Your Time Magazine Brisbane Edition November 2017

Your Time Your premier 55+ magazine

FREE HIT THE ROAD ADVENTURES FROM THE EPIC TO THE SUBLIME

LITTLE DARLINGS ONCE KIDS WERE JUST BUNDLED INTO THE CAR

SEE THE LIGHT IT’S THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE

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BRISBANE EDITION 32, NOVEMBER 2017 01.indd 1

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Editor’s note

W

hen I first set off to travel Europe in a Kombi van bought outside Australia House in London in 1978, travel wasn’t the rite of passage it has since become for young Australians.

In fact, at the time, word spread that we must have won the Golden Casket as this was the time of the Great Australian Dream, when the goal was to buy your own home.

As one older and wiser said to me though, “I’m glad you are heading off to see other castles rather than build your own.”

At that time, the jumbo jet was only four years old and it towered over the Brisbane International Airport, a terrifying image for

Brisbane

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Contents someone who had never been in the air. It proved just as well, as when the first landing was so rough overhead lockers broke open and spilt bags into the aisle, I thought it was normal.

Today, I would find that terrifying.

We also predicted that by the new millennium the exciting new Concord would be flying Brisbane-London in 12 hours or less. Look how that turned out! Fares have come down, flights are more frequent but nothing much has changed for the long-haul.

Nevertheless, Baby Boomers are increasingly hitting the road in all forms. This month the O’Connors tell of their epic motorbike ride, while the Briggs discuss how they manage their many trips to soak up the culture of exotic destinations.

Although my days of backpacking and sleeping in airports and ferry terminals are well and truly done (an ensuite is now non-negotiable) the sense of really living that comes with travel hasn’t changed. And this is a perfect time of life to indulge.

Dorothy Whittington, Editor

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18/10/2017 1:58:25 PM

COVER STORY

It’s time to hit the road The Baby Boomers are now well and truly seniors. This group, born in the years after World War II when the boys returned home from long years away, are today in their 60s (or close to) and 70s, with a disposable income and, increasingly, time to use it, reports RUSSELL HUNTER.

The Eiffel Tower and Big Ben are “been there, done that”. Now it is about adventures such as exploring an ice cave at the Vatnajokull glacier in Iceland.

T

hey’re empty nesters. The kids are long grown and gone while many are single through tragedy or choice. They’ve done life’s hard yards and now want something easier.

And they’re cruising.

Just ask Elizabeth Clarke. Her company Savenio specialises in the cruise business and a large percentage of her clients are seniors, many of whom are repeat buyers, a source of great pride for Ms Clarke.

And they’re not looking for little old lady cruises either.

“People are starting to look for new experiences,” she said.

“Cruises to Iceland and Cuba are becoming popular while European river cruises are still a favourite.”

But to the standard Amsterdam to Budapest cruise adventurers are now adding Russia, Portugal and the lesstravelled rivers of Germany.

And domestic cruising, voyages from

Australian ports, is booming with the world’s cruise lines adding more ships and ports of departure to their Aussie fleets.

But whether they’re going by land, sea or air, there does appear to be an emerging trend of senior women travelling alone – that’s to say, without partners.

Some are widowed, some divorced and some just determinedly single. But they’re all travelling.

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COVER STORY Canada and Alaska and the Northern Lights,â&#x20AC;? she said.

And the ladies-only market is a focus for Judith Polkinghorne of Girls on Tour, who leads groups domestically and overseas. She has covered something like 40 countries. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not all seniors,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are also younger ladies looking at women-only tours.â&#x20AC;? Seniors do represent a large chunk of her clientele though.

She regularly takes groups to the Kimberley on camping tours â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not often considered a trip for seniors. But theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re loving it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think our oldest so far on the Kimberley trip was 80,â&#x20AC;? Ms Polkinghorne says.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not expected to be athletes â&#x20AC;&#x153;but we do expect that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be basically

fit and able to get aroundâ&#x20AC;?.

But even out in the Kimberley, seniors expect a degree of creature comfort and so tours are restricted by the number who can reasonably fit into the custombuilt all-terrain vehicle thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s used for the purpose.

At the same time sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finding tours to central Africa and Croatia to be increasingly â&#x20AC;&#x153;hotâ&#x20AC;? items as senior travellers seek ever new experiences.

Domestic travel is still big in the seniors market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Uluru is still popular while North Queensland is always a draw in the winter months,â&#x20AC;? says Cheryl Ryan.

Bruce Drysdale of Trade Travel who also counts seniors as a large part of his clientele, agrees that the ladies are travelling more and more.

VALUE STILL KEY EVEN WITHOUT A BACKPACK Our backpacker days are long gone.

Some travelling seniors are looking for that seven-star experience while others, perhaps the majority, just want to enjoy their trip. Yet others want a little bit (but not too much) of adventure thrown in.

All are looking for value. And safety.

The ladies, for example, who join Judith Polkinghorneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Girls on Tour demand a degree of comfort and convenience while recognising that these come at a certain cost. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ladies we cater for do want a degree of comfort,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They want at least four-star hotels, comfortable coaches and intimate group sizes where a good camaraderie can quickly develop. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are ladies who know who they are and are comfortable in their own skins. They know very well what they want.â&#x20AC;?

Elizabeth Clarke is also finding the senior traveller to be looking for a degree of comfort. Her cruise clients are spending anything from $100 to $1000 a day â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but they all demand value. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re well aware that you get what you pay for,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But smaller ships where you can get off and on again without queuing are becoming popular.â&#x20AC;?

As is river cruising in Asia. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In Cambodia, for example, there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always the comfortable hotel option, so the boats have to offer that comfort that our travellers want,â&#x20AC;? she says.

Cheryl Ryanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients tend to prefer premium economy or business class for air travel while cruise travel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a growing market for her â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is comfort-oriented. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not necessarily looking for luxury,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But they like comfort.

And price still plays an important role in finding the right balance.â&#x20AC;?

Her clients are increasingly cruising for pleasure with family or friends â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but the comfort and safety elements are still vitally important.

Bruce Drysdale, who manages up to 400 tours a year, agrees safety and comfort are crucial. He has at least one client who refuses point blank to travel into the USA through Los Angeles (anybody who has endured the ordeal of LAX will understand why) while younger folk take it in their stride. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interest in overseas travel is definitely impacted by the goings-on there,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So people have been taking their Ghans, Indian Pacifics and Murray Rivers and so on at home. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But overseas travel will always be a big part of seniors travel.â&#x20AC;?

He too has noticed that seniors are looking for value. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too often forgotten that seniors have lived through the birth and development of the computer age.

They are computer and internet savvy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And we baby boomers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always in a hurry to take part in organised events so people are using the internet to buy direct online,â&#x20AC;? he said.

It may save a few bucks but there can be problems. There have been instances of people arriving at their destination to discover hotel bookings havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been confirmed or that the car company hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heard of them â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and worse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have nothing to fall back on,â&#x20AC;? said Bruce Drysdale. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But if they have booked with a reputable agent, they at least have access to someone who can assist.â&#x20AC;?

All of our industry sources agreed that good agents do much more than package holidays and take commissions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We add value,â&#x20AC;? said one. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of us have been to the places weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re selling. We know the local customs, the pitfalls and the pluses. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our job, after all.â&#x20AC;?

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November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 5

18/10/2017 1:57:52 PM

COVER STORY “We’re seeing increasingly that of a party of 40, as many as 38 will be women,” he said.

His senior clients are increasingly turning to new destinations also – with Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Cambodia high on the bucket lists, while what might be seen as the more traditional markets in the UK are slightly less popular than a decade ago.

“The newer hotels in Sri Lanka, for example, offer the comfort our clients want at a price they’re willing to pay, he said. “There are another two six-star properties on the way so our seniors are able to find the comfort, value and safety that are so important to them.”

They’re not necessarily looking for luxury but value is vital, says Cheryl Ryan.

“And price still plays a big part in getting the balance right.”

A large percentage of her clients are opting for premium economy or business class when it comes to air travel.

Elizabeth Clarke agrees that seniors don’t choose to rough it.

“Our clients go across the scale in terms of cost,” she said. “But they are looking for value. They realise that you do tend to get what you pay for and are looking for more local experiences at their cruise stops.”

And the single traveller market is becoming important for the cruisers also.

6 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

06.indd 2

As the Australian-homed cruise fleet expands, smaller ships are seeking to offer more intimate experiences – and they’re making space for people travelling alone.

It’s not so simple for the cruise industry.

“They’ve invested heavily in that space (cabin),” Ms Clarke says, “and they need to get a return so two people sharing the cost of that space makes sense. However, they’re increasingly realising that there is a demand for single spaces and are starting to look at that.”

Book early if you want privacy is the way to go, she urges.

KEEP YOURSELF COVERED Travel insurance – don’t leave without it. In fact an increasing number of tour operators won’t let you.

Let’s face it, at our stage of life we tend to see doctors a lot more often than we used to and we can’t – or shouldn’t – pretend that by going away on a holiday that’s going to change.

And while travelling we don’t have access to Medicare and it’s unlikely that our private cover is even relevant.

So travel insurance becomes vital.

It’s probably the most expensive service we’ll (hopefully) never use, but if you were to break a leg in America, let’s say, it’s crippling in more ways than one.

Pre-existing conditions, level of risk, cost of treatment in countries where you’ll be travelling and (though we obviously hope it’ll never happen) cost of a Medivac. (Bruce Drysdale recalls one medical evacuation that cost an insurance company $40,000 – and that was 10 years ago).

So a massive industry has built itself around the need for travel insurance. Google it and you’ll get literally thousands of hits. None of the best options are cheap.

“If you can’t afford the insurance the chances are you can’t afford the

trip,” said Mr Drysdale. “It’s really that basic.”

Cheryl Ryan agrees, while pointing out that domestic travel can avoid at least some of the financial grief associated with insurance.

“Insurance is based around an individual’s health, while any conditions one has may impact the policy selection,” she says.

All good travel agents and tour operators will offer a range of travel insurance policies, but it’s important to know what you are – and more vitally what you’re not – covered for. So read the fine print before signing.

And as always the golden rule is: If you’re not sure, ask. Remember the people you’re booking with are as anxious as you are that your trip should be memorable for all the right reasons while the wrong reasons are at least well covered.

Boomer freedom on a Costa Rican river.

Brisbane

18/10/2017 1:57:40 PM

Letters

Have your say. Send letters to Editor, Your Time Magazine, PO Box 717, Spring Hill 4004 or email editor@yourtimemagazine.com.au

We love reading your magazine and look forward to it each month. We particularly enjoyed the article on “The joys (and guide) of grandparenting” (YT October).

Please pass thanks to Mocco Wollert for keeping me sane. We have just had our two grandchildren to stay for five nights and at the end of the visit, I was feeling like the worst and grumpiest grandmother in the world, despite my husband trying to convince me I was a wonderful one.

He then found the article in Your Time and it gave me hope that perhaps I wasn’t abnormal after all. I love my grandchildren dearly and love being a grandmother, but I did feel guilty that I was being a terrible grandmother because it seemed that I was constantly trying to get them to do basic things (without having to ask them several times).

So thank you, Mocco. Your article made me feel much better about myself.

Linda Hardman

of the unemployed refuse choices if they are not their ideal job.

Therein lies the problem. They must learn to pay their way starting from the ground up. There are no free lunches!

Even our governments are making it difficult for seniors on their savings, past their work life, to survive without some assistance. Every generation has its challenges. Proactive individuals will always find a way through without being a burden on their already stretched parents or governments.

Too many rely on handouts and live with unrealistic expectations.

Eloise Rowe

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An “understatement”: Today certainly is a different world to the one Baby Boomers grew up in, during the post war years. Guaranteed employment, with an influx of skilled immigrants from Europe, working people who made Australia the great nation it is today. Many families survived on one income. But some attributes such as “emotional intelligence”

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will be wondering what happened to Pete for the rest of her life.

I live alone and will be moving into a village very soon. I don’t have Alzheimer’s yet, but I’m pretty immobile and been suffering with osteoporosis for 10 years.

I’ve had depression in the past for years on and off.

I have three grown up children, but none of them give me any kind of help in the way of domestic chores. I have a service to help me with social support and shopping and my children visit occasionally. I hope they don’t stick me in a nursing home facility as soon as they can so they can sell my property. Sometimes it gets hard, but I keep going as long as possible. Try to keep going Ava. G. Adams

are timeless. A legacy of work ethic, education, fiscal intelligence and the adage “present pain for future gain” still apply, regardless of time.

Children learn what they live. If parents as role models lead by example, without wanting the latest, without maxed-out credit cards, they demonstrate solid practices for living and surviving in a competitive global community.

For children to expect their parents to mollycoddle them while they do little or nothing to contribute, is doing them a disfavour. The dole is too easy to get, giving a false sense of security.

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1½ hr River Cruise Devonshire Tea Complimentary Souvenir Map To receive this special offer, bookings are essential

www.rivercitycruises.com.au November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 7

18/10/2017 1:57:15 PM

OUR PEOPLE

Easy riders do it their way Travelling the world on a motorbike sounds an audacious, adrenaline-fueled plan but, writes DOT WHITTINGTON, for a couple hovering around 60, it was the chance to live the dream.

L

et’s make it clear from the start. Lee and Paul O’Connor are not your stereotypical “bikies” they just happen to love the freedom of motorcycle riding, especially when it can be combined with a love of travel.

“Motorcycle tragics” is how they describe themselves.

Both learnt to ride as teenagers when “it was the poor man’s form of transport” and they were living in New Zealand.

Then marriage and four children intervened until the recession we had to have in the early 1990s.

“Tax rules on company cars changed and Paul decided it was time to get a bike again,” Lee says. “I rode on the back with him a few times but I couldn’t do it. I had to have my own.”

Just over a decade ago, with their children leading their own lives, they become truly addicted and began to take short two to three week trips in Australia, a tent in the saddlebags.

It started with southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales but soon turned into Melbourne and Tasmania.

Long distance travel had them hooked.

Then, in 2013, Paul, a mining

The O’Connors took the path less travelled on their epic journey. engineer, was working as a FIFO in Kuala Lumpur. Bored with sitting in an office, he began looking for motorbike rides in Malaysia and came up with a group that did tours.

Lee, an artist, joined him and for seven days they rode around the Malay

Peninsula in company. One in the group asked if they would like to join them on an overland trip to the TT races at the Isle of Man. And that was that.

“It was a random, on the spot decision that we would go but in the end, nobody else did except us,” Lee says. “It took 18

months of planning and the timing was right as the mining industry had really slowed, so we could get the time off.”

So, in April 2015, with their four children having stepped into adulthood and 40 years of marriage behind them, the O’Connors rode out of the suburbs and into a 13-month escapade that took them 80,000km through 40 countries around the globe.

Paul was 60 and Lee 58.

Their two KTM SMT-990 motorcycles were flown to Kuala Lumpur and they set off north through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos and to China where it was necessary to have a guide across the Silk Road to the “Stans”, Iran and Turkey and into Europe.

From there it was across to Spain and a ferry to Plymouth in England and then a flight to Halifax in Nova Scotia.

They rode across Canada to Vancouver and then turned south through Central America and into South America, finally leaving from Santiago to arrive back in Brisbane in May 2016.

“It was an endless summer,” Lee says.

“Paul planned it all so we didn’t have to worry about the cold. We stayed in hotels in Asia where it’s cheap and started

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Brisbane

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OUR PEOPLE we struggled in Mexico,” Lee says. “We were able to continue but it was just tougher.”

The hardest ride was on the rough roads of Tajikistan and there’s no doubt that riding a bike gives quite a different perspective of a sandstorm in the Gobi Desert, but Lee puts it this way: “In a car, it’s like being at the movies watching it through a screen. On a bike, you are in the movie”.

She blogged the journey and since settling back at home, says it feels like they have “taken a giant chill pill”.

They have written a book about their adventures, We Did It Our Way

chronicling the journey with anecdotes and lots of photographs “so the armchair traveller can come along for the ride” but it also provides the budgets, mileages, the best roads and tips and tricks for all the people wanting to know “how can we do it”.

It’s a hard journey to match but at the end of the month Lee and Paul, now semi-retired, are off again, this time for a more sedate trip around New Zealand for five months.

“The kids are really proud of us,” Lee says.

Visit bikesnbeers.com.au

Paul and Lee O’Connor on their journey. camping in Turkey and then in Europe.

We were not tourists but took the road less travelled. We avoided the big cities but rode 20 alpine passes.”

They would ride for five days and then take a day or two off, although Lee says it only takes three days to “get a worn-in bum”.

They didn’t go to the Isle of Man in the end. It didn’t fit with their schedule and would have meant rushing.

Highlights were China and Peru and the lowlight was in Mexico when Lee

came off her bike and it fell on top of her, pinning her leg.

“There were roadworks and it had poured rain all night so it was like soup,” she says. “I was in front at the time so had to wait for Paul to come along. My ankle was crushed. It was a pivotal moment.”

They had to deviate to pick up parts and it slowed them down but they “slogged on” through Central and South America to Peru, finding it hard to adapt back to Third World travel.

“We were also getting travel weary so

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18/10/2017 1:56:31 PM

CONSUMER WATCH

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Scammers abandon phone for online

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he ACCC is warning the community to watch out for common online scams.

The online sphere – email, the internet, social media and mobile apps – has overtaken telephones as scammers’ preferred tool of the trade to contact potential victims.

In 2017, the ACCC’s Scamwatch site has received more than 51,000 reports of scammers trying to con people online.

Online scam losses total nearly $37 million so far in 2017.

“It’s difficult to spot a scammer online these days as they go to great lengths to trick the public and steal personal information and money,” ACCC deputy chairman Delia Rickard said.

THE TOP THREE SCAMS MOST LIKELY TO BE ENCOUNTERED ONLINE ARE: • Phishing – often delivered via email, scammers will pretend to be from well-known businesses and government departments to con unsuspecting victims out of their personal information and money. For example, they may offer you a gift voucher to a major supermarket for completing a “survey”.

• False billing – scammers will pretend

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• Buying and selling – scammers will trick people who are looking to buy or sell goods online. For example, they may set up a fake online store that sells well-known brands at seemingly too-good-to-be-true prices; or a fake listing on a classifieds website.

Ms Rickard said there were some simple techniques to avoid being stung by a scammer online.

“While scammers are often after your money, they’re also trying to steal your personal information, which is just as valuable. It’s important to safeguard your personal details online the same way you would your wallet,” she said.

“If you’re ever contacted out of the blue, particularly via email, by someone asking you to pay a bill, complete a survey or update your passwords, it pays to be sceptical.”

If unsure about the legitimacy of something online do your research as others who have been stung by scammers will often post warnings.

For useful tips visit scamwatch.gov.au

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A study of the ticket resale industry has found unfair sales tactics are being used to deliberately confuse, overcharge and hit consumers with sneaky fees.

Consumers are being hoodwinked into thinking they’re dealing with the official ticket seller when it is in fact a resale site.

A study by consumer group Choice, of 1051 complaints from Australia, New Zealand and the UK found 79 per cent of Australian case studies were tricked into thinking the website they were using was the official seller.

“Search engines such as Google are complicit in the confusion because they allow resale websites to place paid links above official sites in search results,”

Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said.

“Our study found 76 per cent of fans in all three countries, who found their ticket through a Google search, thought they were visiting an official primary ticketing site, not a resale site.

“Once you land on a resale site you don’t really stand a chance with resellers using tricky tactics such as disguising buttons to look similar to authorised sellers or making ‘official’ claims.”

He said Viagogo, Ticketmaster Resale, Seatwave and Stubhub were named in more than half of the complaints (56 per cent) for sneaking in additional, unavoidable fees throughout the checkout process. Another 11 per cent said credit cards had been overcharged.

CALL TO BIN JUNK HEALTH POLICIES Consumer group Choice is asking the Federal Government to stop providing tax breaks and rebates for “junk” health insurance policies.

It defines junk policies as those that either exclude treatment for almost all illnesses, including heart attack, stroke and cancer, or that only allow the policy holder to be treated as a private patient in a public hospital “With more than $6 billion of taxpayer funds being spent on health insurance rebates, it’s essential that this

money is used to reduce the strain on the public health system and not on policies that are unlikely to cover consumers when it counts,” Choice spokeswoman Nicky Breen said.

“These junk products account for around 13 per cent of all hospital and combined policies on the market.”

A recent Choice survey found that 44 per cent of policyholders found it difficult to compare health insurance policies.

There are more than 40,000 private health insurance products on the market.

Suite 77, Silverton Place, 101 Wickham Tce, Brisbane 10 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

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Brisbane

18/10/2017 1:56:05 PM

WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE

Trapped by French into a trip to the old country At our age, you can get caught by the travel bug. I was, but it doesn’t always turn out the way you expect, writes DAVID PARMITER.

M

y sister, still living in Hampshire after 50 years, invited me to my nephew’s wedding in England.

I, of course, immediately thought “no way”. Being on the pension, my travelling days were over.

Worse, she also invited my two adult children since she had recently come all the way out here to witness their weddings. How could we possibly refuse?

When I put it to my own children, my daughter said “Sorry, but I can’t. No spare money and no rec. leave from my work.”

I expected the same from my adult son but I was in for a shock.

“Yes, Dad, I’d love to come with you.”

What? Why would you want to come just for a cousin’s wedding?

“I want to go the Lake District and climb Skafell Pike.”

Why the hell would you want to do that?

“Well, I’ve done the Everest Base Camp, Mt Cook in New Zealand and Mt Aconcagua in South America. Now I want to do Skafell Pike because it’s the highest peak in England.”

All right, I said, nervously. And then what?

“Well, Dad ... France and Belgium. I’ve

Simon and David at the top of the VillersBretonneux Memorial always wanted to visit the World War I battlefields, but I’ve never had anyone to go with. And besides, Dad, you can speak French.”

So that was it. I was dragooned into an expensive travel trip to Europe by a sister who expected me to do my family duty, and a son who would use me as a French-speaking guide to tour the battlefields and cemeteries. I couldn’t wait!

To cut a long story short, Simon and I flew to London and spent a few days doing the sights. I took him to all the places that I had known as a teenager

growing up on the River Thames, where my father had been the River Superintendent of the Port of London Authority in the 1960s.

I was back home on the River and all the Cockney memories came flooding in, know what ah meang?

We hired a car and drove north to the Lake District. We stayed at Lake Windermere; visited the cottage of Beatrix Potter and were the only tourists on a small historic steam launch up Lake Windermere and back. Then I took him up to Skafell Pike.

“You’re on your own with this one, mate” I told him. And while he toiled up the mountain, I visited the home and museum to William and Dorothy Wordsworth in Kendall. “I wandered lonely as a cloud ... etc”.

Yes, the daffodils. Been there, recited that from memory.

After the wedding we headed off Waterloo station in London and on to Belgium and that other Waterloo, battle of, Wellington, 1815.

We took the Eurostar from Paddington to Lille, and the local train to Haute Picardie. You’ve never heard of it; neither had we. It’s where the “roses are

blooming, in Picardie”. The local bus was waiting, and took us to the historic town of St Quentin. We didn’t know where we were, or what we were doing. Mais, je parles français. Savvy?

We then went out on the town, where Simon was somewhat impressed that I could immediately fall into conversation with anyone we met. “Non, nous sommes pas des Anglais. (They still hate the English, after Agincourt, 1415) Regardez mon capot, nous sommes vraiment Australiens.” Look at my hat my green and gold Aussie cricket cap always worked!

The next morning, our tour guide arrived for a minibus tour of the battlefields. Our tour was wonderful.

By the time we got back to London, for our return flight to Australia, it dawned on me that for Simon, this had been a very impressive and informative trip.

He knew most of the history but to come here and see the places, memorials and consequences of the dire decisions made by ambitious and ignorant politicians a century ago had made a deep and lasting impression upon him.

At least, I hope so.

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Brisbane

11.indd 3

WINNER

WINNER

November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 11

18/10/2017 1:55:39 PM

FASHION

Dress to immerse as well as impress While some Baby Boomers can afford luxury, others seek the immersive experience, but either way, writes KAY McMAHON, there is the dilemma of packing.

F

ashion magazines are full of high-end resortwear for the traveller spending time in upmarket hotels and boutique resorts.

However, there is another Baby Boomer traveller hitting the travel trail.

Baby Boomer market expert and author of Generation Reinvention, and Marketing to Leading Edge Baby Boomers, Brent Green, says there is a new focus for many in this generation.

“Leading edge Baby Boomers are looking for something outside of cookiecutter travel experiences,” Green said.

“They want immersive activities. They don’t want to just eat pasta; they want to make it. They don’t want to just make it; they want to see where the wheat is grown that makes the pasta.”

These Boomers are embracing travel, from solo excursions staying in backpacker accommodation, through to voluntourism where many support and spend time annually working in remote communities volunteering their expertise, skills and experience.

Fashion is not high on their list of priorities but there is still the dilemma of what to pack – or what not to pack, if venturing past the resort’s gates.

Who better to discuss this dilemma

12 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

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Jo at the Taj Mahal in India. than a dear friend of mine, Jo, who admits only to being over 60 years old.

Jo’s married but has travelled several times to India and Nepal with a girlfriend, to trek and stay with local villagers and experience their culture and lifestyle.

This has also focused her involvement with NAFA (the Nepal Australia Friendship Association) which supports projects improving the education and sustainability of women and children in Nepal. She now combines her trips to India with a visit to Nepal to check on the

progress of NAFA’s contributions.

The fashion conundrum is packing for city sight-seeing and shopping in places such as Delhi, en route to trekking kilometres into remote Nepalese villages.

“I still haven’t achieved the perfect packed bag,” Jo says. “You realise when you travel in India and trek through Nepal that you don’t need a lot of stuff.”

Her main tip involves the mantra that clothes the locals are wearing have developed for that climate so must be appropriate. She always takes this into consideration, but will also add snippets of her Western aesthetic. And she knows that cultural differences are extremely important when considering outfits so always try to blend in if you are trying to have an immersive experience.

She would never wear shorts, short skirts or revealing outfits in India as she never wants to offend. Here are her tips for an immersive travel pack: 1. Always pack (and wear daily) a large cotton scarf. It’s the most versatile piece in your bag. It covers your face if it’s dusty, wraps for warmth, or covers your head when needed for showing respect or entering a temple.

2. The Indian locals wear Salwar Khameez; a slim tapered pant with

loose- fitting colourful long overtop. This works well for Westerners as it can equate to a slim cotton or linen pant or pair of jeans with a long cotton top brought from home. Jo always packs at least one top but as soon as she lands, hits her favourite stores and markets to purchase colourful local Indian Salwars that also look amazing in our Queensland summers.

3. For shoes, Jo packs a pair of fashion sandals and a soft sneaker for city sight-seeing, a slip-on sandal for in local homes and hotels, and trekking boots.

4. Her accessories are minimal. She has a small shoulder bag for her passport, phone, money and lipstick, but this can fit into a small backpack for daytrips and shopping. She then has a larger soft backpack which holds all her clothes.

5. She buys several of the large sarong-like scarves once she’s in the country and, perhaps, one sterling silver bracelet in the myriad of silver markets.

It may seem spartan but for Boomers keen for an immersive experience this bag could take you anywhere. I intend to heed her advice when accompanying her on a textile trip through India next year.

For Styleboomer answers and ideas: styleboomer@gmail.com

Brisbane

18/10/2017 1:55:27 PM

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18/10/2017 1:54:17 PM

YOUR GARDEN

Hot stuff for the garden this summer

AZALEAS GO BANANAS

If you really want to spice up your garden this summer then, GARDEN EZI says, now is the time to plant a chilli bush or two.

M

aybe you don’t much like the hot taste of chillis, but consider this – there is more vitamin C in a chilli than in an orange and other health benefits besides.

Chillis are also rich in vitamins A, E, potassium and folic acid and, despite their fiery flavour, are (used in moderation) very good for stimulating digestion.

The hot zap is all in the seeds and the secret is all in the cooking.

If chillis are cooked long and well they lose some of their fire (but also some of their vitamin content).

If you want to reduce chilli heat in a recipe, remove some of the seeds or buy one of the several less fiery varieties.

Chillis are easy to grow, in the ground or in a pot. They will tolerate poorish sandy soil but not heavy clay.

The best growing environment is an improved, loamy soil and a sunny position.

Water well every day or so for the first month after which a chilli bush will only need watering a couple of times a week.

Feed with blood and bone or an all-purpose fertiliser, although for best fruiting results I recommend using a special fruit and/or vegetable fertiliser. Cut the bush back once fruiting is finished.

The peppery fruit is, not surprisingly, repellent to most birds and insect pests – but not all! Currawongs and some parrots will take the fruit so your plant may need protection.

Caterpillars and grasshoppers will eat the leaves and if this starts to happen use a spray or dust recommended by your garden centre.

Chillis are in the same genus as tomatoes and though less susceptible, are still prone to the same wilt diseases so make sure the ground or container is well-drained and always use a good quality potting mix.

Chillis today come in large and small fruit shapes and sizes – long or round or “udder” shaped and in decorative colours from white to purple as well as red and orange.

All can be used in cooking and green, unripe chillis are better than mature red for some dishes.

If you have a large crop you can freeze or dry them and then use them whole or ground to make your own chilli powder.

Crushed or powdered chilli spread on the ground around plants also makes an effective slug and snail repellent. gardenezi.com

Here’s a great tip for getting more out of your azaleas with bigger and brighter flowers.

Save banana skins in a bin or paper bag or anywhere they can dry out a bit without attracting flies.

Hack these into small pieces (you can do this earlier if you like and leave them in the bag/bin) and soak in buckets of water at the rate of about 6kg to 5 litres of water (the quantities don’t have to be exact – it’s the principle that counts).

Leave for 24 hours, then pour into ground around azalea bushes, banana skins and all. Use about half a bucket to each bush.

Scuff the skins around the soil a bit, taking care not to damage plant roots.

This is a simple, effective and organic way of recycling banana skins and giving your azaleas a potassium boost.

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Brisbane

18/10/2017 1:53:41 PM

A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY LIKE NO OTHER

Community spirit thrives here.

Every day there is something interesting happening at The Clayfield retirement community. One day you might be enjoying a classical music concert in the courtyard, a high tea with the ladies or a game of billiards.

The next day you might feel like catching up with the craft group or enjoy a bus outing to the botanical gardens.

There’s always something that brings people together, including The Carriage House restaurant. Here, delicious nutritionally balanced meals are enjoyed in a vibrant atmosphere with friends and family. From crisp, fresh salads for lunch to perfectly grilled salmon for dinner, this dining hub is always there for those times when you don’t feel like cooking.

Call us on 13 28 36 today and you’ll find that, at The Clayfield, we’re committed to doing what it takes to create a well-rounded retirement.

The Clayfield | 469 Sandgate Road, Albion Call 13 28 36 or visit theclayfield.com.au

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15.indd 3

18/10/2017 1:53:10 PM

TIME WARP

Heading west in a Ford Cortina A visit from her granddaughter during the school holidays brings back memories of a road trip for KATE CALLAHAN, who recalls the days when kids were just bundled into the car.

I

In between, we cook Anzac biscuits, gem scones, savoury muffins, sausage rolls, tacos and Bolognese sauce. We groom the ponies, plait their manes, and treat them to carrots and biscuits of lucerne.

We select fabric from the local craft store, practise straight stitching and zigzag on the sewing machine, draft a pattern and make mummy a reversible apron with pockets.

We play Yahtzee, dominoes and I-Spy. We talk endlessly about Harry Potter and the minutiae of J.K. Rowling’s characters. If only she were this devoted to her times table, I muse.

In a stroke of grandmaternal genius, I introduce her to my girlhood favourites, The Chronicles of Narnia, and am rewarded for my brilliance with a restorative afternoon nap while the youngster devours The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in her room.

It’s now sun-up on Friday morning.

The house is still quiet, so I settle my head back on the pillow, pull up the covers and contemplate the day ahead. I berate myself for exhausting my tool kit of school holiday entertainment before the week is out. Perhaps I peaked too

t’s school holidays and every morning, straight after the hugs and did-you-sleep-well courtesies have been exchanged, I am asked “What are we doing today?” by my darling granddaughter.

Full of youthful expectation and exuberance, she has come to stay for a fun-filled week with grandma and pop.

I hope we don’t disappoint!

We’ve been looking forward to her visit for months as the vagaries of distance mean we see little of her during school term.

And so the fun begins. Monday is the zoo where the meerkats are a hit.

Tuesday is the aquatic centre and we swim until we are both wrinkly, which in my case represents only marginal change from the status quo.

On Wednesday we shop until grandma almost drops, and yet we still only scratch the surface of the ludicrously large shopping centre we visit.

On Thursday, we hit the beach, eat fish and chips in the park and finish off with cartwheels and ice cream. With so many varieties on offer, a double cone is mandatory.

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16 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

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Brisbane

18/10/2017 1:52:28 PM

TIME WARP

soon. Maybe I should’ve left the zoo for today. The critical inner voice is very active this morning.

My thoughts turn, as if for consolation and inspiration, to my own childhood and I wonder how my hard-working, dairy-farming parents coped in the school holidays. The answer is obvious: they carried on regardless.

Milking cows do not respect school holidays. They expect to be milked twice a day, every day, unless they’ve been “dried off” and “turned out” for a well-deserved rest.

In 1967, after working the farm for seven years non-stop, Mum and Dad turned out the cows and announced to the delight of my two brothers and myself that it was time for a holiday.

Destination – the station property in north-western Queensland we had left seven years before.

It was two days’ drive away and was still run by my beloved bachelor uncle, who offered free board and lodging for as long as we wanted to stay.

In the wee hours of the morning, my brothers and I were piled half-asleep into the back seat of the Ford Cortina and we set off into the darkness. By sunrise, we were on roads unfamiliar.

Dad sat close to the steering wheel, as was his habit, puffing on a rollie wedged between the index and middle fingers of his right hand and glaring at the road from under the brim of his felt hat.

For Dad, driving was a joyless activity, designed for the sole purpose of getting driver and passengers from point A to point B, safely and without delay.

“Just before dusk on that first day, Dad slowed the Cortina and pulled off into a rather dingy rest area” Mum couldn’t drive at all, except the old Land Rover on the flat, so with a captive audience she read aloud from P.C Wren’s, Beau Geste, an adventure novel my brother was studying at school. My brother had refused to read it and I can understand why. The book was about as much fun as this driving business.

After initial excitement, the mood in

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the car soon turned sombre. Such was Dad’s determination to reach our destination that we were “shushed” by Mum if we dared to ask for a toilet break.

At intervals, Mum would put the novel down, roll another cigarette for Dad, and distribute bread and butter to quell the appetite. Food is not that appetising when all you want to do is empty your bladder.

Just before dusk on that first day, Dad slowed the Cortina and pulled off the highway into a rather dingy rest area that mercifully was equipped with a toilet, a “thunderbox” to be precise, and an undercover picnic table. This was to be our campsite.

As the light faded, the mosquitoes, big enough to saddle, descended. A light rain began to fall. From the boot, Dad extracted the tent he had borrowed from the neighbours – payback for seven years of horse shoeing – and started to erect it.

The prospect of camping under the stars had seemed so adventurous, but for me, as a child of 10, it was apparent from the outset that Dad, though an experienced bushman, was a novice at erecting tents.

The mood darkened as the sun

departed. For failing to cooperate, the tent was cursed up hill and down dale with a rich cocktail of swear words that Dad usually reserved for special occasions and never in front of the children.

His language was reminiscent of the time he played his last competitive cricket match, when a bouncer hit him in the mouth and broke his false teeth.

My brothers and I retreated to the back seat of the car. It was raining steadily now and pitch black. Mum got behind the wheel, started the engine and pointed the headlights in the direction of the tent. Finally, after an hour’s hard slog, it was up.

But Dad had not counted on rain when he selected the campsite. He’d pitched the tent over a hollow that was steadily filling with water. Dad spent the night on the picnic table, while the rest of us were cramped like sardines in the Cortina.

We never camped again, although Dad continued to shoe the neighbour’s horse until he retired.

With a smile, I threw back the covers and prepared to greet the day, safe in the knowledge that there were plenty of things for us to do today and camping wasn’t one of them.

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Southern Cross Care (Qld) ŝƐ Ă ŶŽƚͲĨŽƌͲƉƌŽĮƚ ŽƌŐĂŶŝƐĂƟŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ϰϬ LJĞĂƌƐ͛ ĞdžƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞ ƐĞƌǀŝŶŐ YƵĞĞŶƐůĂŶĚĞƌƐ ŝŶ ĂŐĞĚ ĐĂƌĞ͕ ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚLJ ĐĂƌĞ ĂŶĚ ƌĞƟƌĞŵĞŶƚ ůŝǀŝŶŐ ʹ ǁĞ ůŽŽŬ ĂŌĞƌ ƉĞŽƉůĞ. Ŷ ŝŶŝƟĂƟǀĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ <ŶŝŐŚƚƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ^ŽƵƚŚĞƌŶ ƌŽƐƐ November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 17

18/10/2017 1:59:45 PM

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HISTORY

A brave Queenslander finally returns home Will Longstaff’s painting Menin Gate at Midnight has long been a favourite of DIANA HACKER who, while researching her family tree, discovered a distant cousin is remembered on the memorial.

M

y cousin, Morris William was the first born and only son of William and Amelia.

Morris was born at Rockhampton in 1897 and worked as a station hand with his parents and four younger sisters until the age of 18 when, on his birthday he enlisted, declaring that he was 21.

At the end of 1915, Queensland had been asked to provide two battalions and the men drafted into formation were gathered at Thompson’s Paddock, Enoggera. Morris was allocated to the 42nd Battalion of the Third Division with Lt Col A.R. Woodcock in command.

After several months training, at daybreak on June 3, 1916, the columns of men were marched to the railway station at Enoggera Rifle Range [Gaythorne].

Three trains conveyed them to Sydney where they boarded the SS Borda at Wooloomooloo.

They landed in Egypt and were then sent on to England, ship to Marseilles in France, then train to Le Havre and another ship across the Channel, arriving at No.1 Camp Larkhill, Salisbury Plain.

More training followed until, 12 days before embarkation, King George V inspected 18,000 men of the 3rd Division.

Morris in uniform and the little lead cast.

It was Morris’ 19th birthday. He was promoted to Lance Corporal on August 6, 1917 and sent to the front at Armentieres.

For four years between 1915 and 1919, fighting took place along a 750km western front which stretched from the North Sea to the Swiss border. To hold back the German advance, the Belgian people had opened the canals and flooded the land in the north-west sector, turning their fields into a muddy morass.

The next sector to the east was held

by the Commonwealth forces based in the town of Ieper (Ypres). Where the heck is Ieper you say? Well many Australians recall their relatives calling it Wypers!

It was close to the outskirts of the town that the German advance was stalled and the fronts were separated by a canal. This front was held predominantly

by Australian troops.

On October 3, 1917, Morris and his companions assembled at Zonnebeke, 3kms from Ieper and were in position when the barrage began.

The enemy retaliated and Morris was wounded. He was evacuated to a casualty clearing station where he died and was buried in the nearby graveyard. Over the next couple of years fighting reduced the graveyard to torn earth and grave sites could no longer be recognised.

After peace was declared, Morris was deemed to be one of the soldiers “with no known grave”.

The people of Belgium wished to commemorate these men and the memorial, Menin Gate, was erected and the names of the missing inscribed on it.

Since 1929, volunteer buglers of the Fire Brigade have each night sounded the Last Post at the Gate.

In May 2005, my husband and I gathered at the memorial and eight buglers attended. We struck up a conversation with Ivan Sinnave and his wife Marie Clare as we waited.

Ivan, a local, was confined to a wheel chair, but before his accident he had, for no specific reason, collected lead from the Belgian fields and now employed himself casting small lead soldiers, usually about 1000 a year. He intended to cast 55,000 to match the names on the memorial.

Very quietly he drew from his pocket a small box and from it selected a soldier which he passed to me.

Later, in our hotel room, I recalled the words of Lord Plume, “Morris is no longer missing. He is here in my hand, and now after all these years he can go home with us.” On June 1, 2005, 88 years after his death, safely tucked in my hand luggage, Morris touched down at Brisbane airport.

Some months later at a family gathering, among assembled memorabilia, stood a small figure in the uniform of an Australian soldier.

Diana Hacker is archivist for the Queensland Women’s Historical Association at Miegunyah, Bowen Hills.

Tours are available. Visit miegunyah.org

THE SLEEP SYSTEM

Brisbane

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November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 19

18/10/2017 1:59:17 PM

MOTORING

Pack up the car for a road trip THE world is stacked with swags of great drives and roads to remember and some are just around the corner, writes BRUCE McMAHON.

A

mong the top highways and byways around the globe are many Australian roads offering an enriching getaway, from Cape York to Wilsons Promontory, Bryon Bay to Broome.

Straight up, there’s a thing – by far the best way to appreciate Broome is to drive in from the Kimberley, dusty, thirsty and eyes-wide-open rather than cossetted and drowsy in an airline seat.

Australia does deserts well, so here’s a long-distance favourite drive: BrisbaneBirdsville-Adelaide.

This takes the traveller through the magic of Queensland’s Channel Country, the charms of Innamincka and the history of the Dig Tree, down the open stretches of the Strzelecki and into the rugged beauty of the Flinders Ranges.

It’s a tour best tackled in cooler months with time and a reliable vehicle.

Some SUVs may handle it but better is a “proper” four-wheel drive. Take a satellite phone, extra spare tyre, water and listen out for changing weather and road conditions in this very special slice of Outback.

For a weekend away there’s always the forested delights of northern New

Australian roads offer a real getaway.

South Wales (if they’d drawn the border straight from Ballina to Mungindi instead of being sneaky about the area’s timbers this would all be Queensland anyway).

These days there’s easy access down the Pacific Highway and then a myriad of

back roads to explore in and around Bangalow and Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah and Nimbin. And then retreat to a beachside overnighter, tonnes of choices here from Fingal to Ballina.

If looking to go that bit more country for the weekend, try the StanthorpeTexas road. This stretch, just under 100km long, is a wonderful touring road and showcases a piece of Australian scrub and rural life without getting the car too dirty.

Best of all, there are good places to eat and sleep at either end of this road. Check out the Stockman Hotel in Texas and Zest Pastries in Stanthorpe.

Closer to south-east Queensland a good day out of Brisbane remains up and over Mount Glorious (watch for bikers), north past Lake Wivenhoe, then around Somerset Dam and into Kilcoy; from here options include looping up through Maleny or heading east to Caboolture.

This one is to be taken steady, there can be swarms of weekend traffic and some of the road surfaces aren’t great. But there are top picnic spots along the way.

For name-dropping drivers, little can touch the Pacific Coast Highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Even after

half-a-dozen tours this remains a firm favourite for the ocean views, magnificent forests and the towns, Carmel and Monterrey in particular.

And while it can be a journey slowed by rubber-neckers, it is never as frustrating as Victoria’s Great Ocean Road (plus it’s prettier). And it’s a far, far longer stretch – needs at least two days – than the Cairns-Port Douglas ocean drive.

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Brisbane

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CARE AFFAIRS

Take the pain out of the big move Downsizing from family home to retirement living is intimidating by any measure, from selling one place to finding the next.

For many seniors, it’s a draining task, both emotionally and physically, at a time in your life when you least need the anguish, which has led Seniors Advocate, Margaret Warren, to providing a service to help.

Inspired Outcomes is a one-stop shop to lend a hand, from finding the right place to live to selling your property including grooming it ready to go on the market, de-cluttering, moving and re-connecting utilities.

Margaret personally supervises each step to make one of life’s big decisions stress-free.

A free consultation includes a survey to ascertain what type of living is required – retirement resort or village or nursing home.

Appointments are then made to inspect three different types of resorts or villages to find what best suits. Once a choice is made, there is help with making

an expression of interest or hold on the property.

Next is sale of the family home, and assistance is available for preparing it for sale, from organising tradespeople to undertake repairs to providing a real estate agent for valuation and assessment.

“Our consultants understand that this can be a challenging time and so sit with clients to help to walk them through this process, and be the buffer between them and the real estate agency,” Margaret says.

“We take photographs of the current home to ensure furniture and beloved keepsakes, including photographs, favourite items of china and even coffee mug, are placed where they should be after the move.” Furniture and the floor plans of the unit are measured so that it remains as homely as possible.

In cases where the items won’t fit, the consultant will help with shopping for a replacement, right down to new blinds or curtaining.

There’s also help with de-cluttering and organising the sorting and sale of items, organising insurance and dealing

with Centrelink, solicitors and accountants.

Four weeks before the move, a consultant from Inspired Outcomes arranges for utilities such as electricity, gas, phone or Foxtel to be disconnected and reconnected to the new home, as well as mail redirection.

The consultant then calls for quotes for the move, arranges cleaners and on removal day, coffee or lunch while the work is underway and before arriving at the new home ready to move in.

Everything will be in place – crockery and saucepans in cupboards, medication in a familiar place, and the bed made.

“In many cases seniors seem to be the ones who get left behind or forgotten about, but this beautifully companioned service has helped many clients to a better outlook and introduced them to a better and easier way of life,” Margaret says.

Call 0448 201 884 or email info@ inspiredoutcomes.net.au

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November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 21

18/10/2017 2:09:58 PM

TECHNOLOGY

NEW VIEW OF THE WORLD

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING ONLINE

Augmented reality will change the way you use iPhone and iPad, writes COLIN DUNKERLEY.

Online privacy can be protected, but it comes at a price, writes NATHAN WELLINGTON.

W

ith the release of iOS 11 overnight Apple has become the largest augmented reality delivery service company in the world.

What is augmented reality? Also referred to as AR, it is a technology that superimposes a computer generated image or video on a user’s view of the real world, creating a combined view where the superimposed image looks like it is in front of you.

You can walk around, toward or back from the image and it will stay at the correct scale it was originally set at.

So many industries will be changed by this technology.

Education will never be the same when you can view anything from the internals of a lock, the transmission of a car to the entire human body in 3D as you walk around it in your room.

Games will be even more addictive when the chess board just appears on your coffee table as you play someone on the other side of the world.

For kids, there is a Math game (Math Ninja AR) that has already been downloaded more than two million times and had more than six million problems solved in less than one month!

Retailers need to gear up for the

change as well. IKEA has already jumped on board with their App “IKEA Place”.

You can use it to view true-to-scale models of everything from sofas and armchairs to footstools and coffee tables.

You place these items where you want in your home using your finger on the screen of your device and you can see how it looks. It will stay in place as you walk around. Great for seeing if the colour matches your decor and if the size is right for your room.

You can view the entire solar system in your backyard or even use your iPhone as a tape measure simply by tapping on the two edges you want to measure.

There is even an app that shows the heart in full 3D with your latest workout data driving its beat!

To use these apps you must have iOS11 installed on your iPad or iPhone and then, just visit the App Store and search for “AR”.

Currently there are a couple of dozen apps that are true AR, but every day more will be added and once again technology evolves.

Follow the iPadMan on Facebook for regular helpful updates or visit theipadman.com.au

L

ast month I introduced you to the world of IP addresses. Every website you visit records metadata, and this data is now kept by your internet service provider.

In 2015, the Government passed legislation compelling all telecommunications companies and internet service providers to keep consistent and reliable metadata on their customers for two years on your phone calls, text messages, emails, and internet.

This is for ASIO and the AFP to sequester your information for the purposes of national security. On April 13, 2017, this clandestine bill became law.

On a philosophical note, I understand the need for safety and security of Australian citizens, but at what cost?

You may be of the opinion “well, if you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to worry about”, but saying you have nothing to hide automatically foregoes your right to privacy.

This is a slippery slope. In June this year a man has already had his counsel attempt to use this law to sequester his wife’s online records in a divorce suit to prove she had been unfaithful.

If you would like to protect your right to online privacy you can install a VPN. Put simply, a Virtual Private Network

(VPN) is a service or program that allows your computer or device to connect to a secure offsite server over a network using an encrypted, “tunnel-like” connection. It masks your IP address, providing a layer of all-important privacy and anonymity. You can sign up for a VPN quickly and easily depending on the devices you use and whether they support Mac or Windows. Simply sign up for their service, pay their subscription fee, which costs anywhere between $40 and $70 a year, then download their software, activate it and off you go.

I must also forewarn you of some of the disadvantages of using a VPN. It only applies to the device you have downloaded the software on. To hide your IP address VPNs, use many thousands of servers around the world.

On the odd occasion, you may find your internet service gets slow or disconnects, you may need to refresh your VPN connection to gain your speed back.

Lastly, although VPNs provide you anonymity, it won’t protect you completely. ASIO and the AFP have sophisticated software that can burrow into that tunnel to gain access, but you need to be a person of interest for them to make the effort to do this.

Nathan@hometechassist.com.au

We provide care that ensures you feel cared for Our homes

Our community

Our advice

We offer a range of residential living options and are dedicated to finding the right one for you. Our residential staff provide high quality personalised care and are passionate about creating a home-like environment where you feel valued, connected and independent.

If you prefer to remain at home, as a leading provider of community care services we have a wide range of services to support your choice. We offer home care packages which we can customise to suit your needs and preferences, as well as in-home respite and allied health wellness programs. We also offer day and overnight respite where you can join the group or individualised e activities at our home-like cottage Multi Service Centres, promising you a socially enjoyable experience.

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Our advice line is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Freecall: 1800 639 331

For further information please call 07 3422 3000 0 or visit us online: www.alzheimersonline.org

22 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

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Brisbane

18/10/2017 2:09:12 PM

Halcyon

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18/10/2017 2:08:34 PM

You’re invited to

RSVP N OW !

THE TALK

NEWSTEAD Presented by Aveo Newstead, this series of events feature interviews with inspiring Queensland icons.

We invite you to attend as our guest.

Refreshments will be provided and inspiration will be shared.

NEXT EVENT: FRANCES WHITING DATE

Monday 6 November

TIME

VENUE

The High Church, Fortitude Valley

RSVP

3 November, see details below

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HUGH LUNN DATE 3 December TIME 5:30–7pm VENUE Light Space, Fortitude Valley RSVP 1 December

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Celebrating 20 years as Australia’s favourite columnist, Frances Whiting has taken the country on a journey of love, laughter, loss and triumph through her weekly commentary in The Sunday Mail. She is one of the country’s best known and popular writers, a proud Queenslander and the successful author of three books.

The Talk of Newstead is presented by Aveo Newstead.

Aveo Newstead is Australia’s first luxury, inner city retirement community. The 19-storey vertical retirement community has been designed for people who are looking to transition into a retirement community but don’t want to compromise the luxury lifestyle they’ve enjoyed over the years.

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24.indd 2

Aveo Newstead Gasworks Plaza, Skyring Terrace

18/10/2017 2:08:00 PM

NEWS

What’s in a name? Come and find out ...

U3A does not always register with people who are unfamiliar with the entity.

Give the group its full name, University of the Third Age and some dislike the idea of “university” and “exams”.

Open up to the possibilities and you find an organisation dedicated to providing learning for leisure and pleasure and a range of activities which cater for the mental, physical and social needs of seniors.

There are no exams.

There are no criteria for applicants to meet, except being a senior.

There is a range of classes and activities so it’s not hard to find something of interest.

Subjects range from arts and crafts, cards and games to dance and wellbeing, knowledge and general interest, languages, literature, music and computers.

This enables members to

Don’t be confused by the name. The U3A has something for everyone.

OLDER CONSUMERS NEED HELP WITH POWER COSTS The ACCC’s preliminary report on electricity prices has highlighted serious failings and revealed consumers have little opportunity to reduce their bills, according to National Seniors Australia.

National Seniors’ Chief Advocate Ian Henschke said the ACCC’s finding that the behaviour of retailers was “complex, confusing and potentially designed to circumvent legislation” would come as no surprise to older consumers.

The ACCC report showed that on average 70 per cent of household electricity bills were made up of network and wholesale costs.

Call us for • Retirement relocations • Aged care relocations • Clearing estates • Disability transitions Brisbane

25.indd 3

“The ACCC says that electricity network operators have over-invested in poles and wires,” Mr Henschke said.

“At the same time, we are worried that even the ACCC is putting too much emphasis on retail competition and the ability of consumers to drive down prices.

“Older consumers should not have to carry the burden of negotiating cheaper prices for what is an essential service.”

Mr Henschke said the ACCC report underlined the need for a government standing offer as a default electricity price, which National Seniors had previously called for.

“Given the behaviour of

retailers has found to be complex and confusing, we question whether consumer switching is ever going to have any material impact on prices,” Mr Henschke said.

“So it is essential that the Government take up the challenge and provide a basic standing offer to ensure at least older consumers can purchase electricity at an affordable price.

“As well, we agree with the ACCC that state and territory governments around Australia should review concessions.

“Older consumers should have access to the same level of concessions for essential services regardless of where they live.”

follow a pastime they have always loved, or perhaps not had time to pursue; or to explore a field they have never tried before.

One member of the Pine Rivers U3A played piano in her youth, but marriage, motherhood and work intervened. Now she is in the piano and organ Encouragement Group and her expertise is coming back.

A retired engineer took up art and found himself so adept that he now teaches others.

Pine Rivers now has 1000 members and tales of satisfaction abound.

Members can lead a happy, positive and productive old age.

Participation helps to fend off chronic diseases and fights depression. Some members have battled cancer, heart attack and stroke and now find the mental, physical and social activities

The upcoming cruise season will see almost 60 cruise ships sail Australian waters, carrying out more than 1200 port calls across the country.

A number of ships will also make their maiden voyages to our shores.

The latest CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association Australasia) report found: • A record of 58 cruise ships sailing local waters in 2016-17 with a 19 per cent increase in cruise ship visit days to 1401 in total • Passengers spend an average $527 a day in a port before and after their cruise, compared to $153 during transit days • Domestic cruise passengers

Care to Move helps make this lifetime transition easier for the entire family.

Our senior move managers take care of the endless ‘to do’ list including: • De cluttering and selling unwanted items • Arranging cleaning and maintenance • Organising waste and donations • Co-ordinating styling and real estate • Packing, finding storage and movers • Helping with unpacking and settling in

"The Care to Move girls went above anything I expected, including setting up the TV which involved popping out to get a connection. Who would normally do that? I was lucky to have them to assist me at this difficult time.” Glennys of Toowong

Call 3880 6677 or visit u3apinerivers.org.au

CRUISE INDUSTRY KEEPS ECONOMY AFLOAT

Overwhelmed with downsizing, moving or clearing an estate?

What our clients say about us

helpful in their recovery.

There are many U3A groups around.

The U3A Pine Rivers has its headquarters at Kallangur.

If you wold like to find out more about it for yourself, come along to the Open Day on Friday, November 17, at the Strathpine Community Centre, Mecklem St, Strathpine from 9.30am-noon.

All tutors and activity leaders will be on hand to show what they will be offering for 2018. A light morning tea is available for a gold coin donation.

Those interested can renew or gain membership on the day and the U3A band will be playing.

Explore the possibilities for a positive, fun filled Third Age.

spent $758 million in Australian port cities, and internationals, $392 million • Accommodation, transport, food and beverage, and shore excursions, accounted for 79 per cent of total passenger onshore expenditures, more than $900 million • Operating expenses accounted for 91 per cent of cruise line expenditure. Port charges, food and beverages, fuel, and travel agent commissions account for most (63 per cent) of costs.

• NSW accounted for $3.1 billion to the national economic contribution, followed by Queensland with $1.1 billion, well ahead of Victoria andWA on $387 million each.

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November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 25

18/10/2017 2:07:28 PM

LIFE IN FOCUS

The good, the bad and the ugly of change A meeting with a group of children gives PAULINE DU RIETZ cause to ponder the huge technological progress that has been made in our lifetime.

I

was recently looking after some kids aged between 10 and 12 years. We were discussing computers and I mentioned that, some 34 years ago, I had one of the first Apple Macs in Australia.

I was asked what type of computer I had prior and I stated that I didn’t have a computer. You can imagine the response from kids who have always known computers.

Their questions featured a tone of amazement, including “where did you get your information?” and “what did you play with?”

We got into a long conversation about how things were before computers, television and supermarkets, let alone, Facebook and buying things online.

Eventually one of the kids told me that listening to how life used to be some 60 years ago was like a listening to “some weird fantasy story”.

I tried to explain we didn’t have refrigerators and the “iceman” would deliver a large block of ice each week for the ice chest. I explained how the washing was done prior to the arrival of washing machines.

I told them how kids did not call adults by their first names, that the

neighborhood kids would all play together and the neighborhood mums would challenge and discipline your behaviour as if you belonged to them.

I mentioned that not every family owned a car and that going on holidays was almost unheard of, unless you went to your cousin’s house.

I might add, I did not mention that in my early days at school, we wrote on slates, that toilets were in the backyard and that the toilet pans were collected by someone called “the Dunny Man”.

When I mentioned that in my early days of working on television, it was in

black and white and finished around 10.30pm. They were aghast and couldn’t imagine TV not being in colour or not being available all the time.

As we chatted, I considered what TV commercials were like in those days.

I remember one where the product being sold was floor cleaner and the woman demonstrating the floor cleaner was wearing a beautiful “going-out” style dress and high-heeled shoes. During the post-war period, especially since the 1960s, we have experienced great change.

The good, bad and ugly aspects of life: social, economic, cultural and political, as well as enormous global influences, that we accept and take for granted. After that conversation with the kids I kept thinking of the technological progress that you and I, dear reader, have experienced.

On the positive side we have to include some things like medicine; travel; aspects of education and workplace training; occupational health and safety; better opportunities for women in the workplace and opportunities to exit marriage and property settlement in a better way than we did prior to 1975.

There have been changes in the

family structure; opportunities for mature age students to enter university and for individuals to retrain and change career.

On the bad side, we have seen the loss of our manufacturing industries and changes to the production of food and farming. And on the ugly side, we have experienced the deterioration of our values of respect, consideration and acceptance. The nature and manifestation of crime has also changed. Our grandchildren do not have the same freedoms and safety that we enjoyed.

Another ugly and frustrating aspect is the exceptionally poor standard of debate and representation that we get from our politicians. Not all is bad though.

Over the years, I have won millions of dollars according to the senders. One recent message came via text and the sender said, “I am from the United Nations and they have sent me to give you $1.5 million in cash. I am at the Brisbane airport and need you to email me $110 to buy a label to get out of the airport so that I can bring you the cash.”

I responded, “Take the $110 out of the cash that you have there, see you soon.”

Lucky, lucky me! Strangely, I did not hear from them again.

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FINANCE

Plan to enjoy the journey not just the destination Surveys confirm that those who plan for their retirement are better off than most, so if travel is your aspiration, then take flight and be invigorated, writes BRIAN MOONEY.

O

ne of the exciting aspects of getting older is you have the money to see the world and it follows that good planning your holiday will make it a more positive experience.

This doesn’t mean you have to plan to the hour or the day where you will be or what you will be doing, but rather, spending some time before you depart.

Here are some of the things to consider: SINGLE The reality is that more people are single in the 50-plus age group than ever before. Some singles enjoy travelling alone while for others, it is a cause for trepidation. Going with a small group of friends, work colleagues or relatives is an option, or maybe an organised tour that has other singles. It is important for singles to plan well as you don’t have a partner to fall back on.

AGENT OR SELF Lots of people use the internet for planning their travel and it works well for some. There are some fantastic online flights or travel packages but it helps if

you know someone who has used that company previously. Sometimes travel agents have seats left on cheap flights that are fully booked online. Also, they have often been to the country you are visiting and have valuable experience to share. There is no right or wrong way, however, one approach might be to do some research online and then go and talk to an agent.

MEDICAL AND INSURANCE It is good practice to have a medical before you travel and make sure you have adequate insurance. If you break your leg

in a remote location it may cost a small fortune to be evacuated. Some credit cards offer free insurance but check the benefits and conditions of eligibility, for example, minimum spend required on the card. Make sure you have your family contact’s details on your phone in case this is required.

HOW TO PAY It does depend on where you are going as some countries still use cash for a lot of transactions outside of hotels etc. It is best to take some cash and other funding options include traveller’s cheques, debit and credit cards and pre-paid cards.

While traveller’s cheques are more secure than cash, the exchange rate is not competitive and they are not accepted everywhere.

The Pre-paid cards are good if you want to lock in the exchange rate and you can pre-load more than one currency. The other benefit is it assists with not over-spending. There can be hidden fees with these cards and if used for hotels and car hire they take an imprint and any unused funds can take some days to be

CONCESSION CARD IS BACK

TEN GOOD REASONS TO HAVE A WILL

THOUSANDS of seniors will have their Pensioner Concession Cards reinstated, giving access to significant discounts.

Former part pensioners lost their cards in January because of reforms to the pension assets test but will again be entitled to a range of benefits.

The concession card enables pensioners to benefit from a range of state, local government and private sector savings such as reduced power bills, property and water rates, public transport and vehicle registration.

The cards have been automatically reinstated. Those expecting a reissued card don’t need to do anything to receive it, it will be sent automatically.

Visit humanservices.gov.au

If you die without a Will, the law says you have died intestate. It means you have left no valid instructions on how you want your property to be distributed.

The court will decide how your estate will be divided up according to a formula in the legislation.

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Here are 10 good reasons why it’s worth getting around to making a Will.

1. The decisions on how your estate will be distributed will be made by you, otherwise there are no guarantees that your intended desires will be carried out.

2. It helps minimise argument within the family.

3. A Will informs the court how you

want your estate to be distributed.

4. You will decide who will administer your estate. The executor is responsible for paying the bills, cancelling your credit cards and notifying the bank and other establishments of your death.

5. There may be someone you do not want to gain from your estate and you can disinherit individuals (such as an ex-spouse from a bitter divorce).

6. Minimise estate taxes because the value of what you give to family members and charities will reduce the value of your estate when it is time to pay taxes.

7. Make gifts and donations. Your legacy

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Make sure current laws are checked.

8. Avoid legal challenges – if you die intestate, your estate may pass to someone who you didn’t want to leave anything to.

9. You can change your mind when your circumstances change such as births, deaths and divorce. A Will allows you to make provisions while you are still alive.

10. Death is part of life. Procrastinating about making a Will and thinking you will get around to it one day can result in unnecessary trauma when an unexpected death occurs.

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credited back to your card.

Debit and Credit cards allow you to get cash in multiple countries but you are subject to the exchange rate at the time of each transaction. Debit cards are good in that you are using your own money but it would be best to not have your life savings in that account. Some credit cards will provide free travel insurance but make sure you compare this to other policies on offer.

The best solution is a combination of cash, pre-paid travel cards and a debit and/or credit card.

A lot of my clients are in the travel or SKI (Spending Kids Inheritance) part of their life and I learn a lot from them.

The main question I am often asked is “can I afford it?”

Sometimes the great travel opportunity appears from nowhere, but many others have set aside funds in the pre and post retirement budgets for their travel costs. Bon voyage.

Brian Mooney is a Certified Financial Planner and authorised representative of Logiro. Email brianm@logiro.com

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18/10/2017 2:06:27 PM

WELLBEING

Don’t let your trip become a pain in the gut There’s nothing like a dose of Delhi belly or Bali belly to spoil a holiday, so naturopath TRUDY KITHER recommends preventative measures for gut health as an essential part of the planning.

H

olidays are always wonderful until yourself or someone you are travelling with gets sick.

Whether it is due to the water, food or something else out of your control, tummy bugs are common and can really put a downer on the holiday when you or your fellow traveller is sick and suffering from any type of gastro upset.

Here are some easy and effective preventative measures which are simple to do and can help reduce the likelihood of gut pain ruining your next trip.

Start by taking with you a good probiotic that has a protective strain of good bacteria in it. This helps to reduce the instances of bad bacteria getting into your gut.

This can happen for any number of reasons, such as water quality, tainted foods (it only takes one little bite of food that has one tiny bad bacteria starting to grow in it, or being cooked in something that doesn’t agree with you, for this to happen).

Bad bugs can come from any source picked up along the way in your travels.

Remember, not all probiotics do the same things and one probiotic’s action is different to another. You just need to look

Ginger quickly settles nausea at all the different strains that different brands and products have to know that they are all different, and this is for good reason.

The probiotic you need to arm yourself with to keep your gut defences up is one that has the Saccharomyces cerevisiae (bouldardii) strain in it.

This strain supports the establishment of friendly bacteria in the gut and

discourages the growth of harmful micro-organisms. It is used extensively for the symptomatic relief of traveller’s diarrhea, antibiotic associated diarrhea and candidiasis (thrush).

Another herbal staple for preventative travelling measures for any gut/gastro discomfort is a bottle of what I call “Gastro Calm”.

I ensure that my patients take a bottle

with them for any unforeseen gut irritability, indigestion, cramping, bloating, nausea and any other general gut uncomfortableness.

It has a combination of marshmallow (herb acts as a lubricant and is calming to the gastrointestinal system), meadowsweet (acts as an antacid for burning, indigestion), fennel (to calm the bloat), chamomile (for any tension or constriction in the gut that occurs) ginger (for nausea) and peppermint along with maybe one or two other herbs (dependent upon individual requirements).

This little bottle of magic can help calm any unhappy gut and settle it quickly, leaving you to enjoy your holidays, upset free.

I highly recommend these preventative measures for anyone considering travelling here or overseas to ensure your holiday is not spoilt because of gut problems.

By taking this strain of probiotic and variety of herbs you can cover all bases when it comes to possible gastro or gut upsets that make gut problems a pain in the gut!

Trudy Kither is a registered naturopath. Visit naturestemple.net

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HEALTH

DEMENTIA UPDATES ONLINE More than 400,000 Australians live with dementia and that number is expected to climb to 1.1 million by 2056.

University of Queensland experts are keeping people living with or affected by dementia up to date on the latest dementia research and care through the online publication The Brain: Dementia.

Queensland Brain Institute director Professor Pankaj Sah said the 24-page publication, produced in partnership with Alzheimer’s Australia, was designed to shed light on all aspects of Australia’s second-biggest killer.

“The publication is an essential resource for anyone living with or affected by dementia, one of society’s most pressing health problems,” Prof Sah said.

“We explain the science behind dementia, its causes and risk factors, in an accessible and

STROKE AWARENESS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

informative way. We also share some of the compelling progress our researchers have made.”

This includes the breakthrough discovery of ultrasound as a potential treatment for dementia.

“The QBI team has found ultrasound could one day be used to better deliver Alzheimer’s drugs into the brain and reduce disease symptoms,” he said.

The Brain: Dementia is available on the Queensland Brain Institute website.

“Dementia’s tendrils reach far and wide. Nearly all of us know somebody affected by the condition, whether it be a family member, friend or colleague,” Prof Sah said.

Topics covered include types of dementia and their causes, risk factors including genetics and lifestyle choices; and diagnosing and living with dementia.

ABOUT 56,000 strokes are expected in Australia this year, yet most people are still unable to recognise the signs.

“Stroke is treatable and it is beatable,” says Stroke Foundation volunteer Rodney Hopson.

With the right treatment at the right time many people are able to make a full recovery, but first people need to recognise the signs of stroke and get to hospital.”

The former farmer, who suffered a stroke seven years ago, is now committed to spreading the word about preventing this potentially deadly disease along

with knowing the steps to take in a stroke emergency. The simple way to recognise the signs of stroke is by remembering the word FAST. Using the FAST test involves asking these asking simple questions: Face – Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?

Arms – Can they lift both arms?

Speech – Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?

Time – Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call 000 straight away.

“I am honest with people about the impact stroke has had on my life, on my loved ones and my business which I had to give up,” Rodney says. He said most people didn’t realise stroke killed more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer.

StrokeSafe ambassadors such as Rodney, are available to deliver talks in a range of locations throughout Australia.

To arrange an ambassador to visit your community, call 1300 194 196 or book at strokefoundation.org.au

DOCTOR’S VISIT WITH A DIFFERENCE FAMILIARITY often takes us to the same doctor but sometimes it can feel like an endless assembly line with pills and more pills.

We are given another pharmaceutical and then back to the chemist, paying more money and taking more medicine.

“We are disappointed with the way primary care has been allowed to develop,” says Dr Michelle Vickers, of River Tree Health in West End. “As people get older, their

bodies require consideration of a whole, complex way in which all the systems work together.”

Integrative medicine considers a range of evidence-based approaches. Recognising that some pharmaceutical medications are vital, integrative medicine aims to minimise side effects and reduce or exclude the reliance on non-essential medications.

Studies already show how integrative medicine is having significant benefits for warding

off dementia and Alzheimer’s, helping people give up antidepressants and fixing gut-health and immunity.

And then there’s the waiting before even seeing the doctor.

“We think patients deserve to be treated as clients, and the healing starts with the waiting experience,” Dr Vickers says.

“River Tree Health practitioners are already qualified and experienced to help you get off the merry-go-round.”

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18/10/2017 2:06:01 PM

RETIREMENT LIVING

First residents tee off at Halcyon Greens

A

USTRALIA’S first over 50s golf and residential community, Halcyon Greens, has welcomed its first residents as the $250 million masterplanned development takes shape at Pimpama on the Gold Coast.

The first occupants of the 500-home Pimpama community were driven to their new homes in a Tesla Model S,as a house-warming gesture from Halcyon to celebrate their decision to choose Tesla battery-powered dwellings.

Halcyon Greens is next to the Gainsborough Greens golf course and its display village is now open.

Prior to buying at Halcyon Greens, Barry Dempsey researched environmentfriendly home designs with the aim of achieving a more cost-effective lifestyle.

“I came across Halcyon communities while doing my research and was extremely impressed with the design concept and the environmentally friendly features,” he said.

“I knew I wanted to live in an eco-

Halcyon Greens community manager Michelle Drummond with Barry Dempsey. friendly home and was looking at solar and wind-powered technology before I discovered the Tesla-powered homes on offer at Halcyon. I was sold.”

The village is the first designed and constructed to the silver level of Liveable Housing Design (LHD) in Australia.

Residents also have exclusive free access to Gainsborough Greens golf course and its new clubhouse currently under construction.

THE PLEASURES OF LIVING NORTHSIDE BALDWIN Living Northside offers apartment living with all the modern features expected of resort-style living, so you can enjoy a hassle-free lifestyle without the burden of home maintenance.

Within the village, is a blend of one and two-bedroom apartments, each offering a different configuration with deluxe quality appliances, luxurious bathrooms and outdoor entertaining.

There is a range of apartments available, starting at just $245,000.

When purchasing a property, there are a number of other benefits as well, including the wide range of facilities within the village and the community atmosphere.

A sense of community is important to the team at Baldwin Care Group, the operators of Baldwin Living Northside.

“Our dedication to enhancing independent living for residents is reflected not only in the quality of the

facilities themselves, but also in the variety of social, creative and healthy activities offered,” Village manager Debbie Russell she said.

Baldwin Living Northside has a wide range of facilities to keep residents entertained, including barbecue and gazebo areas, heated indoor pool and spa, lift access to all levels and courtesy bus.

Sprawling over 9000sqm, residents enjoy the manicured gardens and private gazebos in a convenient location with easy access to all major shopping centres and public transport.

Baldwin Living Northside is located at 259 Handford Rd and is adjacent to 11,000sqm of parkland, with a landscaped waterway, bike and walking paths through to Centro Taigum Shopping Centre.

Call 1800 911 989 or email sales@ baldwinliving.com.au to organise an inspection. Visit baldwinliving.com.au

FINAL OPEN DAY AS PEBBLE BEACH HITS CAPACITY AWARD-WINNING retirement community developer Parker Property Group’s Pebble Beach freehold retirement community has completed its final stage of development, with only a handful of homes remaining for sale.

With nowhere left to expand, it is the last chance to secure freehold retirement freedom and dodge deferred management fees.

The final open day, on Friuday, November 17, 10am-2pm, is an opportunity to inspect remaining homes and join residents for refreshments.

Pebble Beach is an example of a rare but popular independent living freehold retirement community where residents own their homes outright and have all the rights of freehold home owners.

This means no deferred management fees or hefty ongoing costs. Owners retain all the capital gains, while enjoying the security and community atmosphere of a registered retirement village.

“In this way Pebble Beach has been designed to bridge the gap between full service retirement living and owning your own home” sales manager Elaine Quinn says.

“We might not provide all the bells

and whistles of some other options, but that is exactly what the developer intended and is just how the residents like it. Its proximity to services, clubs and facilities on Bribie Island allows residents to pick and choose without being burdened with the ongoing management costs associated with on-site facilities they may not even use.”

Basics such as rubbish removal, lawn mowing, grounds and building maintenance and insurance is covered by a simple low body corporate fee (currently less than $40 a week) which is administered by the residents’ body corp.

The final stage of new homes is adjacent to The Village Shopping Centre, with a convenient security gate which provides access to a range of shops including: Premier IGA supermarket, pharmacy, medical centre, newsagency, liquor store, bakery, hair salon, coffee shop and dental surgery.

Home prices start from $399,000, which includes tiles, carpets, security screens and planted courtyard garden.

Sales Display Centre open 10am4pm Thursday to Sunday at 210 Bestmann Rd East, Sandstone Point.

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REDUCE YOUR SALT INTAKE FOR A HEALTHIER HEART IT can be hard to keep track of your average salt intake and maintain a healthy diet.

A high intake of salt often leads to increased blood pressure and the risk of heart disease but there are no visible signs of high blood pressure, which means many people don’t even know they have it. Reduce your risk by making healthier choices each day, and the first step is avoiding processed food.

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18/10/2017 2:05:36 PM

READER’S STORY

A day at the races It’s the race that stops a nation, but, as RITA MALONE advises her snobbish English friend, it’s not Royal Ascot.

“I

can’t believe I am finally here,” said my excited English friend. “I am finally at Flemington race track, first Tuesday in November at the Melbourne Cup and with an Australian (pronounced Ostralian).

The weather is brilliant, hot even.

“Am I in Melbourne?” I asked myself, as I had been almost drowned attending the Cup over the years. My friend, English to the core, was a serious and socially well-heeled horse racing fan, with comments on all the courses she attended and the people therein.

Royal Ascot, “every year off course my dear, so Royal. Known Elizabeth since they were children”; Chantilly in France, “what does one say about the French except to praise their champagne?”; the Curragh in Ireland, “I love Ireland and the Irish. We never did really tame them, however they breed the best race horses in the world”; Hong Kong Sha Tin and Happy Valley, “such a lovely name for a race course. The Chinese are the greatest gamblers in the world and we English brought horse racing to them”; Japan, “never really trusted them after the last war; and India was removed from my list after I developed a bad case of Delhi belly one year, so undignified”.

Brisbane

31.indd 3

My friend was a snob. A true snob.

The last of a long line of snobs. She lived in a forgotten era.

Did I, an Ostralian hold this against her? No, she fascinated me as I was raised in a classless society and had never met a real snob until I met my friend.

We were going into the Upper Circle (of course) where men of all ages were suited and booted, field glasses at the ready, membership badges fixed to their coats or dangling from waistcoats.

The young men had suitable wraparound sunglasses. There were a few cut-away suits and top hats, suitable for Royal Ascot, but not really popular in Aus, as I told my friend.

The women were a picture, a real fashion parade, having spent a small fortune on their attire including hats.

Hats were the thing. Big hats, small hats, fascinators, hats with sweeping feathers, hats with ribbons, tassels and big bows. A riot of colour.

Some young beauties nearly fall out of what there was of their frocks. The young, the middle aged and the aged all were a credit and delight to the eye.

My friend was deeply impressed.

“Nearly as good as Royal Ascot.”

Better, I thought.

Both sexes stood together, champagne glasses held correctly in the left hand (never, my friend, in the right hand) finger food was circulated by well dressed, polite, non-intrusive wait staff.

Name dropping was the order of the day, with everyone. Some of the crowd were well-known faces, cricket and football being well represented.

An air of absolute prosperity reigned and excitement was mounting.

“I must warn you about something,” I said to my friend who, by this time, had ingratiated herself into the middle of the crowd. I advised her to stand clear of the crowd once the race started as if their chosen horse showed promise in the straight they would, men and women of all ages, change completely. Some ancient geneses going back to early Africa or kangaroos seem to kick in.

The men, young and old, start to yell madly while jumping higher and higher into the air, arms and field glasses swinging wildly. Hats fly off. Sunglasses hang on to one ear.

“It seems to happen at all our big important meetings,” I told my friend.

“But most of all at the Cup.” If the chosen mount wins, beware and flee, as the men run madly around in

circles looking for fellow males to hug, lift off their feet regardless of weight, swing around and then pound them madly on their backs.

Women are forgotten and when they do remember the wives, partners and girlfriends and even complete strangers, are hugged, swung off their feet but not so much pounding on the back. Everyone in sight is included in this bizarre ritual.

“Follow me when I move away from the main group,” says I. Then we hear the magic words. They are off and racing. Dead silence, not only at the track but all over Australia for the race that stops the nation has begun.

There’s uproar as the horses hit the straight.

As we left the track, my friend, her hat askew and a heel missing from one shoe, turned to me and said, “it could never happen at Ascot and I think I will put India back on the list. They looked so refined and … civilized.”

They usually are, but seem to lose control at the big race days, especially our second national day, the wonderful Melbourne Cup. She should have followed me when I moved away from the crowd when the big race started.

November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 31

18/10/2017 2:05:09 PM

WHAT’S ON

QSO joins violin virtuoso

W NOVEMBER PROMOTIONS Sunday 19th November 1.15pm-2.50pm. Members Giveaway Draws 10 x $300 Trebles, 1x $1000 Full House, 2 x $1,500 Trebles + Bonus $5,000 in Calls.

Friday Night 24th November 7.30pm-9.00pm-10.30pm 13 x $1,000 Trebles, 1 x 2,000 Full House, 1 x $2,000 Treble, 1 x $7,000 Treble + Night Owl.

Info Line: 3340 3961 www.southsidesport.com.au 76 Mt. Gravatt Capalaba Rd Upper Mount Gravatt Phone: 3340 3960

orld renowned violin virtuoso Maxim Vengerov returns to Brisbane this month to present Brahms’ spectacular Violin Concerto.

In a breathtaking performance, the violin runs the gamut of emotions – it sings like an angel, prowls like an animal and marches like a military band on parade.

In the hands of a superstar this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Also featured in this concert is Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, a masterpiece from the days of French Impressionism.

This full-blooded performance conducted by music director Alondra de la Parra, features the might of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra together with the Australian Voices.

QPAC Concert Hall. November 17 and 18, 7.30pm

DANCING QUEENS RE-LIVE ABBA HITS Award-winning entertainers Rhonda Burchmore and Lara Mulcahy reunite this month to present their hilarious new concert, Abba-solutely Fabulous.

This year is the 40th anniversary of ABBA’s first Australian tour.

Burchmore and Mulcahy are two of the country’s most formidable entertainers.

Growing up diehard ABBA fans, they dreamt of what it would be like to be Freda or Agnetha, had major crushes on Benny and Bjorn and want to celebrate that magic.

With their platform boots, Lycra cat suits and big hair this dynamic duo – who channel a fair splash of Patsy and Eddy of Absolutely Fabulous fame – will have audiences dancing in the aisles as

they sing their way through ABBA’s hits.

Kedron Wavell Services Club, Kedron. Friday, November 3. ticketmaster.com.au or call 3359 9122

Logan Entertainment Centre, 170 Wembley Rd, Logan Central Box office hours Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm (also open one hour prior to show times) Phone: 3412 5626 Online: loganentertainmentcentre.com.au

IN VOICE FRIDAY 24 NOVEMBER, 7.30PM The first time Women in Voice is coming to Logan

32 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

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VIP table $49pp (6 per table) Adult $35pp Concession $30pp Group 8+/Members $28pp

GO YOUR OWN WAY: THE STORY OF CHRISTINE MCVIE The other woman in Fleetwood Mac SATURDAY 14 OCTOBER, 7.30PM VIP table $49pp (6 per table) Adult $35pp Concession $30pp Group 8+/Members $28pp

Brisbane

18/10/2017 2:04:33 PM

WHAT’S ON

MAKE IT A DATE WITH CALENDAR GIRLS

NASH Theatre presents Calendar Girls, a funny yet moving play based on the true story of a group of women of the Women’s Institute (the British equivalent of the CWA) who pose nude for a calendar to raise money for leukaemia research.

The previous year’s fundraising calendar featuring local bridges had raised only a meagre £75.60 and was ordinary.

This year’s proposed calendar featuring local churches, promised more of the same.

But middle-aged WI member Chris is determined that this year the Knapely Branch will raise much more.

Her best friend’s husband has just died of leukaemia and

Brisbane

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the relatives’ room at the local hospital is in dire need of a new settee.

She convinces her fellow members that sex sells, so why not use it to create a fundraising calendar featuring tasteful photographs of nude WI members.

Directed by Brenda White, Calendar Girls promises pure entertainment in the good British humour tradition.

A licensed bar is operating and soft drinks, tea, coffee and snacks available at each performance.

The Brunswick Room (Merthyr Rd Uniting Church) 52 Merthyr Rd, New Farm Preview November 17, 7.30pm, all seats $10; opening night November 18, 7.30pm, tickets $25, concessions $20 (including supper); November 24, 25 and December 1, 2, 8, 9, 7.30pm; and matinee. December 3, 2pm, tickets $20, concessions $15. Bookings 3379 4775, email: nashtheatre4@bigpond. com or online at trybooking. com/249819.

Visit nashtheatre.com

TRIBUTE TO R.M. WILLIAMS IN PHOTOS A PHOTOGRAPHIC tribute to Australian legend R.M. Williams, One Man’s Mistakes, will be on display at Brookland Village this month.

The exhibition is an intimate portrait of the bushman, businessman, grazier, raconteur, author and one of Australia’s great legends.

Brookland Village manager Abigail Seeto- Billings said the exhibition featured photographs by renowned Toowoomba photographer David Seeto.

“As R.M. Williams’ personal photographer for more than 20 years, David spent many hours with Williams at his property and the two became firm

friends,” she said.

“The exhibition also features fascinating insights into R.M. Williams’ reflections on his life which he shared with David during this time.

“R.M. Williams’ elastic-sided boots are famous worldwide and his name is synonymous with Australian bush culture and handcrafts, something that we at Live Life Communities are also passionate about.”

There is a local connection as R.M. Williams spent many years living at Hodgson Vale just outside Toowoomba.

One Man’s Mistakes is based on David Seeto’s book of the same name which will be

available at the exhibition.

Open daily November 11-19, 10am-4pm. 18 Romulus St, Robertson. Call 3345 9143

MASTERS PLAY ORIGINAL INSTRUMENTS THE world-renowned Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on its first full tour of Australia, arrives in Brisbane this month.

The ground-breaking ensemble will be directed by leading baroque violinist Rachel Podger in a stunning program of Haydn, JC Bach and Mozart. it is a rare chance to hear

this glorious music on original instruments played by the great masters of our time.

Not all orchestras are the same – and this one is a must for enlightened music fans.

Hailed “the queen of the baroque violin” Rachel Podger is a leading interpreter of baroque and classical music, soloist and guest director with many of the

world’s top ensembles.

She has worked frequently with the OAE over the past decade: “Individually they’re fantastic musicians but when you put them together there is a sense of adventure and openness. It’s rather special.”

QPAC, November 19, 3pm Visit musicaviva.com.au/ orchestra

November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 33

18/10/2017 2:03:37 PM

WHAT’S ON

Top tenor for Community Concert

IMAGE: NAIM CHIDIAC

C

o.As.It. Community Services will launch the festive season at its annual Community Concert, with a special performance by international star, Alfio.

After another successful tour of the USA, two prestigious Emmy nominations and a national Top 10 Billboard album, Sydney-born and now resident of New York, Alfio is in Brisbane for one show only.

He captivates audiences with powerful vocals combined with charming comedic banter, and brings a new approach to the tenor tradition with a modern interpretation of English and Italian standards, classical takes on contemporary chart-toppers and original songs that bridge musical genres.

This charismatic singer, songwriter and musician is a modern throwback to the legendary greats, delivering a mesmerizing live show filled with much-loved classics, pop standards and his acclaimed originals.

There will also be a special Broadway performance by Soprano Gabrielle Jack and

tenor Roger Davy.

Everyone is welcome to attend and also enjoy or a glass of Prosecco and a slice of panettone to celebrate the festive season.

Old Museum, 480 Gregory Tce, Bowen Hills. Saturday, November 25, 2.30pm-6pm.

Tickets $20 includes refreshments. Call Co.As.It. 3262 5755

NOVEL WAY TO LEARN THE STORY OF BRISBANE Take a walk around Brisbane Powerhouse with awardwinning actors Therese Collie and Tim Mullooly as they tell the fascinating story of Brisbane.

Drawing on the words of our great writers from Steele Rudd to David Malouf, from the defining poetry of Oodgeroo Noonuccal to the songs of The Go-Betweens, it’s a song and dance through the city’s history.

Against the backdrop of the Brisbane River and with Brisbane Powerhouse at the heart of the narrative, The Story of Brisbane is packed with anecdote, humour and information as it celebrates the many wondrous ways writers have seen our city.

Accompany Therese and Tim as they transform themselves into a variety of characters from the works of writers past and present, well known and less well known.

Witty, enthusiastic and steeped in Brisbane cultural knowledge, they happily veer off into subjects that wouldn’t be covered by the city’s tourist

WIN A PASS TO THREE SUMMERS brochures.

Soak up the atmosphere of Brisbane Powerhouse and gain a unique insight into the way of life of Brisbane people: from its original inhabitants to the European convicts and free settlers, through wars and depression to the jump and jive of the 1950s, the flowering of the 60s, the protests of the 70s and up to the present day.

The walking tour requires a level of mobility. Lifts are available to move between levels, but patrons will be required to walk/wheelchair between stops.

See a clip of what to expect at brismania.com Meet at the Powerhouse box office. Every Wednesday 10am. Tickets $30

The Australian film Three Summers stars some of our best-loved actors and delivers an engaging folk tale of contemporary Australia.

From internationally renowned writer director Ben Elton, Three Summers is an ensemble comedy that embraces the diversity of modern Australia, with a cast including Michael Caton, Magda Szubanski, John Waters and Deb Mailman.

Your Time has five double passes to Three Summers to be won. Simply email editorial@ yourtimemagazine.com.au with your postal address so passes can be in the mail as soon as possible. The film opens on November 2. Passes are valid for most cinemas.

New Farm Nash Theatre Inc. 2017 Laughter is the Best Medicine An Amateur Production By arrangement with ORiGiN™ Theatrical on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.

BOOKINGS: www.nashtheatre.com | 3379 4775 Our theatre is in the Brunswick Room located at Merthyr Road Uniting Church, 52 Merthyr Rd, New Farm 4005. Ample street parking available.

34 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

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Brisbane

18/10/2017 2:03:04 PM

BOOK REVIEW

ELIZABETH PASCOE

The story gently unfolds, as Tom Sherbourne, deeply affected by his war service, on a rare visit to the mainland meets Isabel (Issy), a vibrant young girl who goes back to the remote island with him as his wife.

This is a beautifully told story with warmth and compassion, but life rarely goes according to plan. Tom and Issy are caught in a catastrophic dilemma and this becomes the central theme of the novel.

I enjoyed this book immensely and thoroughly recommend it. 5 stars.

TONY HARRINGTON

I loved this book. It is a beautifully written and emotionally moving story. The classic themes of love, loss, rejection and guilt are crafted with great sensitivity.

The settings, on a remote island and a small rural town in southwest Western Australia, in post World War I Australia are truly captivating. I liked the descriptions of the love a man can have for beautiful inanimate mechanical creations, for example, the light of a lighthouse.

The story of two main characters expertly outlines the differences between a man’s brain and a maternal brain, a mother’s biological craving for children and the basic and primal instincts of mothering behaviours. Excellent work 9/10.

BOOK review Tom Sherbourne returns after four harrowing years fighting on the Western Front during World War I and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, a remote and isolated island off the West Australian coast.

A supply boat comes once a season and shore leave is granted every other year but his young and loving wife Isabel agrees to join him there. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s THE LIGHT cry and finds a boat has BETWEEN OCEANS washed up with a dead man and a living baby. Tom and

BY M.L. Stedman Issy make a devastating decision that forever changes two worlds.

JOHN KLEINSCHMIDT I love books about Australia and even better if by an Australian author. M. L. Stedman, although based in London, was raised in Perth and displays a natural understanding of our country and its characters.

The fictional Janus Island is so vividly described that it is easy to imagine living out the extremes of isolation, wild weather, peaceful calm and natural beauty and the characters are strong and believable.

Janus Rock is named after the Roman twofaced god of beginnings and transitions and there are many in this story. We are frequently compelled to contemplate the dichotomies of light and dark, life and death and especially right and wrong. I enjoyed this book and recommend it as a good read.

SUZI HIRST

Did I enjoy this book? Not really. It is a book about love, isolation, lies, grief and the result of actions taken that can only have one result.

It is well written as a debut novel, but I did not like the characters at all. Isobel is despicable and makes Tom go against all his rigid beliefs and morals to keep the baby that they find washed up in a row boat with her dead father and live her lie with her.

When they leave the island and rejoin the world, Tom eventually has to tell the truth and Isobel allows him to take the blame. The end was disappointing for me.

JO BOURKE

MARY BARBER I read this book a few years ago and its powerful storyline has stayed with me.

Tom, a returned soldier is a stickler for rules and his young wife Isabel is the indulged daughter of a well-to-do family, so there’s bound to be conflict.

The drama gets you thinking about right and wrong. There were times I wanted to shout at Isabel. I could understand her pain, but her actions had consequences she could not imagine. This novel also showed me how World War I coloured the years after it. Families were broken. Town life was full of absences and hatreds.

This is an unusual and polarizing story, as evidenced by the many, often lengthy and differing reviews on Google. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely!

The story opens in 1926 with the pivotal event which shapes the plot and then transports the reader back eight years to introduce Tim and Isobel and the beautiful isolation in which they lived on Janus Island.

I loved the detail with which the characters were contrasted – a warweary older man, scarred by his experiences and a young, naïve girl without the maturity to deal with the tragedies she would have to face. For those of us who may have wondered or dreamt of living on an island and keeping the light going, it was also a fascinating description of a time before automation was introduced.

The description of four-year-old Lucy wrenched from the people and surroundings she loved was heartbreaking! Would it have happened if the rattle had not been remembered and the reward claimed? Personally I think not. What will you think? For me – an excellent read!

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BUDERIM Coach tour to visit the remains of the railway that used to run from Palmwoods to Buderim & view one of the engines that worked the line.

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18/10/2017 2:02:16 PM

The WORLD in Your Hands

Travel in Your Time

Good planning, not good luck Travel is becoming an increasingly popular way to make the most of retirement. Two hardy travellers share their tips with DOT WHITTINGTON.

I

f there’s one thing Kevin Briggs really dislikes, it’s when people call him “lucky” because he travels.

“We make it happen,” he says. “We thought when we retired five years ago that maybe we could get away every two years, but in fact it has been at least once every year.”

Tip 1: You don’t have to be a millionaire. Travel is much more affordable these days, it’s just a case of wanting it badly enough.

The 65-year-old retired school principal and his wife Anne, 63, also a retired teacher, head offshore for an average of two months a year and agree that it helps that travel is something they are both passionate about – and have been for decades.

“I’m lucky to have a partner who also likes to travel,” Kevin says. “I think it also helps that we travelled when we were younger and we don’t find it daunting to head into the unknown, but once you do it once, you soon get a feel for it.”

Tip 2: Travel with someone who shares the interest and finds it adventurous, especially for when the road gets rocky.

Their first taste of travel was in the early 1980s when they visited Hong Kong and Singapore. They were bitten by the bug, but their first real travel lesson came in 1988, when they booked a Eurail trip through Europe with their two young daughters, aged eight and two.

That turned out an adventure because despite must-have Frommers’ guide Europe on $10 a

Kevin and Anne Briggs keep their memories in photo books.

Day, they still over-ran the tight budget. It was the days of traveller’s cheques so it wasn’t as simple as pulling money out of a wall.

“If we had known just how expensive it was going to be we may not have gone, but then we learnt a lot of ways to save money on the road, so it turned out to be a good thing,” Kevin says. “We weren’t going to let kids stop us, so I carried the baby on my back.”

Tip 3: Budget but be prepared for the unexpected and how to survive on a loaf of crispy French bread and a lump of cheese … and wine of course.

Fortunately their jobs allowed them to make an international exchange and they lived in England and taught at an inner London school in 1992-93. After that there were regular trips to Europe and a decade later, with their children grown up, they continued on the path – they’ve

Girls On Tour

now been to Greece seven times and know the islands well.

Tip 4: Retirement means you have more flexibility on times and can travel outside of peak season well away from school holiday crowds.

Their interest is always the people and the culture and they tend to “centralise” by booking an apartment for a week or more and moving out from there to really get to know an area, the neighbourhood and to live like a local.

“We took an apartment on the Cinque Terre and really indulged in the local culture.

We were able to communicate even without language. It was a great experience,” Kevin says.

House swapping has been another way to pursue that interest and it has worked well.

It means they can base themselves in one spot and stay longer.

On the other hand, hotels have the advantage of language

– the manager can point the best direction and explain where and how to find things, especially pharmaceutical items.

“We usually travel threestar and just like it to be safe and clean and we need our own bathroom,” Kevin says. “If booking a hotel we try to find one that has breakfast included and then we really only need something light for lunch and only have to buy dinner each day.”

Tip 5: Explore accommodation options, but you have living costs at home too, so the food budget is going to be similar.

Not a lot has changed now that they are past 60, although these days they organise a stopover on the long-haul flights. They also have changed their travel times and will only take a 6am departure or a red-eye if there is no other choice, even if it means paying a bit more. They are also more aware of safety and if they feel unsafe, will forget the local buses and take a taxi – “once, we never would have done that”.

Tip 6: Go with whatever airline works for you on price and convenience and know your limitations. You don’t want to start the trip exhausted at midnight.

They have also tried a few cruises – the Baltic and Alasaka – and appreciate that if there is limited mobility it is good not to have to live out of a suitcase.

But they do organise their own tours from the ship. It’s often

much cheaper. But having said that, they also find there are a lot of advantages in booking through a travel agent.

“We often do our research online and then go to an agent.

We have found that they are often able to match or beat the accommodation prices we can find. There is also extra security in that as they know the areas to go to,” Kevin says. “It doesn’t always pay to do your own bookings.

Tip 7: Price and location knowledge are two good reasons to use a travel agent.

They are off to the US for Christmas where they will meet with family before heading south to Central and South America which they say will be out of their comfort zone as it is an area less-explored. Then they are planning Italy for next September and October and have a house swap organised for England.

Choosing a destination has been random and generally they play it by ear, seeing what comes along and what takes their fancy.

“You don’t have to plan every detail,” Kevin says. “We usually pick destinations at random, in countries where we know we can do it by ourselves.

Anne likes to paint water colours so if she finds something with buildings she likes, we will go and see them.

Tip 8: Experience is a false argument. It is not hugely expensive or cost as much as you might think. continued page 38>

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18/10/2017 2:12:44 PM

TRAVEL

BY THE NUMBERS

<from page 36

Kevin and Anne Briggs on one of their many adventures.

Now seasoned travellers, they have the art of packing sorted. Luggage will be 18kg at the very heaviest and they carry one suitcase and a small backpack each. Packing for a cruise with something more formal is different to lounging on a Greek island in summer and if travelling between climates, they will use “packing pods” to fit the cold-weather gear.

Kevin is diabetic so he likes to keep his medication close in his carry-on bag, along with a letter from his doctor and a list of the medications.

Tip 9: If you can’t lift it, then don’t take it.

Watch the weight, carry medication with you

38 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

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and be security conscious as some countries can confuse medication with drugs.

Kevin and Anne plan to keep going while they still can, although they admit there could come a time when they won’t want to do the long-haul flights anymore.

“We have to make the most of our time now so we work around it and do things a little bit differently to what we did when we were younger,” he says. “We are always on a countdown to our next holiday.”

Tip 10: Just be confident. You can do it and do it on your own. People like Australians.

AUSTRALIANS took overseas 10,039,700 trips in 2016-17 – that’s an average of 27,500 every day and an increase of five per cent a year for the past five years.

There are an estimated one million Australian citizens resident overseas at any given time.

Visits in 2016–17: New Zealand: 1,316,000; Indonesia: 1,248,000; USA: 1,053,000; UK: 588,000; Thailand: 529,000; China: 451,000; Singapore: 377,000; Japan: 363,000; Fiji: 345,000; India: 319,000.

The 50-59 years age group accounted for 17 per cent (20-29 was 15 per cent); 60-69 years for 12 per cent and 70-plus for five per cent. The highest was 30-39 years at 18 per cent.

The Australian Government’s Smartraveller website urges travellers to “be informed, be prepared”.

In 2016–17, it published travel advisories for 174 countries, two more than in 2015–16. Assistance was provided to 12,440 Australian travellers, 1641 of them arrested abroad, most of them in the United States (285 cases).

Although requests for consular assistance dropped slightly, the

number of Australians finding trouble has risen – particularly among older travellers.

DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) recorded 1653 cases of Australians who had died overseas, an increase of nine per cent (1516) from the previous year.

For the second year in a row, illness proved the highest cause of death with 446 cases, while fatalities due to natural causes saw the greatest increase – up to 340 cases from 282 last year.

Accidents (211), suicide (68) and murder (45) all decreased by less than five per cent. Thailand remained the leading overseas destination for Australians to die with 203 deaths, followed by Philippines (126), Indonesia (107), USA (99) and Vietnam (87).

DFAT concluded the increase in deaths as a result of illness or natural causes was a combination of an ageing population travelling more and retiring overseas.

It recommends Australians register their travel and contact details on Smartraveller before going overseas so DFAT can contact them in an emergency.

Visit smartraveller.gov.au

Brisbane

18/10/2017 2:11:49 PM

TRAVEL

FEELING THE HEAT IN TURKMENISTAN

JOIN JIM IN AFRICA

It may seem an unlikely spot for a dinner party, but the Darvaza gas crater located in the middle of Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert hosted just such an event for a group of Australians who visited the country recently.

Travelling with independent travel company, Travel Directors, the group camped overnight at the crater to experience the full dramatic impact of the sight of the burning pit against the night sky.

In 1971, Soviet geologists were drilling in the Karakum Desert when they tapped into a cavern filled with gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed leaving a large hole about 80 metres in diameter.

To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided the best solution was to burn it off.

The geologists had hoped the fire would use all the fuel in a matter of days, but the gas is still burning today – 46 years later.

Locals have dubbed the cavern The Door to Hell.

Travel Directors’ groups spend a night at the crater.

“The Darvaza gas crater is an

After mapping out more than 7500km to research Back Track Adventures’ first fully-guided and escorted six-vehicle safari, Jim Drapes and a group of adventurers set off for 29-days through Namibia and Botswana.

In a crowded world, I found an escape, a place to be totally with nature. I fell asleep to the sounds of the African bush and woke to a cacophony of different birds.

On our 4WD safari, we traversed two countries in the southernmost region of the African continent – Botswana and Namibia.

We were gobsmacked by the beauty of the terrain, and the animals reminded us that this was Africa – elephants, lions, giraffes.

Getting over Van Zyl’s Pass was a major technical challenge for us. This notorious pass in

Some of the group at the rim of the Darvaza Gas Crater amazing sight during the day, but after dark it is simply spectacular,” tour creator Tony Evans says. “We camp at the crater to fully appreciate the spectacle. It’s quite a boast to say you’ve camped in a Turkmen desert, had a candlelit dinner, and woken up in a place that most people haven’t heard of.”

The dinner party at the crater is a fitting finale to Travel Directors’ Five Stans tour, which

also takes in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

It includes flights, taxes, accommodation, meals, sightseeing and entrance fees, all tipping and visas, which on this tour is an exercise in itself.

The 30-day tour departs May 6 and September 2, 2018, priced from $17,750.

Phone 1300 856 661 or visit traveldirectors.com.au

Namibia is between two very steep mountain ranges. The day of our crossing, it was raining and foggy. We listened, tuned into each other, everyone helping and it definitely had the adrenaline pumping.

Once we crossed, it was like being completely off the map.

We were now in the home of the Himba, one of the last truly nomadic people on earth.

Meeting them was humbling.

At night, it was great food, great wine, great company, and the night sky had to be seen to be believed, so totally filled with stars. After a lifetime of travel, this is where I see myself – selfdriving in nature – getting away from the cities and getting back to what’s real. You’ll discover more than just nature.

Join Jim in 2018. backtrackadventures.com. au/4wd-self-drive-safari

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November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 39

18/10/2017 2:11:10 PM

TRAVEL

Spreading the word, room by room They’re as much a part of hotel rooms in 200 countries around the world as the towels in the bathrooms, writes DAVID ELLIS.

W

hile most of us know they are there, of all things in a hotel or motel room that we use or play with, only an estimated quarter of guests actually use what we are talking about – despite not only being encouraged to use, but to actually knock it off when we leave.

I’m referring to the ubiquitous Gideons Bible that you’ll find in your bedside table drawer or tucked away in the wardrobe, and which the people who put them there suggest that if you’ve any wayward thoughts upon leaving, “you steal the Bible, not the towels.”

And remarkably, Gideons International that put that Bible in your room all came about because a hotel called the Central House in Boscobel in Wisconsin was over-booked one night in the American autumn of 1898.

It meant that two commercial travellers, John H. Nicholson and Samuel E. Hill had a choice: sleep on the street, or share a room.

They chose the latter, quickly discovered that they also shared strong Christian beliefs and values, and established a life-long friendship.

As a result they also gradually

room of every hotel in America.

The first went into 25 rooms at the Superior Hotel in the boisterous little mining town of Superior, Montana and were paid for by one devout Gideon, Archie Bailey.

Since then two billion Bibles and New Testaments printed in 94 languages have been put free of charge into places as diverse as 5-star hotels, cheap boarding houses, prisons, Antarctic bases, desert military camps, cruise ships, hospitals and nursing homes in 200 countries worldwide.

Archival snap of the lobby of the Central House Hotel that’s always been a haven for commercial travellers. (Photo: Gideons International) brought together a fraternity of other Christians in their profession – men who spent long and lonely hours away from their families, moving from hotel room to hotel room as they flogged their wares along the highways and by-ways of America.

By September 1899, these men had formed a small group that called themselves the Gideons, after a warrior in the Book of Judges who would do

anything God wanted him to.

At a meeting in 1904, they decided that to provide spiritual comfort for travellers, each man would contribute towards the cost of a Bible at the reception desk of the hotels in which they stayed.

Four years later, at a convention in Louisville, Kentucky, the Gideons voted to go further than a Bible at every reception desk – they’d place one in every

Plaque on the Central House Hotel in Boscobel, Wisconsin, the genesis of Gideons International. (Photo: Travel Wisconsin)

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Brisbane

18/10/2017 2:10:42 PM

TRAVEL

A typical Gideon’s Bible found today in 200-countries world-wide. (Photo: Gideons International) They are currently being distributed at a rate of 80 million annually, which is 2.5 for every second of the year.

Initially, members of the Gideons met the costs of the Bibles and their distribution, but later Christian churches began contributing to the cause.

And in almost 50 years of travel within and without Australia, only three hotels in Christian countries have been found not to have a Gideons Bible in their rooms. One of these was at Cunnamulla in Outback Queensland, where the hotelier said that while there may not be

a Bible in every bedside cabinet, they did have one for every room.

“They’re in the office,” she said. “We found some blokes who came in on weekends from cattle stations where they worked were sneaking the pages out of our Bibles because they’re rice paper – and those blokes reckoned they made the best roll-your-own smokes.

“There’s now a note in rooms saying they can borrow a Bible from the office if they want.”

Our second encounter was at the Wickaninnish Inn on Vancouver Island in Canada, where the owners said they’d told the Gideons they could put a Bible in every room – if they also gave a holy book for all other major religions.

“They didn’t of course, but we relented,” they said. “And while not in each room, we do have Gideons Bibles available at reception.”

And the third was in New York where guests at a hotel are offered a complimentary pet goldfish in a tank during their stay, but not a Gideons Bible.

Their explanation was that “society evolves”.

And to think it all began two billion Bibles and 119 years ago, when two commercial travellers were forced to share a room in an over-booked hotel in a small town in rural America.

Feature supplied by: wtfmedia.com.au

Central House Hotel in Boscobel, Wisconsin. (Photo: Travel Wisconsin)

Wickaninnish Inn, Canada. Gideon Bibles are in reception, not in the rooms. (Photo: Wickaninnish Inn)

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TRAVEL

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42 YOUR TIME MAGAZINE / November 2017

42.indd 2

Brisbane

18/10/2017 2:19:09 PM

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

SUDOKU (EASY)

8 5 3 2 6 1 9 4 7

1 4 9 5 8 7 2 3 6

7 2 6 4 3 9 8 1 5

6 9 5 7 4 2 3 8 1

4 7 1 8 5 3 6 2 9

2 3 8 1 9 6 5 7 4

SUDOKU (MEDIUM)

3 8 4 9 1 5 7 6 2

3 6 7 8 5 9 1 2 4

8 9 4 7 2 1 6 5 3

2 5 1 6 3 4 9 8 7

1 2 9 3 4 8 7 6 5

4 3 6 2 7 5 8 1 9

CODEWORD 15

14

2

1

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

9 4 5 1 8 3 2 7 6

6 8 2 5 9 7 4 3 1

7 1 3 4 6 2 5 9 8

WORDFIND

MD A I OW Y X L N B K T

5 7 8 9 1 6 3 4 2

metal detector

26

J U H Z E G S V C R Q P F 4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

9-LETTER WORD

3

WORD STEP GROAN, GROWN, GROWS, CROWS, CREWS, CHEWS

acme, acne, actin, acumen, acute, antic, came, camp, cane, cant, cape, caput, catnip, cent, cine, cinema, cite, cumin, cute, enact, encamp, epic, iceman, impact, incept, mace, manic, mantic, mica, mice, mince, nice, pace, pact, panic, pecan, pectin, pica, PNEUMATIC, puce, pumice, puncta, teacup, tunic, uncap

1. Which New Zealand city is built around Waitemata harbour?

2. The dog Laika was the first to do what?

3. What is the only chess piece that can move diagonally?

4. What medical procedure imitates the function of the kidneys?

5. What is the study of time called?

6. What country is sometimes called the Hellenic Republic?

7. Who did boxer Jeff Horn defeat in July this year?

8. Which women’s tennis star has the middle names Ebony Starr?

9. On a radio, what does FM mean?

10. What is the name of the official office of the President of the USA? 11. What is the Spanish word for “no”?

12. What is five ninths of 63?

13. Which champion surfer has two given names that are the same?

14. Who was the Federal Treasurer who brought down the 2017 budget?

15. What is the closest planet to the Sun with a natural moon?

16. Off the coast of which state or territory is Thursday Island?

17. “Go ahead, make my day” was spoken by Clint Eastwood in what 1983 movie?

18. Basenji, Malamute and Bichon Frise are types of what domestic animal?

19. Which art gallery is home to the “Mona Lisa”?

20. The projecting part at the front of a saddle is called what?

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS QUICK CROSSWORD

9 6 7 3 2 4 1 5 8

With Quizmaster Allan Blackburn

5 1 2 6 7 8 4 9 3

TRIVIA

There may be other correct answers

1. Auckland; 2. Travel into space; 3. Bishop; 4. Dialysis; 5. Horology; 6. Greece; 7. Manny Pacquiao; 8. Venus Williams; 9. Frequency Modulation; 10. Oval Office; 11. No; 12. 5; 13. John John Florence; 14. Scott Morrison; 15. Earth; 16. Queensland; 17. Sudden Impact; 18. Dog; 19. Louvre; 20. Pommel.

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43.indd 3

November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 43

18/10/2017 2:18:37 PM

PUZZLES

CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS 1 4 7 9 10 12 13 14 15 17 19 20 21

No. 2531

DOWN 1

Can you really sit on the committee head? (5) I saw an unidentified object one stormy night (5) Those who travel light and support those who fill cardboard containers? (11) So many remove the reds from worsted weaves (3) Most of the digit is anaesthetised? (4) Performing seal serves beverages (4) The eminent conductor sat more unconventionally than most (7) Buy nothing other than a float (4) Urges one to stagger artlessly (4) Being a bit cramped in the middle of the current (3) Keen on relating good news in any place, even glacial resorts! (11) Must one promise with such bad language? (5) Sounds like he savagely attacks shopping areas (5)

2 3 4 5 6 8 11 12 14 16 17 18

Residence for archetypal murderer with a big head (5) Make room for the modern “doc” in the coma team (11) Pleased to demolish the trap (4) Turncoat seeks Mexican food (4) Philosophical thoughts of long ago collide uncomfortably with one who is figurative (11) The usual anaesthetic applied by the emergency crew overcomes one with fumes! (5) It’s wonderful that we share the same woe somehow (7) Semi-protected environment to which most of the yabbies returned (3) Metric region sounds like it’s in the atmosphere! (3) Be nice to someone, but not so much after a bad start (5) Disposes of batteries by the sound of it (5) The distraught manager fired the men over some gelatinous extract (4) A sweet food served in a gooey lump (4)

CODEWORD

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

Copyright © Reuben’s Puzzles www.reubenspuzzles.com.au.

Refer to the website for a cryptic solving guide.

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44.indd 2

No. 003

The leftover letters will spell out a secret message No. 004

alloy aluminium atoms bar copper foil forge gold gun ingot iron leaf mine money nickel

ore pipes platinum rivet rod rust silver smith steel tin welding zinc

WORK IT OUT!

SUDOKU Level: Medium

No. 788

2 7 4 7 6

9

4

1 9 7 2 5 7

2 5

8 1 8 5 3 1

3 7 4 5 6

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PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD

No. 3632

9-LETTER WORD

No. 004

Today’s Aim:

I M U

45 words: Excellent

7 4 3

E

7 2

A

4

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”.

WORD STEP

ACROSS 1 3 9 10 11 12 13 15 17 18 20 22 24

Cleaning implement (3) Illegally entering (11) Component of blood (5) Front end of computer program (9) Normally (7) Highest in temperature (7) Female name (5) Fraternal (9) Male name (9) Parts (for actors) (5) Docket (7) US president, Bill - (7) Quivering (9)

25 Monarch’s headwear (5) 26 Four-sided with right-angles (11) 27 Total (3)

DOWN 1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8

Govern incompetently (7) Prickly animal (9) Language spoken in parts of Sri Lanka (5) Poet, - Dickinson (5) Implement traditionally wielded by angry mobs (9) Injured player carrier (9) Silly (5) Tremendously (7)

14 Stuff associated with the USA (9) 15 Standing on end (hair or fur) (9) 16 Family members (9) 17 Eternally (7) 19 Word with same meaning (7) 21 Like dice or square boxes, eg (5) 22 Water passage (5) 23 Sustain; experience (5)

No. 787

3 8

33 words: Very good

T P

Level: Easy

22 words: Good

C

N

SUDOKU

No. 004

6 1 9

5 6 3 2 7

7 6 2 9 7 6 8 4 3 5 9 8 3 6 5 1

WORK IT OUT!

Complete the list by changing one letter at a time to create a new word at each step. One possible answer shown below.

GROAN

_____ _____ _____ _____ CHEWS November 2017

Brisbane

45.indd 3

November 2017 / YOUR TIME MAGAZINE 45

18/10/2017 2:14:33 PM

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