Family Visit from Germany, April 2017

My brother and sister-in-law arrived Monday morning, the 3rd of April. Their flight was from Berlin to Sydney via London and Singapore. Their plane was to first to land in Sydney after the curfew’s end at 6 am. Peter and I picked them up from the airport. It was a very rainy day after heaps of rain the previous weeks. I think on that arrival day on Monday we stayed with our guests at home in Dapto. The had left home some 48 hours before they arrived here. There was some trouble at their departure from Tegel Airport in Berlin. Their booked flight with Air Berlin was cancelled. Before they were redirected to another flight they had to stand in a queue for some six hours!

Anyhow, by Tuesday, the fourth of April, they were well and fit to go out for a drive with Peter and me. They had recovered remarkably fast. Tuesday turned out to be a rainy day again. None the less we took a chance driving with them up to Mt Keira. Arriving at Mt Keira the rain had just stopped, which was pretty amazing. We took the opportunity to look around a bit. The view towards Wollongong was pretty good. For a few minutes we were able to take a few pictures. Then it started raining again. We were so happy that the rain had stopped for a few minutes. As the rain started we drove down to Wollongong Harbour, where we were able to walk up to the lighthouse. But while we were still near the lighthouse, an extremely heavy downpour caught us. The three of us got very wet despite our umbrellas. Peter had gone away to where the car was parked. But he also was caught by this heavy downpour before he could reach the car. We were glad when he brought the car up to us to pick us up and take us home to Dapto.

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Pictures of our outing to Mount Keira you can find here:

https://auntyuta.com/2017/04/05/up-at-mount-keira/

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Ronald Hamilton Bates and his sister Jean

Jean Marion Loneragan nee Bates

A wonderful Person & Pianist – Rest in Peace

Ron and Jean’s mother was Lola May Bates.

We knew that all three of them had Urn places at the cemetery near Sutherland Station. We had gone to the chapel of that cemetery for Ron’s funeral service. We had talked Gaby into coming with us for the funeral. She reluctantly agreed. She apparently did not want to be reminded of anyone dying. This was in May 1997. Jean was at Ron’s funeral of course. She already lived in a Nursing Home at the time and looked very frail. We thought she would not live much longer. However she lived quite a few more years. We only heard about her death after her funeral in 2002. I think Gaby was able to tell us eventually about Jean having died, for Gaby had contact with people who had contact with Jean. So then we decided to have a look to find their urn places at the cemetery. In the cemetery’s office we were advised about the exact location. It turned out there were memorial stones of all three of them in the rose garden.

http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=957554

These records are at the State Library of NSW. It says in the records amongst other things the following:


				“Jean Marion Bates was a granddaughter of Daisy Bates”
				“Includes birth and marriage certificates for Lola May Bates, nee Davidson, her daughter Jean Marion Bates, 1916, and a certificate of an entry in Register of Marriages, Arnold Hamilton Bates to Lola May Davidson, 1913. A newscutting announces the marriage of Jean Bates to Frank Loneragan. A letter from Lola May Bates to Ronald Bates, 1966”

I remember Ron telling us that he once went to Adelaide when his grandmother, Daisy, was in her eighties. He tried to talk to her, but he got the impression that she was not quite aware who he really was. He said he felt he could not communicate with her properly. Apparently he left it too late to see her.

Here is something about the Bates family that I must have copied from a newspaper article many years ago. Sorry, I have no idea which newspaper it might have been in:

Peter recently published in his blog some of the drawings that Ron Bates liked to do on little cards:

Ron Bates

I found in the meantime quite a few more of these cards that Ron had given to Gaby. We kept all these cards after Gaby’s death. Peter reckons they belong to us now. He says if we publish them we have to say that we copy-rights.

But here I publish one card that Jean and Ron gave us on the 5th of April 1986 at Sydney Airport on the occasion of our departure for a trip to Germany.

More Photos from 1999, 2000 and some from 2001

I can’t help myself, I just scanned a few more photos while Peter is doing some more research about the end of WW II on the other computer. I think I start with a couple of photos that were taken on Caroline’s birthday on the 9th of December 1999. That same week Caroline moved away to Sydney, where she had a job.

Caroline is 21. We had a bit of a celebration with family and some of Caroline's friends at the German Club. This family photo was taken later on at our home. — Caroline is 21. We had a bit of a celebration with family and some of Caroline’s friends at the German Club. This family photo was taken later on at our home.

I think our son Martin took the previous picture. Here he is resting on the lawn in front of our house.

SYDNEY 2000, these Olympic Games were a great experience for us. We felt really uplifted during the Olympics and the Paralympics. Peter was a volunteer during both events. He was one of the drivers, driving around important people from hotels to the different venues. The volunteers were treated very well by the organisers of the Games. It was a very interesting time for Peter.

There was some fund to be had during the Games for Roxy, Krystal, and Natasha. — There was some fun to be had during the Games for Roxy, Krystal, and Natasha.

This is Sydney Harbour during the time of the Games.

Peter took this pictures with me in the foreground.

At this function for the volunteers, Gaby wanted to be present too. She was very proud of her Dad!

This picture with Peter and Ilse was taken during her stay with us in 2001

In 2001 Ilse came again sometime in February. She had liked her stay in 1999 so much that she stayed in 2001 one month longer, namely well into May of 2001. We were very happy when it turned out that Margot and Richard were able to come and visit us while Ilse was with us as well. Margot is Peter’s and Ilse’s cousin. So Margot and her husband Richard stayed with us for one week. One day we went with them by train to Sydney. Gaby did come to Sydney as well for she wanted to meet Margot and Richard. We all had lunch at a restaurant at Circular Quay, Richard shouting the meal for all of us. Then we went for a stroll towards the Opera House.

This is a look from the site of the Opera House towards Circular Quay. Richard on the left in the picture. — This is a look from the site of the Opera House towards Circular Quay.
Richard on the left in the picture.

Here we are on the other side of the Harbour with the Opera House in the background.

On another day we went to Kiama, a beautiful little seaside town. The old Post Office there had been painted a lovely pinkish colour.

We are having fun at the entrance to the Post Office. Ilse has adorned herself with a lovely fresh Frangipani.

After one week’s stay with us, Margot and Richard did fly back to Perth. Ilse, Peter, Caroline and Gaby farewelled them at the airport. I think I had to stay home because there wasn’t room for me in the car. Our little car, that we still have now, was in 2001 less than a year old. We had bought it new in May 2000. Ilse used to call out car ‘Paulchen’. She liked it and always praised it. She did not want us to say anything bad about it! 🙂

Farewelling Richard and Margot at Sydney Airport

Caroline, Ilse, Gaby, and Peter at the Airport in Sydney to farewell Richard and Margot

Diary of Christmas 2013

On the morning of Christmas Eve we went first for a swim at Port Kembla Pool. Then we stopped at a park near the Lake. Caroline tries to decipher what it says on this stone. — On the morning of Christmas Eve we went first for a swim at Port Kembla Pool. After our swim we went to a park near the Lake Illawarra. Caroline tries to decipher what it says on this stone.

Here it says what these two islands are called.

The fourth Sunday of Advent this year was on the 22nd of December. As I mentioned before, Martin and S were with us on that day as well as on the 21st of December, our Wedding Anniversary. On Monday, the 23rd, Martin and Peter took S to the airport in Sydney in our rental car because S had booked a return flight to Melbourne for that day.

Then it was Caroline’s and Matthew’s turn to be picked up in Waverly, an Eastern Sydney suburb of Sydney, where they live.
Soon Martin and Peter arrived with Caroline and Matthew at our place in Dapto where we spent the next few days together. The busiest day for us was of course the 24th. A lot of preparations were made for Christmas Eve. We were in the end fifteen people (including little Lucas, who was asleep on his mum’s lap by the time a group picture was made).

Here now is a picture of all fifteen of us.

This is one of the pictures that Caroline took. So she is not in this one.