Brisbane was a blast

Before leaving Brisbane for points north I dreamed of a headstone that read:

Here lie Carol and Nigel Dique
Survived the worst Brisbane floods for 35 years
Only to be killed by kindness….

During the three weeks of our stay, alternating among the homes of my brother-in-law Colin Boyle, sister-in-law Kay Bertini and sister Bet Green, we have been pampered like royalty and taken on some terrific jaunts.

And fed gourmet meals. Any more of this and we’ll end up like the characters in Marco Ferreri’s controversial 1973 movie La Grande Bouffe who ate themselves to death.

I exaggerate, of course, but the extra avoirdupois we now carry is real.

A ferry ride to Stradbroke Island, courtesy of my brother John recalled endless summers holidaying there as a child, exploring places like Amity Point, Point Lookout and the Blue and Brown lakes.


Right: Brother John and Carol on the Stradbroke ferry. Left: John and me at the Blue Lake.

John actually went for a dip in the Blue Lake, which Carol and I thought was brave, given the time of year, but he insisted the swim was invigorating.

An evening birthday party at Shorncliffe held for my nephew Joseph, also brought back childhood memories, fishing off the pier and long walks on the esplanade, as did a visit to Bribie Island.




Right: My nephew Joseph's birthday party at Shorncliffe. Joe is third from the left.

Below: Carol and my sister Bet at Bribie Island.




South to Sydney -- and north to Kingaroy

Carol took time out to fly back to Sydney with her sister Kay to see our grandson Thomas dance in Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker at the Opera House – an outstanding performance they say, which has made us all proud.

Colin drove me to Kingaroy, famous for peanuts -- and former Queensland Premier, Joh Bjelke-Peterson, but we won’t go there.

Our objective was to reconnect with my nephew, Colin’s eldest son Michael, who has been working in Kingaroy as a school teacher and principal for 20 years, his wife Julie and musical kids, Lachlan and Lara. I should mention Lara bakes ‘melting moments’ that really are to die for!

Michael, who is around 6ft 5in in the old measure, also stands tall in education, doing some terrific work in curriculum development.

Right, from left: Lachlan, his dad Michael, me, Julie, Lara and Colin.

Rain ensured golf was off the agenda, so it was back to Brisbane where I caught up with an old schoolmate Kevin Noonan. While the rest of the city was drowning in the floods, we recalled the good old days (when, as Kev says, men were men and falsies were teeth) while downing a seemingly inexhaustible supply of ‘black rats’.

Right: Kev Noonan and me at his Acacia Ridge home recalling the good old days over a few rumbos.

A final thought on Brisbane: if there’s a recession, it doesn’t seem evident here, with enormous infrastructure projects and housing developments in places like the Redlands and Sunshine Coast districts.

Our next stop in tranquil Landsborough, in the Glasshouse Mountains region, provides the opportunity to catch up with more dear members of our extended clan. Watch this space.