news

For those newer members who don't know this gentleman, here is a short
history:
Don Clarke is one of the founder members of the club and last year moved to
Australia, hence "Oz Blog". He was made an honorary member in recognition of his long service and hard work throughout to keep the Club thriving, and as he finds getting to the club each Monday a little tiring.

31.12.2008
My picture was taken on a warm New Year's Eve from a residence on the north side of Sydney harbour which at midnight gave us a good view of the fireworks on the bridge and other points on the horizon. The magpie obviously agreed and had secured his position in good time.
His breed looks the same as his English relatives but are a good deal
more friendly: they will readily enter your premises and take any
food offered.

May I take this opportunity to extend cordial greetings to all
fellow members and families of the Brentwood Computer Club coupled with the wish that 2009 will serve them well.

"Australia is heavily populated with Eucalyptus trees of which there are many varieties capable of growing to several hundred feet. A few weeks ago I was staying in a coastal resort where the houses were interspersed with such trees one of which collapsed onto a nearby house. I attach a picture of the house concerned which we were informed was a write-off. The more immediate problem was removing the tree for which purpose a helicopter was used. Sections of the tree were progressively sawn off and attached to a line lowered from the helicopter which then conveyed them to a nearby beach area to be chipped up by machine. In all the helicopter made over a dozen trips before the house was clear. Thereafter the tree trunk was sawn into sections for removal locally by lorry."

The signpost illustrated is located at a nearby junction with Moorooba Road and directs the visitor to the only community building in Coomba Park – an easy stroll from our residence passing the helicopter pad. (the latter is for emergency use only and, marked only by a windsock, I have yet to see it in use.) Known. not surprisingly, as the Community Hall,the centre is in use most days for a variety of purposes. Soon to be the venue for a Spring Ball, it is regularly used for other purposes such as church services conducted by the Salvation Army and other religious interests. There is a weekly after-school period for youngsters; as well as line dancing; choir practices;etc. But probably the most popular event as advertised on the signpost, is the Sunday Brunch when from 10 o’clock to noon anyone can not only pop in for a snack provided at low cost in the well-equipped kitchen by local volunteers, but more importantly meet and chat with other residents of this small scattered community.”

"Do you recognise the blooms in my picture? You may well have
acquired a potted single flower as a Christmas gift. It is the
Poinsettia (Euphorbia Pulcherrima) . The name reminds me of a song
popular some years ago entitled Poinsietta – the lyricist was
presumably no gardener! As you see, the plant grows here as a shrub currently in full bloom. As we move into the Australian winter we are enjoying a spell of fine sunny weather even though temperatures are beginning to dip- the expected high today is 20C. The reverse is presumably happening at your end and hopefully you will soon be seeing snowdrops and primroses which I must confess I miss."

“My picture taken on a recent visit to Sydney , capital of NSW, depicts a style of architecture which was evidently common in the early days of the city. It is increasingly being replaced by modern flats and shops. Those still standing are usually separate two story dwellings but this was the first block of four I have spotted. The central opening is probably designed to admit coaches to rear stables. Notice the inscribed date, 1889. The upper balcony with its elegant metal railing which appears in a variety of designs is standard and was presumably a popular resort in the hot summer months – particularly before the advent of the petrol engine.”

“8 April 2008
Having told you of my surprise at finding Lilies growing wild, I must also tell you of the many trees which blossom in this the autumn of the Australian year. My favourite is the Tibouchina which is in full flower at this time of the year. I doubt if your computer any more than mine can do justice to the violet-purple hue of the blooms on this tree.”

"24 March 2008
A word about wild flowers. Australia is a large continent and I can only speak for the comparatively small area which I currently inhabit but so far I have seen little to compare with the buttercups and daises common in the UK . There is a wealth of flowering shrubs and trees of which more later. But what surprised me when I awoke a month or two ago was to find the nearby common land peppered with trumpet lilies. Unlike the general run of wild flowers which are seeded by a variety of means, lilies are as I recall it grown from bulbs. How were they originally generated on this previously unpopulated and uncultivated land?"

One of the peculiarities of Coomba Park and probably other rural areas of NSW is the absence of letter boxes on front doors. Quite understandable when the front door can be a hundred yards of more from the road and when the postman may have several square miles to cover in his van. Householders are accordingly required to mount a mail box at the roadside entrance to their properties. So far as I am aware the design of a mailbox is unspecified apart from the need to be weatherproof and to afford access, front and rear, for envelopes and rolled newspapers, etc. Commercial designs are available although many house owners invent their own I have illustrated a simple white mailbox and one of more elaborate design. The yellow mailbox started life as a buoy and the humanoid design is an obvious reference to one of Australia ’s most famous criminals, Ned Kelly, who in 1876 was shot and killed despite wearing a home-made steel helmet."

"7 Feb 2008

We took the opportunity of a warm Bank Holiday last week to take run out in the car and to lunch on take-away fish and chips which we took-away to a pleasant lakeside area known as Smiths Lake.
We had hardly sat down at a BBQ bench when we were joined by a pair of Kookaburras. Of all the strange birds one sees over here, the kookie is probably my favourite.
A friendly bird, it will go anywhere for food and quickly adapts to any location where food is regularly provided.
As my picture shows it is sizeable and uses its large beak to good advantage.
Related to the kingfisher it prefers a diet of fish which even if fried,it will often thump it against something solid before carefully aligning the morsel within its long beak."

" 25th Jan
Tomorrow, Saturday, is Australia Day. The tradition of noticing 26 January began early in the nineteenth century with Sydney almanacs referring to First Landing Day or Foundation Day. That was the day in 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip, commander of the First Fleet of eleven convict ships from Great Britain and the first governor of New South Wales, arrived at Sydney Cove. The raising of the Union Jack there symbolised British occupation of the eastern half of the continent claimed by Captain James Cook on 22 August in 1770. In point of fact, Phillip first landed at Botany Bay where it was originally intended to establish the colony. On closer inspection the lack of water and soil conditions rendered it unsuitable and Phillip pressed on to what became known as Sydney , named after Lord Sydney the then Home Secretary who authorised the voyage. Since 1935 Australia Day has been celebrated as a Bank Holiday. In common with many other historic days which fall on a weekend, Monday 28 January will be a day off work.”

“13 Jan 2008

A very Happy New Year to all my readers with apologies for
absence of recent blogs due to Christmas spent south of Sydney in the Royal National Forest coupled with laptop problems which happily have now been resolved.
I recall telling you of the deer which inhabit these parts but
they are well outnumbered by the kangaroos and their smaller sized relatives the wallabies. Whilst they are quite unpredictable in their habits – I have often wondered if they a base somewhere – a group can be seen somewhere around on most days grazing on the grassed areas. And incidentally they do not only hop everywhere: when grazing they adopt a crawl using their short front legs together with their huge feet.
My picture shows a mother with a sizeable infant in her pouch.
Soon after birth the infants suckle within the pouch but later are quite adept at jumping in and out, learning to graze and hopping around.”

“2 Dec 2007
In a recent blog devoted to Australian architecture I referred to the former practice of using corrugated galvanised iron for roofs. An excursion this week took me past one such dwelling which looks to be unoccupied.. My attached photograph reminds me of more than one painting I have seen of the same subject. You may agree with me that it is much more atmospheric than my earlier picture of more modern properties.
I take this opportunity to extend hearty greetings for Christmas and the New Year to all my fellow members and their families. "

“28.Nov 2007
Looking at the club website my eye fell on the pictures of deer in Weald Park . We too have deer in Coomba Park although their status is rather different. They are free to wander wherever the mood takes them, including both public and private property where they are liable to munch anything which takes their fancy. Deer are regarded nationally as game animals which may be hunted subject to specified controls; hunters must for example be licensed and may only hunt where authorised.. Strength of feeling in Coomba Park is such that restrictions have been relaxed to include hunting at night, normally prohibited.”

"22 Nov 2007
A word about local architecture. Townships in NSW normally feature storied brick buildings and tower blocks but rural areas such as Coomba Park tend to favour single story dwellings of the type shown in my picture. Designs vary both internally and externally but almost without exception roofs are of corrugated metal. Up to 30 or 40 years ago the favoured metal was galvanised steel which was prone to rusting. Current practice is to use corrugated steel treated with zinc-aluminium which is both rust resistant and attractively coloured. The walls of these properties favour timber or weather board attached to a steel framework itself mounted on courses of brickwork. Provision of standard mains facilities depends on the area. Here in Coomba Park there is no provision of gas or mains water, hence the pipes feeding rainwater to storage cylinders. Electricity is supplied by overhead lines: telephone cables run underground. Sewage is similarly fed to tanks"


 "8 Nov 2007
 Today we embarked on a cruise around Wallis Lake, one of the many
lakes in this part of NSW.  We joined with some 50 others whooccupied 
the top deck of the vessel shown in my picture
(the bird is a pelican which abound in these waters). Other passengers
chose the lower deck which also housed a well stocked bar. Our vessel
was unusual in that the captain who was also the helmsman steered his
vessel using a horizontal car-type steering wheel .  This did not as I
presumed actuate a rudder: in fact, it controlled port and starboard
engines transferring power between them as required.   The whole
voyage occupied around four hours and with little variation in the
scenery was enjoyably occupied in keeping the barman busy.
   We did however observe many of the oyster beds for which this
 region is as famous as Whitstable."

"1st Nov 2007
 Congratulations to our Webmaster for his excellent presentation of my first blog. 
Let me now put you in the picture. I am currently living in an area of NSW known as
 Coomba Park which coincidentally falls within the administrative bailiwick of the 
GLC – the Great Lakes Council. Coomba Park is small and rural – population 800 – with
 only one all-purpose shop, the Post Office,. Load up Google Earth and you will find 
it close to Forster (pronounced Foster) the nearest town of any size, which boasts 
a Woolworths and is where we go for essential shopping. Unfortunately it is not 
easily accessible. My picture shows the view looking north from our lounge window.
Forster is over to the right on the far side of the lakes; but to get there we have 
to travel south and east before finally picking up the coast road going north along a 
stretch of land which in parts is not much more than 100 yards wide - one sees the 
lake on one side and the ocean on the other! Forster, by the way, is twinned with 
its smaller neighbour Tuncurry. Once separated by the lakes, they are now connected 
by a low wooden road bridge in constant use by heavy traffic."

( Don's full address is in the members section)