This year seems to have been dominated by travel:  overseas, interstate and up and down the Midlands Highway!  At least someone was home on a regular basis to feed the cats.

January found David, Kerry and Victoria holidaying on the Mainland, with niece Kristi’s wedding as the goal in Sydney.  A lovely wedding too, and the first time for a while that all Kerry’s family have been together.  Phillipa was travelling and playing basketball in the States, meeting up with Kerry’s host family from 1972 on one very snowy night in Iowa.  At least the Tasmanians had some supporters!

Alex and Chris stayed on in Hobart for the holiday season, getting as much work as possible.

In February, David and Kerry celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in joyous style, with about 50 friends.

As soon as we were settled back in Hobart, Kerry got back to work to save for the latest overseas trip.  Short term contracts with the State Library and the Natural Heritage Trust paid for the Round the World ticket, taxes and insurance, but after all, it’s only Australian dollars.  So, one wet Sunday in May, while David was in Sarawak and Phillipa was in Vanuatu, Kerry set off for Amsterdam via Hong Kong, and was upgraded to Business for the longest leg of the trip!  Meeting old friends and new email friends proved a lot of fun in Holland, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland, Newfoundland and the US.  The Egan Clan Rally in Ireland in June was a lot of fun, so was spinning and knitting on the Aran Islands, not to mention the pub at Banagher, and Banagher beats the devil!  Whale watching, icebergs, op shops, ancient buildings, wonderful food, textiles, wool.....bliss.

She was invited to local knitting guilds, caught up with friends made on previous trips, or through email contacts, the Marconi celebrations and through Phillipa’s basketball. Small world, though:  bumped into relatives in Edinburgh Castle, and into the governor of Tasmania Sir Guy and Lady Green at the Art Institute of Chicago.  On a trip to Nottingham she sat next to a lady with very similar interests and heading for the same lace and costume museums!  We shared our accommodation, taking in dinner and a first night play performance.  Friends of friends all over the world smoothed my way.

The 13 weeks went too quickly, but there was much to do at home.  More work with the State Library and Manpower awaited, along with the AMEX bills.  Kerry filled in as Secretary of the Handspinners Guild, and got into natural dyeing in a big way.  Learning how to build websites was fun.  Involvement with the Sandy Bay Historical Society, the University of Sydney Alumni and the Battery Point community filled in idle moments.  Plans for 2001 include more travel:  to Sydney with Victoria in January, and later overseas with David for preference, and hopefully a week knitting and spinning on Aran again.  Lots of islands:  Aran, Shetland, Lewis, Skye, Channel, and Man, of course.  Several oral history projects need doing, collaboration on a book, organising the Local History Conference at Wrest Point, running the International Sock Competition (entries are hopping in!) and participating at the Bothwell Spin-in.  Hope there’s time for several handspun jumpers to be knitted up, all of Reginald Hill’s novels to be read, roses to be pruned and cats to be played with.

Phillipa went on an invitational tour of the US in January, playing with the Tasmanian Devils in Iowa and Washington, staying on to visit friends in California, before attending the All-Australia camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.  In May she won Gold at the Oceania 2000 Championships in Vanuatu, playing with the Australian national representative team.  She played with the Hobart Hurricanes and the State Team for the rest of the season and heads off to the Sydney Youth Olympic Festival in January.  She successfully completed Year 11 at Hobart College, playing soccer and basketball for the school and enjoying legal studies and psychology in particular.  Phil has been working at the Customs House Hotel part-time and has her L plates.  Look out!  Plans for 2001?  Finish Year 12 with enough marks to do Law or Medicine and to play lots of basketball.

Victoria played interstate with the Tasmanian Lacrosse Team and toured Victoria with the School Band.  She has done exceedingly well at school, gaining awards for her academic work, and participating in school council, sporting teams and music groups. Victoria passed her Grade 4 Cello exams and enjoyed a full year in the Tasmanian Training Orchestra and will soon try out for higher level groups, hoping one day to make the Tasmanian Youth Orchestra.  The braces have come off at last, but she has to wear plastic teeth for a while yet.  Victoria would like to do more overseas travel before heading up to Hobart College.

Alex decided to continue with the Science degree and at last is getting more credits and distinctions than not!  This will be his last year and Alex is looking for a job using his Geography and History expertise, possibly in the Lands Dept, or he may consider teaching.  An outstanding year in soccer again taking the Best and Fairest Award.  He enjoys his restaurant work (Customs House employs 3 Edwards children) and the ensuing pocket money for the night clubs and the Play Station game.  He is still keen on Alicia, but we see less of her since she developed an allergic reaction to cat hair.

Chris decided to have a year off full time studying and instead did lots of surfing and continued with his restaurant job.  Mum and Dad sent him off to the Hospitality College to do a bar course.  Mum was a bit surprised to find him still in Hobart on her return, and supplied him with a one-way ticket to Melbourne and an appointment for a job interview.  Chris was three months on the mainland doing cooking, bar work and cherry picking and learning a few useful lessons in budgeting and job seeking skills.  Chris has plans to return to the mainland, work in Batemans Bay and Perth before heading for the surf in Indonesia.  Right now, he is back at his old job, helping management open three new entertainment venues over the summer.  Long term, Chris is looking for a career in restaurant management.

Chris is hopeful of good places in forthcoming body boarding contests and continues in his efforts to teach the cats to wink.
David has been busy at work, consulting all round the world. He has been in Sarawak, Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Egypt among other places. He frightened Kerry (and himself!) when his lower leg become very swollen after the long return trip from Abu Dhabi. Part of the drama was that Phillipa was in Vanuatu, Kerry was in Germany, and the hospital was mumbling about enforced hospital stays. Alex was a tower of strength. However, after a lot of drama, it turned out to be due to severe calf strain and lack of exercise. All is well now, and David is actively trying to give up weight - by abandoning his "see food" diet!

He is still involved with local community associations and active in planning issues. The big win for 2000, with active support from the community, was stopping dead a proposed commercial heliport in Sullivans Cove.

Again he organised Radio Foundation Day on Tuesday 12 December, adventurously taking 37 like minded enthusiasts for a cruise on the MV Cartela on the beautiful Derwent River. Making contact with St Johns NFLD via Morse code on HF radio, via internet connect by mobile phone and via conference mobile phone was a real buzz.

In his role as Vice President of the IEAust Tasmania Division, David attended two national Congresses in Canberra, and is looking forward to taking up the Presidential reins in the first year of the third millenium. 2001 will see the centenary of Marconi’s "S" transmission across the Atlantic as well as David’s 11010th birthday. You are all invited to attend the birthday bash from 6pm on Saturday 17 February.