Only Right I Include Me...

Though My Birthday Is Actually On August 11 Welcomed Friend Or Visitor, I Gave My Self A Computer Free Day For The Day, And Enjoyed Watching Two of Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot Films I Discovered I Had Not Seen. Always a Surprise And Treat When Occurs, And Special With Happening On My Birthday Day. One - 'The Mysterious Affair At Styles' Turned Out To Be The Story First Introducing Hercule Poirot To The World Of Interested Readers or Viewers.  But, I Am Here Today.... And The Days Have Continued Before I Finally Finished This To Share With You My 60th Birthday....

         Seemed only right to include my self in such ventures seeing I do the deed for Members of my Family... and with being a Member of my Family, wouldn't be fair to them to exclude me.
         This is also a way to share personally of my self with you, the challenge was in how simply to do so.
         So to begin....

         My Mother and Father made me in Germany after World War II in 1950, and I was born in Paddington Women's Hospital, in Sydney New South Wales Australia, on a Saturday, on 11 August 1951.
         My Mother was from Belgium and Catholic. My Father was from Poland and Jewish and they reared me Neutral.
        They met in Germany towards the end of WWII, both survivors of war ravaged Europe and the persecutions to various genres of Folk not of Arian type requirements.
         Their time together was turbulent, separating and divorcing during my Teens, which in essence was a good thing... they both needed to heal and re-connect with their own relative Heritages, and find their remaining years become something to enjoy and not struggle with.
         My Mother had died in July 1985, and my Father in January 1990. I believe they have both been able to find peace and re-connections with those they lost... may contentment be forever theirs.
         The aftermath of War does not always bring together People who are really able to find and experience joy and healing with each other.
        My Parents sadly, for them mainly, were not compatible... too many difficult memories, too many shattered dreams, which together they were unable to comfort each other from.
         When they came to Australia as Immigrant WWII Refugees, discovering I was accompanying them on their Journey, did not make their arrival or settling in Australia particularly easy.
         From what I understood, they had not planned on staying together, but were rather trapped with having me on the way and then being in a Country Culturally different. But to their credit, they did well by me.
         My Godparents, for want of a better description, who travelled to Australia on the same Boat as my Parents and Me growing within my Mother, were Czechoslavakian Gypsies. I loved them both. I have good memories of them.
         I grew surrounded mainly by survivors of WWII, even through my schooling years, most of the other students, in particular during Primary School.... Kindergarten and through Grades 1 to 6... were a lot of Children from displaced Folks due to the aftermath of War.
         I am extremely thankful to all the Adults and Children alike ... their different backgrounds, languages and especially their memories... though, if connected with WWII, were never talked about... filled the atmosphere I grew and moved about in, with emotions, sounds, colours, smells, etcetera that I have since discovered, would have given me far less substance to my existence if I had not been part of that atmosphere, if I had not been a by-product of WWII, if I had not been part of the intricate Web I felt flow between them all.
          Primary School combined with High School years, 7 to 10 or 12, gave me exposure to Italy, Greece, Scotland, Lebanon, Hungary, France, Romania, Singapore, China, Japan, Fiji, Tahiti, Yugoslavia, Papua New Guinea, and of course White Australians, but sadly, I did not have the privilege of meeting Australia's Aboriginal People during those years.
         It was not that I had close Friendships with those People, nor were most particularly part of my Parent's small close Community, but they were part of the Colours and Sounds of my Education, and here, right now, with you, feels nice to acknowledge my thanks to them for introducing me to the variety of Nationalities our Earth is Home to.


         My Parents, being WWII Immigrant Refugees, were originally housed in Camps provided on arrival in Sydney, before being distributed among the Community, by moving them into Available Accommodation and the Work in Factories.
         I write, 'distributed', because as I have since learnt... to encourage integration into Sydney's General Community and Ways of Living, Refugee Immigrants were spread about. Instilled amid White Australians, in the hope of preventing like-type Nationalities from becoming little Communities of their own.
        This had already happened with Immigrants in the past, who had simply chosen to migrate to Australia and were accepted to stay.
         But, though Homelife may have been rather alienating for many Refugee Immigrants, the mere fact they were employed in Factories, meant the whole process came undone. Factory Workers were nearly all Immigrants of one kind or another, so of course, like types congregated, spoke their Natural Languages, and many built close Friendships lasting throughout their Lifetime. Of course, these then became the People they interacted with Socially too.
         It's like... one can take the Person out of Country, but one really can't take Country out of the Person. I, for one am glad, heck, I would have missed out on so much without that being real.


         I mention the previous as it explains where I'm taking you now.
When I became of School Age, with both my Parents Working, and with the hours being about 12hours a day, meant I needed supervising after School until either of my Parent's were able to collect me.
         Nuns of the Order of The Good Samaritan Sisters were willing to keep me after School hours. They had the facilities to do so with their Convent being part of the School's Building, and therefore were present after School hours. They also were willing to accept me with not being Catholic and of Jewish Ancestry. I think with my Mother being Catholic may have assisted, and by Jewish Law also meant I was not pure Jew. Being Jewish is carried through the Mother's Line.
         So began my initial School Years.


         I've had a fascinating time researching early Sydney, where I Lived, wandered about, and my Schools... but much is in Archival mode... quite makes my Life sound like Ancient History.... so.... for Primary School, the following is a photo of St Benedict's Church, where every Friday with the School, we attended a short Mass called Benediction. A Mass where the Congregation is Blessed.

One view of the outside....
This neo-gothic Church I have learnt dates back to the 1840's.
But as this is about me, I'll leave the History of  St Benedict's Church in Sydney for another time.

 One view of the inside....
I entered and exited this rather awesome building every Friday during School Terms for about 6yrs with my Classmates.
I do love these magnificent buildings, though I do also feel they can be seen as a travesty sitting amid often poverty stricken folk, with no practical use for the Building other than a place to sit and maybe contemplate.

And this is the main entrance and exit of St. Scholastica's College I travelled each day for 4yrs during my High School Years. St. Scholastica's College moved to this site in Glebe Sydney during the early 1900's



                 I loved the Nuns/Sisters I encountered during Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary Years... also, I appreciate deeply the quality of education and respect I experienced from them and the Students themselves during those years.

         Moving on to more general aspects of my self....

         I trained in Ballet between 9 and 16 years of age, doing both Traditional Classical and Martha Graham style Modern Ballet. Did well in examinations... better than I did in Academia... but my life was dictated by illness, and limited what I achieved and did.
         I also trained in Typist/Telephonist work, was an accurate quick typist and enjoyed working those old switchboards with the endless cords to plug into the holes below lights, until the Board looked like some mess of criss-crossed patterns that challenged one to unravel and not disconnect or connect where not meant.

         My passions in life are Ballet, Nature, Archaeology, and what is now known as Forensic Medicine.
         I love Museums, Art Galleries, Ancient History, and learning about Countries and Cultures.
         I love Music, in particular the richness of Classical....
Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, Debussy, Elgar, Rachmaninov, Rodriguez, Khachaturian, Vivaldi are some I simply soar from my Soul with when I hear.
         Bizet's Carmen still enthrals me. Puccini's Madame Butterfly still moves me.
         Tango is exquisite to see and feel. Flamenco awakens the senses. Ballet on Ice is Magic. Gymnastics is awesome.
         Skier's doing those amazing leaps and landing to still ski astound me.
         Divers reaching the water with a precision that barely creates a ripple after executing acrobatics on the way down leaves me breathless.

         I find pleasure in Caring, whether Human, Plant, Critter or Home. To experience one's effort towards another be rewarded with recovery and wellness is joyful, uplifting, and encouraging.
         I enjoy playing with food... seeing what I can create that is edible and tasty or drinkable. And that is challenging as I am a Coeliac... I can eat nothing of Wheat, Rye, Barley or Oats. Also my Body rejects Flesh from Sky, Earth or Water Creatures, therefore I need to be Vegetarian. I don't mind that too much though. Feels good when Fish, Cattle, or Birds look me in the eye, and I know they can see none of their kin sustain my existence... Fruit and Vegetables may quiver at my presence though, as they definitely do sustain me.

         I enjoy listening to, as well as the reading of Books. My very favourite Author has become Terry Pratchett. I truly love his Discworld Novels... I have listened to and read them all to now, and never tire of either experience. Loved the two Films so far made also.
         Grew up with Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and still love that genre... always feels good when those having caused harm are stopped from continuing.
         Other Authors I came to have high regard for are Anne Perry and her English Historical Detective Fictions with William Monk as the main character, set amid the time after the Crimean War in one Series, and also the Series with Thomas Pitt, set amid the time of the Whitechappel Murders Era. Fascinating reading, interesting characters.
Katherine Kurtz who wrote a Historical Fantasy Collection known as the Deryni Novels, powerful reading I found them to be.
Stephen Donaldson and his Thomas Covenant Chronicles.
Tolkein's The Hobbit, Lord Of The Rings, Silmarillion, and others.
Arthur Upfield, whose Stories about outback Australia during the 1930's through to the 1950's are to me wonderfully descriptive, informative, and enjoyable. He himself was a Bushman after coming to Australia from England. He created a fully interesting half Aboriginal half White character named Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte who travelled to remote areas of Inland Australia, solving, with finesse, in using the best of both his cultures to work through difficult crimes and interact with the Folk he encountered. Every Story is different, every experience is like being able to build a Map of the Places and the People who lived, worked and survived with the harshness, wonders and beauty of Arid or Wet outback Australia. I love his books, and the feelings of respect and awe they have given me about Australia and its people both Aboriginal and White.

         But, enough of Books... I may still be here into next year if I continue...
The thing with being around for 60 years is I have like 22,000 thousand days I've wandered about in, 3,120 weeks that are involved, which in those 720 months to reach 60, is like... 525,600 hours.... and I've not counted leap years accurately.... so I suppose there's been a few things accumulating as experiences in amid it all, so I'll ease back
and reach an ending with some Films...
         To simplify this... I'm discovering I'm drawn to Ridley Scott Films.
         I'm finding I have an enormous respect for Leonardo di Caprio as an Actor.
         I still love Ben Hur.... and was not disappointed in Gladiator.
I find I like Russell Crowe's acting talent.
         Loved the Lord of The Rings Trilogy. Glad I have lived long enough to see a film like Inception.
         The Last Emperor for me gave me insight into what is part of my own History with WWII.

And with that, for now, I will end with words that from the first moment I heard them have stayed with me as words of great depth and meaning and significance.....

the Lyrics are by Don Black
the Music if was present are by John Barry

BORN FREE

Born free, as free as the wind blows

As free as the grass grows

Born free to follow your heart

Live free, and beauty surrounds you

The world still astounds you

Each time you look at a star

Stay free, where no walls divide you

You're free as a roaring tide

So there's no need to hide

Born free, and life is worth living

But only worth living

Cause you're born free.

          If I had written nothing else in this Post but those words, I maybe would have written all I needed to write in how I feel, believe, and think... but as they are not my words... ramblings of my own I have done... with those included.
         I am forever thankful I can read, and can hear... the music and the words still wrench me emotionally and I have still not travelled the depths of what happens to me with them.

         To conclude I am adding a photo in Memory of and in Respect of George Adamson with maybe Elsa... he was murdered in August 1989 while helping another.... I was 38 at the time.

          In Kenya, East Africa, George Adamson was murdered by Somalian bandits, when he went to rescue a young European Tourist and his Assistant in the Kora Reserve.
George Adamson had written in his book...

"who will now care for the animals, for they cannot look after themselves?

Are there young men and women who are willing to take on this charge?

Who will raise their voices, when mine is carried away on the wind, to plead their case?"

         In 2011, I think it is nice to know, there are many young and not so young voices speaking out, and taking action in defence of Life On Earth... and succeeding.

For all Leos.... Happy Birthday to You. 

My birthday banner is from -
   http://www.animated-gifs.eu 

The photos of St Benedict's Church in Broadway Sydney Australia are from - 
   http://www.sydneyorgan.com/StBenedictsBroadway.html 

The photo of St Scholastica's College in Glebe Sydney Australia is from - 
   http://www.sydneyarchitecture.com/GLE/GLEo7.html
    with special thanks to - 
   http://www.glebesociety.org.au 

The words of Born Free and book's quote and photo of George Adamson, with possibly Elsa are from - 
   http://www.fatheroflions.org/BornFree_Lyrics.html 

Heaps of good wishes from Magda... and thanks for your Friendship and Support.