The Kriels Downunder

Citizenship Ceremony

2011-08-21T19:19:00.001+10:00

Well....at last this day has arrived!!!! We've taken The Oath and kissed the kangaroo's ass and are now officially Aussies!!!

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Finally....some Fish!!!!

2010-06-08T14:48:00.005+10:00

Canal Life!!!

2010-03-16T17:02:00.008+10:00

Canal life is a culture on it's own!!!

Move to WA

2010-03-16T14:58:00.012+10:00

As you all know, we have moved across the County to WA. A big move but a good one. We decided that we wanted to be near the water again and found this lovely place in Mandurah, right on the water. We absolutely love it here and feel like we are on permanent holiday, but, unfortunately, some of us have to work and it's hard to pack up and fly off to The Pilbarra to 45dg + and millions of flies!!!!!

I bought half shares in a pontoon boat,The Surrey, with our new friends Stuart and June Dicks, and have the most awesome time cruising up and down the canals, as you will see by the photos!!! We also do a lot of crabbing and fishing from it, but it is mainly just a booze cruiser(HMS Pissalot).

It is absolutely stunning living on the canals and Jamie and I dive in as often as possible. The dolphins often pay us a visit and my neighbor tells me that in Dec. they herded a shoal of fish into the canal and were hitting them into the air and jumping out of the water to catch them, putting on an amazing display.(Who needs Bayworld???)

2009-10-25T22:03:00.000+10:00

Andrew and Christina's wedding

2009-10-25T21:39:00.003+10:00

BAKGAT BRAAI

2009-08-30T10:43:00.003+10:00

Dave's 50th Birthday in April 2009

2009-08-16T21:41:00.002+10:00

Leon' 50th in Jan 2009

2009-08-16T21:33:00.004+10:00

Mothers Day

2009-08-16T21:23:00.002+10:00

Jan's Birthday at Manly

2009-08-16T21:15:00.003+10:00

Indian Night

2009-08-16T20:49:00.008+10:00

The Indian night was held at our house. Divine Indian curry aromas mingled with incense & a Bollywood movie / music.

Greek Night

2009-08-16T20:32:00.007+10:00

We started off our International Dinner evenings with a greek nite at the Holm's. Great food, booze & company!!!

2009-06-02T11:08:00.002+10:00

2009-05-21T19:43:00.002+10:00

2009-05-21T19:04:00.002+10:00

2009-05-21T18:38:00.002+10:00

Floods again!!!

2009-05-21T17:53:00.002+10:00

Having just recovered from the November cyclonic storm, I spent the whole weekend in the garden, sorting out the beds and planting bulbs!!!! Well, I'm sure they are in Morten Bay by now. At least we did not suffer too much damage inside, this time, but the garden is totally stuffed now and it can bloody well stay that way!!!

Xmas 2008

2009-02-03T22:09:00.004+10:00

The start of our new garden

2008-12-21T17:09:00.001+10:00

10yr old Japanese Juniper on the left and 20yr old on the right.

Andrew's 21st

2008-12-21T08:28:00.004+10:00

The Didgeridoo

More of "The Storm"

2008-12-20T21:39:00.002+10:00

Video of the rain in the Gap

2008-11-21T19:31:00.000+10:00

GAPOCALYPSE

2008-11-21T16:37:00.007+10:00

As you know, by now, we were hit by a cyclonic storm, The Gap been the hardest hit, on Sunday, 16 Nov. and again on Wed, 19th. The 1st one flooded our house with mud and mulch, from the farmer's land and the 2nd one flooded it again with whatever was left!!! We had just got the house and the patio cleaned up, when the 2nd one hit!!!! To crown it all, a serious storm-warning has been sent out for Saturday. All I can say is: "Hats off to the Council, Red Cross, the S.E.S.(State Emergency Services) and Energex. You guys have done a fantastic job looking after all of us, working flat-out 24hrs p/day cleaning up the fallen trees, debris and getting the power supply back up in record time, considering 250km of cable were downed in the storm. Today S.E.S. came and sandbagged the perrimeter of our house, in preperation for Saturdays storm. Well done guys"!!The State and Federal Goverment gave us pay-outs, amounting to nearly $7000.00, for storm relief and expenses incurred due to the disaster. On Tueday, the S.E.S. came around to offer assistance with structural damage, the Police came to check if we were ok & that there were no looters, the council came door-to-door delivering bottled water, etc. Absolutely unreal. Many countries can come and learn "how it's done" or "how it should be done"!!!!!!!! So glad we live in Australia!!!

Today, when we went to the emergency offices set up at the Ashgrove Baptist Church, to claim the relief money. We were amazed at all the support offered to us....from tea/coffee & biscuits; councilling, boerie rolls, doughnuts, bottled water, special treatment for woman with babies, the elderly or injured, rooms with carers & entertainment for kids,plus, plus, plus!!

2008-11-19T09:38:00.000+10:00

Storm/cyclone in The Gap

2008-11-19T08:57:00.004+10:00

Andrew and Christina's holiday in Cairns

2008-10-25T22:13:00.008+10:00

GREAT BARRIER REEF

KURANDA SKYRAIL OVER THE RAIN FOREST

Komatsu 830 Electric Drive Dump Truck

2008-09-11T22:16:00.003+10:00

Working inside the tub(rear axle housing)

Tyres cost about $25000.00(R175000.00) each!!!

Snakes Alive!!!!!

2008-09-11T12:22:00.002+10:00

Our 2nd slithery visitor for the day (small Carpet Python!!!)

2008-09-11T12:12:00.000+10:00

Jamie is starting to shoot up now!!!!

2008-09-10T13:32:00.002+10:00

My 1st attempt at paving

2008-09-09T20:42:00.007+10:00

Jamie's room

Andrew's room

Our room

2008-08-28T20:40:00.001+10:00

ANC vindicated as CIA admits to controlling Scorpions, inventing Aids

DURBAN. The U.S.'s Central Intelligence Agency has admitted to allegations levelled against it by ANC supporters in KwaZulu-Natal, conceding that it is controlling the Scorpions crime-busting unit and that it invented Aids. It added that it had been "totally outwitted" by the ANC cadres who made the allegations at public hearings over the fate of the Scorpions.

The hearings, currently being held nationwide to give South African citizens a say in whether or not the Scorpions should be disbanded, are called 'Why We Are Disbanding The Scorpions', and the ANC says the Durban sessions have been exceptionally well attended.

It denied that the turnout was directly proportional to the quantity of free finger snacks available at each venue.

The controversy erupted this week when delegates were widely quoted in the national media as calling for the dismantling of the Scorpions on the grounds that the elite investigative unit was being controlled by the CIA, and that the American spy agency had also invented Aids to decimate Africa.

They said that the accusations were based on "extensive evidence" gleaned from pamphlets ordered off the Internet, as well as the testimony of local teenager Tampax Balindlela who had been visited in a dream by a talking frog who had told her of the CIA's involvement.

Experts had expected the CIA to rubbish the claims, but this morning the Washington-based agency conceded that both allegations were true.

"We don't know how these simple people uncovered the truth, but they did," CIA director Theodore Machiavelli told journalists this morning.

He grudgingly praised the KwaZulu-Natal ANC's members for their "incredible ability to join dots, even when those dots weren't on the same page, or weren't even dots to start with."

"Many people would stop and think: why would the CIA want to control the Scorpions? Surely we've got more pressing issues to address than a grubby power struggle between two grubby factions struggling for control of a grubby little country that has no strategic interest to the United States?

"Likewise many would ask why, if we wanted to decimate Africa, we would invent a disease like Aids, which is difficult to transmit and takes years to kill its victims.

"Why wouldn't we just put contraceptives in the water supply, or release an airborne strain of Ebola into the air-conditioners at OR Tambo International?"

But, he added, the ANC's supporters had "looked beyond logic, probed beyond facts, searched beyond common-sense, and used organs other than their brains" to unearth the truth.

Asked why the CIA had invested so much time and effort in destroying South Africa's institutions, Machiavelli said that it was because the agency was "just plain evil".

Meanwhile the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has welcomed the admission, and has called for Tampax Balindlela to be given an honorary degree in the Humanities and a lifetime supply of ANC-themed peak caps.

Sorted and re-planted

2008-08-26T11:50:00.005+10:00

All sorted and planted. Now to keep that damned scrub turkey from scratching it all up!!!!!!!!!!

Trying to get organised

2008-08-26T11:42:00.003+10:00

After hiring a rotary hoe and ploughing the beds(the ground was too hard to turn it with a fork)

Jamie's birthday lunch at Mikes kitchen. Coolangatta

2008-08-24T22:15:00.002+10:00

2008-07-20T22:44:00.002+10:00

On the 15th July 2008 we finally became Permanent Residents!! So a celebration was in order & we had a potjie & rugby evening! Unfortunately, the Sprinboks lost but a good time was had by all!

2008-05-23T12:42:00.005+10:00

Andrew went to a Rock Concert featuring Offspring, Incubus, Thursday and many more. What a rave!!!!

2008-05-23T11:45:00.002+10:00

Andrew and friends spent a day at Dream World and had an absolutely hectic time!!!

2008-05-10T09:31:00.003+10:00

Definately time to stop drinking!!!(was Z$35.00 p/beer when I was there in 2001)

2008-05-08T17:55:00.001+10:00

> VANNER MERWE IN AUSTRALIA
>
> Van der Merwe had never been out of South Africa before and was
> visiting Bondi Beach , Australia . He spotted a long line of black dots
> out in the water and said to an Aussie, who was sitting close by,
> "What are all those little black things out there?"
>
> "They're buoys," said the Aussie.
>
> "Boys?!" replied Van der Merwe. "What are they doing out there?"
>
> "Holding up the shark nets," the Aussie told him.
>
> "Foocken great country this!" said the South African, deeply
> impressed. "We'd never get away with that at home!"

2008-04-28T23:24:00.000+10:00

2008-04-28T22:56:00.002+10:00

We are very proud of Andrew, having been nominated for this prestigious award. He has definitely worked very hard and really deserves to win it. As far as we know, there are some really great prizes to be won. Go for it Booitjie!!!

2008-04-27T20:57:00.002+10:00

'N boer bly maar 'n boer!!!
KOEKSISTERS
BILTONG
BRAAI
BEER

2008-04-27T19:21:00.002+10:00

Bribie Island Fishing Trip. We planned on spending the night on the beach, but when the tide started to push too close for comfort, I decided that it was time to flee. It was neap tide and was not supposed to come up so high, but with 3hrs still till high tide, and the water about 10m from the car, I was not taking any chances. Jamie caught a ray and I caught a bloody barbel!!! Still no edibles!!!MUST GET A BLOODY BOAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-02-28T11:21:00.002+10:00

I took this photo of sunset over the mine last week. It's not often one sees something like this and, luckily, I had my camera with me to capture it.

2008-02-27T20:57:00.001+10:00

Last year I applied to have my Trade certified by The Commonwealth of Australia and have now received my Australian Trade Certificate. We can now apply for Permanent Residence and do not have to wait until the end of this year. We have already set the ball in motion, so hopefully, we will be granted Residency soon.

2008-02-17T20:29:00.000+10:00

This was a letter in The Herald on Friday. I thought it was quite classic

Look south for hope
AUSTRALIA has the most stable government in the world and that country was started with a bunch of criminals.
There must be hope for us yet.
Brian Cockroft South End Port Elizabeth

2008-02-16T23:14:00.000+10:00

Your Stars Foretell : By S. Com (The Future Made Clear - dark, but clear-eish)

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 21) : Things will be pretty dark for you today, unless you remember to buy new torch batteries.

Taurus (Apr 21 - May 21) : You'll probably eat cold, raw food again today. Try to remember to get that gas cylinder filled! Be cheerful, though, and remember that your ancestors lived like this and survived - 25,000 years ago.

Gemini (May 21 - Jun 22) : There will be a programme on TV tonight that you'll love. Bu mmer that you can't watch it 'cause it's on during your allotted "block" in the Eskom disco derby...

Cancer (Jun 22 - Jul 23) : Thought you were smart buying that generator? But we know you're going to run out of fuel tonight and the nearest working petrol station is 20km away. As you get there, we'll cut their power... Sorry.

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 24) : Another morning without that essential cup of coffee awaits you... If you make it to 10am we'll reward you with enough power to make some, but by then you'll probably have killed 3 people and severely injured a 4th. (Don't worry, though. This is the New SA - you'll probably get away with it.)

Virgo (Aug 24- Sep 23) : Not for very much longer... What else is there to do after dark?

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 23) : Your star-sign stands for fairness and justice. That's why we're going to hit your area with three 2hr outages a day, while the area where your local MP stays will enjoy uninterrupted power throughout.

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 23) : Your area's assigned outage "block" is from 10:00 to 12:30. Expect the power to go off any time before or after that. And don't think it will only be out for two-and-a-half hours, either.

Sagittarius (Nov 23- Dec 22) : Today you'll buy some food that is apparently within its sell-by date. What you won't realize is that the sell-by date is for food that has been stored in a constantly operating fridge.... Although you'll get severe food poisoning, we think you may survive if you can find an emergency ward that has back-up generators. Good luck!

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 21) : Don't bother to go to work today. During the hours when you actually will have electricity, your network provider will not, so you won't be able to do anything anyway. Stay home and well.... there's not much to do there either, is there?

Aquarius (Jan 21 - Feb 20) : Today you'll get so fed up with our incompetence that you'll decide to emigrate. We regret to inform you that this is no longer possible... The airports have all shut down, because - well think about it! They need electricity to run the place!! You ain't going - nowhere...

Pisces (Feb 20 - Mar 21) : Today all your hopes and dreams will come true. You'll have power during "Days of Our Lives".

If today is your birthday: Use lots and lots of candles on that cake - even if they don't reflect your age. How else are you going to see to open the presents?
You will receive the ideal gift - your very own miner's helmet!!

2008-02-16T14:40:00.000+10:00

Ask a Zimbabwean for tips on power cuts

What an incredible fuss you South Africans make about a few power cuts.
I
happened to lie down next to my battery-operated satellite radio for a
nap
this week after the season's only two hours of summer whacked me out. I
heard the likeable David O'Sullivan sounding unlikeable. Okay. He was
in a
rage, so angry he sounded as though he might burst an artery, or the
membrane holding his brain in place. About Eskom. I couldn't believe my
ears. As far as I can remember, in this past week there were only about
six
cuts, and none longer than five hours. Same thing at the
pharmacy: moan, moan, moan. Then it struck me - for the first time in
my
life I had really useful knowledge. I do know about electricity cuts
and
what to do about them. I know about boilers, paraffin fridges, wicks
and
lighting the lamps by pumping them hard at 5.30pm.

Please, South African householders, unless you live on more than an
acre,
don't get a generator. There will be murder in the streets of
Parkhurst, the
Berea in Durban and Obs in Cape Town if home owners on tiny bits of
land all
have generators farting rhythmically through long days and dark nights.
Even
small generators use 1 litre of diesel per hour. And they get stolen
easily
unless cemented in and you need monster ones to do fridges and stoves.
Leave
generators to Raymond Ackerman and his ilk. First rule for survival:
get a
solar panel on the roof, which is connected to an especially large car
battery in your house, which is then attached to an inverter, which in
turn
has a switch that lights up the world. This system keeps a TV, DSTV
encoder,
DVD player, mobile and laptop chargers going. And it costs nothing to
run.
The bigger the battery, the more lights. (Ditch desktop computers
today.) It
doesn't do fridges (more about fridges later) and it doesn't do
electric
stoves.

Go for gas. Mozambique has 300 years of gas, and the ANC government -
even
though it chose to do the arms deal instead of electricity - did put in
a
pipeline for gas from Mozambique. If you live in the older suburbs of
Johannesburg phone up the angels (seriously) at eGoli Gas and they will
look
on the map to see if you have a gas pipe in your street. If you have,
then
get connected. Gas geysers also work at a fraction of the cost of
electricity if you don't go for solar-heated water. Refrigerators are
another thing altogether. If you keep the doors shut, a tall one will
keep
food from going off during a power cut of about 30 hours. A deep freeze
lasts about 2,5 days if you don't open it. Longer than that and the
food
goes off. After all, you can shop daily in South Africa. Raymond
Ackerman is
going to keep the generators running.

Most Zimbabwe-owned supermarkets shut down during power cuts. Only
foreign-connected ones such as Spar have generators, or those owned by
Zanu
PF chefs (political elite), as they get cheap fuel. You must conserve
power.
You have a chance to do this because you still do have commerce and
industry. We lost our industry over the past few years, so that sector
can't
really help much. We have more or less given up mining. Except, except,
and
think about this: your mining houses can buy power with foreign
currency
directly from Cahora Bassa and pay in US dollars, as they are doing in
Zimbabwe now. It is a bit more expensive than Eskom, but it keeps the
platinum pouring out. We also don't have any robots left in our
streets, and
little traffic, so we don't have the kind of traffic jams I saw along
Jan
Smuts Avenue in Jo'burg on Thursday during a power cut.

We don't kill each other in fuel queues, and we don't have road rage as
our
roads are mostly gone. Nor do we kill each other in banks, even when
there
is no money there, or in supermarkets. Well, only very, very
occasionally,
and only once, over sugar and that was in Bulawayo, which is very far
from
town. So bear up, improvise and go get the solar, inverter, battery
alternatives, and gas. And you will all survive until you have enough
new
power sources within eight years, so I hear, and you are not going to
be
nearly as short of foreign currency as Zim, so can import some power.
But
Zimbabwe will recover sooner than South Africa, because our population
is in
Hillbrow.

2008-02-16T14:34:00.001+10:00

Dear Electricity Consumer,

Just a little note to let you know we understand your anger in the
recent price hike and power cuts.
But it should be noted that you have no choice.
We are a big company and you will pay what we tell you.
You have no choice.
We have the power, you need the power.
So sad, too bad. Sucks to be you.
We have enclosed a little picture to help outline our response.
Have a nice day and keep those cheques coming, loser!

Regards
ESKOM

2008-02-16T14:01:00.000+10:00

Beware of the lions!!!

2008-02-16T13:24:00.002+10:00

2008-02-16T12:43:00.001+10:00

Someone finally said it.

How many are actually paying attention to this?
There are Aboriginals, ,Torres Strait Islanders, Kiwis, Lebanese ,
Asians, Arabs, Boat People
from all over the place., etc.
And then there are just Australians.
You pass me on the street and sneer in my Direction.
You Call me
' Australian Dog', 'White boy', 'Cracker', 'Skippy', 'Whitey',
'Caveman'
And that's OK. But when I call you, Black Fella, Kiwi, Towel head,
Sand-nigger, Sheep Shagger ,Camel Jockey, Gook, or Chink,
You call ME
A RACIST!
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are
the Housing Commission Estates the most dangerous places to Live?
You have the Aboriginal Schools.
You have Sorry Day.
You Have Yom Hashoah ,
You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi.
If we had WET (White
Entertainment Television)
We'd be RACISTS.
If we had a White Pride Day.......
You would call us RACISTS.
If we had White Culture Month, we'd be RACISTS.
If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives. We'd
be RACISTS.
If we had a University fund that only gave white Students
scholarships.....
You know we'd be RACISTS.
'White colleges' ..
THAT would be a RACIST college.
You can march for your race and rights.
If we marched for our Race and rights
You would call us
RACISTS.
You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and Orange, and you're not
afraid to announce it.
But when we announce our White pride
You call us
RACISTS.
You rob us,
bash our kids,steal from us,and shoot at us.
But, when a white police officer
shoots a Muslim gang member or beats up a Lebanese Drug-dealer running
from the law and posing a threat to society,
You call him a RACIST.
I am proud.
But, you call me a RACIST.
Why is it that only whites can be RACISTS?

2008-02-14T21:32:00.003+10:00

The all new South African stove!!!

I know "load-shedding" is a hassel for everyone but don't despair, Eskom's specialists are attending to the problem!!!!

2008-02-03T14:16:00.000+10:00

One of the spiders that live in our garden

2008-02-03T13:45:00.000+10:00

Back to school for Jamie. He's in year 11 [std 9] now and hopefully only has 2 years left. He's very stoked because he can get his learners licence in August when he turns 16.

2008-02-02T18:21:00.000+10:00

This was 2 inches of rain in less than an hour!!! "Die Groot Nat"

2008-02-02T13:37:00.000+10:00

A sign of the times. Must be a "cafeteria"!!!

2008-01-06T17:41:00.000+10:00

As they say in the classics:"It never rains but it pours". Well, that's exactly what we experienced today!!! After 2 weeks of steady rain, the heavens opened with a vengeance and flooded out our garden. The 3 drains in our backyard could not handle the water and our patio was flooded. Needless to say, all the topdressing I put down just floated away!!!!

2008-01-06T11:24:00.000+10:00

We spent yesterday on the Pine River, fishing and barbequeing. The fishing was "great", as you can see by Jamie's and Lee's "huge" fish!!!!

2008-01-03T18:41:00.000+10:00

At last we've had good rains. I hope it's raining in the catchment areas.

2008-01-03T17:42:00.000+10:00

Australians are big on Xmas lights and have competitions and a tour bus that takes one to all the hotspots. This house scooped third prize.

2008-01-02T17:08:00.000+10:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR
Well, 2007 has come and gone and we now look forward to 2008. I must say that a lot has happened over the last 12 months, with me moving through virtually every department in Komatsu and ending up on the mines, where I belong, I think!!! I am planning on studying this year as I want to get my degree in either mechanical engineering or mining engineering. I have to decide where I want to go and then take it from there. This is something I should have done years ago, but now, with my new rotation being 1 week on 1 week off, it gives me more time to study. Debbie has settled down fantastically and is not as homesick as when she first arrived, but still misses the family a lot. She has applied for a job at the Regis Old Age Centre, about 100m from our house and hopefully she will be accepted as it will really supplement our income and also relieve some of the boredom she experiences when I'm away. Jamie has passed year 10[std 8] and has 2 years left at school, hopefully. In August, when he turns 16, he can get his learners licence and he just can't wait. He will be starting subjects, at school, that will be geared towards his future study plans so he realises that the next 2 years are probably his most important ever!!! Andrew starts his second year apprenticeship[with a $4.00 p/h increase] and is really doing exceptionally well and loving it, much to every one's surprise. He has probably settled in the best of all of us and has made plenty of really fantastic friends. He has no inclination of ever going back to S.A. and already calls this home!!! He is very ambitious and I'm confident that he will still go far. I have applied to have my skills assessed and once I have that, I can apply for Permanent Residence, otherwise I have to wait another year. We just dip out on so much not having our residency. Anyway, all the best for 2008. Hope it will be a prosperous year for all.

2008-01-01T21:49:00.000+10:00

We had our New Year's eve party at our place and had 2 potjies going, one oxtail and one curry lamb shank. By the way, oxtail is sold in the pet food section!!! I do'nt think the Ozzies eat it.

2008-01-01T21:30:00.000+10:00

There's not much to beat Tasmanian Salmon, grilled on the barbie.

2008-01-01T20:54:00.000+10:00

We had a lovely evening at Lee and Derrick's last Saturday.

2007-12-28T07:46:00.000+10:00

We spent Boxing Day on Bribie Island, picknicking and fishing. Even Shaun tried his hand at fishing.

2007-12-23T10:47:00.000+10:00

We have added a water-feature to our patio. Andrew says it's like trying to negotiate a rain forest now!!!

2007-12-20T18:07:00.000+10:00

Jamie won this trophy for 3rd place overall, for the year, in the Nitro C class Off-road Buggies. Not bad considering he's only been racing for 4 months and all the teething problems he's had.

2007-12-19T11:15:00.000+10:00

Andrew's friends bought him a tandem flight on a hang-glider, for his birthday, and he was allowed to take photos from the air. I do'nt know how he still managed to take any as I'm sure he was kakking himself and hanging on with both hands, feet and all!!!!!!

Andrew spent a week in Byron Bay[the most Eastern point of Australia] with some friends. They hired a house right on the beach and had one hell of a jol!!!!

2007-12-19T10:21:00.000+10:00

Andrew and friends on a hiking trip.

2007-12-19T08:28:00.000+10:00

The birds are really enjoying the feeder, especially the boiled eggs.

2007-12-19T08:05:00.000+10:00

Our container garden really starting to look nice

2007-11-26T22:19:00.000+10:00

The "Big Kauna" and me.(He's a driller on the mine]
My Maori mate

2007-11-25T19:36:00.000+10:00

Jamie has suddenly started to shoot up!!! Sure he's going to be as tall or taller than Andrew!!!

2007-11-25T17:08:00.000+10:00

Seeing as a lot of us wont be here for Xmas, we had our Xmas party at Faye and Kevin's house last night.Secret Santa had dropped off some prezzies and great fun was had by all.

2007-11-25T16:32:00.000+10:00

Jamie had to design and make a toy/game for his technology class. He made this basketball game and achieved an A for it.You have to bounce the marbles off the pad into the net.

2007-11-25T16:05:00.000+10:00

Andrew took the plunge and got himself a tattoo.

2007-11-07T16:06:00.000+10:00

The drought is still upon us and level 5 water restrictions still apply, so container gardening is par for the course.

2007-11-07T12:31:00.000+10:00

Jamie has been doing very well racing the R.C. Off Road Buggy National Circuit and is now in 7th place overall. He is already on his 2nd engine and is aiming to buy a new car soon.

New 2.8cc engine

Have to be "sun-smart"

2007-11-07T10:50:00.000+10:00

Some of the birds that frequent our garden.

2007-11-07T10:14:00.002+10:00

A sign board on top of Lookout Mountain in Mt Isa

Mt Isa mine.[Biggest copper mine in the World]

Mary Kathleen[old Uranium mine]

2007-11-06T23:51:00.000+10:00

[Jessie] James at Bee's 21st

Jamie at Emma's 21st

Preparing for his canoe camp

In his trolley jockey outfit

2007-11-06T23:31:00.000+10:00

Andrew bought a longboard and has been doing a bit of surfing lately.

2007-11-06T23:16:00.000+10:00

THE MAFIA???

2007-11-06T21:57:00.000+10:00

Andrew has been to a lot of birthday parties lately. Most of them were fancy dress. He dressed as Brokeback Mountain for Bee's 21st.Tjek daai cowboy moffie jong!!!

Andrew and Bee

Andrew and Emma

Andrew and Jacky

Gay Rodeo
Emma, Andrew and Anna

2007-11-06T00:21:00.000+10:00

THE BAR IN DUTCHESS HOTEL IN THE OUTBACK

WILD CAMELS AND BRUMBIES ROAM THE OUTBACK

It's great to be South African

2007-11-05T22:05:00.000+10:00

It's Great to be a Souf Efrikan

This is a great country because:
1. You can eat half dried meat and not be considered disgusting.
2. Nothing is your fault, you can blame it all on apartheid.
3. You get to buy a new car every 3 months and the insurance company
even pays for it.
4. You can experience bad service in eleven official languages.
5. Where else can you get oranges with 45% alcohol content at rugby
matches?
6. It's the only country in the world where striking workers show how
angry they are by dancing.
7. You're considered clumsy if you cannot: use a cell phone (without
car kit), change CDs, drink a beer, put on make-up, read the newspaper
and smoke, all at the same time while driving a car at 160 kph in a 60
kph zone.
8. Great accent. (!!!)
9. If you live in Johannesburg, you get to brag about living in the
most dangerous city in the world.
10. Burglar bars become a feature, and a great selling point for your
house.
11. You can decorate your garden walls with barbed wire.
12. The tow-trucks are the first on the scene for most major crimes,
without being called. The police you have to call about three times.
13. Votes have to be recounted until the right party wins.
14. Illegal immigrants leave the country because the crime rate is too
high.
15. The police ask you if they must follow up on the burglary you've
just reported.
16. A murderer gets a 6 month sentence and a pirate TV viewer 2
years.
17. The prisoners strike and get to vote in elections!
18. The police stations have panic buttons to call armed response when
they are burgled
19. Police cars are fitted with immobilisers and gearlocks!
20. Condoms for free - shopping plastic bags for sale
Ja nee!! Dis lekker hier!!

Smart Property Marketing

2007-11-05T21:19:00.000+10:00

THIS WAS POSTED IN A LOCAL NEWSPAPER.{Gold Coast is just South of Brisbane. Like J.Bay is to P.E.}

One of the quietest wave of immigrants to reach Australia are the South Africans. In the main well-off, industrious, hard-working and determined to integrate after having escaped horrific crime rates in their homeland, the `sethefrican' accent is becoming more and more evident in all aspects of Gold Coast life.

THEY say everyone has a doppelganger somewhere in the world. If the same theory applies to countries, chances are that Australia's double would be South Africa - goodness knows enough of them live Down Under - with the 2006 Census showing that there are 3872 South Africans who now call the Gold Coast home.

In fact, South Africans are the third largest immigrant population in our fair city - and one of the fastest growing.

Most South Africans who live in Australia say they moved here because it reminds them of home.

"Australia is the best South Africa on Earth." is how one of our Springbok brothers describes it - a quote that denies the very real cultural differences between the two countries.

Physically, South Africa is a similar land to our own, sunburnt country. It has spectacular stretches of coastline and sweeping plains. The vegetation and climate are similar.

'Sethefricans' generally like what we like - they surf, we surf. We BBQ, they BBQ, only they call it braai. We both love a beer - lots of beer. We're both former colonies, both of us have diverse populations that are a mix of black and white; both have cultures struggling to merge, both rich in natural resources.

Still, for all our similarities, South Africa is like the older brother we Aussies love to hate, the country we love to compete against - in rugby for instance.

The Springboks might have won the World Cup, but the Wallabies can't help but feel it was by default and the Kiwis believe it with a passion.

But South Africans are different to our close cousins across the ditch - coming as they do from a land blighted by horrendous crime rates and an uncertain political future. While the joke for a long time was that all the Kiwis had to do was get on a plane and get on the dole, South Africans who immigrate to Australia have often paid a heavy price. Many arrive on our shores after family or friends have fallen victim to crimes such as rape or murder, and once here are required quickly to become economically productive members of society or face deportation.

Stiff financial entry requirements mean that South African immigrants are often wealthy and are called the new boat people - they arrive here and the first thing they do is buy a boat.

Once would-be immigrants pass a points test on age, health and so on, they are required to bring in a large amount of capital - up to $500,000 - in addition either to buying or starting up a business that employs Australians.

They are often barred from taking paid employment. Finally they are required to pass an English test that wags say most Australians would struggle to pass'. "We don't have any problems with all that," says John du Rand, who has been here for six years. "It means the quality of immigrants is good and can help Australia and that is good for everyone."

South Africans tend not to form clubs or groups like former immigrants such as the Greek or Italian communities, so their impact is more difficult to gauge, but increasing numbers mean the flat vowels of ‘sethefrican’ are becoming more and more common on the Coast.

Sure, we both speak English, but the Saffies have invented a whole new way to twist every nuance of language. The Dutch influence has added a new dimension that Aussies will simply never be able to comprehend - we'd make fun of it if we understood it.

If there is one single factor that forces South Africans from their beautiful homeland it is crime. According to a survey for the period 1998-2000 compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, South Africa was ranked second in the world for assault and murder per capita, in addition to being ranked first for rapes per capita - amazing statistics for what is a relatively small country by world standards.

Every year, more than 22,000 are murdered, with hundreds of thousands more injured and brutalised So great is the carnage that the South African government has stopped issuing statistics because they simply add to the general depression with-out helping to find a solution.

Saffie’s come to Australia to escape while they are still alive and that is the crux of the difference between us. As one South African who now considered himself to be a proud Aussie supporter says, Saffies grow up under siege in a country where crime is rampant.

As far as Aussies are concerned, South Africans are also a little arrogant. Sorry, but it's true. They're aggressive, rude, bossy, and dismissive - wouldn't you be if you lived life under siege? The statistics speak for themselves. A serious crime is committed every 17 seconds in South Africa and Johannesburg is the epicentre of the crisis.

People live behind high brick walls topped with barbed wire or electrified wire - or both. Houses sport 'panic buttons' at strategic spots - buttons that are linked to an armed response unit that, once summoned, comes in guns out and ready to shoot.

It is not unusual for the bedrooms of houses to be sealed at night behind steel 'rape gates' double padlocked so that if anyone does break in, those inside are not surprised while asleep, because unfortunately in South Africa a great many break-ins end in mass rape and murder.

Even garages are turned into fortresses behind automatic steel gates. Owners drive in and out of their houses fast because most armed car-jackings take place in people's own driveways as they open their fortresses just a crack to get in and out.

Only last week, popular South African reggae singer Lucky Dube was murdered in an attempted car jacking, shot dead by car-jackcrs in front of his son and daughter. Aged 15 and 16, when he dropped them off at their uncle's home in Rosettenville, a suburb in southern Johannesburg.

Gold Coast-based author Jcnni Baxter, who co-wrote The Expat Confessions, got to the heart of why South Africans leave their beloved country - an act those who are left behind call doing the 'chicken run' - "Crime is just too bad. I didn't want my kids to grow up there and that's why I left and moved to the Gold Coast. I returned for a holiday a few years ago and our house was broken into while we were there.

"In South Africa the crime is totally out of hand.”It is a huge issue. Some South Africans won't like me saying it. There are always issues about the figures. The president says it is a 'perceived sense of crime' but there is no one in South Africa who doesn't know someone who has been murdered."

For some white South Africans, crime and how in their view the country has gone to the dogs since a black government took over five years ago, is a favourite topic of conversation. "There is a feeling of doom and gloom in South Africa. People are really depressed; they are fed up with the crime, so they move. Many of them resent being forced to leave the country because of the crime. I think that is why they find it so hard to integrate with the Australian society. Their blood boils that they can't stay in their own country."

There is the elephant in the room no one mentions when it comes to South African immigration - race. The fact is that many white South African immigrants see Australia as South Africa without a black majority and without crime, which is a reason many end up homesick and return home.

Australia did not have Apartheid - an Afrikaans world that literally means 'apartness' that described the separation of races in all spheres of life that South Africa adopted in 1948 as a way of' ’solving' the problems created by competition between races for scarce resources.

The many physical similarities between South Africa and Australia belie deep cultural differences. Australians have grown up with and adhere strongly to an egalitarian society, while South African society is not only stratified by race, but also by class especially within white society.

In South Africa it is vital to live on the 'right' side of town, attend the 'right' school and have the 'right' friends, and this attitude often results in severe cultural misunderstandings here.

Questions of race, identity and reconciliation are still common to both countries. Australia is in what Australian social researcher Hugh Mackay has called its 'age of redefinition'.

As a South African cultural commentator put it after a visit to Australia: "They often have to ask: `What is an Australian'?' They agonise over whether they should

remain a monarchy under the English queen. They grapple with immigration issues. They row over what fair treatment to and 'reconciliation' with Aborigines means.

Similarly, South Africans are engaged in a fevered debate about 'What is a South African?' and whether it is a matter of first Africans or South Africans first."

The issue of reconciliation and public apology remain the third rail of Australian politics.

For Gold Coast-based Fred Erickson-Miller, apartheid is the other, politically incorrect reason South Africans are leaving. "It's not a question of race. That's not the issue. Apartheid was never the answer. That was wrong. But the day Nelson Mandela was released and they handed all the power over to the blacks, we knew we had to get out while the going was good."

Mr Ericksen-Miller said the balance of power had tipped too far, swinging wildly in the other direction. Affirmative action policies ensure a black presence in every tier of business and government - whether the people chosen are qualified or not.

"What is happening now is just as wrong. It's called affirmative action but all it's doing it ruining the South African economy. "They don't know how to run a country. It's not a skill people are born with, it's something they have to learn. In South Africa, that learning process never happened. We just handed over the power and this is the result."

A perfect example is the recent questioning of a minister in the South African Parliament about the country's ballooning rate of car theft. He reportedly replied that car theft was good for the South African economy because the victims had to keep buying new cars.

Mr Ericksen-Millcr said the country appeared to be booming, with preparations under way for the soccer World Cup to be held in the country in 2010. "But no one knows where the money is going. It's not going into the local economy. More gravy for the gravy train, I expect." Mr Ericksen-Miller, who has been in Australia for almost two decades, operates Springbok Foods, ensuring Saffies get a little piece of home in the land of Oz.

He makes and sells all sorts of South African delights. "Some of the hardliners find it hard to adapt," says Mr Ericksen-Miller. "They see the change as losing their culture and try to bring South Africa with them. But the rest of us adapt. My son is an out-and-out Aussie."

Written by Robyn Wuth
Gold Coast Weekend Bulletin
27-28 Oct 2007

2007-09-04T22:14:00.000+10:00

The Brisbane Boat Show was held last week and Dave dragged me along, against my will, as he knows my affinity for boats and Debbie's firm hold on the finances!!! It was absolutely awesome and I really had to keep myself in check[cheque]. I eventually left with only buying some fancy lures. Hopefully I will catch a fish now!!!lol!!!

2007-09-04T22:13:00.001+10:00

2007-09-04T14:29:00.000+10:00

We have the most amazing selection of garden birds in Oz. After all these months of having none visiting our feeder, they are now coming regularly to feed. Here are just some of the types you can expect to see.

2007-09-04T12:22:00.000+10:00

Jamie has joined the RC[remote control] car racing club and has great fun racing every fortnight. Thank goodness he's working now, as a trolley jockey at Woolworths and earns enough to buy all the extras he needs for his car. He does very well and has secured a few 3rds and 2nd places. Must be all those hours he's spent playing computer games that have sharpened his hand/eye co-ordination skills and reflexes.

2007-09-02T13:16:00.000+10:00

2007-09-02T13:05:00.000+10:00

Last night was Brisbane River Fire. The most spectacular fireworks display we've ever seen!!!A whole crowd of us gathered along the river near The Story Bridge to watch. These are photos of some of the boats that sailed up the river to come watch.

Bloody parking attendants in Brisbane

2007-09-01T23:14:00.000+10:00

Bloody parking attendants in Brisbane
Dave[Duif] doing his thing!!!

2007-08-25T12:05:00.000+10:00

SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT!!

Why I'm fleeing South Africa , by Anne Paton (widow of Alan Paton)

London Sunday Times

I am leaving South Africa. I have lived here for 35 years, and I shall
leave with anguish. My home and my friends are here, but I am terrified.
I know I shall be in trouble for saying so, because I am the widow of
Alan Paton.
Fifty years ago he wrote Cry, The Beloved Country. He was an unknown
schoolmaster and it was his first book, but it became a bestseller
overnight. It was eventually translated into more than 20 languages and
became a set book in schools all over the world. It has sold more than
15 million copies and still sells 100,000 copies a year.
As a result of the startling success of this book, my husband became
famous for his impassioned speeches and writings, which brought to the
notice of the world the suffering of the black man under apartheid.
He campaigned for Nelson Mandela's release from prison and he worked all
his life for black majority rule. He was incredibly hopeful about the
new South Africa that would follow the end of apartheid, but he died in
1988, aged 85.
I was so sorry he did not witness the euphoria and love at the time of
the election in 1994. But I am glad he is not alive now. He would have
been so distressed to see what has happened to his beloved country.

I love this country with a passion, but I cannot live here any more. I
can no longer live slung about with panic buttons and gear locks. I am
tired of driving with my car windows closed and the doors locked, tired
of being afraid of stopping at red lights. I am tired of being
constantly on the alert, having that sudden frisson of fear at the sight
of a shadow by the gate, of a group of youths approaching - although
nine times out of 10 they are innocent of harmful intent. Such is the
suspicion that dogs us all.

Among my friends and the friends of my friends, I know of nine people
who have been murdered in the past four years.
An old friend, an elderly lady, was raped and murdered by someone who
broke into her home for no reason at all; another was shot at a garage.
We have a saying, "Don't fire the gardener", because of the belief that
it is so often an inside job - the gardener who comes back and does you
in.
All this may sound like paranoia, but it is not without reason. I have
been hijacked, mugged and terrorised. A few years ago my car was taken
from me at gunpoint. I was forced into the passenger seat. I sat there
frozen. But just as one man jumped into the back and the other fumbled
with the starter I opened the door and ran away. To this day I do not
know how I did this. But I got away, still clutching my handbag.

On May I this year I was mugged in my home at three in the afternoon. I
used to live in a community of big houses with big grounds in the
countryside. It's still beautiful and green, but the big houses have
been knocked down and people have moved into fenced complexes like the
one in which I now live. Mine is in the suburbs of Durban, but they're
springing up everywhere.
That afternoon I came home and omitted to close the security door. I
went upstairs to lie down. After a while I thought I'd heard a noise,
perhaps a bird or something. Without a qualm I got up and went to the
landing; outside was a man. I screamed and two other men appeared. I was
seized by the throat and almost throttled; I could feel myself losing
consciousness.
My mouth was bound with Sellotape and I was threatened with my own knife
(Girl Guide issue from long ago) and told: "If you make a sound, you
die." My hands were tied tightly behind my back and I was thrown into
the guest room and the door was shut. They took all the electronic
equipment they could find, except the computer. They also, of course,
took the car.
A few weeks later my new car was locked up in my fenced carport when I
was woken by its alarm in the early hours of the morning. The thieves
had removed the radio, having cut through the padlocks in order to
bypass the electric control on the gates.

The last straw came a few weeks ago, shortly before my 71st birthday. I
returned home in the middle of the afternoon and walked into my sitting
room. Outside the window two men were breaking in. I retreated to the
hall and pressed the panic alarm.
This time I had shut the front door on entering. By now I had become
more cautious. Yet one of the men ran around the house, jumped over the
fence and tried to batter down the front door. Meanwhile, his accomplice
was breaking my sitting- room window with a hammer.
This took place while the sirens were shrieking, which was the
frightening part. They kept coming, in broad daylight, while the alarm
was going. They knew that there had to be a time lag of a few minutes
before help arrived - enough time to dash off with the television and
video recorder. In fact, the front-door assailant was caught and taken
off to the cells.

Recently I telephoned to ask the magistrate when I would be called as a
witness. She told me she had let him off for lack of evidence. She said
that banging on my door was not an offence, and how could I prove that
his intent was hostile?
I have been careless in the past - razor wire and electric gates give
one a feeling of security. Or at least, they did. But I am careless no
longer. No fence - be it electric or not - no wall, no razor wire is
really a deterrent to the determined intruder. Now my alarm is on all
the time and my panic button hung round my neck. While some people say I
have been unlucky, others say: "You are lucky not to have been raped or
murdered." What kind of a society is this where one is considered
"lucky" not to have been raped or murdered - yet?

A character in Cry, The Beloved Country says: "I have one great fear in
my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving they will find we
are turned to hating." And so it has come to pass. There is now more
racial tension in this country than I have ever known.
But it is not just about black-on-white crime. It is about general
lawlessness. Black people suffer more than the whites. They do not have
access to private security firms, and there are no police stations near
them in the townships and rural areas. They are the victims of most of
the hijackings, rapes and murders. They cannot run away like the whites,
who are streaming out of this country in their thousands.

President Mandela has referred to us who leave as "cowards" and says the
country can do without us. So be it. But it takes a great deal of
courage to uproot and start again. We are leaving because crime is
rampaging through the land. The evils that beset this country now are
blamed on the legacy of apartheid. One of the worst legacies of that
time is that of the Bantu Education Act, which deliberately gave black
people an inferior education.

The situation is exacerbated by the fact that criminals know that their
chances of being caught are negligible; and if they are caught they will
be free almost at once. So what is the answer? The government needs to
get its priorities right. We need a powerful, well-trained and
well-equipped police force.

Recently there was a robbery at a shopping centre in the afternoon. A
call to the police station elicited the reply: "We have no transport."
"Just walk then," said the caller; the police station is about a
two-minute sprint from the shop in question. "We have no transport,"
came the reply again. Nobody arrived.

There is a quote from my husband's book: "Cry, the beloved country, for
the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the
earth too deeply. Let him not laugh too gladly when the water runs
through his fingers, nor stand too silent when the setting sun makes red
the veld with fire. Let him not be too moved when the birds of his land
are singing, nor give too much of his heart to a mountain or a valley.
For fear will rob him of all if he gives too much."
What has changed in half a century? A lot of people who were convinced
that everything would be all right are disillusioned, though they don't
want to admit it.

The government has many excellent schemes for improving the lot of the
black man, who has been disadvantaged for so long. A great deal of money
is spent in this direction. However, nothing can succeed while people
live in such fear. Last week, about 10km from my home, an old couple
were taken out and murdered in the garden. The wife had only one leg and
was in a wheelchair. Yet they were stabbed and strangled - for very
little money. They were the second old couple to be killed last week. It
goes on and on, all the time; we have become a killing society.
As I prepare to return to England, a young man asked me the other day,
in all innocence, if things were more peaceful there. "You see," he
said, "I know of no other way of life than this. I cannot imagine
anything different." What a tragic statement on the beloved country
today. "Because the white man has power, we too want power," says
Msimangu.
"But when a black man gets power, when he gets money, he is a great man
if he is not corrupted. I have seen it often. He seeks power and money
to put right what is wrong, and when he gets them, why, he enjoys the
power and the money.
Now he can gratify his lusts, now he can arrange ways to get white man's
liquor. I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men
and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring only the
good of their country, come together to work for it.
I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to
loving, they will find we are turned to hating."

2007-08-19T13:43:00.000+10:00

THW EKKA 2007 - COMES TO TOWN.

2007-08-13T22:37:00.000+10:00

Cloncurry is a real country town with a lot of history. This was where "The Flying Doctor" originated and serviced the rest of The Outback. The original Aboriginals from this area were cannibals and had an affinity for Chinese[probably because they were short and fat]. Word is that they used to round them up and break their legs so that they could not run away, fatten them up and then eat them!!!!

Note the speakers on the lamp pole. They're blaring country + western music all day long!!!