G'DA TO YOU AROUND THE WORLD FROM ALL OF US HERE IN AUSTRALIA ON THE EVE OF OUR NATIONAL CELEBRATION FOR 2007.

AUSTRALIA DAY EVE AND WHAT A CELEBRATION IT IS!

Being televised as I type is a fantastic concert coming from our National Capital, CANBERRA.

BANDS, BANDS, BANDS,
ENTERTAINERS GALLORE
AND LOTS OF PROUD, PROUD, AUSSIES.

TO BRING YOU CLOSER TO WHERE I LIVE IN CAIRNS, FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND, I HAVE INCLUDED TWO INTERESTING SITES FOR YOU TO BROWSE THROUGH. I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE INFORMATION AND THE GREAT IMAGES.

The first site is all about CAIRNS CITY. The second site is about an absolutely fantastic place to the North of Cairns. That is, COOKTOWN – a place very close to my heart.

www.cairnsweb.com.au/cairns/cairns-city.asp

http://www.cook.qld.gov.au/


WHERE EVER YOU ARE, JOIN IN WITH US IN OUR NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF BELONGING TO A VERY BLESSED COUNTRY. TOMORROW, 26TH JANUARY, BRINGS THE WHOLE OF OUR COUNTRY TO AN EXPERIENCE OF CARING FOR EACHOTHER, SHARING AND ENJOYING OUR ENVIRONMENT, OUR ACHIEVEMENTS, OUR SPECIALNESS. WE REMEMBER ALL THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US AND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE FOR US. TOMORROW, I WILL POST SOME MORE SITES OF INTEREST FOR YOU TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT OUR WONDERFUL COUNTRY.

UNTIL THEN, HOOROO MY FRIENDS. GOD BLESS YA, MATE.

SAY G'DAY WITH A COMMENT. WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

Sue Bayliss. Cairns, Far North Queensland.

From the Isle of Erin he came,

to our sunny shore.
With a story to tell
and songs galore!

Raymond James Molloy now, that t’would be. Raymond is another great Australian, proud as proud can be. As our National Day of Celebration approaches, 26th January, I would like to tell you a little about Raymond’s story. I will also mention another great Australian of present day time, David Hudson. Last but not least, Do you know about the Irish Orphan Girls? These girls played a significant part in the settlement of Australia in the mid 1800’s but first, Raymond Molloy.

Singer, songwriter and story teller, not to mention Irish/Australian man extraordinaire, Raymond Molloy is one of our popular local identities. He lives in Cairns with his lovely wife Jen, and their beautiful daughter Rachel. As a lad in Ireland, our Raymond challenged the traditional institutions of community life. He worked hard at odd jobs where ever he could to buy his first guitar and some song books. Then, he listened to songs on the radio. Being a lad of talent, he soon had those tunes strumming out. Along with the tunes came songs and stories to be told about life with all its joys, sadness, and just about everything in between! With deep feelings in his heart and hope to carry through, Raymond left the Isle of Erin for Australia’s sunny shores. From here, Australia, Raymond’s folklore developed into his unique style.

Raymond’s story is his to tell. Eventually settling in Cairns, Far North Queensland, Raymond’s capacity for song writing and singing grew. His songs are so easy to listen to. There is something for everyone, from songs of happiness and joy through to loneliness and despair, songs about questioning the role of bureaucratic actions and political beliefs. It is with heartfelt tenderness that Raymond searches for answers in this world to right the wrongs and sufferings of man’s inhumanity to man. Some of Raymond’s songs challenge us to change what is going on around us. See and hear for yourself. Listen to some of these folk songs and catch a glimpse of the beauty around as Raymond sings some of his songs on video. Catch it all on www.belloymusic.com and browse through the home page, biography, albums, blog, gallery, video clips, song downloads, and reviews. You can even contact Raymond and Jen through their site if you would like to. A good friend of Raymond’s and Jen’s is David Hudson, another proud Australian, musician and entertainer.

David Hudson: Ancient Voice of the Future, with over 40,000 years of Aboriginal traditions and culture pulsing through his veins, David is not only a true son of Australia, he is Australia! Read for yourself this man’s remarkable story. Browse his site on www.davidhudson.com.au and explore David’s music, art, didgeridoos, shop and even more information. Not only do the people of Cairns love David Hudson, the whole of Australia pulses with his sounds that are truly the ancient voice of the future. David is an internationally renowned entertainer. Looking back to the mid 1800’s, what a far cry from Raymond’s and David’s experiences were those of the Irish Orphan Girls.

You can read a little about the experiences of the Irish Orphan Girls on www.proni.gov.uk/exhibiti/austral//report and how difficult their life must have been. This site leads to a report by The Children’s Apprenticeship Board at Adelaide to the Poor Law Commission Office Dublin dated 27th November 1850. Between 1848 and 1849, twenty ships brought a total of 4,114 Irish girls from the Irish Workhouses to Australia. Eleven ships to Sydney with 2,253 girls, Six ships to Pt Philip with 1,255 girls and three ships to Adelaide with 606 girls.

In 1849 when the effects of the Irish potato famine of 1846 – 1847 were still being felt, a ship load of orphan Irish children departed Liverpool via Plymouth for Australia. You can read the story about The Pemberton Orphan Ship in the Times: Immigration – Plymouth, January 22 (1850) on www.achart.ca/hibernian/chapter03. So many people from many lands were dislocated and resettled in Australia. The result of those times when there was so much hardship and despair is the wonderful country we enjoy today. Rather than mourn the dreads of the past, let us embrace the result of those years and strive to unite on this day of Celebration, Australia Day on 26th January.

To leave you on a happy note, you can explore some of the Irish heritage of Australia on www.irishaustralia.com an ancestral tribute by a descendant of Irish families who came to Australia to escape the devastation of the An Garta Mor – The Great Starvation better known as, the potato famine. To sum it all up, don’t forget our National site to follow all the excitement on www.australiaday.gov.au and join in our CELEBRATIONS, wherever you are.

Have a great day. Sue Bayliss. Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia.

Kookaburra. Oh, how proud I am of you.

Following on from my previous two articles,“Listen well, my friend. Collectively, we are a voice to be heard.” and “The story of a great Australian woman.”, I would like to share with you a lovely story symbolizing the individual strength and also the collective strength of a minority group of remarkable Australian women. Our Australian war widows. This charming story is especially significant as we approach our National Day of Celebration, Australia Day - 26th January 2007.

WAR WIDOWS GUILD OF AUSTRALIA

GUILD BADGE

The Badge was chosen by our first National President and founder of the Guild, Mrs Jessie Vasey, OBE, CBE.

The badge issued by the Government to widows during or just after the war was so depressing, as it had a little old bent over woman bedecked in widows’ weeds and looking so sad.

Mrs Vasey said we must have a badge typically and completely Australian. It must have no element of self-pity or sloppy sentiment and it should be one that could be worn proudly by every widow whatever her creed or ideals.

After numerous suggestions for a design from all over Australia, it was finally decided that the badge would feature the Kookaburra, an industrious and cheerful bird who mated for life, was fearless and aggressive in the defence of its young and the area of territory it regarded as its own. “He goes out after what he wants – fights for his family. Isn’t that what we’re doing?” Mrs Vasey asked her girls.

Mrs Vasey approached Mr Andor Meszaros, a distinguished Hungarian sculptor who was born in Budapest in 1900 and educated in Budapest and Vienna and was at that time living in Melbourne.

She asked him to design a badge featuring a Kookaburra and he suggested the present one, which was accepted by all the States. It depicts a Kookaburra alighting in flight onto a branch of gum leaves. It is a brave bird and will tackle anything as young widows had to do. The bird also had a unique call, not a song but a laugh; a chortle of rollicking mirth. It was a call to win the widow back to laughter.

(An extact from an information folder given to members of the Australian War Widows’ Guild when joining.)

This brings to a close my blogs about Australian war widows. Personally, I am strengthened and encouraged by the companionship and feelings of solidarity with my fellow members of the War Widows’ Guild of Australia and the example of those who have gone before us. As a person living with spasmodic dysphonia and cervical dystonia, I feel greatly encouraged by the examples set by war widows. They have taken their incredible loss and turned it into a strength reflecting great determination, worth and courage.

Like war widows - we need not be hampered by our experiences, living with dystonia in all its forms, but can be transformed into holistic beings reflecting great values of spirit and strength.

Sue Bayliss. Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia.

The story of a great Australian woman.

This article follows my previous article, “Listen well, my friend. Collectively, we are a voice to be heard.” The following story is an extract from an information folder given to members of the Australian War Widows’ Guild when joining.

JESSIE MARY VASEY, OBE, CBE – 1897-1966.

“Yet it is no mean destiny to be called upon to go on for a man who laid down his life, as Christ did, to save mankind from the power of the Beast”.

These are the words spoken by the founder of the War Widows’ Guild of Australia, Jessie Mary Vasey, after the death of her husband Major General George Vasey in early 1945. With her natural ability as a leader, her charm and intellect, she gathered around her a group of talented, able and determined women to start a craft guild which taught weaving and other handicrafts to members so that they could augment their pitifully inadequate pensions. So was the beginning of a powerful lobby group which is consulted by Governments on all matters concerning war widows today.

War Widows of World War 1 and World War 2 needed not only financial help, their pensions were meager, but they were in many ways a forgotten group. Everyone wanted to forget the war. The Guild provided companionship, counseling, child-minding and above all an environment of mutual support where members could relax and feel secure.

As Guilds were established in all States the organization became more powerful and men in Government and Welfare reluctantly recognized its political importance. Mrs Vasey worried about accommodation available to members, especially the older women, and by 1954 the Guild was in a position to take advantage of the Aged Persons Home Act and go on to control an empire of property. Each State made its own arrangements to cater for members’ needs, reacting in different ways but making housing their priority.

Today there are over 120,000 war widows. It is Jessie Mary Vasey, and the women she inspired to work with her, whom they must thank for the security they now enjoy.



I hope you have enjoyed this inspiring story about an Australian woman whose strong spirit of determination, followed by her actions led to assistance, companionship and security, for thousands of Australian women whose husbands paid the ultimate price for the good of their country. You will find lots of information about Australia on www.australiaday.gov.au as we approach our National Day of Celebration, Australia Day on 26th January, 2007.

To be eligible for membership of the War Widows’ Guild of Australia, a widow must be designated “War Widow” by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, (which means that her husband’s death has been accepted as due to war causes), re-married War Widows or a Defence Service Widow in receipt of a compensation from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

Listen well, my friend. Collectively, we are a voice to be heard.

Those of us living with various forms of dystonia including spasmodic dysphonia well know how other peoples’ impatience, though not intended to offend, can socially isolate us. Many of us experience feelings of rejection when our speech is misunderstood and also feelings of fear about speaking to those whom we do not know. We can learn much from a group of women who have overcome incredible adversity in its many forms. I refer to war widows’.

Yesterday, after writing my blog about Australia Day on January 26th, I thought about how proud I am of our Australian Service men and women, and of the great sacrifices they and their families have made. In turn, that got me thinking about how privileged I am to be a member of the War Widows’ Guild of Australia. The snowballing continued. I thought about how much Australian war widows’ have achieved through collectively advocating for their needs. By working together, any group of people with specific needs can achieve good things! I would like to tell you a little bit about the aims of the War Widows’ Guild of Australia (Queensland) Inc., and about the formation of the Guild.

AIMS OF THE GUILD

The aims of the Guild are to watch over and protect the interests of war widows such as lobbying our politicians for the ultimate benefit of the war widow. Also to provide friendship and comfort in times of need to those in similar circumstances, particularly in their time of loss of a partner. Together, as a body, we feel we can make a difference. Our motto is as relevant today as it was at the Guild’s formation 62 years ago -

“We all belong to each other
We all need each other
It is in serving each other
And in sacrificing for our common good
That we are finding our true life.”

(Extract from an Empire Day Message from His Majesty the late King George the Sixth)

From World War 1 until the Guild’s formation in 1945, there had been no appreciable rise in pensions and war widows were amongst the under-privileged members of the community. Realising that it was only by statutory means that they could regain their rightful status, the Guild continued to lobby the Commonwealth Government until the War Widows compensation was increased on a regular basis. It is now linked to 25% of the Male Total Average Weekly Earnings Index. Similarly with the need for hospitalization – war widows now receive this care through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (who have contracts for the care of veterans and war widows in hospitals throughout Queensland). These and other benefits, such as free optical and dental treatment, have given the war widow an independence previously lacking and the Guild continues to press for her rightful dues.

FORMATION OF THE GUILD

The War Widows’ Guild of Australia was formed in 1945 in Victoria by the late Mrs Jessie Vasey OBE, CBE, widow of Major-General George Vasey, a well known Australian Soldier. In 1947 a branch of the Guild was formed in Queensland, other States having been established in 1946. Later the State Guilds were federated and Mrs Vasey became the Federal President. Queensland has approximately 8,000 members.

(AIMS OF THE GUILD and FORMATION OF THE GUILD are extracts from an information folder provided to members when joining the Guild)

The War Widows' Guild continues to very successfully lobby the Australian Federal Government and also State Governments on behalf of war widows needs. It is my hope that you have gained a sense of the solidarity experienced by this group of strong women who have a history of challenging Governments for improved services and assistance needed for all Australian war widows. Their brave example offers inspiration to people belonging to other minority groups within society. I will post two further blogs about war widows. Firstly, about a great Australian woman, Jessie Mary Vasey, OBE, CBE 1897-1966, founder of the War Widows' Guild of Australia. Secondly, about the War Widows' Guild of Australia's Guild Badge. Both somewhat inspiring stories.

G’day Mate. Australia Day, true blue!

We Aussies celebrate in style, you know! January 26th is a day to behold right across Oz, Down Under. AUSTRALIA DAY! What a celebration it is. Right around the country. Coast to coast, through what ever spot you point to within this great Southern land, we celebrate all that has made us proud to belong to Oz. Such a young country but oh so splendid in the traditions we have founded. From many lands, we have come. This year, Australia Day celebrations kick off to an early start, from 8.30PM Thursday evening the 25th January, with the Australia Day live concert in Canberra, our nation’s capital. Each State is hosting lots of celebrations.

In my home State, Queensland’s South Bank Parklands in the centre of Brisbane City is hosting a jam-packed program of events throughout the day. This includes a pyrotechnic display extravaganza launched from the Brisbane River at 7.30PM. Throughout the State, from regional Cities to country towns, Island communities, remote and isolated areas and the rugged bush, people will be coming together to celebrate our Australian identity and culture.

Rather than ‘reinvent the wheel’ as some say, you can share our anticipation of great celebration by browsing through the official Australia Day site on www.australiaday.gov.au so why wait? Go on, give it a go. Have a squiz, enjoy the information displayed, learn more about what we have to offer and come visiting to the land Down Under some time soon. You know, you are really welcome.

Aussies are very disability aware. Lots and lots of wheelchair accessible venues and many other types of disability friendly services and public transport systems.

Sue Bayliss, a well travelled and very proud Aussie from Cairns, Far North Queensland, Australia.