So it goes — November 2014

Down in Crown Street Mall last Friday’s Market:

PB281044

PB281043

And the fudge really is excellent. Doug, an ex-student of mine from TIGS 40 years ago, is Mr Fudge Affair. He hadn’t noticed the juxtaposition with the sign from Harrison’s Pharmacy – which some may find a touch appropriate!

Sadly, the next day I saw in the Sydney Morning Herald that one of Doug’s classmates, Jonathon Greenwell, had passed away in Mittagong. I knew Jonathon too in Glebe in the mid-1980s when he lived in Glebe Point Road and had his jewellery-making workshop at Glebe Point.

On this blog in November 2014

The most visited posts this month have been:

  1. Home page / Archives 857 views in the 30 days to 30th November 2014
  2. How to Fight Islamist Terror from the Missionary Position 48
  3. Anzac Girls last night on ABC 39
  4. First Contact does provoke thought 34
  5. ABC decimated 32
  6. Answering Vancouver Visions, and more on Dr Spurr 32
  7. Melbourne Cup and the Opal Card 20
  8. Curiosities of Puritan Nomenclature, and Scottish Saints 18
  9. Thomas – 2014 teacher of the year 17
  10. Friday Australian poem: #NS4 – A B Paterson “The Old Australian Ways” 16
  11. Embarrassing correction needed 16
  12. Johnny Depp’s John Wilmot, and another dvd 15
  13. My former workplace in the news today 15
  14. Cat post – heatwave or cat power 15
  15. The selfie never lies… 15
  16. 1914-1918 13
  17. Barry Spurr is still trending 13
  18. More great things from Wollongong Library 11
  19. Tom Thumb Lagoon 11
  20. Barry Spurr trending on Facebook 11

Wollongong December 1951

The year the University of Wollongong was founded as a Division of the New South Wales University of Technology (now UNSW).  But that is not what this post is about.

Australian_1951_sixpence

Rather I am thinking of my Uncle George Moon, my Aunt Ella (nee Whitfield), and their friend Bessie Foskett, all living at 94 Corrimal Street Wollongong in that year – much visited by my family. And my cousin Stuart Moon, who passed away in Queensland in October 2013 after a successful career with Qantas, leaving two grandchildren. I remember him mostly for his love of classical music. In my search of The South Coast Times I came upon his 21st birthday party in December 1951. I note my mother, father, brother and sister were there but I at 8 must have been thought too young. Was I back at the house in Corrimal Street, or at home in Auburn Street Sutherland? I really don’t recall.

article143047329-3-001

article143047329-3-002

So I missed seeing Miss Dot Honore as Santa Claus! I’m sure I would have remembered that!

Phillip Hughes 1988-2014

So sad. It casts a shadow over the coming test series. Maybe I felt it more because he was so young, had achieved so much, yet obviously had so much more to give – and also because the SCG and St Vincent’s Hospital are so familiar to me. But I have nothing to add, except my condolences to all concerned.

Phillip-Hughes-Getty-2010-628

I will not be posting tomorrow.