awa-newsletter-dec-2012-2 - Atlanta`s Home for Australian Expats!

DECEMBER 2012
Greetings! As we gather up fallen leaves and prepare for old man winter, we take
stock of events over the fall season and look with enthusiasm to festivities planned for
2013. Early in the year are two of our biggest events, Australia Day and ANZAC Day.
Planning for both events has begun, with Australia Day in earnest. You should have
received your invitation at this stage, and we urge you to RSVP as soon as possible to
take advantage of the early bird rates available for those responding by December 31.
The venue for this event will be the beautiful Marlow House in Marietta. With the
forced change of venue this year, we are unfortunately unable to provide childcare
facilities on site. However, we are excited for you to join us in celebrating Australia Day,
and look forward to a wonderful menu and some fun changes in format.
As in previous years, there will be fundraising at the Australia Day dinner. We invite
members to consider donating goods or services for raffling or prizes. This is a great
opportunity to raise the profile of your business within the AWA community. Interested
parties please contact Lyn Coltman at [email protected] or call 770-457-8734.
Please take the time to register at the AWA website if you have not already done so. By
registering, you will receive notifications of all posted events and be better informed of
AWA goings on.
Your AWA committee would like to wish you a
Merry Christmas and wonderful 2013.
HAPPENINGS
Welcome to the newest members of the AWA family: Sarah and Ted Withers welcomed
baby Victoria Louise, a playmate for Madeline on December 19. Vanessa and Jamie
Murff, and big brother Cooper will be joined by a sweet baby brother in January. Also
new to AWA, but not so fresh off the production line, is the Leonard family. Rachel and
Andrew have arrived in Atlanta via Singapore and are joined by three year old twins,
Gabrielle and Michael, and seven month old Harry. Welcome also to Ken and Carole
Bishop who have recently joined the AWA.
Wendy and Grey Beyer hosted a Halloween Sausage Sizzle and Pumpkin Carving at
their Marietta home on October 27. Guests enjoyed a taste of Australia and Halloween at
this very enjoyable family event. The marshmallow roasting was enjoyed by the children
and a great many adults and children battled the pulp to turn out impressive jack-olanterns. Many thanks to the Beyers, for once again hosting a super night of fun and
friendship.
This year’s Christmas Cocktails was held December 8 at the home of Ian and Jenny
Hewett. Approximately twenty members gathered on December 8 at the Hewett’s
beautifully decorated home to celebrate the season with drinks and hors d'oeuvres. Thank
you, Ian and Jenny, for your generous hospitality.
The AWA Mums and Tots group remains busy, with six families actively participating
in weekly meet-ups, whether they are at a park or member homes. Some highlights have
been attending “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” at the Center for Puppetry Arts, and
the annual Christmas book swap. While some families do not actively attend each week
as their children have become older, they are still an important and valued part of the
Mums and Tots community, and it’s fantastic to catch up with old friends and new at
events like baby showers, birthday parties, girl’s nights out, and the recent Oz Mums
Christmas Dinner. Thank you to Rosemary and Alec Gorham for hosting a very
enjoyable evening.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Australia’s UN Security Council Seat
Australia’s global position was endorsed in October when the nation was elected to hold
a seat on the United Nations Security Council, the most powerful governing body in the
UN. This position will be held for two years from 2013 as one of the 10 non-permanent
members of the Council.http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-10-19/australia-wins-seat-onun-security-council/4321946
Vale Bryce Courtenay
Best-selling author Bryce Courtenay (79) passed away November 22 from gastric cancer
at his Canberra home. Born in South Africa (the setting for his first novel The Power of
One which later became a film starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman) he considered
Australia his adopted home after marrying an Australian. They raised three sons before
divorcing (he later remarried) and Courtenay had a successful career in advertising before
his entry into the literary world. He is remembered for having written dozens of fiction
books. Some of my favourites include The Potato Factory trilogy, the tear-jerking Jessica,
and the dramatic Four Fires. He also wrote the touching story of his deceased son’s battle
with medically-acquired AIDS, April Fool’s Day.
What is Boxing Day?
No it is not the clearing of boxes
after Christmas gift unwrapping, nor
does it refer to children fighting
over their gifts.
Boxing Day or Saint Stephen’s Day
falls on December 26. The origins of
Boxing Day are Victorian, and refer
to the upper class giving of a
seasonal cash bonus or gifts
wrapped in a box to service people
such as the postman, garbage
collector, milkman, and servants.
Since the wealthy would rely on
their household staff for the
Christmas Day celebration, their
acknowledgement of appreciation
would occur on the day after
Christmas, hence “Boxing Day” as
this well-known but sometimes
misunderstood moniker.
Mollydooker
What is a Mollydooker? Australian slang for a left-handed person. In baseball, a leftie is
referred to as a southpaw.
The Mollydooker winery is located in Maclaren Vale, approximately 45 minutes out of
Adelaide. The Mollydooker label is available at select locations around Atlanta, and
features a number of creatively named reds. They have been spotted at Total Wine and
Kroger, Sandy Springs, and Ansley Wine Merchants, Atlanta. If you are looking for a
conversation starter, a hostess gift, or simply want to enjoy a drop from home, keep an
eye out for this one.
GETTING TO KNOW OUR MEMBERS
The family of Heather and Derek Ford is taking on the onerous task of moving house
during the Holiday Season! No strangers to adventure, Heather is American born and
Derek comes from Perth, Western Australia. They have three lovely children – Charlotte
(8), Ava (6), and Ryan (4). In her own words, Heather tells the story of how she and her
husband met.
The True Story of how an Australian met and married an American
July 19th 2002 was like any other night for a single gal living in NYC. I had just finished
a day at work as a sales manager for Pillsbury and was getting ready to meet with my
sales team for dinner, drinks and a bit of comedy at Caroline’s comedy club. It was a hot
and humid summer night, perfect for drinking cocktails and chilling out with friends.
After dinner the eight of us hopped in a cab and headed uptown to watch a string of
comedians perform for the 10pm show. We arrived at Caroline’s a little early and while
waiting for the show to begin, our team convinced the doorman to allow us in first and sit
at the large table next to the stage. This would prove essential in meeting my future
husband.
Right at 10pm the lights dimmed and the show began with a string of funny comedians;
particularly funny was Wil Sylvince. He had lots of fun attacking the poor souls sitting in
the audience; one such sucker was Derek Ford, the Australian. Derek had decided to
come to Caroline’s on the suggestion of his sister Carol. It was Derek’s last night in NYC
as he had a 6am flight to catch the next morning for London. He had traveled across the
US having landed in LA early in June. Funnily enough, Derek had come to Caroline’s the
previous night, however missed the show by 15 minutes so decided to give it another go
on the 19th. Derek was in the middle of a round the world trip and was traveling solo. He
arrived at Caroline’s a little before 10pm to drink some beer and try to get rid of as much
American currency as possible. Derek, traveling with his backpack, chose to sit in the
back of the room, not realizing he would be the target of Mr. Sylvince’s jokes. Wil
Sylvince wasted no time chipping away at Derek coming to a show with his big traveling
backpack as well as being the typical Australian, always exploring. Meanwhile, I was
noting what a handsome devil he was. I turned to my co-worker and announced that I
thought the Aussie was quite good-looking. Wil, hearing me talk (given we sat so close to
the stage), decided to openly turn his attention to me and sulk at the fact that I was talking
during his performance. “Excuse me little lady,” cried Mr. Wil, “if you are going to be so
rude as to talk during my performance then why don’t you announce what you just
said!” No problem, I thought. So I cleared my voice and spoke into the microphone that
had been shoved in my face. “I thought that Aussie was goooood-lookin!” “Well, well,
well!” cheered Wil Sylvince, “Isn’t that nice!” Then Wil, together with the audience,
cheered for Derek to stand up and walk over and sit next to me, which Derek promptly
did!
We spent the rest of the evening talking and
laughing at the little spectacle. Derek walked me
to Penn Station as I needed to catch a train out
to Queens where I lived. We hit it off just right
and exchanged emails before my boarding.
Little did I know, but after three weeks of
writing twice a day (email) and long talks on the
phone, Derek would make the trek back to the
US to see if what we were sharing was
something more. Turned out it was. We got
engaged that Christmas and married that June,
just shy of one year of meeting. It has been ten
years of marriage and three gorgeous
children later and all I can say is, never underestimate the power of a good comedy show!
OUR SPONSORS
Take a break from your holiday cooking at the Australian Bakery Café (48 South Park
Square, Marietta) and enjoy their new menu of fish and chips and hamburgers. Or
consider including some of their delicious bakery items in your festive lineup. Open until
9pm on Tuesdays and Fridays, Australian Bakery Café offers a 10% discount to AWA
members – just mention it at check-out. http://www.australianbakerycafe.com
An array of Australian goods are available for purchase at Simply Australian
www.simplyaustralian.com (who have taken over from The Aussie Catalog Company).
Laundry items, Cadbury chocolates, Cottees cordial, Vegemite, Bundaberg ginger beer,
assorted lollies, snack foods, biscuits, Rossi boots, hats, t-shirts, toys for the kids and lots
more may be found on the website.