Gus & Daniele & Eden Coombs

  somewhere down under,

   Bayswater  in Melbourne  

From: Daniele & Gary Coombes [mailto:coombged@iinet.net.au]
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 22:53
To: jack@dunn-it.com
Subject: Re: post u?
 

 

Oh Jack that was a slack email by me and not so good on the image. I'd have to cut and paste a lot, more cut than paste I reckon maybe I'll do a proper one for you, yes I am alive but then football isn't very spiritual is it. You know what mean. I've had a few days off work sick which is unusual and so the midnight foray in an email. Just a bit of a jolt knowing Chris Concannon was in Iraq.
Look I'll make a deal, you can post it if you clean up my mistakes (sorry there is no  "aussie vocabulary 4 dummies" available as the lingo changes from state to state) and make it more acceptable for the site visitors  (I fear the cut may have to be heavy but at least the bones should be left).  I have some news on Lance as I visited him last time in Cobram, still a bit lost but bright enough to admit that someone's watching over him.  I cannot explain his state of mind,  he is just an unusual character who we all know and love but likes to keep the distance just in case.  I really felt for him as in a lost sheep wandering about in a lonesome existence that he's not completely unhappy about.
We talk like old mates and share in some good times - actually we were thinking about you and your name escaped us ( please forgive me Jack),  but it was good cause we were saying remember that big guy with the glasses and the deep chuckle and that you had a Canadian wife (sorry Sue).  The memory was a bit scanty and then bang Lance remembered your name and we felt quite chuffed with ourselves or he did any way.  I said he really should get the internet and use some email (look who's talking) but he reckons that technology is past him.  He had a 486 in the corner that someone had passed on to him 10 years back and it had cobwebs over the tiny screen.  I reckon my latest throw away would burn that off by a mile (yes we still say mile even though we have been metric since 1966).
Anyway Jack it is easy writing to you after all but then life is a bit ho hum down under.
I must confess though that Daniele is a bit different and has recently taken to the books (doing a degree in theology) she has always been in books but now its nights of essays and who better than to proof read than me!  I think the Aussie professors probably understand my grammar anyway cause we all come from the same system.  When Daniele asks me what is wrong all i can say is it sounds better this way.  Eden gets his smarts from the female side of the family.  Anyway our prime minister wants to place chaplains in all the schools and i reckon Daniele would make a fine one so thats the direction shes heading.  She presently works for a college as a tutor /note taker  for disability students and does a fine job.
well Jack and Sue it was nice to hear straight back from Tim and Beth and yourself and time stands still a bit in the memory but the body keeps rattling downhill. You guys are so quick, takes me some time to find the keys!
I do enjoy your short cut words but Daniele isn't impressed , ("I mean he's, educated and was a teacher!").
Daniele takes education seriously and dont all the French and Eden knows it, thats for sure.  He's got the brain on fire.  In my day it was a flicker.
I'm going to send a few attachments as not sure Tim sent them on.  In fact I'll send them individually cause the computer starts smoking if they go all at once.

Regards Gus

 

 

----- Original Message -----
From: Daniele & Gary Coombes
To: tbconcannon@comcast.net
Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2007 1:45 PM
Subject: Giday without attachments

 
Hi Tim and Beth,
Just having a sleep less night and wandered onto your post at jacks cybermolinos.
Gee just hearing that the little boy called chris I met nearly 20years back is in Iraq jolts me into the reality of the battle you must be in.
I too pray for his safety and saneness in that brutal place. We have a few Aussie troops there and my brothers step son was involved in the downfall of sadam war. It was a very frightening time as he was a diver involved in clearing mines from the southern waterways. He just had a daughter born after he left and is now out of the navy working for my brother as a builder (houses) in Cairns. It was good to see him come home and I hope Chris won't have the extensions or recall that are part of it . It's a horrible mess and war is only a step away in the world we live in.
We are about to celebrate a long weekend called Queens birthday but of course she has her birthday at some other time in the year so i guess we set the date as it is getting wearily cold even now before winter and before it sets in we need a long weekend. You may chuckle but she is our Queen and it doesn't look like we'll be a republic for sometime into the future. planning to make the trip up from Melbourne to Cobram about 3hours by car to see my mum who lives in the countryside (bush) where I grew up. Daniele and I are city dwellers and Eden will be a city slicker i guess.
Eden's just about to celebrate his 12th birthday and he is a joy. He's a good all-rounder academic , sporty and good looking just like his dad well not really , hes just out there finding his way. He a good musician for his age , plays the piano, trumpet, sax, and clarinet . He's happy in performing so maybe a dose of torremolinos humility is needed down the line . Remember Ivan. But we are happy to hear some good music that comes our way.
I guess when you think of Aussie you think of some old names Barry , Lois, Stan , Beth , just to mention a few . But we haven't got contact these days , the tyranny of distance and lives going apart. I bet Barry still lives in Coolangatta.Queensland see we even named a state after her so she's well entrenched is our Lizy
We are part of a large church for Aussie standards 1500 attendees well dan may have called them sympathitios , but they are a good group and have a name called careforce with a whole range of ministries one called lifekeys thats hitting the spot. but there mission partnership in India is massive in Aussie terms . If you were interested in a look www.careforce.org. and lifekeys is a recovery program for believers and non believers. Daniele was involved with one of their earlier programs as a facilitator in groups. I been involved in in the kids ministry for 15 years but having a break this year.
I'm still working as a sparkie in an industrial setting ie factory . I may retire at 75 when Eden's finished his studies or just fall down dead in my tracks.
We play sport together . Aussie are keen on their sport you my have gathered. Cricket ( the sport that americans can't fathom cause you must be born into it just like vegemite . the english invented cricket and the aussies beat every one at it since, in fact all my life, we beat the Poms
We play a bit of golf here and there. And Aussie rules football is a great game but then some may think its a religion here but then our team, Eden barracks for my team of course at called the saints ( after St Kilda which is an unsavory place that rivals soho ) So just for a bit of Aussie culture I will give you their web address and with an address like this it may just think that I'm on the right track www.saints.com.au . we aren't doing to well on the ladder but we have the team to go all the way to the grand final ( something like your superbowl only a whole lot bigger ( you can tell John Di'ferdand that he wouldn't believe that they fit 100k+ into the MCG on one day in september ) How is john and Jeanne? I loved reading about Mark and Nancy . When are you all coming to see Australia ? We do feel a little rejected down under as its' not the costa del sol or disneyland . But surely crocodile dundee or the crikey bloke and bindi you've heard of . Cannot think of his name isn't that just plain insignificant. Well I hope i haven't bored you to chips but then I have wandered for the serious start and so I hope i haven't offended you. You have three boys Chris Matt and ? memories a bit dim . They grow up fast don't they . We are late starters here and Ive had less that the stipulated Aussie average of 1.5 children per family. Not doing that well am I.
Might find a picie of us but i have a mug shot of me as a coach at www.croydonhillsauskick.com if my jpg don't pass your server. three are: one with friends at the beach , One at the light house a year ago and Eden at his favorite instrument.
Love and best regards Gus   Daniele + Eden , not that they had much to say and i'm not going back over this as the more I look over it the less likely I'm to send it . Sorry for the bad spelling (Eden doesn't take after me that deptment)  Sorry for the rambling on.
Love to see you guys , how about planning a trip . the down under adventure tour in a tent , we supply the blowflies no extra charge , Europe don't have half of what we have and bilmey the natives are friendly , they would even put you up for a few nights on the veranda , feed ya good tucka shrimp on the barbie , kangroo steak with witchite grubs for seasoning . Make ya mouth water. and after all now we have to host you it's our turn. Gosh look at the time I'm going to be tired tomorrow. See ya later