Dear

The Chinese may think that this is the Year of the Ram, but for this family it has definitely been the Year of the Child(ren). A review of the year's doings reveals a multitude of events all centred on one or more of the girls' activities or the support activities (P&C meetings, trips here and there, I am sure you all know the form).

When the last letter was written, Poss was in America for Christmas, I was batching and the children were about to go to Stewarts Point to stay with Poss's parents (Norm & Dawn). Well, it all happened as planned, I drove to Brisbane the weekend of January 12th. (staying Friday night in Armidale) to go to David's wedding (Poss's younger brother). The ceremony was in a park (very pretty and fairly logical given the temperature at that time of year) and reception after at a local club. The following day I drove back with the girls (who went up with Norm and Dawn) in one gruelling 9 hour run.

Next weekend the girls and I collected Poss off the plane late on Sunday night. On the way down we had lunch with Ron and Clare Schofield, old friends from Armidale days who by a series of moves started 10 years before had managed to elude us (temporarily). We also spent time at Old Sydney Town, and can recommend it to anyone who hasn't been there. Poss had a great time in America, and also went to Canada for a long weekend, meeting some of the people she first met in '85. January was nicely rounded out by a short stay from Bill Gifford (a friend and brief tenant from Armidale days but now resident of Queensland).

In February Norm and Dawn stayed a few days en route to Melbourne for a Hawkey (Norm's family) reunion. They have a Nissan van fitted out for camping. The trip was a month trial for a subsequent 10 week wander which took them around northern NSW and southern Qland which they started in June.

Easter found us resurrecting our camping gear to go to Riverwood Downs, a farm/camping park in the Barrington area about two hours from here. We went with Mark and Sharon Henley and their boys who are old hands at that sort of holiday. It was a refreshing four days, with the mandatory rainy day but fine the rest of the time. Lots of walking, swimming in the river, ball games and other activities to soften us up for the singsong and a few drinks in the evenings.

Poss met her first born Cashin apart from me in April. We got a phone call one evening from Peter, my cousin who lives in Canada. Except he was in Wollongong and thought he'd look us up. He stayed overnight and was coerced into a tea for a departing primary school teacher as we had already committed to going. Poss was struck by the similarities between Peter and myself, as we shared some similar looks, mannerisms and tastes. I was very pleased he visited as I am an only child and all my Cashin side family are overseas (in fact Peter was the last Cashin I had seen, in the late 60's we figured).

Still on the theme of visiting family, Emma who is my daughter from my first marriage (she is now 22 years old) and some friends of hers dropped in on the way from Melbourne to Noosa in July. Although we have corresponded erratically for the last 10 years, she has visited only twice before so it was great to see her if only so briefly.

Also in July, we had our first taste of time share holidays. You may remember from the last letter that we had bought one week of time share in a Gold Coast resort. As part of the acquisition we received 2 free weeks to be used out of school holidays, at any time share subject to availability. We went to Boambee Bay resort near Coffs Harbour and had a ball for a week. There were many organised activities and lots of facilities such as communal hot spa, tennis courts, squash, gymnasium, mini golf, canoes etc. etc. and we hardly got out of the place some days. However Sandra, Joanne and I managed to get away for a day of Whitewater rafting. The water was very cold but we were well covered by jumpers, wet suits and life jackets so the body was warm even if the feet didn't fare so well... It was an extremely well organised day with lots of thrills but skillful avoidence of real danger - recommended to all especially in warmer weather and when there has been more rain.

We returned home via Armidale which turned on a -6C overnight and flurries of snow the next day. A convincing reminder of why we moved. Unfortunately I was not in a fit condition to appreciate it as on the Saturday I developed an abscess on a tooth. Notwithstanding, we had brief reunions with many friends and it was a very pleasant two days.

The visits continued in September when we billeted a Japanese student called Mio for two days. She was too embarrassed at first to try her English and Sandra's spoken Japanese was fairly basic so communication was hard work. However, it was an interesting excercise and after the initial stumbling efforts some rapport was established with extensive use of Japanese/English and English/Japanese books. We carted Mio round some of the Newcastle sights and she tried to teach us some paper folding. We all enjoyed the experience enough to consider taking a French billet next year, for a longer time.

In October my mother arrived for a stay. She was in NSW for about a month but spent some time with Pat and Bert Dixon (Pat is my mother's sister Rene's daughter) who are currently living in Wollongong. Bert had his 60th birthday and Pat organised a surprise party on 5th October, and we all went. There were many of my mother's side of the family there - the rest of Rene's children and most of their offspring also (who mostly live in Victoria). Bert didn't have a clue and was first greeted by the neighbours when he arrived and was suitably surprised. He was then greeted by the family and was definitely fish mouthed. It was the first time many of us had seen each other for many years (and for the children the first time full stop).

Because there were so many guests, and it was a long weekend, the trusty tent was aired for the second time in the year. We could have hired an overnight van for $224 for the night but found that a little excessive. I was very interested to go back to Wollongong as I lived there for nearly 2 years in 1968/9. There was quite a facelift, the place looked more cosmopolitan than I remember and less of a company town.

Mother went back for a week later in the month, despatched on the train (it is a suburban route Newcastle - Sydney and Sydney - Wollongong with trains once an hour). She then returned for about 10 days finally returning to Queensland on the 30th. Poss and I left her to babysit the previous night while we went to see Dire Straits in the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Or perhaps Sandra and Joanne did a grannysit, I'm not sure. Mother certainly looks well but she found the travelling a hassle so it looks like we might go to see her next time.

The latest fling for the whole family was a trip to Melbourne (using up the last of our two time share freebies). The timeshare resort was actually at Rosebud, some 80km from the city, and in contrast to the first holiday, we used practically none of the facilities but instead drove hither and yon catching up with many old friends.

For unknown reasons, the resort week is from Friday to Friday with an advertised booking in time of 4:00 pm. We left 4:00 am Friday morning and made it half way through Sydney before meeting a red light. Breakfast was at Mittagong around 7:00 and lunch at Wodonga. Around 1:30 pm we were hunting round Euroa looking for Dianne McMillan with the intent of organising some form of meeting on the way back. This wasn't possible so I phoned ahead to the resort to find if a later arrival was OK and they said anytime before 9 would do. So we chatted with Di for a couple of hours at work, she is the Coordinator of the local Community centre. We finally hit Melbourne at 5:00 just in time for peak hour and finally got to Rosebud at 7:30 (and collapsed).

Saturday morning was recovery time but that evening we went to the ultimate nostalgia get together with Anne Tyson, Liz Anderson, Harry (David) Hedger (with wife Liz and one year old baby boy), David Holland and Teddy Baarda. These were all figures from a different era - Teddy and I were at school together, the others were friends from the early 60's through to the time we left Melbourne in '75 (with some ups and downs). It surprised me that after half a lifetime these people were changed a little but basically just like they were. For me the whole trip was worth it for that one night.

But it didn't stop there - lunch with Brian and Robyn Sheehan and boys the next day, who had also invited a friend of Poss's from her trainee nurse days. Brian worked with me in the early 70's at Caulfield Institute of Technology (he is still there after surviving several name changes), and did some house sitting for us when we first moved to Armidale and still had a house in Melbourne. Lunch drifted into tea and another excellent day passed.

Monday was a day of rest, but we hurried off in the evening to Phillip Island and the penguin parade. In the dying stages of a flash thunderstorm the little birds strutted their stuff and enthralled the children by doing all the things the brochures promised. Tuesday we caught up with my daughter Emma for lunch then she and I chatted, while Poss and children trammed it to Melbourne CBD. We met later at the art gallery, checked out the Botanic Gardens, the fairy tree, Captain Cooks cottage before dinner in the city then back to base.

Wednesday was more nostalgia with a trip to Moe, where I went through most of my schooling. Then on to Walhalla, an old gold town in the mountains now almost deserted (population 22 said the board) but still as fascinating as when I was a boy when the population was a huge 75. In its heyday the population was 5000 or more. We had tea and extended talk with Ruth and Morrie Hollensen in Traralgon before a long late return drive. Ruth was another of the group I met in the 60's. Thursday was another rest day, but we caught up with Dennis and Jan Hildebrand for tea in Frankston. Jan also worked with me at CIT with Brian. On Friday, we went to see Teddy Baarda again this time at his house. He has turned it into an aviary and cohabits with numerous birds and only has a few areas where the birds don't go. I think Ted has taken the communing with nature bit a little further than I would, but it was a fascinating few hours living in the midst of what appeared to be a contented and totally tame retinue of colour.

As we now had left the resort, Friday night was spent with Rick and Maira Lacey/Vittols. These were our most recent friends, as they had left Armidale a year ahead of us so it was only three years since we had seen each other. They put us up (put up with us) for the night - they have decided the house should be called 'The Hotel' as we were only one of a string of visitors stretching over the previous months. I must say the practice made them perfect hosts (but on reflection, they always were). With some reluctance, we left Melbourne Saturday morning to drive to Canberra.

In Canberra, we stayed the night with Jill Hambling, a buddy of Poss's from trainee nurse days, with whom we had made contact in August 79 after a long break. The following morning the children and I made a visit to Parliament House and the Science Exhibition. After a barbeque lunch it was back home again.

I did not expect the children to be at all enthusiastic of these nostalgic events since they were non existant or very young the last meeting with many of the people. However they voted it a good trip and I guess there was quite a bit of sightseeing interspersed with the schmaltz. The old Peugeot ran up 4500Km in impeccable style, not bad for a car with 240000Km on the clock.

I think individually the Cashins have had a good year. I had a bit of a setback earlier this year when I was forced to withdraw from the final subject for my degree. I had based my subject matter round a project at work, but the funding was cut so the project was cancelled. I withdrew without penalty and hope to try again in 1992 with a personal project which cannot be derailed by vaguries of the economy. The withdrawal had its upside as for the first time in six years I have not had my head in books and can take an interest in life again.

Nicole continues in gymnastics and I continue as a judge and (not qualified) coach. There is quite a busy competition schedule and I judged at six of them. There is some excercise in the coaching but not enough, and Poss and I seemed to have slacked off our walking so early in the year I bought a bicycle with the intent of riding to work. After many weekend short trips I finally bit the bullet one Sunday and went to work, about a 14km trip. It was easy getting there as it is downhill or flat. The return is not as simple as there is a climb of around 130m from the river plains to the hills.

Having established the trip could be done and with some idea of timing, a couple of genuine runs to work and home again were done. Unfortunately, just as I was finding my legs, the bicycle was stolen from out of our garage. Undaunted (and with insurance money in hand) a second bike has been purchased and several more trips undertaken. I cannot say I find it easy yet. On the trip home there is a long hill with traffic lights at the top. It is the only time in my life I think I look forward to a red light.

My current preoccupation is drawing house plans. We have a block of land and earlier this year we got an architect to draw 'the grand plan'. The reality was 'the grand plan' also required 'the grand budget' - even in the drawing stage. I have taught myself to use AutoCad, a drafting package at work, and have been drawing plans of a small part of TGP which I believe to be affordable. I am hopeful that these will be submitted to some authority (there are three to whom it must go) before Christmas. Meanwhile Poss (who is in no way keen for me to have any part in building projects - I wonder why?) is keeping a close eye on the real estate market in the hope of buying a house before I get stuck into the act of building. No doubt next year's letter will tell which path we eventually went down.

Poss has committed herself to a busy life - after the joys of keeping house she is still cleaning houses three days of the week (about 14 hours). She is also in a social tennis group on Tuesdays which seems to fluctuate in the number of players and will to play. However they do seem to get a good roll out at the occasional social tea.

To fill in spare time she is the treasurer of the local Brownie pack, on the School Council of the younger kids' school, and the secretary of the Parents Auxilliary also.

The children continue in their diverse pursuits. Sandra began the year doing trampolining and karate as extra curricula activities and playing the trumpet in the school band. During the year we were hopeful she could win a student exchange (AFS) scholarship to go to Japan next year so she went to their meetings and activities. She dropped the trampolining and karate in favour of the AFS meetings, but unfortunately she was not selected for a scholarship. She was offered a place but we really couldn't afford to send her ourself (with the distinct possibility of sending three others in the next 7 years to be fair) so she reluctantly no longer goes to AFS meetings. She is talking of taking up karate as Joanne has indicated she might like to do it also.

The idea of being a debutante was put to Sandra by a friend, as the local Air Cadets were having a 25th Anniversary debutante ball. This appealed to her and there were lots of practices and finally the grand coming out in May. It was a suitably dressy affair and the girls looked delightful in their dresses with the boys in their uniforms. I was a bit worried about the band as they had played a very conservative role throughout proceedings and the dinner. However, they proved a versatile lot and had us up and rocking at the business end of the night. It was a well balanced affair and I believe everyone had a good time.

As part of playing in the school band, Sandra was involved in many activities, most notably as accompaniment to 'Man of Steel', a musical ripoff of Superman. She also went to the Opera House as part of a singing group. Now that school is winding down she is doing casual work at Grace Bros. She applied for a job earlier in the year and did a training course in the September school holidays. There were only a couple of days work since then but now Christmas is approaching she looks like having a couple of weeks steady work.

Joanne has continued trampolining but does not like to compete although she is getting quite good. She is doing dance as an elective at school and has been in a number of activities as a result. Whitebridge won the Rock Eistedfodd for the Hunter region, and also had a group in the Hunter Region Dance Festival. Her HRDF group also performed at Cessnock as part of a travelling show. Her class went in August for a week to Mt. Seaview, a farm resort between Wauchope and Walcha, ostensibly to study nature. I gather it was both educational and enjoyable.

Both Beth and Nicole are in Brownies and also in a Scottish Country Dancing group. Beth has been in Brownies since April after asking to join. This is a refreshing change as many of the childrens activities have been suggested by Poss and me.

Beth was doing Trampolining until end of third term but dropped out in the end because she wasn't getting along well with the other trampoliners. She is now pushing to start tennis lessons and we are expecting to get her in a coaching group at the end of January. Between school trips, brownie trips and Scottish dancing I think Beth has had more trips away and days out than any of us. Her class went to Canberra for a week in September, and also she has been away with the Brownies to Sydney and on several day trips around Newcastle.

The Scottish Dancing group practices four mornings a week from 8a.m. to 8:45 and is run by Gordon Creed who was a teacher earlier in the year but has now retired. The group has danced many places including at school functions, at an old peoples home, at shopping centres, the local festival (called Mattara), and as part of the Hunter Region Dance Festival (with a roadshow at Taree) so it certainly gets around.

Nicole is still doing gymnastics and is now passed Level 3. There are ten levels, the first four of which any girl should be able to complete after time. Girls who reach Levels 5 to 7 really need to have some talent and most girls on Level 8 to 10 are in national or even international competition. I am hopeful she continues to the 5-7 area (and it takes about a year per level) because that way I'll get to be a judge for a few more years. Actually she is doing well and competed in the State championship at level 2 earlier this year. She also competed at the Country Championships at level 3. She didn't get any places at these but in local competition she has won a number of medals.

Academically the children have all done well. It seems they all have a bent for mathematics. Both Sandra and Joanne are top of their respective years and Beth got a distinction in a Hunter region competition. Sandra also was the top girl of her year in the Hunter region in the Australian Schools Science Competition. She was very pleased to get this because she was top last year also, and now she says no one can say it was a fluke. She was top for science in her class and also got a literary prize for a short story. Joanne was also top of her French class and did well in all subjects. Beth and Nicole got excellent end of year reports and I must say I am proud of all four of them (does it show?!).

I think that brings us up to date, it is the last week of school then endless holidays for some. I am taking the minimum break (25th Dec - 1st Jan) as I am saving holidays for when (if?) we start building a house. Poss will also have those days at home so we might do a day trip to somewhere but it will basically be an 'at home' Christmas. Some of Poss's family will be here for Christmas day and her sister and brother in law (Barbara and Gordon) will be here around New Year. They are flying from America around Christmas Day and staying in Victoria for a few days before moving north.

We hope you are all healthy and happy and have a joyous festive season. Although I am not one to dwell on the real meaning of Christmas as such it always seems to be a line in the account of life, a time to look back and forward. Hopefully your balance sheet is on the positive side for the year gone, and here's wishing you a fruitful and satisfying year ahead. As always, we want to hear from you all, by letter, by phone or just drop in if you can. The phone is (049) 43-9369.

Love to you all from Alan, Beth, Joanne, Nicole, Poss and Sandra.