It must have been fairly quiet at our place this year, we were rarely there.  Once again travel dominated our activities.  In January Kerry and Victoria went to Sydney then met up with Phillipa in Melbourne.  Phillipa stayed in Melbourne to play basketball and do Year 12, both successfully.

Kerry did some temporary work to pay for another overseas trip, leaving in May to visit friends in London, then on to Ireland to stay at St Keiran’s monastery on Inish Mor, off the west coast of Galway.  After a delightful visit, it was back to London to join David, attend Stuart Swan’s wonderful wedding at Penn, enjoy a few days in Cornwall in the steps of Marconi and then several days floating down the Great Ouse River in East Anglia in a narrow canal boat, compliments of Debbie New, her Canadian knitting friend.

Once back in Hobart, Kerry got back into the spinning and knitting and the occasional work.  Highlights of the past year include organising the very successful International Sock Competition at the Bothwell Spin-In, and the Tasmanian Local History Conference and Family History Fair.  Plans for 2002 include: editing another book for the Sandy Bay Historical Society, thanks to a successful grant application;  an oral history project for the Alumni Association; and best of all, a return visit to the Aran Islands for a spinning and knitting retreat, hopefully with David.

Alexander finished his Arts degree and is looking for work, apart from his many hours at the restaurant and his part time clerical assistance to a local lobby group.  Soccer was important again this year.  The big decision looming is whether a move to the mainland will be necessary to establish a professional career….meanwhile he stays in Hobart, where girlfriend Alicia is happy and employed.

Chris continued with his hospitality work and undertook training with Drysdale TAFE and the Grand Chancellor Hotel.  In June he went on a working holiday to the mainland, staying in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.  A quick visit home then off to Newcastle, in search of the perfect apprentice chef position.  This didn’t work out, and Chris     is now back home for Christmas.

Phillipa played hard with the Bulleen women’s basketball team and has improved under the pressure of competition.  She attended Mentone Girls High School and received a score of 88.8 for her final results.  Although she enjoyed her experience, she has decided to return to Tasmania.  She now plays in the Hobart Hurricanes team, and will be doing Law at the University.  Having landed a summer job, she is saving for a trip to Sydney with Victoria in February.

Victoria did Year 10 at Taroona High School, received lots of Outstanding and High Achievement results and was awarded the Music Prize.  She continued with the Youth Chamber Group at the Conservatorium playing the cello and thoroughly enjoyed her involvement with various jazz bands playing bass guitar.  Victoria followed her siblings into Customs House Hotel for several shifts a week, and also works at the nearby MacDonalds.

David has spent much of the year travelling for work. He has spent time in Sydney on the railways, in Saudi Arabia looking at a cement factory, in the Eastern desert and South Sinai regions of Egypt and at five different nickel mines and processing plants in Western Australia. At the nickel smelter in Kalgoorlie he had a close shave - literally!!! Entry to the site is restricted to the clean shaven, so after 27 years he took to the razor. 10 days later he threw it away again, and is now respectably bearded again. The look on Victoria’s face when she saw Kerry sitting up in bed with a strange man cannot really be described!!!

David has continued his involvement with professional and community organisations. He was elected the 2001 President of the Tasmania Division of the Institution of Engineers at the Annual general meeting in February, where he was most surprised and honoured to be also raised to the status of Fellow (his second fellowship!). So at his 50th birthday, where he surprised everyone apart from Kerry with his new arabic costume, he celebrated the start of the new millenium as an old fellow!
In September, David was appointed to the new Dental Board of Tasmania, as a consumer representative. He has continued his involvement with the Battery Point Sullivans Cove Community Association, and his membership of the Battery Point Advisory Committee.

Planning issues have remained an interest, and much time was spent before the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal seeking an order for the costs of the successful appeal against the proposal to use Sullivans Cove as a helipad. Costs were awarded, but not the much larger costs of the costs. The Hobart City Council appealed to the Supreme Court seeking the costs of the costs, and was successful. The saga will no doubt continue in 2002.

David again organised the Radio Foundation Day Dinner in Hobart. This year it was held at the historic Mt Nelson Signal Station Restaurant, and was graced by the presence of His Excellency Sir Guy Green and Alderman Rob Valentine, Lord Mayor of Hobart. As this was the 100th anniversary of Marconi’s first transatlantic radio signal, David had organised some special events. The replica kite to the one used by Marconi in St Johns could not be flown because there was not enough wind, but the microprocessor controlled flashing light from Tranmere to Mt Nelson was a great success, as was the infrared controlled Morse key. As at previous dinners, communications with both St Johns Newfoundland and Poldhu in Cornwall were achieved by HF radio, as well as internet. The dinner finished at 11pm, which gave the hardy few enough sleep to gather again at 7am for breakfast at Mt Nelson, where again the wind was not strong enough to allow the kite to fly.

With so little time at home, the garden and the car maintenance has been neglected a bit, and we have not managed to spend as much time as we would like at the shack.

Our pussy cats are still gorgeous and full of mischief, and it has been hard to resist the children’s requests to again have some kittens in the house.  But we will resist…..Kerry looks forward to having a few pet cashmere goats, a couple of alpacas and some coloured sheep, and maybe some chickens when David retires.