Newsletter No. 12: January 2002

Another of the quiz questions has been solved by Peter Wood. No 25 - 42 is the Meaning of life. For those like me who may not be aware of it, the saying comes from a book "Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. Now all we want to complete the quiz is the answer to No. 18: 5 = D in a Z C, come on all you clever family someone must be able to work it out. 

I should have mentioned in the last newsletter that Pam Wood's mother, Helene Mason passed away on 27/9/2001 aged 92 after spending 4 years in a nursing home, she is survived by 11 of her 12 children. 
 

• Dennis Lyell: has announced that he will be marrying Marichue Espina, a Philippino lady next May. He has already built a house at Leyte which is an island about one hours flight south/ south east of Manila, Dennis will live at Leyte when he returns to the Philippines. 
• Renae Turner: is now back in Australia leaving behind a boyfriend Grant in England. 
• Amanda White: also arrived back in Australia just prior to Christmas, a surprise for mum but evidently the rest of the family knew in advance. 
• Vic White: had a operation on his nose in December and everything literally came out all right, it must have he was well enough to attend his companies' Christmas party 
• Nanna Wood: spent her 102nd birthday in the usual way sleeping most of the time and giving the staff the brush off when she was not in the mood for their attention. 
• Sharon Prawdiuk: was noticed at Dizzy's Jazz Club in a concert, she has being taking part in a vocalist's workshop under the guidance of muso Bob Sedergreen so more is to come on this career/ hobby shift, she may even show up performing with her brother Brian. 
• Birthday milestones this issue Ray Payne is 50 on the 13th March 
• Gerard Robb: has set up his personal training website www.personalpeak.net which also can be accessed via links on the "Woodchips website". Gerard has been enjoying the work in Tokyo so intends staying another year. 
• Chris Robb: has entered all the Robb & Wood family names on the first families website www.firstfamilies2001.net.au this has been a Government centenary celebration initiative. 
• Beth Robb: has obtained a place at Latrobe University Bendigo in Graphic Arts 
• Matthew & Clare Wensor; have moved into their new house in Doncaster 
• Sonja Belle (Michael Wood's partner) competed for West Australia at Bondi recently in the National Interstate Surfing Championships where she came second in the beach sprint and had 4th places in the flags and the women's relay 
• Two of our families had experiences in the recent NSW bushfires: The Camish's who live in Kurrajong which those who were watching the news reports know is in the Blue Mountains had the frightening experience of the fires reaching their back fence and a couple of houses in their street were burnt down also Peter Wood's family while holidaying in Victoria learnt of fires raging near their area Stanwell Park at the neighbouring township of Helensburg which was evacuated, luckily there were only a few spot fires near to their home. There will be continued fire potential around both of these townships so our thoughts and prayers go out to them. 

There must be a number of family members either starting primary school, secondary school, university, a new job or their first job, if this is applicable to your family send me details to include in the next newsletter. 

Quote of the Month 

Love is like a violin, the sound may stop now and then, but the strings remain forever. 

Joke of the Month 

A couple had two little boys, ages eight and ten, who were excessively mischievous. 
The two were always getting into trouble and their parents could be assured that if any mischief occurred in their town their two sons were in some way involved. The parents were at their wits end as to what to do about their son's behaviour. 
The mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children in the past, so she asked her husband if he thought they should send the boys to speak with the clergyman. 
The husband said," We might as well. We need to do something before I lose my temper!" 
The clergyman agreed to speak with the boys, but asked to see them individually. The eight-year-old went to meet with him first. The clergyman sat the boy down and asked him sternly, "Where is God?" 
The boy made no response, so the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, Where is God?" 
Again the boy made no attempt to answer, so the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face, WHERE IS GOD?" 
At that, the boy bolted from the room and ran directly home slamming himself into the closet. His older brother followed him into the closet and said, What happened?" 
The younger brother replied, "We are in big trouble this time. God is missing and they think we did it." 

Thought on Exercising: 
It is well documented that for every minute that you exercise you add one minute to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a Nursing Home at $1000.00 per month 

Family Profile: Michael Craig Wood 

• D.O.B. 14 September 1962 
• Occupation: Sports Physiotherapist working at my own private clinic in Leederville, an inner suburb of Perth. I am currently the injury management coordinator and contracted physiotherapist for Perth Glory Soccer Club who compete in the National Soccer League. I have reached this position in a roundabout way, working in Melbourne, Port Headland and in several clinics in Perth. I travelled to the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpa with the Australian Men's Hockey team when they won the gold medal, I have also received the Australian Sports Medal for services to sport. 
• Hobbies & Interests: I like to keep fit by working in a Gym several times a week and swimming or running when possible. I have developed an interest in soccer and I am involved in the surf life saving association as a member of the North Cottesloe surf club. 
• Partner: My partner Sonja Belle is an Occupational Therapist working in a private human resource group in the area of injury management and prevention. Sonja is involved as a volunteer surf lifesaver and competes as a beach sprinter in surf lifesaving championships. Last year she was a member of the Women's open beach sprint relay team from North Cottesloe who won the gold medal at the 2001 Australian Championships. Sonja is studying hard and has recently completed her post- graduate diploma in human resources. 
• Children: 
• Zachary (Zac) is 9 years old, he loves sport-especially soccer and is known as "the scud' he plays as a striker. He plays tennis over the summer as well as competing with the Nippers (surfing). He is a very caring boy who loves physical activity and making things with his hands. 
• Madison (Maddie) is 6 years old . She likes running and came second in the interschool sprint in November. She has also won a prize for her art work in an interschool competition and loves writing stories on the computer. 
• Favourite Entertainer: Adam & Will from Triple J morning show 
• Favourite CD: The Cranberries & Jazz on a Sunny Day compilation 
• Favourite Movie: The Big Chill 
• Favourite TV Show: The Panel 
• Favourite Holiday Destination: Perth 
• Favourite Meal: Thai Green Curry Chicken 
• Favourite Book: Entertainment Book- voucher book for dinning out in Perth 
• Car you drive: Mazda 323 Astina 
• Famous Person you would like to dine with: Paul Keating 
• Event you would like to do at the Olympics: 100M sprint 
• Favourite Footy team or sports team: Australian Davis Cup Team 
• Pets: One Golden Cocker Spaniel called G T 
• What talent would you like to have: To be able to speak & understand several languages 

BIRTHDAYS 

(February) 
1st John Avery Lyell 
4th Gerard Francis Robb 
8th Susan Mary Wood 
9th Laurence Gerard Wood 
22nd Gemma Louise Bellman 
23rd Matthew Gerard Wood 
24th Paul Victor White 
28th Anne Maree Turnbull 
28th Jessica Sarah Wood 

(March) 
5th Dorothy Turner 
6th Mark Frederick Turnbull 
8th Clayton John Lyell 
13th Raymond Gordon Payne 
13th Heath Avery Lyell 
14th Pamela Dawn Wood 
14th Allison Louise Regalado 
17th Jacob Jordan Wood 
20th Amanda Louise White 
30th Ricki Woestyne 
31st Joshua James Wood 

Here are a couple of pages from Rob & Clare's diary from their Vietnam trip. 

We arrived safely and are having a great time. Vietnam is unbelievable ! At the airport our first attempt to get into the country was rejected by the stone-faced communist customs officer, because we had not filled out the section where we were staying...we didn't even know that ourselves! It was easier than we thought to get a cab and find a relatively nice hotel to stay,. First impressions! Well, you know that smell of a bin with the lid off - that is Saigon. 
The food has been great, we are eating all the time. No sign of any bad reactions as yet. Today it rained most of the day, like a typical wet season day in Darwin. We took a day tour to the Chu Chi Tunnels, where the Viet Cong used to hide during the American war ( as the Vietnamese call it). It was very spooky- we had to crawl through about 150m of hot, dark & damp tunnel on our hands and knees ( fortunately they have been enlarged for us westerners!) We didn't take advantage of the chance to fire off a few bullets from a M-16 or AK-47, but did see some pretty gruesome looking booby traps. 
We will probably spend tomorrow checking out more of Saigon. The traffic is chaotic yet it runs surprisingly smoothly- there are 70 million people to avoid on the road ( mostly motorbikes) and apparently less than 30% have their licence. From here we will be heading south to enjoy the floating markets of the Mekong Delta region for a couple of days. There are so many sights to see, and shopping to do. After that we will head up the coast to relax on some of their famous beaches 
later that month.... 
We are currently in Hanoi, the capital, with only one week to go on our oriental adventure. We are finally settling into this environment, being more adventurous, and eating more of the wonderful food that surrounds us in the streets. We haven't tired of noodles or rice for every meal ( with the occasional western meals slipped in) One of the culinary highlights was a delicious meal where we selected a fish dish, only to see them go to a small pond next to our table and catch it, cook it up in coconut milk, then prepare it in front of us in rice paper rolls. We also have been privileged to try sea urchin, artichoke tea, and a amazing selection of tropical fruit. We have also sampled just about every beer that is available. It is all very cheap. 
During the last week we have travelled further north from the quiet and funky Hoi An- known for their resourceful tailors. We both bought quite a few items of clothing, all custom made for between $10-20. We hired a couple of old rickety bikes to get around town. We are now coping with the traffic a little better, especially in these small towns. Travelling north from Hoi An we made a fortunate last minute decision to stop at Doc Let beach- a very beautiful spot with nothing more than the beach, a restaurant and a private beach bungalow. We fitted in a sunset swim in the rain, followed by an early morning swim at sunrise the next day (we went back for a nap afterwards of course- we are on holidays). 
We are starting to pick up a bit more of the language. It is a lot easier to learn as you go along, as you can get instant feedback if you say it right (or wrong which is most often). Occasionally we are able to order our food in Vietnamese. 
From here we have a few days in the mountain village of Sapa close to the Chinese border, with some trekking to the surrounding hill tribes. The weather in central Vietnam was hot & sticky, a little uncomfortable even for us Darwinites- we must spend too long in airconditioning at home. Up in the mountains it should be cooler. For the final few days we will be sailing around beautiful Halong Bay, and we should be able to use up our remaining film in this very photogenic spot.