The 1st of September has come and gone: in Australia, it marks the end of winter and the first day of spring.
We didn't know that fact back then, but 35 years ago, on this auspicious day, the Tans arrived to settle in Perth.
I was approaching 35 then, and I'm approaching 70 now!
Here are some highlights from the early years here, back when there was no internet, Facebook or blogs to share these pictures with.
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| In the Perth Hills |
We spent a lot of time exploring the surrounding countryside and getting to know our new home.
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| A trip to Wave Rock - 400 km east of Perth |
This stray cat adopted us and we fed it for many years till its death.
Me trying to grow vegetables in the backyard. I remember microwaving my broccoli, only to see hordes of tiny caterpillars crawling out.
A simple birthday party in the backyard, quite unlike the elaborate ones these days.
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| Wolf Cubs |
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| Backyard BBQ, with Grandma visiting from Singapore |
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| A Family Holiday to World Expo 88 in Brisbane. |
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Son No 1 went on a school skiing trip to NZ, and enjoyed it so much he managed to persuade the family to go on one in the Snowy Mountains.
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| Going Gliding in the wheatbelt town of Cunderdin |
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| Family Holiday in Victoria | | |
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The Tan family's "long hair" period. I outdid the boys by having a beard.
In 1993, I qualified for long service leave, having worked for 10 years with the Commonwealth Public Service. This entitled me to 3 months full pay leave (with the option of taking it as a 6-month half pay leave) on top of the usual annual leave entitlement.
Being the lazy bugger that I am, I took for the 6 month half pay option.
Grandma C, however, worked for the WA public service, and they are even more generous with the long service leave; she qualified for it after only 7 years service, and had to wait 3 years before we could take our LSL together.
We used this holiday to take a long driving tour of the north west of WA visiting the many towns we had only ever heard of.
Here are a few pics of that trip.
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| Crossing the Tropic of Capricorn |
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| Grandma C beside a giant termite mound |
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| Morning Tea amongst the wildflowers of the Pilbara | | | | |
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| Whale watching |
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| Oxer Lookout, Karinjini National Park in the Kimberley region (me in the green shirt at the top) |
wow you all have been living there for 35 years. That's a long time Arthur. Count your blessings
ReplyDeleteas not many would have the privilege to immigrate to Australia. Thanks for sharing all those
awesome photos.
Thank you Luke. Thankfully, in hindsight, it has been a good move for us.
DeleteHere's a poem by the Southern Song poet Lu You 陸游 (1125–1209) on the brighter side of turning 70.
ReplyDeleteOld man pushing seventy,
In truth he acts like a little boy,
Whooping with delight when he spies some mountain fruits,
Laughing with joy, tagging after village mummers;
With the others having fun stacking tiles to make a pagoda,
Standing alone staring at his image in the jardinière pool.
Tucked under his arm, a battered book to read,
Just like the time he first set out to school.
I'm constantly amazed atthe extent of your erudition, Prof. A wonderful happy poem.
DeleteGlad you like it. It was written more than 800 years ago in an entirely different world, and yet is relevant to our times and places (maybe not so much to SG - we don't have much "mountain fruits" to talk about, but certainly it should apply to the land of Oz). Not many poems portray old age in such a sympathetic light. I like the child-like wonder portrayed in old age.
DeleteI think you don't have to spy mountain fruits on trees; your heart can also "leap up when you behold" mountain fruit in the fruit shop!
DeleteLovely photos, sure bring back a whole lot of pleasant memories, eh? Sure Perth has changed a lot since then. 35 years ago...I just got married, at the age of 29. Ummmmm..... :D
ReplyDeleteYes, Perth has changed a lot, not always for the better. But, on the whole, it was a good move.
DeleteTime really flies! 35 years is a long time. Your pictures are such a valuable link to the past, and memories remain even after we're long gone. Here's to another 35 years! Mate!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Doc. Time really does slip away from you, and goes even faster in retirement! I remember waiting for ages to get my long service leave, and now I've been retired for 14 years in a blink of an eye!
DeleteGood pictures Arthur! You took a bold step and it turned out really well. Reminded me of my first trips to Perth and Melbourne years ago - where we encountered the wild flowers and giant termite hills for the first time at the outskirts of Perth, and the twelve apostles along the Great Ocean Road (how many of them left?) - stirred up pleasant memories of all our Australian vacation trips. However, did not realised that you spotted a beardy before - and would not have recognised you had we bumped into you before! Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteThanks, sweetee. It sounds like high time you made another visit down under.
DeleteCongratulations on your new milestone! I like your long hair shots!
ReplyDeleteKM
Thanks, KMK. I had the long hair and beard for 5 years and then found out that a shaved head is much more convenient and time saving!
DeleteMust be an enlightening experience from Swami to Buddhaki :)) When was this period of Arthurtananda?
DeleteI neglected to cut my hair and shave when on the 6 month long service leave. In fact, I was called Confucius when I returned to work.
DeleteIn 1998, the office had a cancer fund raising thing whether people were sponsored to shave their heads, and colleagues egged me on.
Having done so, I found a shaven head very convenient and decided to keep the hairstyle!
Edit: "where" not "whether"
DeleteExcuse me, a shaven head has a "hair" style? Do you mean "nohairstyle"? :)
Delete"Hairstyle" on a scale of 0 - 100. 0 being bald and 100 a full head of hair.
DeleteLovely photos such a lovely family too - time really files 😀
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. Please come again!
DeleteWow, Arthur, I almost forgotten how you n Cheryl looked 35 yrs ago. The photos sure bring back memories for all. I noticed that son 1 looked like mum n was always standing behind or beside her in the photos . Son 2 looked like you n doing the same. That a coincidence?
ReplyDeleteYes, we've sure changed (and aged) a lot. Coincidence? Interesting question. I've never noticed it before but you're quite right in your observation.
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