This is a King Parrot which is usually quite shy. It was taken this year at Barambah Bush Caravan Park near Murgon, Queensland.

Indeed the colours are amazing as the sun travels through the day, and as many have observed before me, the changes in hue and colour are really mesmerizing. In truth though, you really do have to see it to believe it, I was absolutely awestruck by its majesty and presence.

And we have the trail of people climbing up Uluru right beside the sign asking people to respect the wishes of the Traditional owners. It just places everything into perspective, doesn’t it? My own ignorance many years earlier in Egypt highlighted by the continued ignorance of others in my own country. Therefore not something I can preach about but it is a salutary lesson and focuses in on one’s own deficiencies!

This photo was taken high up on the Cheops Pyramid in 1980. I took this photo myself, along with a few others, just before being questioned by the Egyptian police as to why I felt it necessary to climb the Pyramid. These days I have to admit some shame that at that young age, I did that. Last year at Uluru, I think I atoned for my earlier bad behaviour by respecting the wishes of the Pitjantjara people with their request not to climb Uluru.

This is a photo of Dad. He is with Mum’s horse and their dog. I have forgotten the name of the dog. This horse is indeed a valid post because when I go to talk to Mum, at the home she lives in now, I know I can always bring back a memory of Dad and of her horse just by mentioning that I have a photo of Dad with his horse. mum will immediately correct me by saying it was her horse. There are a few of things which trigger memory these days, and this is one of those things. I think the dog might have been called Skippy.

Three photos of Mum. I’m pretty sure that all of these were taken in Riverton where they once lived. The baby in the third photo is Doug, already showing signs that he loved to run. My wife and I went out to where Riverton is meant to be a year ago. We found the sign but there is nothing else we could find. There is a mine in roughly the area that they used to live.

This wedding photo is of my Uncle Joe and Auntie Sandra when they were married in Burleigh Heads Catholic Church. I’m not exactly sure when this was but I have a feeling it was in about 1963, maybe 1964. In the back is Dad who was Joe’s best man. Sandra’s sister was Maid of Honour. When I look at this photo of Dad, I see Bernie (my brother) in the gravely focused eyes. Again I can see the early signs of his emphysema in the line of his jaw because he was finding it hard to breathe. It’s good to put words to the memories because otherwise, the memories might disappear.