Brisbane, QLD


Friday, October 26, 2012

OH, TO BE (in) YOUNG

I should have included these photos in the last post about our reunion where you saw a bunch of oldies celebrating 50 years since we were at teachers' college. Well this is how we looked 50 years ago.

Class 1B Cadet Education Officers at Australian School of Pacific Administration. 1962.
I am 3rd from right in front row.

Class 1A. Colin is 5th from left in back row.
 Colin lives in Brisbane. After the reunion he stayed with his 90 year old mother in the country town of Young. It is not far from Canberra. TOH and I stayed in Young on our way home from Canberra and visited Colin and his mother.
 They showed us around the town. Firstly we did a tour of the lovely retirement village where Josephine lives.

 We visited the beautiful "Chinese Tribute Gardens".  The gardens were developed by the Rotary club and handed over to the Young council. Mayor Hewson dedicated them "in recognition of the contribution of the Chinese community to the settlement of Young in the 1860's. The chinese were gold miners in the early days.

 Now days Young is famous for its cherries and the Cherry Festival held in November.


 In the gardens there is an exact replica of "The Galloping Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow." It was unearthed in China in 1969 and is about 2000 years old. The artistic qualities are astounding. The proportions are perfectly matching a real horse and the centre of gravity is in the swallow and gives the statue stability.

 Many country towns have had their rail links closed and the railway stations are now used as Information Centres and museums. It is hard to understand why this service to country people has discontinued. Colin has a difficult time getting to Young on public transport to visit his mother.

 We took a stroll along the town's main street. 90 year old Josephine led the way. She is amazingly fit and healthy.

We ended up in a quaint shop selling crafts, conserves and fudge called "Poppa's Fudge & Jam Factory."I couldn't resist the fudge, yummmmmm chocolate mint.

24 comments:

  1. love the rail road station and the pink flowers above and that gorgeous pond with the stones. i would like to be young again but not back 50 years young, maybe back to 39 and hold there.

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  2. You only have changed a little bit ! lol ! But I recognized you immediately. Looks like a cute town !

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  3. A lovely place..both the retirement complex and the gardens.

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  4. I agree. Railways here are all but non-existent and it was always such a neat and easy way to travel. I don't understand why. Nice pics. What a pretty area.

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  5. Hi Diane
    Great photos of Young, well done as always.
    Every time I see these countless railway stations "sans" trains and then hear of traffic accidents and clogged highways, I see absolute RED! All freighter trucks would be off the roads as trains could do the job and passengers could travel in some comfort from A to B, rather than be on highways where you see NOTHING!
    However on returning to Terrigal from Young, besides stopping at Gunning and Berrima (must visit places), Lynette and I counted at least 40 dead kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and even one deer on the road. The night of Saturday 20th October was not a good night for the wildlife!
    Young also possesses an all weather airport, did have services to Sydney and Melbourne, but now only has privately owned planes parked on it! Ahhhhhhh! Getting to Young, a nightmare with the transport system.
    Oh yes, to be locked in that "fudge factory", what a treat.
    Not sure about the health aspect - ha ha!
    Cheers
    Colin (HB)

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  6. lovely photos. i esp. like the replica of the horse. it's amazing. fudge sounds delish too

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  7. Diane, I love the first shot, I was able to pick you right out of the group of course. Looks like a wonderful visit with Colin and his Mom. The flowers and gardens are beautiful. I love the cute horse. Thanks for sharing, have a great weekend!

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  8. Colin has talked alot about Young and his mother... So good to get a picture of them together. AND--the places they took you are AWESOME... Wow--what a beautiful area. His mother looks great to be 90!!!!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy
    P.S. I'd love a piece of that fudge... YUM.

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  9. What a fun place to visit - even virtually! Loved the photos of your classes and looks like just about everyone was smiling too!

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  10. Thanks for taking us with you on your visit to Young. I enjoyed the picture of Colin and his mother.

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  11. Great post and love the photos. If only the body would stay as young as we feel! Have a great weekend. Diane

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  12. It is always fun to see old pictures of yourself. You wonder, how is it possible that so many things changed in these years.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  13. Oh I love your photos. The railway way station is very cute it is hard to believe they shut the service down we have some of the same problem here in Canada for people in the North.
    I do enjoy reading your history of the buildings and towns. Love your photos.mmmm chocolate mint:) B

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  14. Very interesting photos. I had to chuckle when I read your blog title...I can relate. :) I think I could have picked you out of the photo. I thought it was interesting that most of the women had on dresses that covered their knees but a few were trying to set a new trend. :)

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  15. This southern area is so pretty in spring. The Chinese gardens wonderful. Diane, great memories of your teaching times. You have been again the perfect tour guide, very enjoyable this armchair travelling.

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  16. I had you on the right not the left - after all your photos I've seen I should have known which one was you. :)
    Great shots - the reflections, the cherry blossoms, the old architecture. I think this looks like a far better day than the snowy way. :)
    Fudge - I gained a pound just thinking about all that goodness.

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  17. Carletta you are RIGHT I made a mistake. I am 3rd from RIGHT. Doh! I don't know what I was thinking. I've changed the caption but its a bit late. Well done for recognising me properly.

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  18. I have never spent much time at Young. I remember we had Christmas lunch in our van in a picnic spot outside the town a couple of years ago ... mightly hot it was that day ... and that's why I haven't done much there ... I have generally passed through in the heat of summer.

    Now for the class photo .. the frocks you are all wearing are so lovely and such a perfect snapshot of the era.

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  19. Joan Elizabeth:
    You are so right in summer, the dry heat is overbearing, in winter you freeze - best times to visit are Autumn and Spring, or early December for the Cherry Festival carnival.
    Colin

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  20. Very clever, your post title, Diane. You still look as good as you did 50 years ago. I cannot BELIEVE Colin's mom is 90. And what a beautiful town - your photography is brilliant, congratulations!

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  21. What fun photos to see, Diane. Doesn't it seem like yesterday when you were a young teacher? I visited a beautiful Chinese garden in Sydney when I was there that I never blogged about --I will ahv to show it one day. We are preparing for a bad hurricane that is going to come to shore tomorrow --hope we don't flood or lose power!

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  22. I absolutely love these photos, Diane! Thank you so much for sharing.

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  23. It looks like a really lovely town, and it is sad that they are no longer connected by rail. As people get older they really do rely on public transportation. My mom takes the train (station near her home) anytime she needs to go into town, or travels down the coast to her childhood home.

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