This has been another bumper year for us all!  In April we welcomed with love our darling little Laura Kate, who has grown into a beautiful baby girl, full of life and always on the move.  We must congratulate Alex and Alicia on doing such a wonderful job - a task made so much harder when Alicia fell from her horse and broke both elbows and her right wrist, when Laura was only 5 months old!  Alex has decided to go back to University and train as a teacher.  We wish him well.
Christopher left his job as head chef at the restaurant in Newcastle and headed off for an extended surfing holiday in Bali.  He and his boogie board landed on the day that Schapelle Corby was sentenced and Mum and Dad had grave misgivings about his safety.  Chris headed for the surf and stayed out of trouble.  Landing back in Tassie, Chris walked into a job at his old haunt, The Customs House Hotel, and has worked there since.  Everyone is gearing up for the hospitality high season and the Taste of Tasmania.  Mum and Chris have been raising ducks for Christmas dinner, as well as the usual clutch of meat chickens.  Chris is planning another Indonesian surfing holiday starting in May.

Phillipa has had a particularly good year and has just graduated from from the University of Tasmania with an Honours degree in Law.  We congratulate Phillipa on her well deserved results.  She will continue at university doing a Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice which will finish in June.  Then she will be looking for a well paid position in the Legal Industry.  Phillipa is now living in Victoria’s former flat in Sandy Bay, working lots of shifts at the restaurant, and hopes to pick up some para-legal work in the meantime.  She still plays soccer and basketball, and has done well at both this year.


Victoria worked for Telstra until the middle of the year, when she returned to university studies.   Telstra was sorry to lose her as she was a very competitive salesperson, must be a legacy from the "…and would you like fries with that?" days.  She has just finished her first year of Science - Biotechnology with a Pass, a Credit and two Distinctions.  Victoria played soccer with Phillipa in the university women’s team, and now lives in a flat in Mount Nelson.

Kerry enjoyed her year immensely.  Trips included visiting the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show and later the Geelong Country Groups Spinners Conference, the Quilt Show in Sydney and a trip to Newcastle and a later one to Bendemeer.  Two entries into the Royal Hobart Show, a quilt and a handspun, handknit jumper, gained second places.  Kerry presented a paper at the Tasmanian Local History Conference in Burnie in November.  The historical society rented two cottages and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend.  Kerry undertook a publicity project for the Hobart Machine Knitters.  The club made a layette for the new Danish royal baby, and the news and pictures went all over Australia.
 
Work assignments included designing a database for the Australian Council of Professional Historians Associations, and her current job at the university for the Centre for Advanced  Learning and Teaching.  This will continue into the new year.  Just imagine, in March 2006, five of the six Edwards will be working hard at the University of Tasmania!  Perhaps Chris could get a job in the University’s canteen!  Plans for 2006 include a visit to the USA to attend the next Egan Clan Rally in Dallas and opportunities to catch up with our US based friends.

David has had another busy year. On the professional front, he has continued lecturing at the University of Tasmania. His has been active on the Tasmania Division Committee of Engineers Australia, and was Chairman of the Judging panel for the 2005 Tasmanian Engineering Excellence Awards. In mid December he stepped down from his position as chair of the ITEE College Board. On the community front, David has continued as President of the Battery Point Sullivans Cove Community Association. Planning issues have again taken much of his time, with the Resource Planning and Development Commission decision on whether to approve the Hobart City Council’s plan to chop the Battery Point Planning Scheme in half eagerly awaited. In October, David stood as a candidate at the Hobart City Council. While his vote improved considerably over his 1996 effort, it was not sufficient to get him over the line. In recent months, he has been busy co-ordinating community feedback to the Hobart City Council, the Licensing Commissioner and the Licensing Police regarding the noise, vandalism and other antisocial behavior associated with a local nightclub, which has now closed. Battery Point residents now enjoy peaceful Saturday nights.

David has continued working to advance cycling with Bicycle Tasmania, and has recently taken over as President, relinquishing his role as Membership Secretary. Billycart action has also continued, with David achieving (with no streamlined body!) in excess of 55 kph down the Technopark Hill in March. Plans for a new faster billycart are slowly evolving.

At Easter, David and Kerry attended the 11th National Morris Minor Rally, held in Hobart. We caught up with many old friends from NSW, and had a great time.
      

In October David and Kerry went to the "Back to Bendemeer" celebrations at Bendemeer in NSW. Sister Robin from Wynyard was also able to attend, along with Cousin Caroline from Lismore. Kerry made two sets of historical costumes, which were very well received. As well as meeting other descendents of Charles Edwards and William Elbra, David & Kerrry attended the presentation of an Engineering Heritage plaque on the 100 year old wooden truss bridge across the Macdonald River at Bendemeer.

David and Kerry have also been active in the Friends of Sandy Bay Rivulet, and along with other volunteers, planted reeds in the rivulet bed to provide improved habitat for native species.

We hope that all our friends in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and all parts of the world have a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.