick St. The Brisbane Courier of August 26, 1905, reported the opening: “St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church stands out as one of the finest and most impressive architectural piles in this State.

“Opinions differ as to the actual beauty of the building, because it is of a character to which our eyes have hitherto been unaccustomed; but a little closer acquaintance will enable the spectator to better perceive and appreciate its qualities.”

St Andrew’s has a lofty raked timber ceiling, arched roof trusses, tall stainedglass windows, brick arches and a huge pipe organ that dominates the view on entry.

The elders’ chairs and communion table are in the tiered chancel in front of the organ. It has changed little since it opened in 1905.

Many of the pews are numbered, probably related to the British habit of numbering private pews allocated to families who contributed to the cost of

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Rare Scottish communion tokens. church construction in the days before “free” churches.

Also in the church is a collection of about 800 Scottish communion tokens, one dating to 1768. They were a mark of identification to exclude spies and ill-doers from betraying a secret meeting place to the government troops.

It was a means of distinguishing those who made a “credible profession of their faith” from the ungodly.

There is also the Gallipoli memorabilia of Rev Dr Ernest Northcroft Merrington, who was minister of St Andrew’s from 1910-1923. He served as Colonel Chaplain to the AIF in Gallipoli, Egypt and the European campaigns.

One of the last stained-glass windows to be installed in the church honours the son of a local family, a pilot who was killed in World War II. The window’s design incorporates a depiction of a pilot going to heaven in the topmost circular pane.

Hidden under the church is the Vera Wade Gallery where natural light shines down through its high glass-tile ceiling and huge pillars support the elegant arches, highlighting the works of local artists.

In 1977, the Uniting Church in Australia brought together the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational congregations and four years later, the former Congregational Church at 446 Ann St – since demolished and replaced by the Metropolis Apartments – joined St Andrew’s.

The church was added to the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. saintandrews.org.au

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24/11/2021 5:34:19 PM

FINANCE

What retirement village should I choose?

Moving into a retirement village is a big decision in itself, then comes the choices about what is going to suit best. LESA MACPHERSON addresses the big questions.

A

s legal advisors specialising in assisting people into retirement villages, we are often asked who we recommend, and what choice would be best for elder parents. We can’t answer that directly, firstly because that’s not our role, and secondly, what is most suitable for one person or couple isn’t necessarily best for others.

Christmas/New Year is often a time when it is decided whether, and when, a move to a retirement village is desirable.

The discussion can be prompted by children judging that elderly parents are struggling a little in their current home, or by the parents themselves deciding that they want a simpler and less stressful lifestyle moving forward.

The retirement industry is constantly being reviewed and improved.

Some operators who got bad press some years ago have clearly made significant efforts to deal with that criticism and improve their processes and offerings.

Legislative changes that were brought in during 2019 have ensured that all operators provide their information in a

comprehensive and transparent way so prospective purchasers better understand the buying choice they are making.

The industry is competitive, and we have seen that to “meet the market” operators are providing more varied options as to structuring of any purchase, as well as incentives on occasion, which ensure better choices for consumers.

Knowing the legal aspects are important, but as professional advisors – and having elderly parents who have moved into retirement villages and aged care – we can identify the sort of questions that should be asked, and issues to be considered when making the retirement village decision.

The most important realisation we have come to is that the finances aren’t the be all and end all. The key is lifestyle.

Is the lifestyle offered likely to be positive and beneficial? Community is a vital criterium. Are activities, clubs, engagement available if you want them,

but privacy and quiet if you don’t?

Can you maintain your own garden?

Are pets allowed? What are the rules?

Maintaining the connection with loved ones is vital, so geography is another essential consideration.

The next move is also important.

What happens after the independent living option in the retirement village?

Where is the nearest aged care, and how is the transition handled?

When are village staff on duty? How often is there a nurse on duty? Who responds to emergency call buttons? Are they even provided?

Understanding the financial aspects is important but this is only one of the important drivers. A retirement village choice is a long-term commitment and can’t be rushed.

Lesa MacPherson is an expert in retirement village contracts at Brisbane Elder Law. Call 1800 961 622 or visit brisbaneelderlaw.com.au

ONE SMALL CHANGE CAN TAKE A GIANT LEAP TOWARDS ELDER ABUSE PROTECTION THE Public Trustee is urging Queenslanders to consider appointing more than one attorney in their enduring power of attorney document.

This small change can add an extra level protection against financial elder abuse at a time when it is needed most.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) investigates reports of abuse involving Queenslanders living with impaired decision-making capacity.

As at June 30, the OPG saw an increase of 27 per cent of active abuse investigations above the previous year.

During the 2020-2021 financial year, 78 per cent of the total reports of abuse made to the OPG, factored instances of financial abuse or exploitation.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Women and the Prevention of Domestic and Family Violence Shannon Fentiman said advance life planning

Brisbane

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documents were important factors in protection from abuse or exploitation.

“We want to ensure our vulnerable community members are protected from financial abuse, especially at their later stage of life,” she said. “Having extra levels of protection such as appointing more than one power of attorney and making sure your will is up to date is vital in safeguarding yourself and your assets.”

But the sad reality is that many cases of financial elder abuse are perpetrated by direct family members, trusted friends, caregivers or attorneys.

Public Trustee of Queensland CEO, Samay Zhouand, said an attorney or attorney’s role in an enduring power of attorney document was powerful and carried significant responsibilities.

“By appointing more than one attorney, the attorneys are required to make decisions together,” he said. “This provides

an extra safeguard to protect you and your financial future.

“It also increases transparency regarding decisions made and helps to reduce the opportunity for exploitation or abuse.”

Financial elder abuse is the most commonly experienced form of abuse in Australia.

Mr Zhouand said many of cases of financial abuse investigated by the Public Trustee involve the misappropriation of a person’s funds.

“We have investigated cases in which the appointed attorney has syphoned off funds from individuals, such as their own family members, for their own personal gain.

“Some cases involve a perpetrator using their role as the enduring power of attorney as a way to financially exploit older people or their close relations.

“This is a gross misuse of trust,” he said.

In Australia, elder abuse is considered to be vastly under disclosed and under reported. This is often due to the complex and intimate relationships older people experiencing abuse have with their perpetrators.

“It’s vital to have advance life plans in place, although it is just as critical to ensure careful considerations are made when appointing an attorney.

“It is important that you consider your attorney or attorneys will, in all circumstances, act honestly, with reasonable skill and care, and will keep accurate records,” he said.

If you witness violence or are worried that an older person is at immediate risk, call the police on triple zero (000).

Queenslanders are encouraged to visit the Public Trustee website for more information pt.qld.gov.au

December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 31

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WELLBEING

The quiet miracle of seaweed If you have never heard of fucoidan, TRUDY KITHER believes it’s to learn about the benefits of this high-purity seaweed extract which has clinically-proven soothing, protecting and anti-ageing properties.

F

ucoidan is a natural skincare ingredient extracted from wildgrown Undaria pinnatifida seaweed (commonly known as wakame or mekabu), which grows in the pristine ocean waters of Patagonia and Tasmania.

It protects seaweed against a range of external stresses, including UV radiation and environmental contaminants such as marine-borne pathogens and viruses.

These benefits are captured in one natural, soothing ingredient designed to maintain the youthful appearance of skin by protecting its building blocks and enhancing dermal condition.

With anti-inflammatory and immune boosting properties, fucoidan is the slimy constituent and key ingredient in marine brown seaweeds.

It appears to be a highly effective mobilizer for stem cells, which we rely on to replace cells lost to ageing. Other sources of cellular damage such as that caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are now being studied. It may help move stem cells to where they are needed for cellular replacement.

In addition, fucoidan has been shown to amplify populations of certain kinds of

stem cells and has been shown to rescue ageing stem cells that are important for rebuilding the inner walls of damaged blood vessels.

Chemically, fucoidan is a polysaccharide (a long chain of simple sugar molecules), bonded together with fucose and has been researched extensively for its bioactive benefits.

The fucus vesiculosus seaweed, commonly known as bladderwrack, grows wild in the waters of Nova Scotia and Brittany, where it is hand harvested on an environmentally sustainable basis.

Marine polyphenols and fucoidans naturally protect it against a range of external stresses, including UV damage and marine-borne pathogens and toxins.

It delivers these benefits by providing superior antioxidant activity to protect skin from the damaging effects of free radicals.

Clinical studies have found that fucoidan is safe, non-sensitising and highly effective at evening skin complexion. It enhances radiance and visibly reduces age spot pigmentation.

Central to the efficacy of this ingredient is its proven ability to inhibit elastase, collagenase and tyrosinase – key enzymes known to accelerate the visible signs of ageing.

A reputable company that supplies fucoidan has undertaken extensive in vitro and human clinical testing, and identified potential benefits and biological effects including that fucoidan is safe for topical application.

Fucoidan is contained in naturopathically formulated doses in skin care moisturisers available from the Queensland-made House of Sachi skin care brand. These also include other natural herbs specifically to assist the skin and help with anti-ageing, mature and problematic skin.

This form of fucoidan is bioactive with

a long shelf life, and is non-allergenic. It really is a miracle from the sea.

Taken internally in a therapeutic form, fucoidan is now being studied for its ability to: • Boost the immune system. Several human studies suggest it may stimulate immune functioning and boost antibody production after vaccination.

• Reduce inflammation. Lab studies suggest that fucoidan has antiinflammatory properties.

• Prevent cancer. Lab studies show that fucoidan has anti-tumor properties, but clinical trials have not yet been conducted.

• Lower blood pressure. A study in overweight and obese adults suggests that fucoidan used over a sustained period may decrease blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol levels, however more studies are needed.

• Prevent blood clots. A study in humans suggests it slows the production of blood clots, although it may also increase bleeding risk with blood-thinning medications.

Trudy Kither is a naturopath and owner of Nature’s Temple. Visit naturestemple.net

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GENERATIONS

Talking about our generation ...

A Queensland “Code for Teenagers and their Parents” was published in 1968, when the generation who had grown up with austerity and strict social mores had to cope with rapid social change and the peace, love and good times embraced by their Baby Boomer offspring. DOT WHITTINGTON concludes the list of recommendations.

H

ow the world has changed. This month we conclude the list of principles and rules for teenage conduct published in 1968.

More than 70,000 copies of the 12-page booklet covering six key topics, were distributed in Queensland.

Its recommendations were heartily endorsed by then Police Commissioner Frank Bischof, who says in the foreword “the most energetic section of the community is that of our young people who are destined to be the citizens of tomorrow. Youth must be controlled. It is preferable that young people be cajoled and trained by precept and example rather than by being suborned into doing what is right and proper.”

Lady Cilento, who wrote her Medical Mother column for more than 50 years from 1933, helped compile the booklet and says it gives “a basis upon which every teenager and person charged with the responsibility of a teenager can seek a reply to many problems of daily occurrence”.

In the 53 years since its publication, the teenagers for whom it was intended have become the parents and grandparents of teenagers.

Last month, we covered Dating and Going Steady for Marriage, Recreation and Dress. Here are the final three areas of advice: DRIVING “Cars are a danger in many ways.

“The use of cars by teenagers involves three inherent possibilities. They are the ability to go anywhere they please, even great distances and even to places of danger and ill repute.

“The car itself provides a place of potential illicit privacy and escape and the possibility of endangering life or limb, their own and others; and damaging public or private property by irresponsible or maliciously dangerous driving.”

The rules: 1. All parents accepting the code agree that teenagers are to be taught that the use of a car is a right and not a privilege.

Abuses which warrant withdrawal of the use of the car are fast and reckless driving, overloading, driving after drinking anything alcoholic or driving to where alcohol is served to them, staying out beyond the time limit set by parents.

2. Parents must exercise the right of knowing where the teenager is going with the car.

3. In families where there is only one car, parents must work out a reasonable and fair plan for its use.

4. Parents should not permit a teenage school student to own a car.

5. Parents must set an example by their own obedience of traffic regulations.

“The person involved can easily become a compulsive drinker. People in any age group, after a few drinks, are inclined to say and do things which ordinarily their consciences and good taste would not permit.

“The tolerance of drinking among young people can lead to immoral conduct and to serious traffic accidents.”

The rules: 1. The drinking of alcoholic beverages of any kind should be absolutely prohibited to teenagers.

2. Alcohol must not be served at any party or gathering of teenagers. Any boy or girl who drinks before, during or after a teenage gathering should be excluded from the group.

3. Parents should unite in their attitude to teenage drinking.

4. Parents should unite in taking legal action against hotels which serve liquor to minors.

5. By their own good example, parents can encourage temperance and self-control in their sons and daughters.

DRINKING “Alcohol is a menace for the young.

Experience proves that drinking is definitely the cause of much misconduct and danger on the part of teenagers.

“Teenagers who are introverted, sensitive, shy and diffident may find that alcohol can make them temporarily gay, confident and free.

DRUGS “Dangers are in sight with drugs. Drugs and pills can become habit-forming before it is realised.

“Teenagers do not need drugs any more than they need alcohol to have a good time.

“Some take them like alcohol to overcome shyness, impart temporary confidence and for “kicks”.”

The code lists the effect and dangers of marijuana, amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, morphia and its derivatives, heroin, LSD and “aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine compounds”.

“Teenagers should understand the risks of experimenting and should be warned never to accept pills, powders, drug-filled cigarettes or injecti8ons from anyone, even from friends or associates and specially never from new acquaintances.

“It is well known that drug pedlars hand round schools, milk bars, sound and coffee lounges and places frequented by teenagers and try to make friends with boys and girls to induce them to take drugs”.

Strangely, cigarette smoking barely rates a mention: “If parents understand that cigarette smoking is harmful it is up to them to set an example to their teenage sons and daughters by not smoking themselves.”

We’d like to hear your views and memories of the era. Email editor@ yourtimemagazine.com.au

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December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 33

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WHAT’S ON

BAROQUE AT ITS BEST

MIRUSIA HEADLINES SILVER MEMORIES CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR SOPRANO, Mirusia is home in Brisbane after 12 years touring as renowned Dutch violinist André Rieu’s star soprano, and will be headline artist at the inaugural Silver Memories Christmas Spectacular with Mirusia.

She will perform with the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra and the Queensland Choir, and will be joined on stage by Brisbane baritone Jason Barry-Smith, who will compere the concert, to performances of the Christmas favourites.

The singer is an ambassador for Silver Memories, a 24/7 broadcast service for the aged. With a full symphony orchestra conducted by Stefanie Smith, and a 60-voice choir the Silver Memories

Christmas Spectacular with Mirusia is a family concert celebration.

Brisbane City Hall Sunday, December 19, 3pm Tickets 4mbs.sales.ticketsearch.com/ sales/salesevent/15372 Visit silvermemories.com.au

CLEOPATRA, depicted by history as a woman possessing legendary intelligence and enviable beauty, is the inspiration for the stunning program of classical music in The Queen of the Nile.

Queensland’s chamber orchestra, Camerata, has established itself on the national stage with its track record of artistic achievement.

The concert features showpiece Baroque arias by Handel inspired by Cleoptara, alongside music by his contemporaries.

Praised by critics world-wide for her “vivacity and clarity” soprano Sofia Troncoso will feature in two arias from Handel’s Giulio Cesare, including Piangero.

The evening finishes with a burst of vocal pyrotechnics from Vivaldi’s opera Il

NETWORK FOR OLDER WOMEN

LOVE ACTUALLY IN CONCERT WITH THE POPS

OLDER Women’s Network Qld welcomes mature aged women interested in social activities, meeting new people, making friends and learning new things, to a meeting at one of its branches.

The group was formed more than 25 years ago and has nine branches, mainly in the southeast. It aims to provide all the information that older women need to lead enjoyable, healthy and fulfilling lives and to be proud of contributing to their community.

Anyone who’d like to know more or thinking about new adventures for 2022 can find more information from: Bribie Island: Betty 0409 470100; Capalaba: Naomi 0424 060603; Lutwyche: Carol 0417 703550; Mitchelton: Judith 0431 159921; Morayfield: June 0411 018570; Woody Point: Helen 0418 796365; Wynnum-Manly: Heather 0422 883 349.

Visit ownqld.org.au

A SPECIAL presentation of the world’s favourite seasonal feel-good film, Love Actually, will see the Queensland Pops Orchestra perform the soundtrack live-to-picture.

The ultimate rom-com has transformed into an exciting way to celebrate the holiday season, with a magical performance that combines the film favourite projected on a huge screen and augmented by an extraordinary live

Tigrane, inspired by the other Cleopatra, the Queen of Armenia.

Virtuosity is in full flight as artistic director Brendan Joyce takes a central role in Pisendel’s Violin Concerto in D Major.

RPAC Concert Hall, Cleveland December 17, 7pm. Tickets $30-$45.

Bookings: 3829 8131 or visit rpac.com.au

music experience. Released in 2003, Richard Curtis’ funny, heart-wrenching and cheeky film features 10 interwoven stories of love around Christmas time.

Brisbane audiences will experience the film in a whole new way as BAFTA award-winning Craig Armstrong’s evocative score reaches new heights with Queensland Pops Orchestra performing live.

Great Hall, Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. Saturday, December 18, 7.30pm. Bookings ticketek.com.au

Redland Performing Arts Centre presents

“Magical” “Pure joy” “I just got booff’ed” Welcome to the wonderful other-worldly realm of BOOFF! If you love a bit of Julian Clary or Dame Edna Everage, you’ll love the larger-than-life persona of BOOFF! From the beautiful mind of Clint Bolster, this up-close and immersive show is an unforgettably funny, dark and sweet slice of Tim Burton-esque brilliance not to be missed.

THUR 2 – SAT 18 DECEMBER Tickets: $28, Grps of 10 $25pp via 3829 8131 or www.rpac.com.au

Redland Performing Arts Centre, Performance Lawn

Produced by

Booking fees: $5 by phone & $6 online per transaction SUITABLE FOR AGES 15+

34 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

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WHAT’S ON Redland Performing Arts Centre presents

PREPARE TO BE BOOFF-ED JOIN a charming, mischief-loving high-status impresario to share stories and biscuits and to pour out your heart along with your tea.

High Tea with BOOFF is a slice of Tim Burton-esque brilliance from the mind of Clint Bolster, and a show not to be missed.

It has been likened to being a cross between a royal visit and calling in on an eccentric favourite aunt.

Be welcomed into BOOFF’s world by the eloquent and other-worldly host then lose yourself in shared stories while taking part in a surreal tea-party that’s partly scripted and partly improvised.

If you like Julian Clary or Dame Edna Everage, then you’ll love BOOFF, a larger-than-life persona in whose company all people are equal and equally worthy of reverence or ribaldry.

There are 34 chances to be BOOFF’ed and each intimate show has limited capacity. Gather friends and family for a group of 10 to take over BOOFF’s world with your own special high tea.

Individual seats at the tea party are $28.

RPAC performance lawn, Cleveland Thursday December 2-Saturday 18 Tickets $25-$28. Bookings RPAC Box Office 3829 8131 or visit rpac.com.au

ACT 1 LOWERS FINAL CURTAIN ON 2021 AND WELCOMES NEW YEAR LINE-UP ACT 1’s The Not Quite Christmas Show, a mixture of comedy, drama and music wraps up this weekend, but there is a big calendar coming up next year to note in the diary.

Plays next year will open on Saturday night rather than Friday, and there will be two matinees.

February 26-March 12: Comedy thriller, A Tomb with a View by Norman Robbins, directed by Terry Frawley. A bizarre family eliminates each other, one by one, in order to inherit their father’s fortune. Think Addams Family transferred to an English stately home.

April 23-May 7: Comedy, Blithe Spirit

by Noel Coward, directed by Chris Sargent.

When a man accidentally causes his dead wife’s spirit to be called up at a séance, she wreaks havoc. New wife, not happy!

May 27-June 5: Season of One-Act Plays.

July 1-3: TheatreFest. One-Act plays from theatre groups near and far.

August 5-20: Theatre Restaurant.

Another show of comedy and music, hopefully back to our traditional theatre restaurant format. Title to be announced.

October 8-22: Murder mystery, Towards Zero by Agatha Christie, directed

by Anne Wilson. The elderly owner of an English country house is murdered and

assorted guests and acquaintances become suspects.

December 3-17: Comedy/drama, Secret Bridesmaids’ Business by Elizabeth Coleman, directed by Lilian Harrington.

Australian play in which a friend of the bride is in a dilemma –whether to tell her about an affair the groom has had with someone else in the bridal party.

Act 1 Theatre Company, Old Pine Shire Hall, 238 Gympie Rd, Strathpine.

December 3 and 4, and Sunday matinee.

Limited tickets. Bookings trybooking. com/BTWUG Visit act1theatre.com.au or follow ACT1 Theatre on Facebook

THE QUEEN OF THE NILE

Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra featuring soprano Sofia Troncoso This stunning concert features showpiece Baroque arias by Handel inspired by the enigmatic Egyptian monarch, alongside music by his contemporaries that will surprise and delight.

The luxurious voice of soprano Sofia Troncoso will also be on full display in two arias from Handel’s Giulio Cesare and Vivaldi’s opera Il Tigrane.

Handel • Valentini • Hasse • Heinrich Biber Locke • Pisendel • Vivaldi Plus a selection of Christmas carols to close The Queen of the Nile was originally presented by Musica Viva Australia in association with Camerata in 2020

FRIDAY 17 DECEMBER, 7PM Redland Performing Arts Centre, Concert Hall Tickets: $30–$45 via 3829 8131 or www.rpac.com.au Booking fees: $5 by phone & $6 online per transaction

Act 1 ATheatre ts... presenGroup’s ct 1 Theatre

2022 Performance Calendar Feb 26 – Mar 12 A Tomb with a View

April 23 – May 7 Blithe Spirit

By Norman Robbins Director Terry Frawley Comedy-thriller

By Noel Coward Director Chris Sargent Comedy

A bizarre family eliminate each other, one by one, in order to inherit their father’s fortune. Think Addams Family transferred to an English stately home.

When a man accidentally causes his dead wife’s spirit to be called up at a séance, she wreaks havoc in his life. New wife not very happy!

May 27 – June 5 Season of One-Act Plays

July 1 – 3 TheatreFest.

Tickets $12 Members $20 Non-members $17 Concessions/Students Act 1 Theatre, Pine Shire Hall, 238 Gympie Road, Strathpine VISIT, LIKE AND FOLLOW ACT1 THEATRE ON FACEBOOK

One-act plays from theatre groups near and far.

An assortment of short plays.

Bookings online only securely via https://act1theatre.com.au/ Brisbane

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RETIREMENT LIVING

DON’T BE LIMITED BY ASSUMPTIONS

NONAGENARIANS DELIGHTED BY BIG MOVE A FRIENDLY community and relaxed coastal lifestyle enticed Doug and Judy Frazer to downsize to Ozcare’s Currimundi Gardens Retirement Village.

After building family homes at Wavell Heights and Aspley in Brisbane, Doug and Judy were looking for somewhere to retire where they felt at home and part of a community, without the upkeep of a large house and garden.

“It’s an amazing area and it is close to the big hospitals,” Doug says, while Judy adds, “We have felt welcome since we arrived and our neighbours are friendly.”

Last month, Doug and Judy, who turn 90 and 94 next year, celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. And with son John living close by, they are now making plans for Christmas with their two children and two grandchildren.

Being part of a tight-knit community, which is co-located with Ozcare’s Caroline Chisholm aged care facility, has had some unexpected bonuses.

Through Ozcare, they have had help with personal care, cooking and shopping, which has allowed more time to enjoy the new garden and hobbies.

“They’ve found life a lot easier since moving in,” son John said. “They still get to go to church and after having a relatively big house and garden to look

after, they now have something smaller and just find it easier. The assistance they get from Ozcare is brilliant.”

Judy said the villa had everything she needed for family visits, including a barbecue area surrounded by trees and well-maintained gardens.

“I do the washing, but I get the ironing and the cleaning done,” she said. “We get fresh meals delivered and can have a barbecue and there is plenty of room.”

The boutique village of 37 units will expand next May, with an additional 15 new two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas .

The villas are priced at $440,000 with flexible entry prices available.

“Our holidays were spent at Lake Currimundi when our kids were young,” Doug said. “That was when it was just a dirt track from Brisbane to Caloundra.

We’re happy to be near the beach again.”

Visit currimundigardens.org.au or call manager Tania Bell 1800 692 273.

SIX YEARS OF HOSPITALITY MERCURE Sunshine Coast Kawana Waters celebrated its sixth birthday last month, having opened in 2015 in line with the development of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

With its modern décor, comfortable rooms and customer service, it quickly established itself as the place to go for hospital visitors.

After Queensland owner Michael Carr took over in January 2020, the hotel re-branded to Mercure, a part of worldleading Accor Hotel Group, and it remains the only Mercure Hotel on the Sunshine Coast!

Its Wildflower Kitchen & Bar is renowned for innovative seasonal food featuring fresh local produce and has a relaxed lake-side environment for breakfast and dinner seven days a week and lunch Wednesday to Friday.

“We have established ourselves as an integral part of the Sunshine Coast economy, it is a major and on-going part of our business ethos,” general manager John Örning said. “Everyone here are locals who contribute to delivering an essential service and significant investment back into the local economy.”

Visit mercurekawanawaters.com.au

ASSUMPTION is the mother of misse0d opportunities and often happens often when considering deciding between a retirement village and an over 50s lifestyle resort.

The options are distinctly different, according to GemLife director and CEO Adrian Puljich, who specialises in over-50s lifestyle resorts. He says it is important to do the research and not go on what other people say.

A few common assumptions were put to GemLife homeowners: Over-50s resorts are for old people.

“Over-50s resorts are for people who want to have fun and have a lovely lifestyle,” said resident Julie Bloxham, of GemLife Maroochy Quays.

Do you have to be retired to live in an over-50s resort?

“Definitely not. There are a lot of people who are volunteers or are still working living here. There are so many different interests it helps to be retired,” said GemLife Highfields’ Jean Rothery.

Over-50s resorts are the same as a retirement village.

“There are fine lines and things like exit fees etc with retirement villages, which we were dead set against. It’s not the case at over-50s lifestyle resorts,” said Gemlife Maroochy Quays residents Alan and Wendy Coop.

Over 50s resorts are not for me.

“You need to come in and have a look before you make that decision. You might be pleasantly surprised,” said Jean Rothery. Rosemary Dunn, of GemLife Maroochy Quays agreed: “It took me two years to go around all the over 50s resorts, and GemLife is the best.”

GemLife resorts, including GemLife Maroochy Quays, Pacific Paradise and Palmwoods on the Sunshine Coast, offer exceptional, premium recreational facilities and beautifully designed, low-maintenance homes, created exclusively for over 50s.

Call 1800 317 393 or visit gemlife. com.au

JUST LIKE HOME – WITHOUT THE HARD WORK IT WAS the rolling hills and lush rainforest setting of Buderim that attracted downsizers Cynthia and Ian Rye to B by Halcyon.

They were looking for somewhere to retire where they could enjoy a rich natural landscape without the burden of overwhelming yard maintenance.

B by Halcyon is Halcyon’s greenest community to date, with an environmentally conscious masterplanned design complementing almost 6ha of private open space for the exclusive use of homeowners.

Cynthia and Ian were also enticed by the prospect of being part of a community.

“I like people, I’m a real extrovert and I enjoy people’s company,” Cynthia said.

“We’d been here not quite a fortnight and had already been invited to a street party and a barbecue, and met a whole lot of people from our particular street. In our age group, it’s nice to be able to meet people and make friends of your own age and way of life.”

Cynthia and Ian are looking forward to making the most of Halcyon’s easygoing lifestyle, connecting to the community and living a comfortable life in retirement.

“When you retire and you’ve been living a life of go-go-go and all of a sudden that winds down, you have to have something to replace it with, and Halcyon is certainly providing that,” Cynthia said.

“There’s plenty of things we can do, so it’s giving us a life in our retirement. We can go on with our lives and live happily ever after.”

Visit lifebeginsathalcyon.com.au

Care for a puppy in 2022!

Calling all North Brisbane puppy lovers Could you care for a puppy in the new year? Want to make lifelong friends with like-minded puppy carers?

Your role as a carer is to: • Nurture and socialise your puppy • Provide a safe space where your puppy can sleep indoors • Not leave your pup alone for more than 3.5 hours

Tw Two w Seeing Ey E Eye Dogs p pups-inttraining

Online session via Zoom: Date: Tuesday December 7, 2021 Time: 9.30am - 10.30am AEST

As a puppy carer, you will be supported by expert puppy development trainers online and in-person. All expenses covered.

RSVP: Email: sedvolunteer@visionaustralia.org | Phone: 1800 037 773 or visit: sed.visionaustralia.org 36 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

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VI N S SI OW TA T O S GE U EL 3 R L D IN IS G PL .

AY .

CLUB EDEN

Be part of the Coast’s most inspired over-50s community.

The revolutionary, nature-inspired over-50s community of Greenwood Forest Glen, has proven very popular with those looking for a convenient, low-maintenance lifestyle in harmony with nature. So popular, in fact, that all homes in stages 1 and 2 are now sold.

The good news is that Stage 3 is now selling. It’s your opportunity to be part of this very special active-lifestyle community. Just some of the features praised by previous Greenwood buyers include: • Club Eden. Residents’ exclusive $6 million community fitness and social hub, including a 25m pool, gym, tennis court, bowling green, library, events centre and bar, arts and crafts centre, movie theatre and more.

• Private forest reserve. Five-hectares of protected natural rainforest and walking trails.

• Shared growing spaces. Grow your own with over 2,400m2 of vegetable plots and orchard space.

• True convenience. Just across the road from Forest Glen Village Centre, cafes, health and community facilities.

Right now, Stage 3 buyers can choose from one of three home upgrade packages, plus receive a bonus $1,000 Bunnings gift card.

Visit our sales display open Mon to Fri 9.30am to 4pm. Sat 10am to 3pm.

16 Grammar School Way Forest Glen. www.greenwoodforestglen.com.au

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$

HOME UPGARDE PACKAGE +

1000

Freecall: 1800 80 90 20 24/11/2021 5:39:23 PM

The WORLD in Your Hands

Travel in Your Time Launch into the new territory of the Space Capital

IMAGE: TOURISM NT, MATT GLASTONBURY

WHEN three rockets are launched into space from Arnhem Land next year, it will be a first for NASA outside the US. Inspired travellers can also experience the mystery of space in the Northern Territory.

Stargazing at Earth Sanctuary which has one of the clearest night skies in the world.

F

rom exploring the UFO capital of Australia to outback stargazing and the Aboriginal dreamtime stories told by the night skies, the Northern Territory is set to become a premier destination for space tourism.

NASA announced in September that three rockets would be launched from the Arnhem Space Centre, which is now being built on the Dhupuma Plateau near Nhulunbuy.

It will be the first NASA launch from a commercial launch facility outside of the United States.

As part of the mission, the rockets will carry scientific instruments into space to conduct astrophysics research and provide scientists with the opportunity to study astronomical objects that cannot be observed from the Northern Hemisphere rocket range.

But travellers don’t have to sign up as astronauts to become space explorers in the NT. Here are some ideas for the Earth-bound traveller to visit:

Wycliffe Wells, Barkley Tablelands Australia’s UFO capital Wycliffe Well, 130km south of Tennant Creek and 380km north of Alice Springs, has had a reputation for attracting visitors of the extra-terrestrial kind since World War II. A popular stopover on the Stuart Highway is the alien-themed Wycliffe Well Holiday Park. Keep your eyes peeled for a UFO sighting by night and spend your days investigating the stunning Davenport Ranges national park (accessible by 4WD only) or the geological marvel that is Karlu Karlu/Devil’s Marbles.

Spot the Milky Way from Earth Sanctuary, Alice Springs Some of the clearest night skies in the world can be observed from Earth Sanctuary, 15 minutes from Alice Springs on Southern Arrernte Country.

The outback observatory offers a range of guided astronomy tours, featuring laser lights and a deep-sky telescope. For a truly magical experience, sleep under the stars

at the Sanctuary’s Space Camp, a set of six intergalactic-style domes available for glamping or swag style.

Celebrate a cosmic fusion of art, science and culture at Dark Skies Festival, Alice Springs Dark Skies Festival, from May 4, 2022, is a celebration of humanity’s connection to the night sky.

Hosted by Earth Sanctuary and The Artist Expedition Society, the nine-day festival features projection-based artworks, live music, talks by astronomers, telescope viewings, food vans and a series of specialist art and science workshops.

Decode the night skies with the world’s first astronomers .

Learn how ancient Aboriginal culture relied on the night sky for orientation, mythology, calendar and more. Enjoy a starlit dinner on a private dune overlooking Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. As guests feast on bush tucker inspired courses, a resident star talker shares Dreamtime stories and traditions hidden in the stars.

Glamp under the stars in epic locations With its wide-open spaces, pristine landscapes and dazzling night sky, the Northern Territory has no shortage of glamping options.

Katherine Outback Experience A new under-the-stars glamping experience has been launched on the farm

on the outskirts of Katherine. Glamping compliments the award-winning outback show and horse-riding experiences, providing guests with a complete farm stay experience.

This is open only during Dry Season.

Matt Wright’s Top End Safari Camp combines the best of outback adventure with a bespoke glamping experience.

Just 1½ hours drive from Darwin, guests discover the best of the Top End, from a helicopter scenic flight over Litchfield’s floodplains to an airboat ride, sunset, star gazing around the fire pit and meeting wild crocodiles Nested in the quiet of the desert, Kings Canyon Resort is a base for exploring Watarrka National Park and its inspiring landscapes. Travellers can relax in one of six, luxurious, homestead-style glamping tents in a central wiltja (shelter) area.

Longitude 131 is Australia’s most celebrated luxury basecamp, offering uninterrupted views of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Guests can stay in one of 16 tented pavilions, adorned with Aboriginal art, floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a private terrace with a daybed and campfire, perfect for private stargazing.

For the ultimate glamour, choose the Dune Pavilion, which has superior views and a private plunge pool overlooking the outback frontier.

Visit northernterritory.com

Uluru under the night sky

IMAGE: TOURISM NT

Free heavy duty luggage tags when booking and mentioning this advertisment.

Operating under license to Your Travel & Cruise Pty Ltd

38 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

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TRAVEL

DOWN UNDER COACH TOURS

TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC RAVE on to the sounds of Buddy Holly on a South Pacific holiday with a difference.

Kris Knight, who not only sounds like Buddy Holly but also looks a lot like him, has travelled the world paying tribute to the rock’n’roll legend and will join guests on Norfolk Island for a series of shows.

His performance also covers the signature 1950s rock style of musician and crooner Chris Isaak, famous for his hit Wicked Game, as well as Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing and Somebody’s Crying.

Brimming with energy as Buddy or Chris, Knight’s music inspires and dancing in the aisles – or on the dance floor, adding an exciting new dimension to a holiday on Norfolk.

Backed by a trio of talented musicians The Foxtails, Knight, who has performed around Asia and the Pacific, brings two hours of favourite songs – Rave On, Oh Boy, Peggy Sue, Maybe Baby, That’ll Be the Day – and witty comedic fun.

The trip will be entertainment plus, with dancing by night and exploring Norfolk by day.

An easy two-hour flight from Brisbane, midway between Australia and New Zealand, Norfolk is packed with things to see and do.

The UNESCO World Heritage listed Kingston area delves into the turbulent history of its convict years, and today’s vibrant culture which has developed from

Specialising in Senior’s Coach Holiday Packages

Have a great time Down Under...!

7 Day Brigadoon Festival at Bundanoon 6 Day Nundle Go for Gold Chinese Easter Festival Departs 14th April 2022 Departs 30th March 2022 Adult: $2,678pp Single Supplement: $538 pp Adult: $2,178 pp Single Supplement: $462 pp 12 Day Corner Country, Lake Eyre & Birdsville Departs 15th June 2022 Adult: $4,722 pp Single Supplement: $617 pp

the infamous mutiny on the Bounty.

Tours, displays and even a chat with a friendly local ensure nothing is missed.

There is a pristine environment for swimming, reef snorkelling and rainforest walks. Cafes and restaurants offer delicious, fresh and organic meals and local art, crafts, toys, shoes and tax-free items are among shopping highlights.

As well as the entertainment, flights, accommodation, daily breakfast and car hire, as well as fun add-ons, have been selected to ensure guests get the most out of the holiday.

Pack your dancing shoes and get ready to trip the light fantastic.

Call Bruce Drysdale 0419668426 or Penny Hegarty 0416 028 787

6 Day Fraser Coast & Carnarvon Gorge Departs 21st July 2022 Adult: $3,266 pp Single Supplement: $480 pp

66 Day Grand Aussie Adventure Departs 26th July 2022 Adult: $28,693 pp Single Supplement: $7,814 pp

15 Day Outback Qld & the Top End 8 Day Darwin, Kakadu & Katherine Departs 26th July 2022 Coach/Fly Departs 1st August 2022 Coach/Fly/Coach Adult: $7,396 pp Single Supplement: $1,776 pp Adult: $4,880 pp Single Supplement: $998 pp

10 Day Kimberley Kapers Departs 8th August 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Adult: $6,498 pp Single Supplement: $1,194 pp

8 Day WA South West Wanderer 15 Day Broome & the Pilbara Departs 29th August 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Departs 15th August 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Adult: $7,565 pp Single Supplement: $1,995 pp Adult: $4,384 pp Single Supplement: $778 pp

11 Day Nullarbor Plain, Great Australian Bight & Eyre Peninsula Departs 5th September 2022 Fly/Coach/Fly Adult: $5,858 pp Single Supplement: $1,081 pp

14 Day Adelaide, Painted Desert & Uluru Field of Lights Departs 8th August 2022 Fly/Coach Adult: $6,826 pp Single Supplement: $1,437 pp

5 Day Merry Mackay Christmas Departs 23rd December 2022 Adult: $2,333 pp Single Supplement: $491 pp

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT Book your 2022 tour on or before 31st December 2021 and receive 5% Discount off the price of your tour.

16 Day Best of Tasmania Departs 18th November 2022 Fly/Coach Adult: $7,195 pp Single Supplement: $1,762 pp Down Under Coach Tours, PO Box 149, Maryborough Q 4650 www.downundercoachtours.com.au info@downundercoachtours.com.au

●

●

0415 534 007 ● ●

2022 DAY TRIPS FROM $65 WE HAVE A DAY TRIP SPECIALLY PLANNED WITH YOU IN MIND… CHOOSE ONE THAT SUITS YOU AND BRING YOUR FAMILY/FRIEND ALONG! SATURDAY DEC 11, 2021:

Christmas shopping @ Eumundi Markets and Redcliffe Twilight Christmas Markets (afternoon tea incl) $65

FRIDAY JAN 28, 2022:

Maleny Dairies Farm Tour & relaxing lunch @ Secrets on the Lake (includes farm tour & lunch)

$110

SATURDAY FEB 19, 2022:

Tropical Fruit Farm Tour & Point Danger scenic route (fruit tasting & lunch included)

$120

SATURDAY FEB 26, 2022:

Stanthorpe Apple & Grape Harvest Festival (morning tea included)

SATURDAY MAR 19, 2022:

O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards (includes wine-tasting & picnic lunch)

SATURDAY JUN 11, 2022:

Whale watching without getting on the boat - Stradbroke Island + North Gorge (morning tea & lunch incl) $90

Free Call 1800 072 535 or Ph 07 4123 1733

Ride2Go offer their own fleet of spacious, modern & air-conditioned luxury coaches for your safe and comfortable travel experience Coach sizes range from 12, 24, 37 to 57-passengers and are available for group charter for social and club outings with complimentary travel planning service too Experienced tour escort with first aid/nursing training Group discount for day tour bookings

Extended Tour Bookings

TAKING BOOKINGS NOW!

$75 JULY 16-18, 2022

$120

6 Day Lightning Ridge & Cotton Country Departs 10th September 2022 Adult: $2,388 pp Single Supplement: $389 pp 9 Day Hunter Valley & East Coast Departs 10th November 2022 Coach/Fly Adult: $3,896pp Single Supplement: $672 pp

We travel not to escape life, but so life does not escape us PHONE: 3388 0873 OR INFO@RIDE2GO.COM.AU

7 Day Stanthorpe & O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat Departs 31st August 2022 Adult: $2,863 pp Single Supplement: $639 pp

24 Day Hunter Valley, East Coast & 12 Day Canberra Floriade & the Tassie Combo Snowy Mountains Departs 10th November 2022 Departs 1st October 2022 Adult: $4,698 pp Single Supplement: $1,541 pp Adult: $9,445 pp Single Supplement: $2,441 pp

Ride2Go Tours FOR A FRIENDLY CHAT OR BOOKINGS

5 Day 1770 Festival Departs 19th May 2022 Adult: $2,379 pp Single Supplement: $371 pp

Experience the quirkiest festival Qld has to offer over this special weekend.

Tour includes Glengallan Homestead > Warwick > Allora

We may be new, yet hear what our newest clients have to say: “Ride2Go are amazing, thank you so much for the best bus trip and everyone said the same during our raffle.” ~ Organizing member, Logan Village Social Garden Club. Oct 2021 “Dear Ride2Go, Thank you for looking after us on our recent overnight trip to Toowoomba. Our small but lively crew really appreciated all the efforts your driver Graham took in looking after us.

His driving skills were exceptional and his attention to detail when parking to limit the stepdown height for some of our not so spritely members was noted and very much appreciated.

Lynn, I also have to mention how wonderful it has been dealing with you, the open communications and double checking of all detail is very refreshing.

Keep up the good work, you know we’ll be back!” ~ Lisa Demnar, Oct 2021

ACN: 620765782. Drop by for a visit at our kiosk at Parkland Crescent, Brisbane Transit Centre.

Brisbane

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24/11/2021 5:40:40 PM

Luxury You Deserve All cruises includes private executive transfers, international roundtrip flights, shore excursions and much more.

Awaken your travels and live like a local in the fabled lands of the Mediterranean on a Silversea luxury cruise including flights from Australia.

Western Mediterranean Sailing roundtrip from Barcelona, uncover the bistros, basilicas and beaches only known to locals on this immersive cruise onboard Silver Dawn.

Visit Barcelona • Marseille • Monte Carlo • Civitavecchia (Rome) • Livorno (Tuscany) • Palma de Mallorca Cruise departs 26 October 2022

7 days from $8,800*pp Adriatic Sea & Greek Islands From the watery majesty of Venice, explore Croatia’s intriguing destinations and the beguiling coasts of Greece’s island idylls onboard Silver Spirit.

Visit Venice • Hvar • Split • Dubrovnik • Kotor • Corfu • Argostoli (Cephalonia) • Souda Bay (Crete) • Santorini • Athens (Piraeus) Cruise departs 17 August 2022

9 days from $11,200*pp Mediterranean & The Black Sea Create your own travel masterpiece as the Black Sea coast takes your travel memories to new heights on this Athens roundtrip cruise onboard Silver Spirit.

Visit Athens (Piraeus) • Istanbul • Trabzon • Batumi • Sochi • Odessa • Constanta • Bourgas • Kusadasi • Santorini Cruise departs 20 September 2022

15 days from $18,300*pp

BOOK WITH YOUR LOCAL TRAVELLERS CHOICE AGENT NORTH CLAYFIELD TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS - 3862 1215 • TRAVEL REDCLIFFE PENINSULA - 3889 3999 • DISCOVER TRAVEL & CRUISE - 3356 0600 • EAST LATITUDE CRUISE & TRAVEL - 3286 7900 • WEST DISCOVER TRAVEL & CRUISE - 3300 5300 • TRAVEL MASTERPIECE - 3367 1644

*Conditions apply: Prices are per person in AUD based on twin share & listed inclusions in Vista Suite category, correct as at 18 Nov 21 & subject to change without notice & availability at time of booking. Economy flight inclusion & business class upgrades are subject to availability & change, flight routing is by Silversea Cruises’ sole discretion, fees may apply for deviations. Where flights are not available a special non-use air credit will be applied as a savings after all other promotions. Business class upgrades & air credit vary by sailing. Shore excursions (one per guest/port/day), if available, will be offered on a complimentary basis, bookable at least 180 days prior to sailing. Minimum participation levels may be required & Silversea reserves the right to cancel any excursions including free shore excursions. Voyage highlights, excursions & enrichment programs are subject to change &/or cancellation without prior notice. Further conditions may apply. Booking, cancellation & credit card service fees may apply. ATAS No. A10430.

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TRAVEL

Magnificent waterfalls reward a walk in Litchfield National Park.

INCREDIBLE JOURNEY ON THE GHAN A PERSONAL itinerary turns a trip on the famous Ghan into an exclusive expedition.

It begins with time to relax and explore Darwin, its museum, art gallery and tropical sights and take a stroll along the waterfront at sunset.

Join a small group to visit Litchfield National Park, and see the majestic termite mounds, or take a short bush walk to flowing waterfalls to swim before tucking into a

fresh picnic lunch. An optional tour extra is Explore the Wild with Matt Wright, who grew up on the rugged plains and has become an award-winning tourism operator and star of National Geographic’s hit TV show Outback Wrangler.

It gives a taste of the best activities in the Top End, via helicopter, airboat and cruise boat, and is the best way to experience the spectacular wildlife and landscapes of the

Territory’s Litchfield region.

Then it’s time to board The Ghan for the incredible rail journey through the heart of the Red Centre to Adelaide.

Along the way, there are offtrain excursions to reawaken senses and uncover the wonders of an ancient landscape.

There are many wine tasting regions in Australia, but a private tour in the Barossa Valley is special.

The combination of a rich European heritage and the fresh vitality of Australia can be found as the peaceful rural setting hides treasures such as magnificent old churches, wineries and historic cottages.

Meet privately with winemakers from vineyards founded as early as 1893, to taste their premium wines.

There’s time for a leisurely lunch in one of the Barossa’s top restaurants before returning to Adelaide.

The best part of any journey is the experiences along the way and this trip is an incredible journey.

Exclusive packages for 2022, with return Qantas flights out

LET THE EXPERTS PLAN GROUP TOURS

Majestic termite mounds in Litchfield National Park of Brisbane, give a choice of two departure dates and include extended touring in Darwin and Adelaide, to combine the outback with the beauty of the Barossa.

Call Helloworld Spring Hill 3832 0833; Eatons Hill 3264 6222 or Kenmore 3378 8555.

GROUPS, associations, and retirement village social clubs, planning outings for next year can make it easy on themselves and talk to Ride2Go Tours, which not only plan the tour, but also propose day tour itineraries to suit budget and travel objectives.

Ride2Go Tours has travel planning experience and caring drivers who help make sure everyone enjoys the outing. With detailed, considerate planning and consultation, it aims to make it memorable for all the right reasons, Whether it is a garden club, cultural club or village association, group travel plans are supported and met – and no group is too small or too big.

Ride2Go Tours operates its own fleet of coaches and minibuses, with vehicle sizes of 14, 24, 37 and 57 seats, all with premium comfort and safety.

A Ride2Go Tours travel planning service is a great start to the new year.

A new list of day tour packages for 2022 is available now.

Call Lynn 0415 534 007, call at the office at Roma Street Station, or visit ride2go.com.au

HERMAN’S TOURS & TRAVEL DAY TOURS 2022 Sunday 23 January 2022: Brisbane to Gold Coast Cruise ‘Cruise & Coach’ ............ $165* Saturday 12 February 2022: Love is in the Air – Secrets on the Lake Montville ......... $106* Saturday 26 March 2022: Boreen Point – Apollonian Hotel..........................................$108* Saturday 30 April 2022: The Ginger Factory .................................................................. $97* Sunday 15 May 2022: Hampton Festival ........................................................................ $80 Saturday 11 June 2022: Clydesdale Spectacular........................................................$76

Saturday 23 July 2022: Jumpers & Jazz Festival.........................................................$84 Saturday 13 August 2022: Ocean View Estate Winery ..............................................$148* Saturday 27 August 2022: No Problama - Llama Farm & Picnic Lunch ...................$80* Saturday 3 September 2022: Gold Coast – Aqua Duck ............................................$98* Saturday 5 November 2022: Eumundi Markets ..........................................................$39 Friday 11 November 2022: Best of British - Fox & Hound English Pub ....................$93*

* lunch included

EXTENDED TOURS 2022

CHRISTMAS GETAWAY - TOOWOOMBA 24 to 26 December 2021

GO ‘NUTS’ FOR KINGAROY 25 to 27 February 2022

GO ‘NUTS’ FOR KINGAROY

REGISTER NOW

From $1298 per person twin share

VINTAGE RAIL JOURNEY

From $1890 per person twin share 10 to 16 September 2022

OPERA IN THE CAPRICORN CAVES 27 to 30 May 2022

From $2793 per person twin share

From $1298 per person twin share 25 to 27 February 2022

WHERE ELSE BUT CHARLEVILLE - EASTER 2022 15 to 19 April 2022

FALL IN LOVE WITH NORFOLK ISLAND

From $1188 per person twin share 4 to 9 August 2022

From $5354 per person twin share

LONGREACH WINTON October 2022

REGISTER NOW

Extended Holidays include return home transfers (Brisbane Metropolitan Area). Itineraries and prices quoted are subject to change. Single Supplements: Christmas Getaway $180, Kingaroy $125, Charleville $296, Norfolk Island $405, Vintage Rail $240.

RING NOW FOR BROCHURES

HERMAN’S TOURS & TRAVEL

info@hermanstravel.com.au | 599 Oxley Road, Corinda. Follow us on FB @hermanstravel Brisbane

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CALL 3379 6255 ABN: 76629373806 December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 41

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TRAVEL

Tempting tours for a holiday before winter

IF you’re ready to get moving, there’s a tempting selection of short southeast Queensland breaks, as well as a longer trip down the Darling River, coming up before winter.

“A spacious, air-conditioned luxury coach where fuel prices aren’t your problem and there’s no driver or navigator having to watch the road, makes it the easiest way to get moving around this big country,” says Paul Brockhurst of CT Travel.

“Accommodation and most meals are part of the package and on top of that, you have local guides to share their knowledge.”

Bookings are filling quickly, so travellers keen to get going

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and looking ahead to the new year, have a luxury coach waiting to carry them away.

Spend four relaxed days among nature’s wonders while based at O’Reillys Rainforest Retreat in the Gold Coast hinterland, leaving either March 6 or June 19.

It’s a chance to see the magnificent rainforest of World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park and wildlife in style, with a la carte dinners and luxury accommodation, and a wine over lunch at Canungra Valley Vineyards along the way.

Rise to morning bird spotting walks, explore some of the 160km of nature trails, and be

treated to an activity program that includes animal shows and the famous Tree Top Walk.

See the glow worms after dark, mix billy tea and history on a 4WD tour, and sip an evening beverage as you watch the sun go down. It’s all too easy.

Over seven days departing March 21 or May 30, join a small group tour to the Carnarvon region. With a maximum of 18 guests, it’s possible to get into the places large coaches can’t reach.

Four nights are in glamping cabins at the Wallaroo Outback Retreat, a station on 29,000ha that captures the magnificent scenery of the Carnarvon Ranges from the western escarpment of the Arcadia Valley.

It’s the perfect base for day trips with experienced nature guides to the Carnarvon Gorge National Park. See ancient forests with cycads thousands of years old, Aboriginal cultural sites, canyons, and majestic cliffs where water has eroded a dramatic gorge system through layers of sandstone. Boobook Eco Tours local guides lead the way.

All aboard for the Fraser Coast to see Bundaberg, Bargara and Lady Musgrave Island over four days departing May 16.

Morning tea in Gympie, lunch in Childers then settle in for three nights in Bundaberg.

Spend the next day cruising to Lady Musgrave Island on the Sea Empress. Nature guides lead an island exploration, and there’ll be plenty of time for a swim and to see the reef from a glass bottom boat.

Tour (and taste) the Bundaberg Rum Distillery, see the Bert Hinkler Museum and lunch at Café 1928 before heading on to “The Barrell” – home of Bundaberg Brewing Company’s famous ginger beer, as well as a visit to Bargara.

On the way home there’s a stop to see Hervey Bay, and lunch at the Marina Boat Club.

If you’re ready for a longer holiday, the Darling River is calling – 15 days from April 26.

See the artwork on Thallon’s towering grain silos, and the cotton of Dirranbandi before crossing the border to Lightning

Ridge, home of the prized black opal. At Brewarrina, see the fish traps, one of the oldest manmade structures on earth, learn the stories of the 19th century river ports of Bourke and Louth and visit Dunlop Station.

At the unusual opal town of White Cliffs residents live underground, just like the hotel where you’ll stay.

“Beyond the Darling River, on the edge of the sundown” is Broken Hill and Silverton with its famous gaol. Return home via Dubbo and Dundullimal Homestead and the artesian ore baths of Moree.

Full itineraries and a list of upcoming tours to choose your destination and duration, are on the CT Travel website.

Visit cttravel.com.au

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HIGHLIGHTS & INCLUSIONS: • • • • • • • • • •

Return economy class airfares from Brisbane to Darwin and Adelaide to Brisbane 2 nights Darwin Hilton hotel in a Harbour View room including breakfast Full day Litchfield National Park tour (or optional Matt Wright Explore the Wild Day Tour at extra cost) 4 days / 3 nights aboard The Ghan in Gold service – all-inclusive meals, fine wines & beverages.

A regionally-inspired menu paired with a selection of local wines Off Train Experiences in Katherine, Alice Springs, and Coober Pedy Evening Off Train Experience in Manguri A spectacular dinner under the stars at the historic Telegraph Station, Alice Springs Your choice between Nitmiluk Gorge’s powerful natural wonders and rich Indigenous culture, or a glimpse authentic outback life with a horse and working dog demonstration Venture into the underground opal mining town of Coober Pedy 2 nights Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets including breakfast • Full Day Private tour of Barossa Valley

Book with us at Helloworld Travel Eatons Hill 3264 6222. eatonshill@helloworld.com.au Spring Hill 3832 0833. springhill@helloworld.com.au Kenmore 3378 8555. kenmore@helloworld.com.au 42 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

42.indd 2

Brisbane

24/11/2021 5:44:37 PM

l l o R & FREE CALL : 1800 1400 66 (AUS) 0800 0088 10 (NZ)

R ock&R oll

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DEPART from

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All Holiday Package: AllInclusive Inclusive Holiday Package: ✓ Return economy class airfare to ✓ Return classairline airfaretaxes to Norfolkeconomy Island – incl. ✓Norfolk Meet&Greet at Norfolk Airport Island – incl. airline taxes ✓ Return airport transfers on Island ✓✓Meet&Greet Norfolk Airport on 7 nights twinatshare accommoda ✓ 7 days car hire per room ✓✓Return airport transfers on Island Daily fully cooked breakfast Daytwin Island Orienta on Tour ✓✓7Half nights share accommodation ✓ Welcome Dinner Premium BBQ at ✓ 7Paradise days carHotel hire per room ✓ 2x 2-course dinners at Paradise Hotel ✓ Daily fully by cooked breakfastby followed performances Kris Day Knight as Buddy Holly/Chris ✓ Half Island Orientation Tour Isaak ✓ 2-course dinner performance by Kris KnightDinner as Buddy Holly/Chris ✓ Welcome Premium BBQ atIsaak at the Norfolk Paradise Hotel Island RSL ★ Norfolk Island shopping bag, map, handy hints dinners and shopping discounts ✓ 2x 2-course at Paradise

Hotel followed by performances by

‘The BuddyHolly/Chris Holly Show’ KrisAustralian Knight as Buddy Isaak and ‘Wicked Games’ – featuring ✓Kris 2-course Knightdinner performance by Kris Shake your feather to the rock’n Knight as tail Buddy Holly/Chris Isaak tunes at ofthe Buddy Holly and Chris Isaak and dance Norfolk Island RSL the night away with rock and roll band The FoxtailsIsland – all while enjoying South ★ Norfolk shopping bag,a map, Pacifi c holiday. handy hints & shopping discounts THIS WILL BE AN EXPERIENCE NOT TO BE MISSED!

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Kris has performed in Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, New Caledonia, NZ and tours Australia consistently.

Bringing 2 hours of memorable songs and wi y comedic fun, get ready for a great night out!

Discover Norfolk Island:

Your all-inclusive holiday package: Wrapping up your flights, accommoda on, daily breakfast and car hire, as well as fun add-ons chosen to ensure you get the most out of your holiday to our beau ful Island: ★ Half Day Island Tour: Familiarising you with the layout, history and places of Norfolk Island – incl. morning tea. ★ Welcome Dinner – Premium BBQ at Paradise Hotel: Your chance to meet Kris Knight (aka Buddy Holly/Chris Isaak) over a BBQ buffet dinner. ★ Two 2-course dinners at Paradise Hotel: followed by performances by Kris Knight as Buddy Holly/Chris Isaak. ★ 2-course dinner at Norfolk Island RSL: Relax in the friendly atmosphere of our local RSL club and then let Kris (aka Buddy Holly/Chris Isaak) rock your socks off again. ★ Norfolk Island shopping bag, handy hints & shopping discounts

Situated a short two hour flight from Sydney or Brisbane and midway between Australia and New Zealand, Norfolk Island is packed full of things to see and do.

The UNESCO World Heritage listed Kingston Area will take you into the history of turbulent convict years, and today’s vibrant ‘Norf’k’ culture (born out of the infamous ‘Mu ny on the Bounty’) can be explored via tours, displays and even a chat with a friendly local.

Encounter our pris ne environment via swimming, reef snorkelling and rainforest walks. Our cafés and restaurants offer delicious, fresh and organic meals and local art, cra s, toys, shoes and tax-free items are amongst shopping highlights.

Free Call : 1800 1400 66 (AUS) / 0800 0088 10 (NZ) Phone : (international) +6723 22502 Email : christan@travelcentre.nf Address : PO Box 172, Norfolk Island, 2899 www.facebook.com/norfolkislandtravelcentre ABN : 30 714 493 146 CONDITIONS APPLY | PRICES ARE IN AUD AND ARE CURRENT TODAY, SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY & CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE | TRAVEL INSURANCE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

43.indd 3

24/11/2021 5:45:27 PM

TRAVEL

Silversea sets sail on a Mediterranean journey of discovery AS THE world of travel opens up again for Australians, there’s a sense of excitement as adventure calls with places to explore or revisit, flavours to taste, and memories to make.

And for those who have dreamed of living like a local in the fabled lands of the Mediterranean, a Silversea luxury cruise is the way to make it happen.

Sailing this region with Silversea can be summed up in three words: “Unparalleled destination knowledge.”

Silversea understands the Mediterranean and has developed itineraries that deliver the perfect balance of famous “must-see” hotspots and the hidden gems of the authentic Mediterranean.

With its heritage and insider understanding, Silversea will show the path that steps away from simply tourist sites and uncovers the bistros, basilicas and beaches known only to locals.

Retrace the footsteps of Roman gladiators, Greek Olympians, French poets and Spanish artists while creating a masterpiece travel album of your own.

With diverse itineraries on offer, Silversea’s Mediterranean cruises present a wide choice of voyage lengths, while extensive stays grant in-depth access to the most significant sites.

Sail to magical Santorini in the Aegean.

Explore more than 100 intriguing destinations and enjoy more than 35 overnights on the Mediterranean’s beguiling coasts.

Immersive discovery is a hallmark feature of a Silversea cruise, with a Mediterranean shore program that offers small-group tours, pre- and post-cruise land adventures and custom private excursions.

Sail in ultra-luxury, ocean-going ships to big cities such as Istanbul and Barcelona, as well as to tiny ports in Cyprus and Albania. There’s also a chance to attend world-renowned events while in port, including the Monaco Grand Prix.

Sample the full spectrum of the Mediterranean’s charms, from games of petanque in Marseille and perfume factories in Monaco to the sun-kissed

shores in Tuscany and the ancient majesty of Rome.

Sail from the waters of Venice down the Adriatic coastline to see the islands, ports and spectacular backdrops of Croatia; through the Aegean Sea to magical Santorini, and to Cephalonia and Corfu in the Ionian Sea where heroes of Greek mythology once sailed.

Do something different and special and sail the Black Sea coast, from Turkey all the way to Georgia, where Byzantine castles, Ottoman mosques and Roman churches hide amid craggy beauty and low-key tourism.

There’s also the rare experience of visiting the Holy Land. Start your pilgrimage with worship of a different kind – in the sun-soaked charms of Crete – before arriving in Nazareth and

Jerusalem to explore the many sacred sites of the region.

Silversea’s new flagship, the Silver Moon represents the pinnacle of luxury travel in the 21st century.

With fewer than 300 suites, it offers guests personalised service and a crew-toguest ratio of almost 1:1.

Silver Moon has small-ship intimacy while the spacious all-suite accommodations are distinctive of the experience.

Innovative enhancements abound, such as the all-new Sea And Land Taste (S.A.L.T.) program, an immersive culinary concept that enables guests to travel deeper through a range of destinationbased gastronomic experiences.

S.A.L.T. focuses on reflecting a destination through taste, by sourcing authentic ingredients prepared with respect to tradition.

From market trips and special dinners in the S.A.L.T. restaurant to cooking demos with local guest chefs in the cooking lab, S.A.L.T. takes culinary curious travellers further than ever before in destination experiences.

Prepare to see the world in all-inclusive luxury in 2022 with Silversea.

Visit travellerschoice.com.au to find your local Travellers Choice agent.

CT TRAVEL Coolum Tours & Travel

44 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

44.indd 2

Brisbane

24/11/2021 5:45:52 PM

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

8 3 1 7 2 9 4 5 6

7 6 9 5 4 3 2 8 1

T H A N D

1 4 5 8 3 7 9 6 2

S E P S I S

SUDOKU (EASY)

5 2 4 6 8 1 7 9 3

Y

D O N A T O R

3 9 8 2 6 5 1 4 7

6 7 2 9 1 4 5 3 8

2 1 3 4 9 6 8 7 5

4 8 7 3 5 2 6 1 9

9 5 6 1 7 8 3 2 4

1 3 5 8 9 6 7 2 4

8 4 6 3 7 2 5 9 1

SUDOKU (MEDIUM)

E R O O F E R C E C K B R A C L I B P I G T A I L N N P E R T N E S R R T S T E N S E B Y O U T R U W C E H O I S C H O E G F A S T E N E

7 2 9 1 4 5 3 6 8

9 8 4 6 2 3 1 5 7

CODEWORD J T V X QA S G E H I D C 2

1

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

Z R U F WM K Y N O B P L 3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

5 6 7 9 8 1 4 3 2

3 7 2 5 1 8 9 4 6

4 5 8 7 6 9 2 1 3

6 9 1 2 3 4 8 7 5

Secret message: The Emerald Isle

13

9-LETTER WORD

15

2 1 3 4 5 7 6 8 9

WORDFIND

14

1. When New Year’s Day is on a Tuesday, what day was Christmas day just gone?

2. In Australia, what public holiday is always one month after Boxing Day? 3. What Christmas song was the first ever broadcast from space?

4. What is a “boomer” in Rolf Harris’s song Six White Boomers?

5. In the Australian version of Jingle Bells, what mode of transport is used instead of a “one-horse open sleigh”?

6. What liquor is traditionally added to Christmas pudding?

7. Australia’s Christmas Island is noted for an annual migration of what animal?

8. In what animated Christmas movie did Tom Hanks star?

9. What popular sporting event normally begins on Boxing Day on Sydney Harbour?

10. What is the usual venue for the Boxing Day cricket test?

11. Which of Santa’s reindeers has the same name of the Roman god of love?

12. What Christmas decoration is a parasitic plant?

13. Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar are normally known by what collective name?

14. What was the first given name of Macaulay Culkin’s character in Home Alone?

15. Which US President had a cameo role in the movie Home Alone 2?

16. Which Australian capital city was devastated by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve 1974?

17. What spice is not in the traditional recipe for gingerbread men: nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper?

18. What is least likely to be in White Christmas slice: coconut, rolled oats, copha?

19. In what country is Santa Claus called Père Noël?

20. What season is it during Christmas in Argentina?

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS QUICK CROSSWORD

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R A I S E A N A W A F E R D E T E A R T H A W L A P T O R R E N O R M P N I N E Q U G R N M A T R I A Y O S N

TRIVIA

WORD STEP CLAMP, CRAMP, CRAMS, CRAGS, DRAGS, DRUGS There may be other correct answers

ADULATORY, aryl, dory, dourly, dray, duly, duty, lady, LAUDATORY, layout, outlay, royal, tardy, toady, today, tray, troy, truly, tyro, yard, your

1. Tuesday; 2. Australia Day; 3. Jingle Bells, in 1965; 4. Kangaroo; 5. A rusty Holden ute; 6. Brandy; 7. Crabs; 8. The Polar Express; 9. Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race; 10. Melbourne Cricket Ground; 11. Cupid; 12. Mistletoe; 13. The Three Wise Men; 14. Kevin; 15. Donald Trump; 16. Darwin; 17. Pepper; 18. Rolled oats; 19. France; 20. Summer.

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45.indd 3

December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 45

24/11/2021 5:46:22 PM

PUZZLES

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD 1

2

3

4

5

CODEWORD

No. 3005

7 9

13

8

10

11

12

14

15

16

17 18

19

21

22

20

23

24

25 26

27

28

ACROSS 1 Contaminated air hardened hero of protest greatly (5,3,4) 9 Thin slice maybe by iron used in contest (5) 10 Medical support unit is not involved with conglomeration of nice backers (4,5) 11 They are mostly refined and unrefined (6) 12 Twisted plaits covering one girl’s head (8) 13 Computer retrieved money won from gambling friend (6) 15 Serpent writhed over lass’s back and front (8)

No. 053

DOWN

6

18 Big individual knocked back rum so irregularly (8) 19 Strained nurse injects two points (6) 21 Surrender, accepted

by Japanese capital, one recalled with prejudice (8) 23 Get away from tour organised by international body (6) 26 Woman who leads a triathlon in pace (9) 27 Lift is externally affected by burning (5) 28 Engaging stud and fans enter spa in a drunken state (4,8)

1 All-wheel drive included in legitimate arrangement that’s seems unfair (3,4) 2 Derive number escaping huge blaze at the end (5) 3 Invertebrate living in the soil decomposed the marrow (9) 4 Worker from hospital mounted genetic material (4) 5 Person laid back on bow of cruise ship (8) 6 Circle or small part (5) 7 Hired vehicle is carrying ultimate pieces of furniture (8) 8 Spies disrupted second invasion by pathogenic bacteria (6) 14 Real estate professional seen with saucy lady at the back (8) 16 Old stone-thrower pummelled the brute hanging around castle (9) 17 Flatter and handle virgin taking a lift (6,2) 18 Imagine missing one scrambled puzzle (6) 20 Crime boss, a degenerate, upset a charitable person (7) 22 Place where courses are held on Federation (5) 24 Power grid initially kept in check (5) 25 UN agency concentrated on a command to stop (4)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

WORDFIND

The leftover letters will spell out a secret message.

D C No. 053

BANSHEE

HIBERNIA

BELFAST

JOYCE

BLARNEY

KELLS

COUNTY

NEWGRANGE

CU CHULAINN

SHAMROCK

DUBLIN

TUATHA

EIRE

ULSTER

GAELIC

WHISKEY

GUINNESS

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For more information or enquiries please contact GREG & DONNA ROSS. PH: (07) 4129 7132 OR 0427 297 132 e: rossbuscharters@bigpond.com www.ganddrossbuscharters.com.au 46 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / December 2021

46.indd 2

Brisbane

24/11/2021 5:47:01 PM

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD

No. 3681

9-LETTER WORD

No. 053

Today’s Aim:

L T

10 words: Good

O

21 words: Excellent

Using the nine letters in the grid, how many words of four letters or more can you list? The centre letter must be included and each letter may only be used once.

No colloquial or foreign words. No capitalised nouns, apostrophes or plural words ending in “s”.

ACROSS 1 Small amounts (5) 4 Superfluous (9) 9 Proceedings of meeting (7) 10 Elementary particle (7) 11 Not artificial (7) 12 Settle (7) 13 Mediterranean islander (9) 15 Agreement (4) 17 Small island (4) 19 Tending to plants (9) 22 Corrected (7)

25 Radio broadcaster’s accessory, often (7) 26 First (7) 27 In the midst of (7) 28 Provider of information (9) 29 Lecher (5)

DOWN 1 Effeminate (8) 2 Upper house politician (7) 3 Gloomy (9) 4 Consequential (9) 5 Giver (5)

6 Naming words (5) 7 Type of acid (7) 8 Dig (6) 14 Compass direction (9) 15 Animals that prey on others (9) 16 Firebrand (8) 18 Local law enforcer (7) 20 Visible (2,5) 21 Polynesian island (6) 23 Less wet (5) 24 River-mouth (5)

No. 885

6

3

4 9

9 5 8 2 3 7 5 2 9 2 6 5 7 5 6 2 2 9 1 5 8 1 3 6 2 4

U

WORD STEP

Level: Easy

5

R

Y A

Every row, column and 3x3 outlined square must contain the numbers 1 to 9 once each.

15 words: Very good

D

A

SUDOKU

Level: Medium No. 053

Complete the list by changing one letter at a time to create a new word at each step. One possible answer shown below.

CLAMP

_____ _____ _____ _____

No. 886

1 7 3 4 5 9

3

9

5

2 1

4 3

5

3

6

7

9

4 2 1

7

3

9

8 1 7 6 5

DRUGS Puzzles and pagination © Pagemasters Pty LTD. pagemasters.com

December 2021

JOIN US ON OUR OPEN DAYS MONDAY JAN 10 & WEDNESDAY JAN 12

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47.indd 3

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www.herestolife.org.au December 2021 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 47

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24/11/2021 5:47:59 PM