Back to previous page
Back home, mum finished painting the cow table. Sarah and Kelly used this table with chairs when young. Fortunately, it had not been thrown out and all it needed was some sanding and an artistic lick of paint to become popular again, especially for reading, either with oma or Piet on his own. We also read outside on the bench with oma, walk her around the yard, practice her yoga together or fingerpaint with her. During a visit from Jo and Pete, the kids demonstrated their football skills.
Oma's birthday and Healesville sanctuary
In mid May, we celebrated oma's birthday early in the morning with
two presents. Piet and Emma offered a
handmade creation, while their parents had been assisted by a local artist in the creation of this
gum tree scenery watercolour.
After breakfast, we went to Healesville sanctuary, where indigenous animals like koalas and kangaroos are presented in a very natural habitat. We wandered around for two hours, had some fun on the playground with joint slide rides and continued to the TarraWarra art museum and winery, where we had a birthday lunch with excellent views. After a sleep in the car, the birthday cake was consumed in the afternoon.
Bep's trip to Bendoc and Canberra (by Leonie Walmsley)
On Thursday 20th, Bep set off to have a few days with Sarah's parents, John and Leonie, at their home, 'Mountain View', in Bendoc. The trip took eight
hours to Bombala. Bep was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to connect from train to bus in Bairnsdale: just four buses to choose from in the whole station and all waiting for passengers from the Melbourne train. Leonie picked her up from the nearest bus stop - Bombala - and drove her the 46km to 'Mountain View'.
After such a long journey she
settled down for the evening.
Next day was spent looking around the property (25 acres) and discovering the lifestyle Sarah had lived as a child. 'Mountain View' is so named because it looks out on Mt Delegate. It is also right on the Victoria/New South Wales border. Because she is so interested in birds, Bep was delighted to make the acquaintance of the Crimson Rosellas which come down regularly to eat the acorns which have fallen from the oak trees. So many birds live in and around the garden that she was kept busy researching their habits.
On Saturday Bep and Leonie decided to explore the district where they visited the school Sarah had attended for her Primary schooling. Next stop was a cottage which was built by one family of early settlers in the district and has been restored by the local historical society. The hardships experienced by those pioneers are unbelievable in today's time. They travelled extensive distances with little else but basic tools and a dream of a better future. When Sarah's family first moved to the district, they lived in a couple of converted buses on the side of Mt Delegate so that was an obvious site to explore. A drive to the top of the mountain showed off the magnificent views. Sunday saw Bep and Leonie going to the magnificent cool temperate rainforest in the Errinundra National Park.
On Monday it was goodbye Bendoc and hello Canberra for Bep and Leonie. On the way there, they stopped for lunch at Cooma - a small town to which many Europeans migrated after the Second World War. It was the focus of a hydro-electric scheme in which one of Australia's larger rivers, the Snowy River, was dammed to provide hydro electricity and diverted to provide irrigation. Going through a small town, Nimmitabel, they stopped off to see a windmill which had been built by one of the early settlers. Unfortunately it was never commissioned as a windmill as it had been built too close to the main road and there was a by-law which prohibited the 'sails'. There was fear of the turning sails frightening the horses using the road! Bep pointed out that the windmill builder's name Geldmacher is German for money maker. After a leisurely drive, during which they saw emus, eagles and cockatoos, they arrived just in time to go up into the Black Mountain Telecommunication tower from which they had a panoramic view of Canberra. Bep was impressed by the sprawl of our cities with so much space and so many trees.
The next day, Bep's last full day in Canberra, was raining so it was perfect for indoor activities. They had a guided tour of Parliament House, much of which is not visible from the outside, with the great flag pole dominating the area. The guide explained that the people are allowed to walk on the grassy hill covering the buildings as a symbol of the Parliament being subject to the people. The guide was delighted to discover that Bep was from Eindhoven, as one of his cousins, who was killed in WWII, is buried in the Oude Toren cemetery in Eindhoven. So many connections in Australia with the Dutch.
In the afternoon they visited the National Gallery and the highlight of the viewing was Sidney Nolan's series of paintings of Ned Kelly. Ned Kelly was an Australian bushranger who is glorified by some (for challenging the authority of a corrupt police force) and vilified by others (as just a common criminal). Certainly the Nolan paintings are totemic of Australian painting in the mid 20th century. After a few days of seeing a different aspect of Australia and Australian life Bep boarded the bus to return to Melbourne.
