Ntandire Church/ Hall roof takes shape

In August we all trooped off to see Eltham Little Theatre's Production of "Stepping Out".
“Stepping Out” tells the story of seven women and one man attending a tap dancing class in the local church hall. The hilarious play deals with their lives and efforts to dance. It was a a superbly acted production and in the last act the appreciative audience demanded two encores. We nearly filled the theatre and raised sufficient funds for the roof sheeting for the new church hall in Ntandire.

As you can see the project is proceeding with the roof near completion.

Dyson took these photos when the timber work for the roof was completed prior to the fitting of the iron sheet roofing. He took the photo above of Sat Sacrament Classes (Called Tili Tonse ) for the young ones who are to start receiving Sacrament.

More photos are available on the Malawi site.

Sarana.

I have previously reviewed Chris Williams book Old Land, New Landscapes about Australian Farmers, Conservation and the Land care movement in Australia, which are creating a new green wedge of improved bio diversity through private farmland of our immense continent. Click here if you would like to read this review.

Chris is currently the Bush Protection Director for Trust for Nature in Victoria, an organisation whose objective is to preserve “Nature in Perpetuity” for all future generations. Trust for Nature assists private landholders set up legally binding covenants on private land by setting aside areas to be held in trust for nature. Larger acquisitions of entire properties are similarly covenanted.

Chris and his brother currently own a farm which grows natives plants as a ‘seed orchard” in areas previously used as grazing paddocks. The remainder of the farm is bushland with various types of native vegetation managed for nature conservation and to collect the wild seed to sell for revegetation and restoration for projects and mines. Some seeds go also to nurseries to grow plants for gardens.
The property is called 'Sarana' which is a name inherited from previous owners which Chris has since ascertained means "Sanctuary" in Sanskrit.
Chris studied Sanskrit for a year at University long ago, and realised the pronunciation is "Sharana" but decided to keep "Sarana". At any rate it is indeed a sanctuary and I trust you’re able from the above pictures to gain some insight into the beauty and fragility of the Australian landscape. The farm is located in a beautiful setting in close proximity to the popular Warrumbungle National Park, known for its rich old volcanic landscape and outback feel despite a relatively high rainfall.

The Warrumbungle Range is the most westerly extension of the Great Dividing Range, after you leave these mountains its uninterrupted, old, flat, dry Australia until you reach the MacDonnell Ranges in Central Australia!

The photos show 'Sarana ' in landscape context, Chris with a harvest of E.blakleyi, Timor Rock from the hill with the observatory in the distance and Back Creek Rapids.

Sleep

I think sleeping is an underrated pastime these days. Have you ever awakened refreshed, the problem of the previous day now resolved, or at least you have worried about it less? A good night’s sleep can do wonders! Not that much is known about the dream world that apparently we all experience and what actually happens within the brain when we are asleep. Experts are divided as to whether the brain uses the time to erase unwanted memories or to prioritise what is important to be stored. Maybe it’s a mixture of both. It was only in the fifties the so called rapid eye movement (REM), undergone in the first few hours in deep sleep, was observed, followed by resting periods when our dreams become far less imaginative. Prior to industrialisation we slept for much longer periods which were more in line with the changing seasons. Early dairies estimate the usual average hours at 10 per night compared to today of between 6-9. Einstein apparently loved his sleep, and liked to have at least 9 hours a night. With this is mind I composed a short poem about sleep renewal. The day ends as always Planet created that way Rest and sleep companions Mind renewed Tree of life continues From its leafy canopy Engulfs, enlightens, entertains Life’s oxygen Rays of hope for a new day Awaken new approaches Patterns our life cycles Repeat again

Yarra Wattle

At the time of Federation in Australia in 1901, the wattle was considered the national flower as it was found in all states and territories. Its golden colour was linked to prosperity and the spirit of the emerging nation. Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha became our national floral emblem in 1988 and floral tributes are often seen at funerals and were evident at those of the Bali bombings.

Walter Withers was a famous Australian landscape painter who in his later years owned a property in Eltham. He painted many scenes at that time in history. Several of his paintings were of scenes similar to the above photos taken recently of wattle flowering on the banks of the Yarra at nearby Warrandyte. Prints of his pictures and history are interspersed along its banks which add interest for walkers. The Yarra is often said to be flowing upside down because of its muddy appearances as it carries suspended silt.

With these facts in mind I have composed some verse

River you reflect our first spring rays
Wattle symbol our first nations praise
Withers surveyed in morning haze
Wattle blooms a picture to gaze

Withers heeded nature’s spring call
Mixed vibrant colours for us to adore
Painted a picture of natures embrace
Paintings resplendent of new nations place

The rivers currents still flow upside down
From mountain streams to city, ocean bound
Withers pictures now prints on the banks
Landscapes he painted put spring in our steps

In the spirit of dancing

     

I recently attended a dance performance entitled “I like Shorts”. The name was indicative of the format: just 10 minutes of individual dance performance acts by emerging and established dancers. Although some of the presentations were excellent others represented the longest 10 minutes in dance history, as it was far too repetitive and left the audience bored. I think an artist owes some measure of responsibility to entertain within the ambit of artful expression.

Dance however must be one of the most subjective types of expression within the whole gambit of the arts, yet it has existed since time in memorial in all of its different forms within different communities and across cultures. Amongst early indigenous peoples we know it celebrated their life cycles, to welcome in new seasons, to celebrate a successful hunt or season or as an initiation ceremony into adulthood. Many of these elaborate dance ceremonies extended over several days and were taken very seriously. The dance was almost always accompanied by much singing and playing of musical instruments, which themselves became objects which were held in reverence. Aboriginals in Australia in Arnham land in the Northern Territory remain traditional owners of the Didgeridoo, an instrument fashioned from the trunks or branches of eucalyptus trees hollowed out by termites with a mouthpiece made from bee wax and adorned with paintings and carvings. The instrument stretches back into their ‘Dreamtime’ estimated to be an uninterrupted period of occupancy and affinity to the land encompassing 60,000 years. Aborigines have a rich spiritualty encompassing their own law, passed on by the elders. The Didgeridoo was considered a sacred instrument and played an integral part in all religious ceremonies. Strict rules apply to its use with heavy penalties for transgressors, as they believe its spirit lives on in the instrument. However any instrument made by a non-Indigenous person is deemed to have no spirit; considered merely a musical instrument. The same principles apply to Didgeridoos made by Aboriginal people who do not have the instrument by virtue of their cultural heritage.

When I was in Kiribiti I witnessed their dance ceremonious and singing, representing an oral history from first migration, maybe from Tahiti about 10,000 years ago in giant canoes. The training and rehearsal extended over several months before each important celebration and the elaborate dance routines were both graceful and beautiful. I learnt from a local volunteer from Canada, who had decided to learn their language and dance that they were arduous and difficult to remember. She recounted a story to me of a young man who had kindly dedicated himself to train her for a dance but died several months before the intended celebration. During the dance she lost her way as her mind went blank. Immediately the image of the man came to her and she had no further recollection other than when it was completed several hours later. Many complemented her on her performance afterwards.

The above photos show several young Kiribiti dancers from the island of Tarawa in their resplendent costumes which were all hand woven.

Hot Rocks to heat the world

A former work colleague kindly brought to my attention the latest report in the Herald Sun Newspaper which reported Federal Industry Minister Ian MacFarlane’s statement on geothermal energy as a probable source of up to 30% of Australia baseload power needs in the future.

For the full article click here.

He added in his e-mail to me “Being a cynic I can only see the government's involvement as a hindrance”.I tend to agree as Scientists have been actively championing renewable energy such as hot rocks for several decades and I think it’s only recently political parties have donned “green coats” in preparation for the forthcoming election.

Already there are several investment funds set up for investors willing to risk private funds into new mining ventures, mining for hot rocks.

So what’s involved and how does it work?

The energy is in the form of heat stored beneath our feet, the hot molten rocks that lie just beneath the earths crust. The technology involves water being injected into a borehole and circulated through a heat exchanger below the surface. Water is heated as it contacts the hot rocks and returned to the surface through another borehole to provide the power to generate electricity. The cycle is repeated as this water is then injected into the first borehole to return to be reheated over and over gain. The technology is less arduous than drilling for oil and at lower depths. It is thought there will be abundant hot rocks of sufficient temperatures to produce vast quantities of energies in many parts of the world.

If you combine other energy alternatives such as solar, wind and wave power combined with a concentrated effort to adapt to a less energy dependant civilisation the future looks somewhat brighter.

Retirement

Well ~ The big moment has arrived~ !!

I was quite overwhelmed by the thoughtful comments on the card from my colleagues and also enjoyed a great dinner, to reminisce with laughter and good fellowship. I received some nice wine (already consumed) and a very generous gift voucher at my formal presentation which I have used to buy new luggage for our trip overseas. See below

The first few days have been busy planning our trip from early September to tour the south west of England and then by ferry to Ireland, stopping off for a tour in Beijing on the return leg which was an afterthought. Our route will include a few days stopover in HK on the way over and just short breaks for connect flights from Helsinki on both legs to break up the journey flying Qantas/Finnair.

We had dinner with friends recently who had travelled to Ireland and hence gained a few points of interest.Unfortunately on the return our planned stopover at Beijing has the tour dates coinciding with China's National holidays(1st~8th October)and it's peak time for all domestic travellers so it will be crowded as 1.3 billion people all go on national holidays !

In my retirement I intend to be involved to a greater extent than previously with grandchildren, reading, extra golf, travel, visiting museums,short day trips and other projects yet to be formalised.

My wife and I had the pleasure of meeting up with two bloggers recently, Val and Gina, when we enjoyed looking around Monsalvat. Val has posted some deft photos and a great summary click here to view.

Ntandire buldings works take shape

 

 

 

 

Ntandire Church & Hall takes shape

Good progress continues to be made and we hope to soon fund the roof sheeting to largely complete the external building works. The Community is also grateful to our ladies school at Eltham who have supported the project.Sometime ago I wrote a story for them.

A Children's Story about Malawi

I am indebted to Trish Taylor, from the Malawi Support Group, whose editing helped to make it a suitable story for the schoolchildren of Eltham.

Rainbow Worm was once deep in the earth; a special Worm, longing for freedom, different to all of the other worms digging in the soil. Rainbow Worm was storing up great energy and courage to emerge from his darkness, into the light outside. When he emerged, the sun was bright, and burned colours into his delicate skin, but he was strong and courageous and endured his discomfort for it was not to last for long. Soon came the soothing rain. It increased his strength; giving forth such great energy it caused an almighty wind to sweep Rainbow Worm up into the sky.
We recognise this today as the rainbow!.

Rainbow Worm wanted to help. He viewed the Earth from his wondrous sky place and saw a very poor but hardworking community in the African country of Malawi. He decided that this is where he could help. He realised it was one of the poorest countries on the planet, but he also saw that the people had generous and warm hearts. This is why Malawi is known as the “Warm Heart of Africa”. "How can I help?”thought Rainbow Worm. From his wondrous place in the sky he noticed a group of school children in Eltham on the vast continent of Australia. He decided to take them on a journey to Malawi. All he needed to do was to tap on the classroom window and they found themselves crossing the wide oceans from Australia to Africa on the back of Rainbow Worm.

On landing they spotted a group of people cooking up a great feast. They learned that it was a feast where all are welcomed; a feast to remember and celebrate the lives of St Kizito, a thirteen-year-old- boy, and his friends, who died because they dared to believe in the Christian God. They were welcomed into the celebration. There in the midst of the people was an old woman, her face wrinkled, but compassionate, her body bent, her character straight and true, her person small but mighty in spirit. She stood surrounded in a golden aura.

"I am your dear "Sister of Compassion ". I have been here for 25 years now so it is my home. I came here to work with these people, especially those who are suffering so much with the AIDS virus. Before I came I worked in the capital city, Lilongwe, in the hospitals as a medical missionary. But I was asked to come here to help for the suffering is great. Many things need to be done. We need help for special classes to teach families to be healthy and to improve their diets. We need help to develop language skills and to encourage sporting activities. I am trying to organise concerts around the world to raise money to help these people.”Rainbow Worm and the children listened to their dear Sister of Compassion.

It was time to leave. Sadly there was no time to stay and enjoy the feast. “Never mind," said Rainbow Worm, “We have much to keep in our minds and hearts, much to pray about". It was late so their thoughts returned to home where morning was breaking. They told the amazing story to their parents. Many people in Eltham came to hear about the story. Some formed a group that came to be called the "Malawi Support Group." This group worked hard to raise funds for Malawi and the good people of Our Lady Help of Christians in Eltham continue to do this to this very day. An act of love for the people of Malawi from the people of Eltham on that great Australian continent.

Peugeot

I have taken delivery of a new car. My intention was to find one which is environmentally friendly and frugal within a reasonable price range. I am delighted with the 307 HDI Peugeot Touring powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine, mated to a 6-speed auto.

It’s easy to drive yet bristling with technology, such as rain sensitive wipers, light sensitive lights and an electronic stability control system to take over should you swerve violently to miss say a Kangaroo and temporarily loose control. The diesel engine is neither loud nor smoky by virtue of a carbon filter and starts instantly on cold mornings. The carbon filter traps the carbon particles generated from the burning of the diesel fuel. Engine response are excellent with strong pulling power generated at low engine revs which boosts economy. On a trip your likely to only use 4.9 litres to 5.5 litres of diesel per 100 km. At highway cruising speeds of 110Km per hour (68 mph) the engine is barely ticking over at below 2,000 engine revs.

For those interested in more technical details the 2.0-litre diesel engine is a 4-cylinder inline with 4-valves per cylinder fitted with an air-to-air intercooler and turbo to improve torque output. It develops 320Nm of torque @ 2,000 rpm and when accelerating an automatic 'over boost' function is activated between 1750 and 3200rpm, increasing torque to 340Nm. The engine emits up to 30% less CO 2 than its petrol equivalent.

In Australia 97% of vehicles use petrol but I predict within 20 years there will be a huge swing towards the more efficient economical diesel engine types which are now more prominent in Europe.

Thinking

The Roving Ellipsis has recognized my blog as a “Thinking Blog”,thankyou for this recognition, although I am not generally in favour of blogger awards. However I think it provides an opportinity to introduce other bloggers, who may not comment regualarly or even be linked and their respective interests. Those tagged can elect to post about 5 other thinking blogs. Link to this post for the meme origin and award display. I think all of the blogs I have linked to my own blog make me think and are meritorious so if anyone else linked who is interested please let me know and I will make up another 5. Ideas and universe. Abhay is always thinking about life and the wondrous world around us. Mindance likes to think about new ideas and usually is exploring several books simultaneously. Syllogism has green fingers and an active mind with a good sense of humour. Sunburst is interested in many different aspects of the arts and life but sometimes despairs as to the art of politics. Val is a retired librarian with a keen interest in train travel, bookbinding and the environment and a host of other things. We exercise our bodies as way of keeping fit and likewise our minds benefit from stimulation arising from many different forms of conceptualisation. Ultimately I think knowledge and reality are the same thing but what do you think?