An Active Life In an email to a friend yesterday I wrote the following- “I am physically fine, but the need to search for the desired word is mentally frustrating. A close friend who was told by one medico that she had Alzheimer’s and has hugely improved when another said she only had ‘mild cognitive … Continue reading An Active Life →

The dates might look strange, but note it was delivered nine years ago. On re-reading it I like what I said about Gail and Bourke graziers.The Editor,Your article on Will Ogilvie and Bourke (Western Herald-April 12) reminded me of the  speech I gave at the Official Opening at the Back of Bourke Centre in October … Continue reading Letter to The Western Herald Bourke-Published 10.05.18 →

(I should warn the casual reader that the following is written for my family, particularly grandchildren, so you may find it bores the pants off you!) I have only attended two England/Australia Test Matches at Lord's-the last two which England have won. These are the only occasions Australia has lost in the last 80 years! … Continue reading The Indulgent Cricket Tragic Tries Again – 2015 →

Sunday 24th May, 2015With our Bourke Races raffle winnings (return tickets and accommodation) we flew out of Sydney packed into a very full Qantas 737. I had both my Apple devices tuned into the pilots navigation app, OzRunways, which provides your position and track utilising GPS technology. For an as yet undetermined reason the bigger … Continue reading A Great Raffle Win- Darwin For Only The Second Time →

I have had a habit of attending the Bourke Show. It is a great little one day event, including most years a ram sale. It is one of the few places where the merino stud breeders of the Macquarie, the Riverina and South Australia, all of whom have clients in the area, show their wares. … Continue reading Bourke Show Trip May 2015 →

BackgroundIn August 1960, as a raw youth,just after my nineteenth birthday, pastoral house Dalgety sent me to Bourke Branch. I had joined Dalgety in Sydney six weeks or so earlier after spending three years "jackarooing" in south/west and central Queensland. Dalgety said that they would use my vast rural experience and send me to a … Continue reading Bourke-A Town With Real Spirit-A Personal Perspective →

Last year (02.08.14) I wrote " Last year (2013) I published three posts titled "Oh What a Feeling", "Cricket and Chemo" and "Contemplation" which gave the brutal facts of my flirtation with bowel cancer. In September last year I wrote a triumphant "Health Update" declaring a cancer "all clear". Nothing has changed in that direction, but … Continue reading Health Update →

For all those who over the last 12 months have expressed concern and support with my health issues, I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you.For the record, I was diagnosed with bowel cancer on 9th October last year. I had some 11 inches of my colon and rectum containing three malignant tumours … Continue reading Health-An Update →

Last year I published three posts titled "Oh What a Feeling", "Cricket and Chemo" and "Contemplation" which gave the brutal facts of my flirtation with bowel cancer. The pathology tests on the eleven inches of removed bowel (sigmoid colon and upper rectum) revealed no less than three malignant tumours and a highly suspicious polyp. They … Continue reading Health →

Chemo and Cricket-10th December,2013I had an appointment to see Oncologist Gavin Marx at the San on 26th November. I proposed to him that before commencing chemo I should go to Adelaide for the Test Match. He helpfully calculated that the ideal time to begin chemo was six weeks after surgery and that was the 10th December, the day after … Continue reading Cricket and Chemo →