BRISBANE IN THE 1950'S

BRISBANE IN THE 1950'S

 WHAT I LOOKED LIKE THEN

BRISBANE BACK THEN

EAGLE FARM AIRPORT LOOKED LIKE THIS

TEENAGERS HOPING TO MEET JOHNNY RAY

(YEP - I'M THERE IN THE FRONT ROW)

AND FINALLY QUEEN STREET BEFORE THE MALL

MOMENTS IN TIME

MOMENTS IN TIME

A partnership that started way back in the 1950's and still going strong in 2019 deserves a photo or two.  That's me and my Reluctant Traveller in the pix below, starting off on the journey of a lifetime.

I won't bore you with a replay of  what we both consider has been an amazing life, suffice to say we survived the down sides and thoroughly enjoyed the fun times.

We've ducked and dived, enjoyed and thrived, sometimes cried when the going got tough, but ultimately we stuck together and ended up where we are now,  a 90 year old and his 80 year old bird looking back on a partnership that strengthened as the years flew past.

Not long married, Lennons in Brisbane.

A grandmothers 90th birthday

The best man at Andy Anka's wedding

A rare photo with both Jen and Rewa-early days

With Jen on Straddie

Facing up in Ecuador with Stan in his panama hat

On the farm at Thane Steve and Stan

Meeting up with Jen in London

Welcoming Josh into the world

Billo Perry's latest catch, Straddie

Sand boarding with Phil and John

Producer and cast of I've Got a Secret

With Jen in London

A day at the Ekka with Ben and Josh

Fooling around in Tassie

Wedding bells Toowoomba for Jen and Chris

The Mortimer grins, with Steve and Phoebe

Phil, John, Steve and Stan & a few ales

With boss & compere - our Logies on display

In Munich - where else?

Stan on a suicide dive - he survived

Still in beautiful New Zealand

We caught and ate a lot of fish on Straddie

The view from Rainbow - we're aging by now

That cute little boy in the Jag shirt is the father of the even cuter little boy in the photo below.

Now it's Stan's turn to own up to 90 years of age, and the little bloke is our first Great Grand child,
Oliver Mortimer - Ollie for short.

WHY UZBEKISTAN?

WHY UZBEKISTAN?

Some years ago, with a dodgy visa and undeclared currency I set off to visit the Stans of Central Asia.. it turned out to be a fun and at times scary adventure.  Back then Russia still controlled and probably  does even now, the lives of the people I met along the way.  It was quite an education for an Aussie from Queensland.

The series though belongs to the people I met, the women whose lives they knew would change so dramatically as their countries reverted back to the laws of Islam...  while not fully enjoying the Soviet Unions rule of thumb they did still enjoy a modicum of freedom of choice, now they were facing a life where women had little or no say about their future.

I made this journey some 20 odd years ago and I wonder now where these women are ...

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO FOLLOW THE 14 EPISODES...

INTRODUCTION TO WHY UZBEKISTAN...

LEVUKA: A MISSING CONTACT

June 2016 Boarding a bus in Suva enroute to Levuka: a lost address.

Do you recognize this charming young lady?

Those of you who have traveled to the Island of Ovalau will know that Levuka was once Fiji’s capital, but that was way back in the 1870’s and 80’s. Today Levuka is justifiably listed as a World Heritage Site, little changed from those long ago days.  It still has a main street of quaint shops fronting the deep blue of the ocean and backed by a steep range of verdant green mountains.  There are still banks of houses dotting the lower hills accessed by steep tiers of  concrete stairways instead of roads and connecting streets.

 There is still in abundance the fragrant perfume of tropical flowers, a profusion of fruit and fresh vegetables.

In fact Levuka hasn’t changed all that much at all since 1877 when my grandmother Maggie McGowan was born there, or indeed since 1900 when she married my Grandpa Chas Brown Parker in the Wesleyan Church,  which is still standing today albeit with a fresh coat of paint.

The entire island of Ovalau itself is still much the same, though now there are cars and buses where once  were only coastal boats and shanks pony;  and you all know that means walking on your own two feet.  The faces of Levuka haven’t changed either, the same wide smiles, the constant cry of Bula, which could mean Welcome or Hello, or even Good day.

THE BUS DEPOT IN SUVA

But let’s get back to Suva where I’m waiting for the bus to depart.  A young school age girl is sitting in the seat in front of me. It’s obvious she is saying a very sad goodbye to two smaller children and a gentleman who is  her father. They are standing by her open window.  Her hand reaches out to touch them, one last time. It wasn’t difficult to see her tears and the concern  on her Dad’s face.  Sending a daughter off to boarding school isn’t always easy... I know, I'm a grandmother, been there, done that.

It takes a while, this journey from Suva to Levuka;  four hours  north by bus to reach the  passenger and vehicle ship that will take us across to the island of Ovalau, 2 hours at sea and another 2 hours bus drive round the island to our final destination, Levuka. 

No change of vehicle, the same bus drives on and off the ship. Plenty of time to take photos, to chat, to cheer up a sad little girl returning to her boarding school on the island and already missing home and family.

It was dark by the time our bus reached Levuka and the hectic unloading of passengers along with their  myriad bags and goods.   Time only for hasty goodbyes to people we had become acquainted with, and to a now far more cheerful young girl who I had promised to keep in contact with on her Face Book page.

A LOST CONTACT

The trouble is, in the fuss and upset of arrival and location,  the goodbyes and the panic of where to go in the utter darkness I mislaid the name and address of this charming and friendly young school girl.

I know only that she was returning to school on the island.   Perhaps some one reading this story will recognize her photo?  The one at the top of the page.

 If you do please tell her my name is Robyn Mortimer, that I live in Australia and she has only to search that name  on Face Book, make a request and I will respond…

 

That’s me on deck, gazing out at the departing coastline.

In the meantime if you’re planning to visit this glorious part of the Pacific consider spending a few days, or even a few weeks  exploring not only the Levuka of today, but the Levuka of long ago – it’s history is there for you to see and absorb.

Robyn Mortimer 21^st July 2016-07-21