Lunch for 4

Colin suggested to meet for lunch, so a group of four gathered at the Swiss Restaurant Des Alpes in Mitchelton today for a great lunch.

Diane and Bill Bohlen, Colin Huggins,and Joseph Crainean attended.

Celebration of a Life Lived Well

The following submission was sent to me by Rod Hard and Ian McLean:

A little over a week after dictating to his "beautiful wife Elissa" what was to become his farewell message to his many friends and acquaintances, Dubbo Dave (or any of a variety of names, including Dave's personal favourite: Desperate Dave from Dubbo), our great mate shuffled off this mortal coil at 2:30 a.m. on 29 April.

He was so happy that he made it to their 40th Wedding Anniversary the previous weekend, and that - in his last few days bravely battling cancer - he was able to go out in a wheelchair to see his 6-yr-old grandson play soccer and "produce a Lionel Messi display, kicking 5 goals."

Although in considerable discomfort, Dave discussed with his family how he would like his funeral service to be conducted. When asked how many people they should expect, Dave guessed there would be "about 30."

Was he ever off the mark! Add another 200 or so to that and you have the turnout at ‘The Celebration of Davo’s Life’ held at the Uniting Church in Berowra Heights at Noon on Wednesday 2 May.

Dave and Elissa's sons, Jack and Pete, were there for support, and both spoke eloquently, with emotion, at the rather unusual funeral which featured - at Dave's request - his beloved Hornsby BUGS Ukulele Group playing his favourites: Midnight Special, Ghost Riders in the Sky, and Lights on the Hill.

Among the huge crowd at Berowra were old friends Bob Davis, Rod Hard, Keith Jackson and Ian McLean representing the many Asopians who flooded Elissa's e-mail in-tray with condolences and messages of support: Margaret Dwyer in Perth, Bill & Diane Bohlen in Los Angeles, Mick Wilson in Melbourne, Dick Jones in Bendigo, Henry Bodman and Col Huggins in Brisbane, Howard Ralph in Sydney  ... the list goes on and on.

As Howard noted in his message: "His infectious smile was memorable!" Dick recalled "very fond memories of Dave going right back to the ASOPA days and the flat in Spit Junction, shared in 1963, and then on to Rabaul in the mid-60s."

In later years, the Kesby brand of hospitality was common for Asopians visiting Sydney who would find themselves receiving an invitation to one of Dave's legendary barbecues on the deck of their Berowra Heights home overlooking the valley and trees below. He even staged an impromptu mini-reunion in late 2002 when he learned that the Booths, Jacksons, Jones's and McLeans would all be in town at the same time.

As Keith and Dick noted in an e-mail following Dave's passing: "We marvelled at Dave's bubbly spirit, not to mention his courage in the face of his illness."

Dave's last words in his final message to his many mates are typical of his selflessness: "Thanks for all the good wishes and prayers you have sent to me. I don’t know what’s going to happen next but..."


Thanks for the submission, Rod and Ian,
Bill Bohlen, Los Angeles

Henry's Back

I've just taken my third call (all of which were really sniffing out whether I was still in the land of the living) so here is the evidence that I probably am.

Janelle and I are just returned from a great trip to  Tassy where we attended a top event in 50th  reunion of the Port Moresby Three-peat - premierships of 1960,61 and 62. Over 80 made it and the next 50th is already on the drawing boards for Warrnambool in 2014 and the one after that in 2016 in Perth (years when the Demons also won those premierships0 We combined that with a mooch around the Island and will definitely be returning...terrific place - when the weather co-operates(as it did on this occasion).

I returned to a huge list of emails and must admit that I have deferred responding - so "No. I haven't karked it; just a big bit lazy and  fazed by the size of the task of taking you all off my "waiting" list.

Cheers and beers,

Henry B

LUNCH IN BRISBANE

Peter and Margaret Lewis visited Brisbane for a few days, so it was fitting to organise a lunch with Brisbane Asopians. Diane and Bill's Birthday Bear Group also joined for a great lunch at Brisbane's Swiss Restaurant "Des Alpes" at Mitchelton last Friday.

Some ASOPA CEOs met for lunch at the Swiss Restaurant "Des Alpes" in Mitchelton, Brisbane

Bill, Ann (friend), Margaret, Peter, Colin, Joe and Henry listen to the lunch specials from our wonderful host, Monique

Joe Cranean and Colin Huggins share a joke. Margaret and Peter Lewis came from Maitland to share the fun and the fine food.

Henry Bodman also came to enjoy the company. He is still fighting ongoing medical battles and is doing a good job at it.

The Iron Lady (M)

Review by Richard Jones

MARGARET Thatcher was a polarising influence during her remarkable tenure as Britain's Prime Minister from early May 1979 to November 1990. In Phyllida Lloyd's biopic, long-retired Baroness Thatcher (Meryl Streep) is in the early stages of dementia, constantly surrounded by voices from her past.

Prime among them is the voice of her long-suffering but very supportive husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent).

Except, he's not there. Denis had passed away several years earlier. So although Margaret has staff around her, plus an armed guard, her sole family contact is with daughter Carol (Olivia Colman).

Director Lloyd takes us from young Margaret's induction into the local
Conservative Party's organisation to winning her first seat in the House of Commons as Margaret Roberts in 1959.

Always she stays true to the ringing words of her small-businessman father (Iain Glen). "Never go with the crowd, Margaret. Go your own way."
And so we see Thatcher take her nation through the Falklands War, the 1984 miners strike, the failed IRA assassination bombing attempt at the Tory convention and ultimately German reunification when the Berlin Wall comes down.

Streep is simply extraordinary as Thatcher. The voice, the posture, the
intonation and the movement are breathtakingly precise.
If she doesn't win an Oscar at this month's Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles, I'm giving up writing film reviews and handing in the laptop
keyboard!

I totally agree with Richard. I was sceptical about an American Actress playing a British Dame.
But having seen her performance I admit I was wrong about Meryl Steep, she was brilliant.
Bill

News from 'Dubbo Dave'

Sorry Keith Rod, I took so long to tell you the news after telling you at the party that things were not travelling that well..I have included a couple of other Asopians on the roll out.

Bill could you please put it on the blog so if anybody else is interested they can have a read..I don’t know if the blog is for this sort of news if it isn’t ..no worries

Well the news is that I had my pet scan and I have two tumours ( they call them lesions) not 1 as we first thought in the liver.. the good news is that they are not very far apart

The oncologist has referred me to a liver surgeon who I will go and see  this Tuesday

The liver surgeon’s job on the first visit is twofold..he has to

1 Look at the latest pet and cat scans and see if he can do the procedure and if the procedure will be of benefit to me

2 Look at me and see if I am up to this big operation and long recuperation period

Realise this news is a bit nebulous  but that’s where we are at  the moment...Keep you in the loop

Dave from Dubbo

To which Rod added:

I think that when you put this on the blog…some reference should be made about Dave’s state of mind…

He is very positive as we found out at the lunch a week ago and will certainly not “lay down and die”….

Elissa is a great supporter and I am sure his many friends are including him “in their prayers”…

I have no doubt he will get through it..

Regards,

Rod.

Ed:
After talking with Dave at Bob's birthday bash, I too was impressed with his positive attitude. I am sure we all wish Dave all the best  and hope the outcome is successful.

Berowra Get-Together

From 'Dubbo' Dave on a recent Berowra get-together:

Was going to call our meet up an ASOPA Reunion but I thought that was a bit over the top.

Well the story goes like this..the three remaining 1962/1963 Asopians who still live in Sydney met at Berowra on the far northern outskirts of Australia’s biggest city ( population wise that is)

Someone once told me that Brisbane is bigger in area.

At the meetup was Rod & Cheryl Hard..Keith Ingrid & Ingrid’s mum, Libby (who proved to be a very agile senior by negotiating our precipitous steps)

Would love to say it was a beautiful Sydney summers day unfortunately it wasn’t ...It was overcast & windy..so much so that we couldn’t have the lunch outside..but we got over that.

Rod & Keith both brought lovely bottles of wine..they looked good..I had a sip of all of them..as many of you know I haven’t had any alcohol since October 2010..but my resolution for 2012 is not to whinge about it..I still love to sip at other people’s wines before the taste gets too much for me.

Topics of the day included ..what our kids were doing..Rod & Cheryl’s boy is just finishing his apprenticeship and their daughter is just starting  Year 12.

Keith & Ingrid’s boy is working in Keith’s office.

Keith is easing out of the business and doing a fair bit of work on New Guinea matters..which he is enjoying.

Keith & Ingrid are going on a cruise up and down the coast of South America in about a month’s time ...we are assured it is not of Italian origin and doesn’t carry 4000 people.

We had a very amicable and friendly discussion on New Guinea and Australian politics..not like the old days when we would chuck plates at each other..oh the joys of being young.

A highlight of the day was when somebody murmured under their breath “ukulele” well that’s all it took and before you could say “Hank Williams” Elissa and I flashed our ukes and before the horrified guests could escape they  copped a blast of “You are my Sunshine” and the late great Leadbelly favourite “Midnight Special”.

Still can’t work it out but the party finished soon after that  .

Dave from Dubbo

Ukulelelele... Elissa and Dave - Yodlelelele