Unless something dramatic happens, we are getting near the end of the BIOs.

This BIO posting starts with (Keith) Rory Barnes from Adelaide:

I won’t be coming to the reunion as I’m needed in Adelaide where my wife has cancer.  All the more reason for posting a bio.

I enrolled in TPHS in second term 1958 and was warmly if perfunctorily greeted by teachers who looked down at the paperwork and addressed me by my first name. This was not a name I’d ever used, but, for reasons that now escape me, I didn’t kick up a fuss. So at Telopea I was Keith. Everywhere else I was Rory, and still am. I didn’t much mind Telopea. It was just a school: the fairly tedious place you went to in between weekends and holidays.

When I left school I went down to Monash and lived for five years with a girl who subsequently declared herself a lesbian.  I graduated with an honours degree in Philosophy and went to work for the Victorian Education Department, trying to make schools less tedious. I doubt that I succeeded. I went travelling and wrote a novel about radical students and teachers in Melbourne – it didn’t find a publisher until, years later, my friend Damien Broderick re-wrote it setting the action 4,000 years into the future on a planet called Bolte. The University of Queensland Press published it in 1983.

Since then I’ve written or co-written another fifteen novels. None of them has made me rich. If you really want to you can read all about them on my website: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~rory.barnes

Otherwise: I’ve held a fellowship at Stanford University, taught Dip.Ed students at Melbourne University and creative writing students at the NSW Institute of Technology. I once delivered a baby. On one occasion when I was hitch-hiking I got a lift in a hearse. I walked from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea without getting shot.

These days I live with Annie in Adelaide as I have for the past thirty years. Our two sons live within walking distance. One’s an audio-engineer, the other designs boxes. If it wasn’t for the bloody cancer, things would be just fine.

To end this BIO posting we have one from Rob Hughes:

After the Leaving Certificate I spent two years at Wagga Teachers College. Apart from learning how to be a good teacher, the highlight of my time there was being a part of the Bruce Lucas Band. Those gigs in pubs and wool sheds inspired me to play music professionally, which I did in a part time capacity for the next forty years.

I was appointed to Bombala Public School in 1965, and I took early retirement from the position of Principal at Holsworthy Public School 35 years later in 2000. There were about eleven schools in between, and I enjoyed every minute of my career in Education.

For ten years from 1990 to 2000, on the weekends, I was MC and sax player at Trethaway Gardens, a function centre at Petersham in Sydney. During that time we hosted more than 1,000 weddings. This was useful experience for my current job.

In 2001, after retiring from school, I became an outback tour guide, driving 4wd vehicles on soft adventure and camping tours to all the usual tourist spots all over Australia. My background in both music and education had prepared me well for entertaining my passengers around the campfire at night with bush poetry, musical saw, clarinet and didgeridoo.

By 2005 I was over the thrill of sunset at Uluru and the corrugations of the Gibb River Road, and I gained accreditation as a Civil Marriage Celebrant in that year. I'm now averaging 35 weddings a year. (see: robhughescelebrant.com). Weddings are mostly on the weekend. During the week I do the Herald crossword, and if the weather is good, perhaps a spot of fishing in Botany Bay or on Sydney Harbour.

For more than forty years I've been an active Freemason. Some will recognise my current rank of PJGW in that organisation.

In 1972 I married Julianne, having met her when we both taught at Mt Druitt school. We have two children, Jillian, 33, and Alison 30. They are both married, and Jill and Matt have two children, Lucy, 4, and Sam, 2. We are enjoying our golden years. Julianne now works as a Life Coach, and whilst we live in Oatley, Sydney, we try to get to our small property in Bemboka as often as we can.

Come on all you ex-students, you've been reading all these BIOs with interest, so now it's your turn to amaze, disturb, interest, fascinate, or as they now say "whatever" other ex-students with your BIOs and photos.

We are still receiving BIOs and that is really exciting and interesting.

In this posting the first one is from Ruth Whitrod Blackburn:

About me - my parents thought I would make a good preschool teacher. They were right, of course, but first I went nursing at the Royal Canberra Hospital along with Marg Davies.  Keith and I married. We have three kids, all of whom oddly, have careers in Science. We have travelled a great deal, perhaps too much. We lived in Kabul, then Manila. Later we went to Kiev and Kuwait. At different points along the way, I was a child care director.  Because of the demands of this work, I felt the need for counseling qualifications which led naturally to a degree in Social Welfare, completed primarily externally. I am aware of the strongly radicalizing effect of Uni. Currently I manage a drop in centre and my interest in the needs of the marginalized is strong. We have primarily resettled in Canberra where I am happy although I should admit to the fact that one of us is chronically restless.

In addition, I need to mention that as a consequence of all this travel, I encountered several of my old school buddies in weird and unexpected locations such as Sally in a department store in Beijing and, less weird, Rory in Adelaide. Then there was that male person whose name I have forgotten, sorry, on a remote Greek border crossing in the late seventies (Macedonia/Yugoslavia). Enid Watson should be pleased with me. I have dabbled in four or five languages. My Russian is OK but, sorry Sally, no Mandarin.  

and our second BIO for this posting is from  Sue Price (Holmes):

 

AUCKLAND NEW ZEALAND

TEACHER (EARLY CHILDHOOD)

After leaving Telopea, I went to Sydney to do a 3 year course of study to become a teacher. I then returned to Canberra and taught for 5 years.

During this time I met and married (1968) Jim Holmes, a New Zealander. 

In 1972 we moved to Otaki, New Zealand with our 1 year old, Sarah, to the Holmes family farm. Here our 2nd daughter Katie was born.

Australian have to have a thick skin while living in NZ, but I hold my head high and my car rego plate is OZ1 !!!!

In 1976 we purchased a Sheep and Cattle farm near Taumarunui (Central North Island) and farmed there for 20 years. A complete change of lifestyle for me where I was involved in farming business and practice ...... heading sheep off, docking lambs, feeding shearers/stockagents, cookie tins always filled, some fleece throwing, up in a helicopter dropping off fencing gear, collecting eggs, fattening pigs, milking a house cow, driving daughters to and from their one teacher school .......  while enjoying the peace and tranquility, the vista up and down our own valley, the fresh air and the green GREEN grass .... a large garden ..... and perpetually chasing out the errant stock of our neighbours!! Teachers were in short supply, somehow my 'arm was twisted' and I returned to teaching for 8 years!   In Taumarunui our interests in golf and bridge developed.

In 1996 we semi-retired to Auckland. Our daughters now live in Auckland after 9 years of travelling and working overseas. Also we are 4.5 hours closer to OZ!!

We have made many new friends through Jim's Rotary involvement and through golf - not even time for bridge!

I enjoy golf, overseas travel, walking (some tramping), patchwork/sewing, reading, I belong to Inner Wheel and I do a little relief teaching.

My Dad, Bill Price, English and History Master at TPHS 1955 -1971, died in 1995, while playing golf at the RCGC. What a way to go!

Keep checking our BLOG, and I hope we soon receive some more interesting BIOs and "head shot" photos ......

Two more BIOs from ex-students.

First we have one from  Richard Jessop:

Career:

BA (ANU), 1963-1968, which was nearly a record - majors in darts, snooker, table tennis and 500 as well as some history (medieval) geography and political science); Dip.Ed. (Sydney, 1969), Taught at NSW high schools (Belmore Boys' & Coleambally Central) 1970-1973. Joined technical staff of the School of Geography, UNSW, October 1973 and stayed until made an offer I couldn't refuse, December 1998. Duties mainly involved running the School's small library/map collection, although in later years there was help with fieldwork as well, especially at the Arid Zone Research Station near Broken Hill. Retired to a small cottage about 50km up the Derwent from Hobart surrounded by a fairly substantial personal library.

Social and Political:

Confirmed Bachelor (whatever that might mean). Fairly active in political and social causes in the 60s and 70s, but that flame has since reduced to a flicker. 

Sustaining Passions:

Apart from that flicker........Books, especially but not exclusively history ("all centuries but this and every country but my own"); classical music and films - in both case a wide, possibly eclectic, variety; and Carlton Football Club, which has delivered 8 flags since I've been following, and you have to be happy with that. I took up bush walking relatively late in life (mid 1970s) but made up for that by spending all annual leave for the next 25 years, (up to 6 weeks in later years) in the bush. Most of these walks were done alone many of 7-10 days and several of 12-14 days. Since high open spaces appeal, N.Z. , Tasmania and the Snowies were targets of choice, with the odd trip to desert ranges and one to Nepal. Have now slowed down a bit, unfortunately, and the Tas. Central Plateau (no hills) are my current favourite stamping ground.

Our second one for this posting come from  Helen Moebus now Ganter:

After finishing High School embarked on a Science career at the John Curtin School of Medical Research.

Direction changed when I left Canberra to accompany my Army Officer Husband Laurie, on numerous postings throughout Australia and overseas.

Finally settled in the beautiful Northern Rivers area of N.S.W. at Tweed Heads.

We are blessed with two Daughters and four teenage Grandchildren.

As a Lay Minister in the Anglican Church my days are very full and rewarding. Along with other Church commitments I am kept busy giving Pastoral care to the elderly in the local nursing homes.

I have a passion for singing and belong to the Murwillumbah Philharmonic Choir.

Keeping fit is a bit of an obsession, attend the local gym and enter as many charity fun runs that my busy life allows.

Please return soon to see if there are any more BIO posting.

Further BIOs from TPHS students.

This one comes from Phil Hohnen:

1963-77 Studies in Geology (ANU, Uni of PNG) and Civil Engineering (Uni of NSW) and worked at BMR, Canberra; PNG Dept of Lands, Surveys and Mines; Swiss Aluminium Mining, based in Mackay, Queensland.

1978-88 Prospected for opals in far western Queensland; marketed opals in USA and in Surfers’ Paradise; had a bad experience with others exploiting my opal claim.

1986-1998 opened and operated antiques business in Gold Coast; did furniture making and restoration.

1995-1997 Studied fulltime at Bible College.

Late 1997 Helped plant a church in the Baiyer River, PNG.

1999 built a sports car 'Aquila Audax' from scratch, an unfulfilled ambition. Registered and raced it early 2000. It was faster than a Porsche Carrera back in 2000.

In March 2000 I came to see what opportunities/challenges there were for me in the Missions area in Thailand, when I visited a refugee camp for the Karen on the Burma/Thailand border. I taught in their college, preached in their church and returned to Oz to have a fire sale of my antique business stock and house on 2.5 acres on the Gold Coast. In December I married my Thai partner Wanida, in Queensland and returned to Thailand and bought land at Hot, 111 km south of Chiang Mai.

Here Wanida and I have worked with a shared vision to help Thai orphans. We have built two dormitories; a Kindergarten; a Primary School for Grades 1-6, with playing field; a 150-tree mango orchard; a salt water swimming pool and various other facilities. We have taken in 25 HIV/Aids orphans and other, abandoned newborns, over the past 9 years, and are raising them as our own children and educating them at our own Government-approved school. We also have a registered charity, "Nurturing Children Foundation", and are licensed to care for up to 50 children.

We now take paying students from outside, to help with economies of scale, but it all keeps us too busy. I'm cook and in charge of the 9 car pool. Wanida is usually at the orphanage/school in Hot 2 hours away from 'home' where her three teenage children and I are weekdays on 5 acres we have developed in a mountain-resort area, 35 km out of Chiang Mai. In my spare time, I'm trying to develop 20 more acres of Macadamia plantation to supplement our income and give the 28 kids a future cash flow.

We have been partially supported over the past 9 years by friends on the Gold Coast, and from my nearly exhausted fire-sale funds! All done by faith. Gold Coast Christian schools visit twice annually to do voluntary work for a few days each, before doing similar things in the refugee camps. Oh, and we of course have staff, including 5 teachers (3 are sociologists too), nannies, a cook, and laundry lady.

Along the way, I have had some serious health issues and various operations. I’m still fighting fit and have driven 500 000km commuting in Thailand.

For those wishing to contact Phil, his "snail mail" address is: 28 Moo 7, Baan Pang Yang, T. Baan Pong, A. Hang Dong, Chiang  Mai 50230, Thailand and if you wish to contact him by email send to our blog address "tphs1962@hotmail.com" and we will forward it to him.

This one is back to Australia and from Richard Dash:

Newcastle

Community Welfare

After leaving Canberra and the public service in the 1970s I have lived mostly in Newcastle and worked mainly in welfare-related jobs.

My fourth marriage, to Stephanie, has lasted 27 years - so far, so good.

My interests include travel, food, reading and art. I have the largest collection of 'Vande' (vintage Australian pottery) in Australia.

For my sins, I am still working four days a week.

There are still more BIOs coming.... 

More for the TPHS BIO readers to consume.

Lynne Davis's  Biography:

My first contact with Telopea Park was in 1951 when my parents moved from Sydney to Canberra. I attended the school for one year, before moving to the north of the city. I don’t remember much from that time, apart from the fact that our classroom was in the church hall across the road from the school, and that the school dentist removed seven of my teeth in one day!!  I do still have my school photo from that year and it features many of the people with whom I later shared the high school experience. I’m sure that a number of them will be at the reunion next March, although none of us are likely to be recognizable as the little darlings in the photo.

I attended Telopea Park from my first day of high school at the beginning of1958 until I completed the Leaving Certificate in 1962. After that, I spent a few years at the ANU, acquiring degrees in Psychology and Sociology, before travelling overland on the old hippie trail to the UK, where I lectured for a time in a college in Yorkshire. In 1972 I returned to Australia to take up a lectureship in Sydney, where I mostly stayed for the rest of my career.

In Sydney I met Patrick, an Irish engineer who had arrived here to work on the Opera House. He had come for 6 months, but after marriage and two children he is still here, although he makes regular visits to Ireland and we have lived there for a short time. We’ve both recently retired and are in the process of working out what that means.  Our children are aged 24 and 32. Our son lives in New Guinea and our daughter in Sydney.

Apart from the usual aspects of moving through the life cycle – partnerships, children, career, changing shape and greying hair, and so on – one of the big changes in my life has been the loss of my sight in recent years. This has posed many challenges and much new learning, some of which I’ve enjoyed and much that I would rather not have done.  If you’re attending the reunion in March, please come and say hello – I doubt that your voice will sound quite like it did when I last met you, and even if you are still the gorgeous young thing you were then, I’ll have to rely on someone else to tell me that! Inside, though, we’re all still around seventeen, aren’t we?…

 

Marelle Willis (now Price) provided the following:

After first year at Coffs Harbour High and two highly enjoyable years at Telopea, I completed my schooling at Canberra High.

After leaving school I obtained a General Nursing Certificate at RPA, Sydney.  I also nursed at Royal Alexandria Children's Hospital.

Married current spouse, Glyn, in 1968.

Three children – sons in 1969 and 1971 and a daughter in 1973.

Six grandchildren – boys aged 11, 10,10 (twins), 9 and 8; and our first granddaughter, 4.

Worked part time as a receptionist at the Erindale Sport and Recreation Centre (where I  shook hands with Prince Charles and met Princess Diana – didn't curtsey) and later at the Canberra Magistrates Court as a court monitor recording court proceedings (where I encountered Canberra's criminal aristocracy).

Now contentedly retired.

Travelled to UK, Italy and USA in 1986.

Toured Europe in 1996.

Other trips to NZ and Singapore to see family.

More BIOs coming....

Our fellow students are an interesting lot!

This BIO posting is from Jill Moore Kashima:

I live a quiet life in the country. We have a biodiversity stewardship over our property, & I run a soil health forum as a volunteer under Landcare, focusing on the nexus between soil health & human health. Believe it or not, matters agricultural have been an underlying theme in my life - in fourth year at TPHS Adrienne Berry, Susan Miller & I fought tooth & nail to be the first girls permitted to study Ag. (We won, but the course & teacher were a great letdown.) Then years later, I dropped out of a Ph.D in medieval poetry to go farming.

Keep checking the BLOG for new BIO postings to come.

Herewith the third installment of BIOs

Another one of our fellow students Glenys James (now Clark):

I left Telopea Park High at the end of 1961.  In 1962 I was accepted into a secretarial course, under a bond to the Public Service, at the Canberra Technical College (now TAFE).

The Public Service had a scheme whereby at the end of eight months you were placed in a department as a stenographer/secretary.  I worked for four years in the Public Service until my resignation from a secretarial position with the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.

During my marriage I had a number of varied secretarial positions, e.g. Health Insurance, a printing company, Legislative Assembly, Senate Standing Committees and the Canberra College of Advanced Education (now the Canberra University).

I have two children and have resided in Port Macquarie for 26 years.  I am a keen golfer and belong to the Port Macquarie Golf Club where I have held positions on the Club’s Board of Directors and the Ladies Committee.

And our second BIO for this posting is from Graham Howe:

University of NSW Bachelor of Surveying 1968.

Registered Surveyor ACT 1969, NSW 1970.

University of NSW BSc Engineering (mining) 1972.

1967 Married Broken Hill lass whom I met at uni, moved to Broken Hill and a job in the mining industry 1970.

Two children of first marriage the first a boy with intellectual disability resulted in my presidency for 28 years of a Broken Hill Charity for Intellectually disabled people. My daughter is now a paediatrician.

Second marriage to another Broken Hill lass 1977 produced 2 girls the youngest now 30 married and living in England. The elder daughter is a graphic designer in the Central Coast of N.S.W.

In 1991 after 20 years in the Mining Industry parted company and formed a fulltime surveying consultancy in Broken Hill after having moonlighted in Surveying as a sideline to mining. I am now training a young protégé to take over on my retirement hopefully in a few years.

Now heavily involved in the Anglican Church but sadly single again.

More BIOs to be posted, so keep on checking the BLOG.