Post #286 31 January 2025

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes our main activities during the month of January 2025.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during January 2025.

News items which caught my eye in January 2025.

"Australians of 2025" named.

Trivia at Halcyon Nirimba village.

International Trade (this could be the last time this Section appears).

Herewith photos of some of our activities in January 2025:

When we were in Melbourne in mid-December I irritated the piriformis muscle, which makes walking uncomfortable.  My physio in Caloundra suggested a couple of stretches, which didn't help much.
I found an acupuncturist, Lai Ping, and went to her studio Chinese Natural Therapies in Mooloolaba, about 25 mins from Nirimba. She is originally from Shanghai. Studied Chinese Traditional Medicine. Divorced, she has been in Australia about 20 years and is married to Peter Smith. 
Ping's treatment certainly made me feel better, but the pain returned after a day or so.
I had a bad cough for a couple of weeks so bought some herbal cough mixture from Ping - which cleared it up in a few days. Vera developed the same cough after Covid, but said Ping's cough mixture didn't help her much.

Mooloolaba Beach just near Ping's studio. It was just before Xmas, beautiful day, so the beach was crowded. This place is really nice!!!

Vera & Jen relaxing, watching TV. Jen came up from Brisbane and stayed one night. She is so full of energy and ideas, it's always a pleasure having her around.

We had lunch with Henny & Julius, local Indonesians, at Sippy Downs. Their friends joined us.

Had a look at the quirky (but interesting) Banana Bender Pub, on the Bruce Highway not far from us. It started life in 1989 as the Ettamogah Pub of cartoon fame.
Australians sometimes refer to Queenslanders as "Banana benders" as most bananas come from this State. It is an affectionate colloquialism. 

Interior of the Banana Bender Pub.

Part of the decor at the Banana Benders Pub.

Canberra has "Walk in Centres" managed by nurses, here they are called Minor Injuries Clinics and doctors are also involved. Our GP doctor was closed over the Xmas - New Year holiday period so I went here to bandage a minor cut. Had to wait an hour, but it was worthwhile.

In Brisbane

We stayed a night with Jen & Tom, enroute to watch Eddie play Futsal at the Gold Coast. They are both excellent cooks - always a pleasure staying and eating at Chez Roberts!

Jen bandaged Nate's sprained ankle. Nate and Sid have jobs over the holiday period (Kurt has been working as an electical apprentise since the beginning of 2024). Nate did well in the final school exams, he got straight As, with an ATAR of 90.
He will try for a rugby scholarship at an American University. Good luck, Nate!

We had lunch with old buddy Michael Tjoeng at the Hua Chinese Restaurant in the new casino complex.  The restaurant had a bottle of Mao Tai on display - brought back fond memories of our time together at the Australian Embassy in Beijing, back in the mid-1980s. 

On the viewing level at the new Star Casino in Brisbane (media reports that the Star group is in trouble). Nice views of the Brisbane River and beyond.

Eddie's Futsal Competition at the Gold Coast Sports Centre, Carrara.

Futsal  is indoor soccer, 5 aside, fast and furious. The kids go hard.

Eddie played for Enfield, Sydney. He normally plays for Vipers in the Futsal comp in Sydney, but they were not sending a team to the Gold Coast, so Andrew approached Enfield and they agreed to take him. The team won 3 games, lost 2 games and didn't make the finals.But it was a good week anyway. 

Eddie's cheer squad: Carol, Jet, Caz, Jay, Andrew and Vera (and me of course).

Vera taking Jay for some food & drink. 

Vera & I stayed at The Imperial Hotel, The Spit. It opened as the Palazzo Versace in September 2000 to great fan-fare - for years it was considered the #1 hotel on the Gold Coast, full of Versace splendor.. Versace gave up the management rights 15 months ago (Covid must have been tough), and it has been re-branded as The Imperial. Still a fine hotel, but the over-the-top Versace style is now considered too ostentatious.

The foyer full of Italian marble and a magnificent chandelier.

Big pool.

Andrew & family stayed at the impressive Sheraton across the street from The Imperial. 
They came to visit us, and vica-versa.

Cassidy Wilson has been serenading guests here for 20 years!

All the guest rooms feature a full size spa - the ultimate in luxury - had to try it out.

Jay had a school buddy also visiting the Gold Coast.

Caz, Andrew & kids stayed at the impressive Sheraton Hotel aacross the street from The Imperial. It had a big, and busy, pool. 

The Sheraton had ready access to the beach.

We had dinner at the Southport Surf Lifesaving Club. It is dwarfed by surrounding high-rise buildings.

A sculpture "Melody" outside the Surf Club.

We had lunch with Lia and Bruce Timbs, whom we knew in Canberra 20 years ago before they moved up to the Gold Coast.

Met up with Tom Noetel and his lovely wife Diana. Tom lived in the same street as us in North Cooma, back in the 1960s. They moved from Sydney to the Gold Coast 4 yewayars ago and live in an impressive 16th floor apartment overlooking the Spit waterway. 

Caz, Andrew & kids visited us in Nirimba

The family visited us in Nirimba.
After sushi train dinner at Baringa, we enjoyed a night swim in the swimming pool, played table tennis and pickle ball, and watched the Despicable Me 4 movie in the cinema (they loved the seats!).

Mother and son.

Andrew & Eddie played pickle ball.

Jay was interested in Vera's ukulele.

Caroline.

Eddie

Andrew cutting Jay's nails.

Last photo before their departurefrom Nirimba. They had borrowed Jen's car for the week, dropped it off at The Gap and then caught a flight back to Sydney. 

We moved the palms in our front garden - looks much better now. Still need to get a few more plants.

We were shocked at how many small worms suddenly appeared on our front porch during heavy rain. Another odd thing here, like the many cane toads at night. 

The Williams Brothers at Caloundra Events Centre

For Xmas, Jen and Andrew gave us tickets to this show at the Caloundra Events Centre.

The three Williams Brothers from Sydney put on a terrific show - the best we have seen in a long while - they are true professional entertainers.

The performers signed CDs after the show.

Australia Day at Halcyon Nirimba Village

The Social Committee organised a day of fun activities on sunday 26 January 2025 (Australia Day). The morning started with a triathalon (200m swim, 6km bike ride, 2km run/walk). BBQ lunch followed by games (including a rubber duck race) and finally a sing-along of Australian songs. By mid-afternoon we were all ready for a nap!.

Prize for best dressed.

Barb and Hans Schumacher were interviewed by Noel.

The rubber duck race in the pool. Our duck didn't win!

Jen's birthday

Jen's 49th birthday. How time flies. Today the boys cooked a special meal for her and Tom. 

On 28 January Vera started her Balance class at the Rehab Clinic of Caloundra Hospital. I used the time to visit King's Beach - it was a beautiful day and the water was great. Vera will have classes twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays - I'm looking forward to spending more time at the beach. 

On 29 January our wonderful neigbours Karla and Peter showed us how to catch a train from Beerwah to Brisbane. We left home at 8am, caught the 8.40 train which arrived at Central Station in Brisbane at 10am. Walked around Queen St Mall, then to tthe Queenslnd Performing Arts Centre to watch 'Grease - the Musical'. Left Brisbane on the 4pm train and were back home in Nirimba by 5.40.

Marcia Hines sang a couple of songs; an experienced performer, but she is showing her age (71).

Grease was good but not great; not good value for money ($250 pp).  The movie with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John was superb and realistically nothing was going to match that film.

I'm enjoying lawn bowls - it's much harder than it looks - and hope to play regularly in 2025.

Bingo on Thursday evenings is popular - good fun1

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I read one book this month, Jeffrey Archer's short stories "To cut a lnng story short".
He is a master story-teller.

. 

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News items which caught my eye in January 2025.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	Car sales in 2024: BYD sold many more EVs than Tesla. In Europe new car registrations totalled 13M in 2024, about the same as the previous year; 15% of new registrations were Electric Vehicles. Japan: world oldest woman, Tomiko Itooka, died aged 116. UK: Luke Littler, 17, won the PDC Darts World Championship. China: the yuan fell to 7.3 to the US dollar – lowest in 15 months. A major earthquake in Tibet 3,000+ buildings damaged: 126+ dead, many injured. Canada: Justin Trudeau (5) resigned as leader of the Liberal Party after 9 years as PM. General election to be held by October. Indonesia joined the BRICS group of developing countries. Spain: will introduce a 100% tax on properties bought by Non-EC residents (estimated 27K properties in 2023) to dampen demand. South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol was finally arrested for attempting to impose martial law. Colombia initially refused permission for US military aircraft carrying deportees to land. Trump immediately threatened huge tariffs on imports from Colombia, so Colombia agreed to take the deportees, but on their own terms. Tennis. Winners of the Australian Open: Jannik Sinner (23, Italian) beat Alexander Zerev (27, German) 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Madison Keys (American) beat Arya Sabalenka (Belorussia) 6-3, 2-6, 7-5. Turkey: 76 died in a fire at a ski resort hotel in the Bolu Mountains. Many injured. The Economist: an estimated 25% of the world’s population now live in cities of more than 1M people (up from 15% 60 years ago). Thailand: legalized same-sex marriage, first country in SE Asia. Switzerland: Trump addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos by video. Lunar New Year on 29 January - Year of the Snake.
Israel – Hamas & Hezbollah	A cease fire between Hamas & Israel commenced; some Israeli hostages returned, and jailed Palestinians freed.  President Trump said Egypt and Jordan should take all the Palestinians in Gaza, as most buildings and infrastructure in Gaza have been destroyed by the IDF – his suggestion was rejected by those countries and by Palestinians themselves (I have been saying for a year or more that the Two State Solution will never happen and that the only solution is for Arab/Moslem countries to take the Palestinians. But if Trump really thinks this is the solution, why doesn’t America take, say, half-a-million Palestinians? A ready source of cheap labour will be very useful after deporting millions of undocumented immigrants).
Russian invasion of Ukraine	Trump admitted it may take up to 3 months to end the Russia – Ukraine war. Trump says Zelensky is willing to start negotiations; Trump hopes to meet Putin soon. (Apparently US aid to Ukraine has been suspended as part of the overall review of foreign aid - which will put pressure on Zelensky to negotiate).
USA	State funeral for Jimmy Carter held in Washington DC on 9 January. New Congress was sworn in.  Republicans have majority of both chambers. House of Representatives: Republicans 220, Democrats 215; Senate: Republicans 53, Democrats 45, 2 Independents. Judge Juan Merchan gave Trump a suspended sentence for false testimony in the Stormy Daniels hush money case. Trump is the first US President with a felony conviction. President Biden blocked Nippon Steel’s $15B acquisition of US Steel on national security grounds; he also banned offshore drilling along much of the US coast. Devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County caused huge damage (many dead, an estimated 12+K buildings destroyed or damaged). Trump visited, but he doesn’t like Cal Gov Newsome. Din Jabba drove his truck into crowds in New Orleans: 15 dead dozens injured. Basketball: LeBron James passed Michael Jordan’s record of most 30+ point games. New York: $9 congestion fee on motorists driving in Manhattan. The US blacklisted companies Tencent, Cosco, Contemporary Amperex for ties to the Chinese Govt/military. The US Supreme Court upheld the planned ban on TikTok, which commenced on 19 January (but Trump said he will allow the company to continue for 90 days to see if an American owner can be found). META (Facebook, Instagram etc) announced that it would stop fact-checking comments on its social media sites. Special Counsel appointed by the Justice Department, Jack Smith’s report on Trump and the 2020 election was released; he resigned before the inauguration. 21 January 2025 Donald John Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the USA. JD Vance Vice President. Trump said that he was saved by God (from assassination) to make America great again. Trump signed dozens of Executive Orders in his first days – see below for a part list of his early actions.  Senate Committees conducted hearings to assess and approve Trump's cabinet choices. Chinese AI company DeepSeek launched in the US - equally good and much less expensive than American products.  Former Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty of bribery and sentenced to 11 years in jail. Collision of passenger plane and an Army helicopter near Reagan Airport in Washington DC; 63 feared dead, no survivors.
Australia	PM Albanese announced a Federal contribution of A$7.2B towards upgrading the Bruce Highway in Queensland. Australian passports now cost A$412 – most expensive in the world (then Mexico $353, USA $252, NZ $193). Australia beat India 3:1 to win the cricket Tests series (we lost in Perth, won in Adelaide, drew in Brisbane, and won in both Melbourne and Sydney). Big crowds attended all games. Record new car sales in 2024 totalled 1.22M units (including 95K EVs). Top brands: Toyota 20%, Ford 8%, Mazda 8%. Top ten models: Toyota RAV 4; Ford Ranger; Toyota Hilux; Toyota Prado; Ford Everest; Izuzu D-Max; Kia Sportage; Nissan X-Trail; Mitsubishi Outlander; Haval Jolion. Hiker Hadi Nazari (23) was found alive after missing for 13 days in Kosciuszko National Park. After 45 years Rivers declared bankruptcy and will close its 136 clothing shops in April 2025. Hobart Hurricans beat Sydney Thunder to win the Big Bash contest. Mitchell Owen made 108 off 42 balls (included eleven 6s).

 

Some immediate actions by President Trump following his inauguration:

 

Declared national emergencies on Immigration/Border Control and Energy; sent troops to the Mexican border and stopped all processing at borders; cancelled environmental regulations and encouraged companies to “drill, baby, drill!”

Commenced the deportation process for undocumented immigrants.

Cancelled birth-right for children born to undocumented immigrants (immediately challenged as unconstitutional as guaranteed by the 14^th Amendment);

Withdrew the USA from the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organization;

Pardoned all the rioters (about 1,600)  involved in storming the Capitol Building on 6 January 2021;

Postponed the banning of TikTok for 90 days;

Terminated Biden’s “Green New Deal”;

Said he would introduce tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada in February;

Established the Department of Government Efficiency headed by Elon Musk;

Ordered all Federal employees back to the office;

Changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America; and changed the name of the US’s highest mountain, Denali, back to McKinley.

Fired 19 independent Inspectors-General who “oversighted” the operations of Federal Departments and Agencies (he did not advise Congress of this move, as is required). Commentators speculated that he did not want them interfering with his new policies.

Ended the Federal Govt’s previous Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness (DEI) program.

Suspended, pending review, America’s $68B foreign aid program except for emergency food aid and military supplies to Israel and Egypt (it looks as if Ukraine will not get further US military aid, at least until this review is completed – lots of pressure on Zelensky now).

All Departments ordered to pause spending to ensure that Trump's priorities are followed. Following strong backlash, this move was rescinded.

Trump ordered a massive detention centre (for deportees) to be built at Guantanamo Bay (Cuba).

Trump said that non-citizen students who supported Pro-Palestine protests will be deported.

 

 President Trump is dominating all media - we live in interesting times, that's for sure.

 

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“Australians of the Year” named by the Prime Minister on Australia Day, 26 January 2025

2025 Australian of the Year

Neale Daniher AO was named 2025 Australin of the Year.

Neale co-founded FightMND, which works to raise awareness of Motor Neuron Disease (MND) and raised more than $100M for research.

While living through advanced stages of the condition, the former Essendon AFL player and Melbourne Demons coach has drawn on his profile and connections to attract support for the cause.

The 63-year-old was diagnosed with MND in 2013 and has outlived by many years the average life expectancy of those diagnosed with the disease.

There is currently no cure for the disease, which affects the nerves that communicate between the brain and muscles and progressively erodes sufferers' ability to move their limbs, and then their ability to eat, speak and breathe.

Senior Australian of the Year

Brother Thomas Oliver (Olly) Pickett AM has been named Senior Australian of the Year for 2025.

The 83-year-old Christian Brother and retired Catholic school teacher from Geraldton, Western Australia, co-founded Wheelchairs For Kids in 1996.

The organisation provides free adjustable wheelchairs and occupational therapy expertise for children in developing countries.

More than 60,000 custom-built wheelchairs have been gifted to children in over 80 countries, including Mongolia, Laos, Cambodia, Pacific island nations and throughout Africa.

With over 250 retiree workshop volunteers, Wheelchairs For Kids is one of Western Australia's largest volunteer-led charities.

A further 550 people from aged care and community groups across the nation sew covers for wheelchair soft supports and crochet rugs and soft toys, which are sent out alongside wheelchairs.

Young Australian of the Year

Scientist Dr Katrina Wruck, a proud Mabuigilaig and Goemulgal woman, has won Young Australian of the Year.

Dr Wruck's research focuses on developing new materials and sustainable methods to address contaminants in water.

She hopes that her work can help combat rheumatic heart disease, a disease that affects many Indigenous Australians in remote communities, she said in a recently released Australian of the Year Awards video.

Local Hero

Vanessa Brettell and Hannah Costello have been jointly named Australia's Local Hero for 2025.

Their business Cafe Stepping Stone is a gateway for women from migrant and refugee backgrounds to get a job, who otherwise face hurdles in getting employment.

Cafe Stepping Stone, which is run as a social enterprise in Canberra, also allows for on-the-job training and qualifications through nearby organisations.

Through the business's two cafes, the pair have employed 50 women over the past four years.

Employment at the cafes has focused on women who are the sole-income earners in the house, new arrivals to Australia, those at risk of homelessness or those with limited English, while also helping them with training and job pathways.

(As it happens Noel Cock & I had coffee at their cafe in Canberra about 7 months ago. We were served by a lovely elderly Indonesian lady!).

 

Congratulations not only to the winners, but to all participants. 

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Trivia night

A Trivia contest is held every Monday night at Halcyon Nirimba.  Villagers take it in turn to host the event and come up with 60 questions.

Here are some of the questions posed in this week’s quiz to give you an idea of the format. How would you have done?

 

Question	Answer
For which film did Robin Williams receive an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor?	Good Will Hunting.
What was Walt Disney afraid of?	Mice!
What is the most-sold product in Walmart USA?	Bananas.
What album is the highest-selling?	Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
Which country won the first Rugby World Cup in 1987?	New Zealand.
What body-part is the Patella?	Knee-cap.
Which is the world’s oldest continuing rain forest?	The Daintree.
How many convicts were transported to Australia?	About 160,000.
How many ships were in the First Fleet, and how many carried convicts?	11, of which 5 carried convicts.
What was Melbourne’s original name?	Batmania.
In which year did Usain Bolt run 100 meters in 9.36sec?	2009.
What is the longest running show on Broadway?	Phantom of the Opera.
Who has won most women’s tennis Grand Slams?	Serena Williams.
In which year was the $1 coin introduced in Australia?	1984.
In 1881 which Australian university allowed women to enrol on equal terms to men?	Adelaide University.
In which year was Advance Australia Fair first played at a major event as Australia's national anthem?	The LA Olympics in 1996.
What are the two UNESCO sites in the Northern Territory?	Uluru and Kakadu.
How many hours does the Indian Pacific train take from Sydney to Perth?	About 65 hours.
Which former Australian Prime Minister managed a Rock & Roll band in his youth?	Paul Keating.
Who was the first indigenous Australian to win a World Title?	Lionel Rose in 1968 for boxing.

 

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

My 30 year career as an Australian Trade Commissioner gave me an interest in matters related to international trade.  I subscribe to Bloomberg's excellent daily newsletter "Supply Lines".  

Here are some of the interesting graphs in the Bloomberg newsletter during January 2025; they are self-explanatory.

At the beginning of December 2024 Bloomberg advised that they would start charging to subscribe to this newsletter ($299 pa). So far they have continued to provide it free, but when that stops I will, regretably, no longer include this section in my blog. Pity, as it's been an excellent source of readily-accessible information. 

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I've had lower back pain for about 4 years; have managed it through regular stretching execises. But it became worse while we were in Melbourne 6 weeks ago - the physio said my Piriformis Muscule was to blame - something had inflamed the muscle.

Dr Greenwood arranged a CT scan last week, and gave me the results yesterday (30 January 2025). Basically, I have arthritis in my hips and lower-spine region - it can't be cured, but can be managed. The doctor recommended continuing exercise and stretching, and an anti-inflammatory drug to lessen the pain.

Stay happy and healthy and keep smiling!

Vera & Alex Olah

Caloundra, Queensland

Friday 31 January 2025