Geoff's Blog

Sometimes serious, sometimes not. Geoff's Living Family History News Blog will keep you up to date with the ever ongoing flow of living history with snippets of news that don't always make the headlines.

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2012 Australia Day Address by Dr Charlie Teo

World-renowned neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo's 2012 Australia Day address

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Musso the Magnificent Galah

A tale about Musso the Magnificent, a Galah in Western Queemsland

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Our ANZAC Soldiers ... Lest We Forget!

As ANZAC day approaches we remember our ANZAC soldiers whose lives we celebrate each year on 25th April.

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Our pool to pond conversion revisited

We revisit our pool to pond conversion to show you how it looks now

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Recording Family History

Recording Family History should include your living family history for future generations

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Living in the 1940s

Living in Australia in the 1940s

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Life in the 1950s

Activities and daily living in the 1950s

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Heart of the Brabazon History Project

The Inspiration at the Heart of the Brabazon History Project

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Dinosaur Bones Found

Dinosaur Bones of a Dinosaur that roamed Western Queensland 93 million years ago have been discovered near Winton

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Fossicking for Chalcedony

A fun day spent fossicking for Chalcedony in the Northern Rivers district of NSW

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Pool Conversion - How to Replace a Pool with a Living Water Feature

Pool Conversion - How to Replace a Pool with a Water Lily Pond

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Daylight Saving Time in Australia

If you are confused about Daylight Saving Times in Australia, spare a thought for poor Santa Claus.

Daylight Saving Time creates six Summer time zones in Australia, instead of the three that apply in Winter. It is enough to confuse even Santa Claus.

When it is Midnight on the 24th December, 2010, in London, it will be10 am. on the 25th in Queensland, which sticks to Eastern Standard Time throughout the year.

However, the other Eastern States switch to Daylight Saving Time, so, in most of New South Wales, the A.C.T., Victoria and Tasmania the time will be 11 am. At Broken Hill, in western N.S.W., the time will be 10.30 am., as it will be in South Australia. It will be 9.30 am on the 25th in the Northern Territory and 8 am in Western Australia.

As far as I am aware, Queensland is the only state where the people were given the choice of daylight saving or not, and the clear decision, after a trial period was not to have it. So Qld sticks to Australian Eastern Standard Time for the whole year, while the other Eastern States switch to Daylight Saving Time from early October to early April, our warmer months.

In the cooler months the states which switch to Eastern Daylight Saving Time in Summer, return to Eastern Standard Time. Then the Eastern States are all at 10 am, South Aus. and the Northern Territory are half-an-hour behind at 9. 30 am, and Western Australia is two hours behind at 8 am.

That is just so much simpler and easier to remember.

Australian Tales and living now in Australia.

Australian Tales about the bush and the beach. It's all about living now in Australia.

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Can you Make Money Blogging

Can you make money blogging - That's a question that a lot of people would like to have answered.

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Keep In Touch

Couldn't help smiling and shaking our heads when we heard about two young guys, with the same surname, who were introduced by a mutual

friend. Naturally they quizzed each other to see if there was a family connection. Imagine their surprise and amazement when they realised that

they were first cousins - their fathers were brothers.

Seems the fathers had gone their separate ways years ago and had not bothered to keep in touch. The young cousins had grown up in the same

city and even lived in the same suburb, but had never met and knew nothing about each other.

I don't know if this chance meeting led to a family reunion like the emotional ones we occasionally see on TV, where siblings get in touch after

years of separation, but I'm sure the boys fathers had a few questions to amswer.

Have you spoken to your brother lately? Maybe there is a cousin or aunt or even a parent or grandparent that you've been meaning to call, but

you have just been too busy. Call then now, or better still, call them now and make arrangements to go and see them.

I find Sunday is generally a good day to speak with my brother and sisters who live far away. We keep in touch, with weekly phone calls to each

other, and have done so for many years.

Don't rely on Facebook or Twitter to keep in touch with those you care about and who care most about you. Direct personal contact is always the

best way to keep in touch with your family members, and not just once in a blue moon, make up your mind to do it often.

Should We Send Our Seniors to Jail?

Are we treating our Seniors properly?.... or would they be better in jail?

(The following article appeared in the Townsville Daily Bulletin - About Town with Mary Vernon)

Suggestion is to put our seniors in jail and the criminals in nursing homes.

This way the seniors would have access to showers, hobbies, free prescriptions, dental and medical treatment and they'd receive money instead of paying it out. They would have constant video monitoring, so they could be helped instantly if they fell, or needed assistance.

Bedding would be washed twice a week, and all clothing would be ironed and returned to them. A guard would check on them every 20 minutes and bring their meals and snacks to their cell.

They would have family visits in a suite built for that purpose. They would have access to a library, weight room, spiritual counselling, pool, and education.

Simple clothing, shoes, slippers, PJs and legal aid would be free, on request. Each senior could have a PC, a TV, radio, and daily phone calls.

And the criminals?... Well, they'd get cold food, be left alone and unsupervised, lights off at 8pm and showers once a week. They'd live in a tiny room for which they would pay $5000 a month with no hope of ever getting out.

Opal Fossicking in Outback Queensland

Opal Fossicking where Australian Dinosaurs roamed near Winton in Outback Queensland

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The Family Ghost

How the Family Ghost became part of one family's history with what some believe is a true ghost story

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Help Wanted

Jodie, who lives in Australia, wants some help to find someone who would like to buy a pre 60s 'Frozen Food Packaging Kit'. Here is her message.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could help me. I have just recently been through my grandmas cupboards and found a few things that I wanted to sell for her. Wow there were some treasures. Do you know where I could sell things other than ebay. I was wanting to find an appreciative audience to get a good price for Grandma. I have a boxed 'Frozen Food Packaging Kit' still with packaging boxes and instruction manuals etc. I am not sure what year it is from but it is at least the 60's I also had a first aid kit from the 40's but was told I wouldn't get much for that...so it went to the bin, much to my disgust.

I would love your advice.

Kind regards

Jodie

If you are interested in this item or know where she might be able to sell it, please let me know and I will pass your message on to Jodie.

Geoff

Record Floods in Western Queensland, 2010

Massive damage from record floods in western Queensland in 2010 as some towns clean up others wait for the flood water to arrive

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Benhall, Suffolk

Benhall, Suffolk ... No! Not Ben Hall the notorious Australian bushranger. I am talking about Benhall the quiet Suffolk village with thatched cottages and old world charm, where even the school still has a thatched roof.

Visit the 'Benhall, Suffolk' webpage at http://www.asletts.com . You will find a brief village life insight from the mid 1920s to the mid '30s and you may go to the accompanying Benhall Gallery to see photos of The Lodge, Benhall, and the village Church, School and cottages of Benhall Green.

Tell me what you think?

Top cars of the 1950s

Top cars and dream cars of the 1950s

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Simple Living 1940s Style

Simple Living 1940's Style

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North Queensland Glimpse

We're home again after spending 6 weeks in North Queensland, visiting our daughter Katelyn and her family, as well as my sister Marion and Jane's brother John in Townsville, and my brother George at Magnetic Island. We also went further north to Mission Beach where we spent a few days at a Hawaiian style bungalow in a very attractive beachside setting overlooking Dunk Island.

We caught up with several of our relations, some of whom we hadn't seen for years. We even went up to Charters Towers, Jane's old home town, west of Townsville. The Towers was a booming gold mining town of well over 30,000 people at the end of the 19th century, but now numbers about 7,000. In it's hey-day it was known as "The World", and it boasted of having the only Stock Exchange outside a Capital City, as well as a Pub on every corner.

It's an interesting town with lots of unusual buildings, mostly wood and corrugated iron. Oddly enough, Kate's house in Townsville was once a miner's cottage at the Towers. It, along with many others, was moved to Townsville (and other NQ towns) when the gold ran out at the Towers. However there is still gold to be found around Charters Towers and mines have been opened in the district in the last couple of decades.

One noticeable feature of the Towers is the huge flying fox population that has taken over the once beautiful Lissner Park in the centre of the town. Flying Foxes are large fruit bats that are regarded as cute and precious creatures by some, and disease carrying vermin by others. Some believe that the Horse Flu, or Hendra Virus, that is often fatal to humans, should more properly be called Flying Fox Flu, as it is spread by Flying Foxes to horses in the first place.

Now back in Brisbane, we are catching up on all the things, like repotting my waterlilies, that were neglected while we were away. It did not take the lorrikeets and king parrots long to realise that we were back, and they soon started turning up for a snack of sunflower seeds when they were feeling a bit peckish. It's nice to get back to normal after a few weeks away from home.

What Swine

Aus News, at the weekend, reported that Pigs at a piggery at a place called Dunnedoo, in New South Wales, have caught Swine Flu from Humans.

If only pigs could talk, I bet they would be giving more than a grunt of disapproval about careless humans passing on their infectious diseases.

I wonder if the poor pigs will be given flu shots and have to wear face masks on their snouts. More likely they will be condemned to death for no fault of their own.

Battle City Brisbane 2009

Brisbane became Battle City when Breakdancers invaded the 2009 Queensland Music Festival. Music lovers were shocked and amazed, but there was No Haydn when the Breakdance crews Battled for Festival s

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Workplace Health & Safety Huh?

I was sitting at my computer this morning when I heard Jane burst out laughing in the next room. She was listening to the wireless, where a chap in Brisbane was telling how he offered to take part in an experiment being run by an electricity supplier to help reduce the excessive use of electricity by household airconditioners.

Seems the electricity supplier was offering incentives, as a trial, to people who agreed to allow the installation of a device in home airconditioners which would enable the supplier to monitor the aircons during times of peak usage and remotely prevent overload.

The Brisbane chap agreed to take part, but when the workmen arrived to install the device they said they could not install it as his aircon was too high up the wall, about 10 feet, as they only had a short step ladder.

He offered to let them use his taller stepladder, but they refused, saying that were not allowed to do that. When he asked why they had not brought a taller ladder they replied that Workplace Health and Safety would not permit them to use a taller ladder.

Oh! dearie dearie me, have we reached the stage when tradesmen are not permitted to climb ladders over three feet?

I would love to hear what you think, or if you have a better story about bureaucracy going bonkers.

Your Words Create Your World

Maria Andros, described as one of the world's leading social media experts, gave this quotation in an interview with Gideon Shalwick ... "Your Words Create Your World."

That little quote caught my attention and it made me think of the words of the old Simon and Garfunkel song, that my kids used to listen to, "People talking without speaking ... People hearing without listening." Thirty years on the lyric would have to be, "People tweeting without speaking." and "People talking without listening." Seems like everyone is tweeting, but is anyone paying attention.

Is it possible for someone with hundreds of followers to be able to follow what their followers are tweeting about? If not, are the followers aware that their tweets are being totally ignored?

Could it be that the World Wide Web is suffering from verbal diarrhoea? There is such a deluge of verbosity on the net. Content is king, they say, but what if the content is rubbish, re-hashed and repeated over and over again. Why use one word when 47 will do, and 97 will do even better, seems to be the way of the Internet.

Is it really acceptable to take some content and cut and paste it over and over again so that it is re-hashed 20 or 30 or 50 times and published on the Net under slightly different headings? Is this technique really the best way to catch the attention of search engines? Surely one article with unique content should attract more credit?

The front page list of one publisher's latest publications might show Author A. credited with 6 articles on the general subject of 'Lose Belly Fat', followed by Author B with 4 articles on the same subject. Following that, you might find 4 articles by the same Author A on the subject of 'Get Your Ex Back', again followed by Author B with 6 articles on the same general subject. Even blind Freddy would see that Author A and Author B would likely be the same person, so how does the acceptance of such tactics reflect on the standards and reputation of the publisher of such articles.

Remember, Maria Andros said, "Your words create your world." What sort of a world is that author and that publisher creating for themselves on the Internet?

One can only congratulate Squidoo.com who recently set about cutting out poor quality and undesirable articles.

How Old is GrandPa?

How-Old-is-GrandPa? Consider the changes in just one lifetime.

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Outback Picnic Races

Outback Picnic Races are great fun for all the family. It is easy to meet new friends among the friendly and relaxed people at the Picnic Races

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