A certain gentleman in the household (there’s only one) managed octogenarian status a few weeks ago.
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Had someone predicted when I was in my thirties that one day I would be sleeping with an eighty-year-old I think I would have fainted! It’s all good. He was quite astonished he was actually still here.
I keep reminding him (ever so modestly) how well he has been cared for over the past 53 years. A surprised look flashes over his face until he remembers to make the appropriate noises of gracious thanks.
He wondered once if he would make the new millennium. Then he wondered if he would ever meet a grandchild. Both have exceeded his wildest dreams.
I am reminded of the Dr. Suess poem which began ‘How did it get so late so soon/ It’s night before it’s afternoon?’
He has lived the dream; glider pilot for many years, golf, bowls, U3A and opera among his many interests.
Our family has given him a ticket for a helicopter ride. He has already experienced a flight in the cockpit of an Airbus, and a flight in a Tiger Moth, both presented at past ‘O’ birthdays – for his 90th it’s a parachute jump (with parachutist), and for his 100th we’ve threatened him with a bungee jump.
He may choose to drop off the twig before the last happens, as the mere thought of it turns him pale.
Rob has no longevity on his side. He’s broken the mould and never had any expectation of living long enough to receive his OBE (Over Bloody Eighty). He wore the blue ribbon proudly on the night his family and friends drank his health and wished him many happy healthy years ahead.
Considering his pharmaceuticals consist of one tiny blood pressure tablet and a glass (or two) of the good red each evening, we may hope to see him around for that parachute jump at least.
The second party time was somewhat more glamorous, a grand occasion enjoyed by art lovers everywhere from Bendigo and beyond.
I attended the Bendigo Art Gallery’s announcement of the Arthur Guy Memorial Painting Prize. This prize, which is awarded every two years, attracts contemporary artists from across Australia. Prize money is $50,000, an immensely generous donation by the Guy family in memory of Arthur Guy, a fighter pilot killed in 1945 in New Guinea.
Tragically Arthur lost his life at 30 years of age. His brother Allen chose to honour his brother in this most memorable way.
The Guy family were well represented on the night which made it an even more memorable occasion, as the story of Arthur’s life was recounted by Richard Guy.
Jacinta Allen, our local MP and member for Bendigo East announced the winning entry, the unanimous choice of the judges. It was quite a dramatic moment when the name of central Australian aboriginal artist Margaret Loy Pula was announced.
Her magnificent painting is part of an ongoing series in which the artist paints stories from her father’s dreaming, in particular bush potatoes, an important food source of the Anmatyerre people of central Australia. The 37 finalists chosen from 291 paintings are on display at the Bendigo Art Gallery until September 17.
The number of paintings entered in this competition reflects the prestige associated with winning this prize today.
I for one will be returning for a closer inspection of the paintings on display. This once-every-two-year contemporary exhibition is stunning.
ANNIE YOUNG