Forbes Family Blog: July 2015

Letter No. 225

Dear all,

Easter Holidays We had a Thai dinner with some BBC parents on the Saturday night of Easter and on Easter Sunday, my sister and family and Mum and Dad came over for lunch to celebrate Mum and Dad’s birthday. We had a seafood BBQ lunch and then an Easter Egg hunt. Jessie had planned a heap of craft activities to do with her cousins. Even Matthew half painted an Easter egg.

On 10^th April we went Camping at Wooyung Beach in northern New South Wales. I took Friday off work and Matthew drove us down, racking up another two hours towards the 100 he needs to get his driving license. We arrived about 11am. I had bought us three new “pop-up” tents. I was really sick of setting up our large six-man tent. The big tent always took at least an hour to set up, but the pop-up tents were up in less than one minute. They were all three man tents and Matthew and Jessica had one each and we had the other. Our camp site was totally set up in about 45 minutes so we felt very pleased with ourselves. We spent the afternoon at the beach swimming, playing Frisbee and playing with the dog in the surf before heading back for an evening around the campfire. Jessica was a little nervous about sleeping in a tent by herself so we put Molly in with her. This was a win as far as I was concerned, as Molly can be a little annoying at night. Jessica didn’t seem to mind Molly sleeping with her butt on her face though!

Next morning Matthew went for an early swim in the surf before 7am. We had breakfast and then drove to nearby Kingscliffe for the Saturday market. We had a nice wander around before having lunch at a restaurant overlooking the beach and an afternoon in the surf again. The beach was spectacular – a wide sandy beach as far as the eye could see with a total of about ten people on it! The next morning, after Matthew’s swim in the surf, we had breakfast and packed up. We drove a little way up the coast and then spent a few hours at Caribati Beach. We had a quick bakery lunch and Matthew drove us back to Brisbane in the afternoon. We arrived back at about 3pm and unpacked and slumped for a few hours. Against my better judgement we had arranged to go for an Indian meal with some BBC parents. We were all a bit tired and had to drag ourselves out but it was a pleasant evening.

On Thursday 16^th April we drive to Byron Bay for another long weekend. Matthew drove us nearly all the way again. Katie and I had last been to Byron Bay just after we got engaged in 1996, almost 20 years ago. It had changed from a sleepy seaside village to a busy little town with terrible traffic congestion. We checked into our room and went down to the beach which was beautiful. The weather was perfect and the sea was really warm even though it was almost the end of autumn.

The next day we were at the beach again. Matthew had been looking at things to do in Byron Bay and had decided that we should all go hang-gliding. He had been working on me for weeks to convince me to do it and we finally decided to give it a go. We drove down to Lennox Heads about 2:30pm. We had been discussing all the way down who was going to go first. The kids unanimously decided that I had to go first and Katie was definitely not going to do it as she is not good with heights. When we arrived, however, the instructors said that the wind wasn’t strong enough and so Jessica had to go first as she was the lightest. Jessie bravely suited up and then had to stand on the edge of the cliff for about five minutes, clutching the instructor until he was happy with the wind for their take-off. Eventually they leaped off and were soaring above our heads for about 20 minutes before landing almost in the same spot they took off from. Matthew also had a long nerve-wracking wait on the cliff edge before taking off. By the time it was my turn the wind had picked up and we just walked up to the cliff and jumped off. While I was getting ready Matthew somehow managed to talk Katie into it and she was suited up and in the air in about two minutes flat – before she had a chance to back out. We were both hang-gliding at the same time, with different instructors, swooping up and down along the cliff tops without going too far out to sea where the wind starts to drop. I saw at least two sharks and quite a few manta rays while I was up. It was a really fantastic experience.

We then drove back to Byron and had a walk along the cliffs up to the lighthouse. It went to the most easterly point of the Australian mainland and then further along down to the beach. We made it back up to the lighthouse to watch the sun go down before heading back for a shower and out for dinner. The next morning we spent the day on the beach before a fish and chip lunch and then Matthew drove us back to Brisbane.

The school holidays were over all too quickly and the kids went back to school on 20 April. On Weds 22 April I set off to Newcastle (which is near Sydney) for the day. I was heading to the RAAF base to look at an aircraft hangar for work. I had to get up at 4:00am to get to the airport for the early morning flight. Just after we boarded we were told that there would be a 30-minute delay as there was debris on the runway in Newcastle. There had been a huge localised storm in the area. Eventually we took off and all was well until we were about ten minutes from Newcastle. We flew into clouds and it got really very rough. Actually it was the first time I had been scared on a plane. I even counted the rows of seats to the emergency exit! Just at the plane’s wheels were about to touch the runway, the pilot gunned it and took off again because the strong winds were too dangerous. After another ten minutes of rough flying, we eventually landed from the opposite direction. Everyone clapped and breathed a huge sigh of relief. We taxied over to the terminal, but then the pilot informed us there would be a slight delay as the airport terminal had been severely damaged by the storm. After another two hours of sitting in the plane on the tarmac, being buffeted in the howling wind and rain, the pilot told us that the terminal staff would not allow us to disembark and we would have to fly back to Brisbane! We were not happy and nobody could work out why they had allowed us to land in the first place. We took off into the storm, which was equally scary, and then about ten minutes later we flew out of it into clear blue sky! It was apparently the worst storm to hit the area for 30 years and five people died. In retrospect it was lucky we hadn’t disembarked as we would not have been able to fly back to Brisbane for another two days! A week later I returned to Newcastle for my meeting. I was quite shocked at the number of huge trees that had blown down and the number of damaged buildings, most of which apparently happened during the height of the storm – the exact two hours that we were sitting on the tarmac!

The next day I had to be in Mooloolabah for work for something I couldn’t change. Sadly I had to miss the funeral of our dear friend Paul Hart’s mother Colleen that day. Katie went along to pay our respects and despite the sadness of the occasion she was pleased to see many old Hong Kong faces.

It was a very busy week. Matthew had his braces off and the results look fantastic. He has retainers now that he will have to wear at night for a long time, but it has definitely been worth it. Friday was Anzac Day. Matthew had a major role in the service at BBC so I took the afternoon off to attend. Matthew has been working with the BBC archivist Helen who has been researching the BBC Old Boys’ who died in military service. She has produced a beautiful book called “The Fallen” which tells the stories of all the old boys who died and shows photographs of the war graves. The BBC archives list 97 Old Boys who died in the Great War, World War II and Afghanistan. When Matthew was working at BBC one day, he discovered the name of another Old Boy, who had died in Singapore during Second World War, but his name had somehow never been counted and had been missing for 50 years from the brass memorial plaque on the school’s Anzac memorial! Amazingly the school managed to get in contact with the son of the old boy, who is now 95 years old and lives in Toowoomba. He was invited to BBC as the special guest of honour to plant a cross for his father. Naturally Matthew was assigned to greet him, show him around the school, introduce him to people and plant the cross with him at the culmination of the ceremony. It was quite a special moment for the school and we were proud that Matt had such a big role in it.

After the service there was an afternoon tea and the school officially “launched” its book of the Fallen. Matthew, Katie and Katie’s brother Chris are all credited in the book for providing details for the book. Chris had been to Harrogate’s Stonefall Cemetery and photographed the gravestone of one of the Old Boys who had been buried in the Commonwealth War Graves section there. We bought a copy and it is a beautiful production, if a fairly sobering and sombre read.

Saturday morning it was more Anzac Day celebrations. Matthew was marching in the school’s Brass Band at Jindalee playing his French horn at 7:00am. As soon as they finished the march we had to drop him back at BBC so he could take the school bus into the City. The Brass Band was marching with the school’s Pipe Band in the Anzac Day Parade in the city at 10:00am. Meanwhile Jessica was going to the Graceville Anzac Day service with her school. Both kids were in school uniform and going in opposite directions so it was a bit of a logistical challenge. Afterwards we helped Jessie set up a little stall at the end of the street (so that she could sell scented candles that she had been making) to capture the crowds leaving the Graceville services. Then I caught the train into the city to watch Matthew while Katie stayed back to assist Jessica if required. Jessie managed to sell all her candles within two hours so she was very pleased. Meanwhile I had a good vantage point to watch Matthew marching down Adelaide Street. It was a very impressive parade, with all the marching groups and a few flyovers by Super Hornets. I walked over to Queen Street to watch Matt finish and he was very hot and tired after marching and playing at the same time. I left him to do another lap of the city at 11:00am.

That evening Katie and I went to our friend Alf’s 50^th birthday party. It was a very elegant night, with a fully catered dinner for around 100 people and a live band. We had a great night and danced the night away. The next night we had a game of tennis and a tennis party at our house with a fab Indian buffet that Matthew and Katie whipped up for six adults and six kids.

On 29^thApril Jessie’s school dance troupe STAGE entered their first Dance Eisteddfod in Ipswich. They have entered three dance comps for the year. The standard was very high and they didn’t place sadly L.

On 30^th April we went to the GPS Music Showcase. This is a one-off concert performed by the best musicians from nine of the private schools in Brisbane, who come together for one full day of rehearsals and then put on a concert that evening. Matthew was playing the French Horn. Katie & I had a quick dinner at the Performing Arts Centre before the show. It was a really brilliant concert and the musical standard was amazingly high.

On 9^th May it was the BBC Formal. Matthew took Natalie, a friend who lives at the end of our street and goes to St Aidan’s. We are friends with her parents so see her quite often. Matthew wore the suit he bought himself in Vietnam and looked very sharp, and Nat was very elegant in a long black dress. She came over about 4:30pm and we took them to a Pre-formal drinks party at the home of one of his friends. We chatted to the parents we knew and took photos of the kids. At 6:00pm the kids were all transported to the Sofitel Hotel in the city; meanwhile Katie and I dropped the car home and caught the train into town and went out for dinner with a group of BBC parents. After dinner we walked over to the Sofitel and watched all the couples emerge from the ballroom. We caught a taxi home, with Matthew and Nat, and then quickly set up for Matthew’s Post-formal party at our house. We lit a fire in the fire pit, put out a heap of snacks and retreated upstairs. I was all for going to sleep but Katie (the responsible one) said we had to stay up until the last girl had gone home. Some of Matthew’s school friends were staying the night and the kids sat around the fire until about 3:30am until the last girl left. I made the boys bacon rolls for breakfast in the morning. Apparently the night was a big success.

On 11 May Katie started working at BBC on a two-week project, helping with the Y12 Careers Fair. This involved presentations, workshops, speakers and a lunchtime careers expo showcasing about 20 different organisations. Katie had worked on the event the previous year so knew what to expect. She had a nice, somewhat intense, time organising the catering, IT, name badges, satchels, infrastructure, microphones etc. It is the perfect job for Katie and it all apparently went well on the day.

We went to see the BBC Musical on 14^th May. It was “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” which was outdoors in the amphitheatre at school. There was supper with drinks beforehand. It was combined with St Aidan’s students as well, so both kids came along to watch. We had a nice evening but it was unseasonably cold for May – about 6⁰C. We had our warm coats, blankets, cushions etc and we were still cold. It was a very good evening though.

On 22^nd May Jessie’s dance troupe competed in their second dance competition at Brisbane Eisteddfod. This time they came third in one dance and highly commended in two others against stiff competition. It was a good result and the girls are going to spend their prize money on a pizza lunch at school one day.

The next night we went to our friend Brad’s 50^th birthday party at a pool hall in Milton. It seems to be the era of 50^th birthday parties all of a sudden. The theme was Gold so I went in a very tasteful wide gold tie and black shirt and Katie went in a muted gold top. I couldn’t talk her into anything really sparkly. There were nibbles and drinks followed by a round robin pool competition. Katie and I were knocked out in the first round unfortunately. We got to play a few consolation games later on but it was a good night and something different for a birthday party.

Sunday was the BBC Open Day. Matthew was giving tours to prospective parents and naturally Katie was running the afternoon tea stand most of the day. This was her final task as Parent Connections President. Jessica and I just called in for free cakes and snacks around 3pm.

The next weekend it was a St Aidan’s School Dance. The school P&F runs the dances and was desperate for helpers. Katie had volunteered one of us to help, much to Jessica’s horror, but on the evening she was a bit tired so I had to go instead. I was helping on the cloakroom which it turned out was typically run by mothers. I felt a bit out of place. I thought that it would be an easy job but it turned out to be totally frantic. For the first hour we were checking in bags and then there was a five-minute respite before kids started coming out from the dance and wanting their bags back to get money for drinks and food. Then they checked them back in, and out, and in, and out, and in all evening before the real rush checking them out when the dance finished at 10pm. There were 1300 children there and the event raised $19,000 for the school, so I guess it is worth making the effort. Jessica was having a sleepover at someone else’s house that night so I drove home by myself.

The next morning Matthew was collecting for the Red Shield Appeal. We had totally forgotten about it until about two minutes before he was due to be at school. We made a frantic effort and he threw his clothes on while Katie handed him a muffin and a water bottle and I drove him there in record time in my pyjamas. His team raised $120 in two hours so he was pleased but didn’t like door-knocking much.

In May Matthew got himself a job at a Japanese restaurant, Miku in Graceville. One of his school friends already works there and gave Matthew a heads-up that they were looking for another waiter. It is the perfect job for Matthew as it is only a two minute walk from home and because he loves Japanese food. We had to rush and get him a tax file number and he has been doing one or two shifts per week, usually two or three hours at a time. He even did a bank holiday shift, which gave him 2.5 times loading on his usual hourly rate, which he was fairly pleased about.

The 9^th and 11^th of June were momentous days in our family. Katie finally stood down from her roles at the BBC Parents & Friends Association and the Parent Connections group. She was pleased to get many nice emails, presents and flowers after more than four years of hard work at BBC. We are not quite sure what she is going to do with all her free time, although she says she has a long list. J

That weekend was a busy one for Jessie, with her final STAGE dance competition on the Friday night where the group received a highly commended (4^th place out of 17 dance groups). The Saturday night was a choir Concert with all-day rehearsal, so she was very tired the next day. I took a little time off work on Friday afternoon to watch the dance competition and we all went to the concert on Saturday night. It was a real “Look-at-Me” weekend for Jess.

The next week was the last week of school and everything was winding down. On Wednesday 17 June Katie headed off to the UK for 2½ weeks to see her brother and friends in Cheshire and London. Next letter we’ll tell you about Katie’s trip and what we did while Katie was away.

Love

Derek, Katie, Matthew, Jessica and Molly.