A tip on reading blogs

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A tip on reading blogs: After you have read the main blog writing, remember to read all the separate posts .... they do not automatically come up the main blog writing. To view photographs with a larger screen size, just click on the particular photograph and will come up a larger screen size. You can the save them if you wish by clicking 'Save Image As' in your mouse dialogue box.

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Julie Oliver Photos

Kevin Deburg Photographs and Life Sketch

Kevin de Burg Photographs ........

He is lecturing in chemistry the Science Department at Avondale College and couldn't make it to the Reunion. He sent this message and photographs to everyone: He said in an e-mail to me:

Dear Ken,

I have been trying desperately to arrange my timetable and program to get away this weekend but unfortunately have not had any success. However, I am sending you a page of memories, information, and reflections for the weekend. This is attached here. Am also sending you 4 photographs in separate emails to use as you wish. These are as follows:

1. My 1970 graduation photo
2. My picture at the 2005 Avondale graduation ceremony (Oh the effect of years)
3. A picture of Marian and I in the 1970’s
4. A picture with our grandson Benson

With kindest regards,

Kevin
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Life Sketch ....

Remembering QUSDAS friends and some thoughts since 1970 or thereabouts.

Kevin de Berg

When I started study (BSc) at the University of Queensland in 1967 I greatly appreciated the friendship and spiritual nurture of people like David Mee Lee, Geoff Catton, Winston Craig, Max Brinsmead, Nonie and Chip Hedges and subsequently a host of other good friends like Marcia Corrigan, Ken Aitken, Wendell Rosevear, Tony Truscott and Jim McNeill. I have very fond memories of QUSDAS camps and University conventions and still remember great laughs in doing skits with Max Brinsmead. I wish you all well (and there are many more friends I could mention) this weekend and regret I cannot be up there with you all. Here is a small life sketch since QUSDAS days.

In 1971 I started work as a high school science and mathematics teacher in Kingaroy and in 1975 gained a Commonwealth Postgraduate Award to return to University to study for a PhD in physical chemistry from which I graduated in 1978, 30 years ago now. I married Marian Hartley who worked at the South Queensland Conference office at the time, in 1976. We have two daughters: Deanne who works as an assistant accountant in the treasury of the South Pacific Division Office in Wahroonga Sydney, and Sharlene who is married to Ryan Hayton (USA) and lives in Detroit Michigan. Ryan is doing his surgery residency at St. John Hospital in Detroit.

Last September Sharlene and Ryan blessed us with a grandson (our first grand child). We have lived in Brisbane (1975-1979), Toowoomba (1979-1984), Darwin (1984-1988), York England (1988), Cooranbong since 1988 with a 6-month stint on sabbatical leave at Purdue University in 2004. Since my 9 years of high school teaching I have been involved in tertiary education, particularly in chemistry. I have been on the lecturing staff at Avondale College since 1988 and thoroughly enjoy the experience and the opportunity this gives to work with other academics overseas from time to time. Marian works in the Ellen White research centre at the college.

Avondale College was my first introduction to denominational work and I cannot think of a better place to have commenced such work. I thoroughly enjoy the opportunities for dialogue with our friends from the theology faculty and other faculties across the college. I have found it to be absolutely necessary to maintain contact with professional colleagues in other institutions and from other faith positions to keep some sort of balance in one’s life.

Like many of you I am sure I found the early 1980’s very disturbing but have managed to work my way through some of the issues. Arthur Patrick has given many keen insights into this period and has been so helpful to many of us working through these issues. Fritz Guy and his book, 'Thinking Theologically', have been a great blessing as well. I have found an increasing openness of the church to wrestle with new ideas although I think we still have a long way to go in the science-religion issues of the day. I am involved still in taking Sabbath school lessons at college and do preaching from time to time.

By the way, if any of you know of people who might be interested in lecturing/researching in biological /organic chemistry or mathematics lecturing/researching at Avondale please let me know. We have vacancies in these areas. I am so keen to know what all of you have been doing since the 1970’s. Please let us know of your journey. I am sending some photographs (past and recent). God bless you all. Have a great weekend. Kevin

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QUSDAS and National Convention Memorabilia via Ken Aitken

Old National Convention Memorabilia ...

Via Ken Aitken ....

.... ??? taking to Harriet Kent and Glen Maberly

talking to Ken Aitken at Lake Macquaire 1974 .....

.... National Convention at Lake Macquaire 1974
.... Ken and Harriet Kent ..... a year
before their marriage in December 1975 .....

.... 1969 .... Ken Aitken as a very countrified
19 year old student at Avondale College .....
... a year before I moved to Queensland University in 1970 ...

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Dr. Max Brinsmead .... a Life Sketch ...

..... Pam and Max in 2008 .....

..... Pam and Max in 2006 .....

..... Pam and Max's wedding in 1970 with
Austin Grillmeier as best man and
Marjorie Lane (Mee Lee) the matron of honour
at their wedding in the Tweed Heads Adventist Church. ...

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Max Brinsmead ...

Life Sketch for QUSDAS Reunion

I was a QUSDAS member from 1965 to 1970 whilst I was studying Medicine at the University of Queensland. I lived in The Shack on Moggill Rd, The Gap, the country estate of the late Cyril Evans and family with Clyde Rock, Wes Allen , Austin Grillmeier and a number of other QUSDAS fellows.

In 1970 I married Pamela Chung Lun whom I met at a Sydney Convention at Crosslands in 1967. The relationship was cemented at C67, the convention we ran at Maranatha in 1967. Austin Grillmeier was our best man and Marjorie Lane (Mee Lee) the matron of honour at our wedding in the Tweed Heads Adventist Church.

Pam and I lived in Brisbane from 1971 to 1974 where our eldest son Thomas was born in 1973. Pam worked at the Institute of Child Guidance at Spring Hill until she became a mother. I completed my training in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Royal Womens Hospital, Herston.

In 1975 we moved to Auckland, New Zealand where our eldest daughter Kim was born. I obtained a PhD in my chosen field of fetal endocrinology. We met up with Gary Martin in Lake Taupo where he was living, practising and skiing.

In 1978 we returned to Brisbane where I worked in the Department of Physiology at the University of Queensland and at the Royal Womens Hospital. We lived at Kenmore, Bellbowrie and Taringa and attended the Central Church where important friendships were made with Peter and Mel Lambert and Len and Beth Mayfields. Two more children were added to our family, Peter in 1979 and Felicity in 1980.

In 1981 we moved to Newcastle, NSW where I was Lecturer in the newly established medical school. We attended the Charlestown church for a while in Newcastle but gradually drifted away. I established a working relationship with another Adventist obstetrician and gynaecologist, Steve Raymond and, in 1990, we both left the university and began a private practice in rooms that we built together at Lambton. I was simultaneously the Director of Obstetrics at the John Hunter Hospital.

We spent 19 years in Newcastle but, as soon as our youngest daughter finished her secondary schooling, Pam and I sold the family home from under their feet, moved out and went to England for 12 months. Pam and I had a wonderful time in Sheffield where I worked at a local IVF Clinic. We developed our love of walking in the Peak District.

In 2000 I returned to a private practice in Coffs Harbour where we still have our primary place of residence. Pam and I worked hard at that for 6 years but we gave up that practice also in August 2006. Since then I have been working part time as a locum at hospitals throughout NSW and as a volunteer in Mt Hagan, New Guinea. In August 2007 we returned to Sheffield, England where we have spent another memorable 12 months, working a little (on the Isle of Man) but mostly just travelling and walking and enjoying England, Ireland, France, Germany, Austria etc. A sample of our recent lives can be found at http://www.brinsmead.net.au/14.html.

Our eldest three children are married. Thomas has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics. He is an environmental strategist with the CSIRO in Newcastle, Kim has a degree in Radiography and works as an ultrasonographer in Sydney, Peter has a degree in Arts but chooses to work in a Mom & Pop-type supermarket in Deloraine, Tasmania while Felicity is a graphic artist who has just returned to Sydney after traveling in the UK and Ireland for a couple of years. We have one adopted grandchild, Jesse, who lives with his parents in Deloraine.

In 2009 I am looking forward to working on our 6-acre citrus farm in Nimbin NSW and maybe doing a little more work in my specialty of obstetrics and gynaecology in Papua New Guinea, Newcastle or New Zealand. We shall continue to travel as much as we can.

Max Brinsmead

July 3, 2008

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He says on his website below: 'I am an Australian specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist with 35 years of clinical experience in my discipline. I also have teaching, research and administrative experience'.

He also says: 'Pam and I have recently been touring in Germany, France etc. See: http://www.brinsmead.net.au/14.html

It is just wonderful to be reading then to have the option to click on a word and a whole photograph appears.

Also click on the staff portraits and up will come current photographs of Max and Pam.

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The Brinsmead Family Line at:

http://www.brinsmead.net

Documenting the Brinsmead family from early times in Somerset, England, through an early emigration to the Americas, as well as three centuries in North Devon. Exploring their migrations to Canada, the U.S.A. and Australia. Tracing as well the family's English fortunes including the development of the Brinsmead Piano businesses.

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Personal History of Ken Aitken ....

Personal History of Ken Aitken ....

Ken Aitken

Personal History of Ken Aitken ....

I finished a Science degree (in biological science) at the University of Queensland in 1974. The Federal Government provided free university fees in that era compared to the Hex fee arrangements which are part of the Federal Government's policy now. I married Harriet (nee Kent) from Melbourne who I met and got to know at the Australia wide National SDA University Camp at Raymond Island in the Gippsland Lakes area of Victoria ( see photograph above). We were married in Melbourne in December 1975. We have been married happily for thirty three years in 2008.

For twenty years, I ran a small Landscape Design and Construction Company called New Earth Systems P/L doing very creative, individual designer gardens for wealthy residential clients around Brisbane. I was an artistic person, a lateral thinker ..... more artist than businessman. I thought of a landscape as a three-dimensional piece of space that people walked through. This space changed with time as it grew and changed with the time of day: shadows vs. sun patterns, boulders, colour, plants, trees, earth-forms, solid structures and water. These were the ingredients in a subtle flow of landscape design and construction. Rather an intangible product to sell and run a business with!! Out of this stage I built a structure for my life: my marriage with Harriet, business and the house plus we had a family. See the website on the house at: http://kenandharrietshouse.blogspot.com

I wanted to be successful in making money but the creative side and the financial success of the business were in constant tension. With the landscape business I was in, there was enormous amount of work in spring and summer time. In winter time however, there always had a severe downturn. My creativity in my business couldn’t be standardised vs. a successful business needs to be like a biscuit cutter …. Making a few $$ off large numbers of components.

I was more an ideas, admin and marketing sort of person, good at the design side but not so good at the practical implementation side of the business. Because of the fluid nature of a garden, it was very difficult to be involved in just design, without having to get fully involved in the production side. See one job example with a garden I did in 1984 for the Sheehan Garden at West End in Brisbane. I photographed and put a blog site of this garden together 23 years after I did the garden in October 2007. See the blog site at: http://sheehangardenoct2007.blogspot.com/

Also see the Blog Site of the Greenmount Beach Resort at Coolangatta. I did both the design and construction supervision with my partner Harvey (construction partner) in 1980. I photographed and put this blog site together in 2008 ..... 28 years on. To this day I still remember helping to supervise all the earth works levels, placing every boulder and designing, selecting and placing every plant on the site over a three months period. See the blog site at: http://greenmontbeachresort.blogspot.com/

In 1995, I had very little work and money was very short as a result. It was the worst year for business I have been through in twenty odd years. I felt under incredible stress and my wife Harriet and two teenage children were really feeling the pressure as well.

I was under such extreme pressure from the lack of work and at a point of desperation. I was ready to give it all away. I didn’t know which way to turn as I had invested years of study and resources into my chosen career and now it seemed fruitless. I had finished a B.Sc. at University of Queensland in the 1970’s and had completed most of a Graduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture at QUT in the late 1980’s. I found it is impossible to have business and exam deadlines running together and on one very important project, I had let an important exam assignment pass by.

The business changed overnight when I had a simple accident which resulted in severe consequences. I had a severe brain injury. I now have an insurance Income Protection Policy for life which is CPI indexed. In many ways this accident and its consequences, has been one the best thing that has happened to myself and the family, even though it has been a difficult experience. I have now been provided with an income much better than a Government Pension. I think there is irony and humour in this. I had worked hard all my life for very little, whereas now I don’t have to work at all if I don’t want to. It is quite adequate for our needs. I find that twelve years on from my accident, I am in a new season of life. We own our house as well, so do not have mortgage payments to make every month. In the midst of this, Harriet can work as well. I am now an internal Life Gardener to hundreds of people around the world by e-mail.

See the blog site: http://kenaitkentherecycledman.blogspot.com/

I went through a real transformation of life whereby I went from being:

1. Physical Gardener (Outer Sustainability) >>>>

2. Life Gardener (Inner Sustainability)

1. Outer Sustainability: In a gardening and agriculture sense ..... can certain practices be maintained….. is what you doing now preparing the way ahead for new garden which will growing successfully in twenty years time. It was a very difficult business in which to make money, mainly due to the very non-standard and the seasonal nature of the work. My former life was not sustainable ….. my creativity in my business couldn’t be standardised vs. a successful business needs to be like a biscuit cutter …. Making a few $$ off large numbers of components.

Since my accident, I have really discovered people in a big way. I have come to value people, no matter who they are, what they do or say. I have developed a passion to build inner community with many people around the world especially by e-mail. As I am on a permanently paid holiday through my life-long Income Protection, I have time to spend with people in a way I never could do in my busy business.

2. Inner Sustainability: In an ongoing personal sense …. Can your life be maintained? ….. is what you doing now preparing the way ahead for new life? I have also discovered the significance of the Inner and Outer Life. Sustainability I have come to see, has to be a wholistic view on life of Inner, Middle and Outer Persons. Problems come because things do not change from the Outside to Inside but from the Inside to the Outside.

Changes with My Accident:

One of the major changes is that l have had a major loss of driving ability as I cannot intuitively take all the information still at the moment. I now have a chauffeur .... my wife Harriet to drive me around or I go by public transport. In addition to this, I have learnt to travel on the Internet. ….. I can go around the world and back again to my office in a few minutes all for $25.00 / month and see hundreds of people along the way …... more than I ever could before trying to drive or fly there!! Since March 2001, I have started the following three e-mail broadcasts. To look at blog sites, just place your cursor on the blog site and click. It should open up the blog site straight away. Generally go to the bottom of the blog on the first post and read from the bottom up. To look closely at the photos, just click each photo and they will enlarge to screen size:

• Brain Injury Survivor Network (BISN) for Brain Injury People: I help facilitate the Brain Injury Survivor Network ..... e-mail broadcasts and an international blog site: http://braininjurysurvivornetwork.blogspot.com. I am in contact with hundreds of fellow survivors around the world.

• Ken and Harriet’s Place e-mail broadcast ..... to lighten up your day .... bring some fun, laughter and a different perspective on life. See the blog site at:http://kenandharrietsplace.blogspot.com/
• New Earth Community e-mail broadcast: I have started this broadcast for a new spirituality, life motivation and encouragement e-mail broadcast .... an e-mail broadcast service which has grown since March 2001 to many hundreds people around Australia and the world now.

The purpose is this Community is to build and maintain a new sense of inner being and friendship ... based on a Christian Worldview. It is a Cyberspace Community which has a Vision of Wholeness with Sustainable Solutions for life which will continue to work in the years to come ..... it is for life motivation and encouragement. The Community has a resource website at: http://www.newearthcommunity.org/ (This website is undergoing major renovations in July/ August in 2008 and is only operationally on a few pages) This community is meant to bring a new sense of belonging with the a real discovery or affirmation of identity through the Sustainable Life. The basis of this life is one which has the ability to be continually renewed and maintained. This life has three elements to it:

• Structure gives order, direction, aims and overall purpose
• Spirituality gives ultimate significance. It is the inner room of your life which answers such questions as: Who are we as people?, What is the meaning of life?, Are we significant?, What values should I live by?, what gives identity and destiny
• Social Network ... The people around us. giving a feeling of belonging… multiplication and complementary effect of effort: Family & friends, Clubs and Organisations, Associations, Churches, General Community The Power of One: one person applying these principles can have an effect on many others... a multiplication effect of thousands of others being affected.
  

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Other blog sites: Here are some other blog sites. To look at blog sites, just place your cursor on the blog site and click. It should open up the blog site straight away. Generally go to the bottom of the blog on the first post and read from the bottom up. Then read the next post .... in order. When viewing the blog, it may only show one post.

To save any photograph in any blog site, just follow these procedures:

• Place your cursor on the particular photograph
• Then right click on the photograph and a dialogue box will appear with a near screen size photograph
• To save .... right click on the enlarged photograph .... >> go to 'Save as' then copy into 'My Pictures' by using the upward arrow to get to 'My Pictures' .... save
• Then copy the photograph into a labelled folder in the right directory below

I have been working to tell something of my personal history. I grew up in the 1950's and 1960's at Wilsons Creek, up in the mountains out from Mullumbimby in Northern New South Wales. I was raised on a banana plantation amidst the steep slopes of rainforest and wet sclerophyll (gum) forest and occasional cliff outcrops. The creek we swam in was a very clear, clean freshwater rainforest creek with big deep pools. People now in the City, would give their `eye' teeth for it as my late father used to say.

Wilson's Creek is about twenty minutes (about ten kilometres) up in one of the many valleys west of Mullumbimby, in the Northern Rivers area. With this time, came for me a strong spiritual love of Creation, Nature, Country Living and the Environment. Our house at Chambers Flat Rd. is inspired by this time of growing up. See http://kenandharrietshouse.blogspot.com I left Mullumbimby High School for further tertiary studies down south at Avondale College at the end of 1967.

The blog sites are hyperlinked .... so just click on the blog site and the blog site should open straight away. You can also click on any photograph and the photograph will enlarge to a full screen size and save it or print it.

See the free program 'Blogger' at https://www.blogger.com/start It is like setting up a free book which you can send to someone on the Internet. In this book you can add chapters of writing called posts and with photographs inserted (as many as you like). You come back at a later date and edit your posts, delete and add more photographs or add another post if you so desire. Other people who receive your blog, can add comments to your blog site at the area indicated at the bottom and other people who read what they have said, can add comments to what they have said. It becomes possible to have a long term worldwide discussion on you blog site.

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The blogs are:

Past Family History 1950's -1960's

Early Days of 1954 – 1955: http://bananapackingsheddays.blogspot.com/
Brunswick Heads:http://brunswickheads.blogspot.com/

Banana Growing: http://bananagrowing.blogspot.com/

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary: http://www.currumbin-sanctuary.org.au/content/home.asp? .... were we used to occasional go for recreation.
Wilsons Creek Primary School:

http://wilsonscreekprimaryschool.blogspot.com/

http://www.wilsonscrk-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/

The Bat Cave:

http://thebatcaveabovebrownsplantation.blogspot.com/

Pathfinder Club Experiences 1960 – 1967:http://pathfinderclubexperiences.blogspot.com/

Insight Into Owen Aitken and Our Family in the 1960's: http://insightintoowenaitken.blogspot.com/

The Birds Egg Collection 1950's to the 1960's: http://thebirdseggcollection.blogspot.com/

Numinbah Natural Arch:

http://numinbahnaturalarch.blogspot.com/ ..... in the 1960's the Murwillumbah Pathfinder Club had built a log cabin in the Numinbah Valley. We had a strong relational overlap as we were in the Mullumbimby Pathfinder Club. We would sometimes stay overnight at the log cabin and go hiking and camping in the rainforested Lamington National Park on the mountains above the log cabin. The Numinbah Natural Arch was a regular place we could

easily hike to as it was just down the road.

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Ken's Past College Days 1968 - 1969

The Train Story:

http://themullumbimbytrain.blogspot.com/

The Cairns Trip ..... A Student Experience in 1968: http://thecairnstrip.blogspot.com/

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Ken's Past University Days at Queensland University 1970 - 1974
The Wheels Story from 1970 -1974:

http://thewheelsstory1970to1974.blogspot.com/

The F.J Holden Story 1974:

http://fjholdenstoryfrom1974.blogspot.com/

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Ken and Harriet's Present History

History of The House:

http://kenandharrietshouse.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html

Australian Bush Landscapes:

http://australianbushjournal.blogspot.com/

Travel Blog:

We have been doing a few travels overseas in the last few years. See one of our travel blogs from when we were in England in 2003. See: http://stourheadgarden.blogspot.com/

Also see our full travel blog at: http://travelblogkenandharriet.blogspot.com/

My Recycled Life:see my blog site at: http://kenaitkentherecycledman.blogspot.com/

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PERSONAL HISTORY OF RON LAWSON ....

PERSONAL HISTORY OF RON LAWSON ....

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1) For several years from 19591 onwards a group of us was invited to a much-appreciated meal at the home of Mrs. Anderson on St. Lucia Rd. Those in this photo suggest it was taken about 1961 or 1962. Left to right they are: Charles Hammond, Ian Clarkson, Mrs. Gertrude Cyrenia Anderson, Ron Lawson, Jeannie MacDougal, Malcolm Johnston, Fred Mazzaferri, Jack Holliday.

2) In 1964, in our third year of operation, QUSDAS hosted a national convention of all Australian university societies. This is a photo of the QUSDAS members who were present on the day that it was taken. (I need some help from others to restore memories of a few names.) Far too many are hidden, which is sad.

Left to right: Percy Harrold, Greg Mann (behind), Pastor Winston Dowling (Conference youth leader), Bob Brinsmead, Grenville Twist (behind), Darryl Kum Yuen, name?, Chip Hedges (front), Charles Hammond, name? (is it Margaret, who was later to marry Peter Hammond?), Austin Grillmeier (front), Bernice Underwood (behind), Kathy Ransome, Yvonne Jones (behind), Ron Lawson (further behind), name?, name? (partially obscured), Marj. Mee Lee, Jan Brinsmead.

Via an e-mail from Bernice Underwood: 'I've looked once more at the group photo that Ron sent, and I'm sure that the person that Ron has identified as Grenville Twist is, in fact his brother, Owen.

3) Me with a fairly new beard, which I have kept ever since, in 1968 or 1969.
I look forward to seeing what else goes up, and especially to the reunion.

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