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March 20, 2010

The Sugar Bird Lady

...Robin approached the Western Australian Department of Health for permission to carry out a vaccination program in the North and North West of the state. Permission granted, she borrowed money and bought a Cessna 182. On 22 May 1967 she boarded her plane and headed out alone to the remote areas of the state to hand out her sugar cubes...

Paula Wilson tells the astonishing and inspirational story of flying nurse Robin Wilson.

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March 16, 2010

The Cliff House At Pattaya

Peggy Mitchell tells of the Thailand of 40 years ago.

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March 13, 2010

The Future Of Farming In Australia

Dorothy Moffitt makes an informed and profound recommendation for future food production in Australia.

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March 09, 2010

Should Have Saved Our Native Predators

Ken Sillcock puts in a plea for the wedge-tailed eagle and the dingo.

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March 06, 2010

Sigiriya

Gehan Wijesinha tells of climbing the lion rock in Sri Lanka.

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March 02, 2010

An Old Chalky Looks Back

...Meanwhile life in the classroom was a daily battle to stimulate and educate, or at least keep 40 larky lads occupied for the remaining weeks of their schooling before those not gaining apprenticeships were condemned to the local brickyard...

John Turner recalls his early days as a teacher.

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February 27, 2010

The Answered Prayer

There should have been shoes in the brown paper bag but Robin Hillard found that it contained a wad of money.

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February 23, 2010

Saved

This story by Mary Clemons tells of acute terror in a storm.

Mary writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 20, 2010

Mid-Forceps Delivery

...Above her cot on the card was written, Baby Henwood, Mid Forceps Delivery...

Shirley Henwood tells of exhaustion and joy.

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February 16, 2010

Women Behind The Southern Cross

...As the fighting at the stockade ended a trooper tore down the Southern Cross flag and trampled it into the blood stained dirt, fragments of the flag were ripped off leaving it in tatters...

Paula Wilson tells of the three women who made the flag around which more than 8,000 miners rallied in the Ballarat goldfields of Victoria, Australia, in 1854 to protest against injustice.

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February 13, 2010

A Most Remarkable Cat

Peggy Mitchell tells of Smokey, a cat with a devil-may-care attitude.

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February 09, 2010

It Never Seems To End!

...Don’t get me wrong. I am not against giving to charity. I think we all have to give in whatever way we can. But I would like to make that decision myself without being hounded into it...

Lytrice Adams is tired of the constant appeals on her charitable nature.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 06, 2010

Arriving In Colombo

...Stepping up to the counter with my passport, I noticed that he did not wear a watch confirming my belief that being mindful of the time was not particularly harmonious with tropical living...

Gehan Wijesinha tells of arriving in Sri Lanka on a hot steamy night.

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February 02, 2010

Once A Farmer

Ellen Fisher recalls her father's life as a farmer and his relief at leaving the land.

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January 30, 2010

Birds Of A Feather

Colleen McMillan observes the behaviour of widows in church.

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January 26, 2010

Cats

Colin Fisher sings he praises of domestic cats.

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January 23, 2010

Bushfire

...Hourly they listened to the weather reports, noting where new outbreaks had started, and anxiously scanning the sky for tell-tale signs of smoke. He could smell the smoke in the air, long before it became visible. For days, the wind fluctuated, unpredictable, fire crews cut breaks and tried to establish containment lines, but suddenly, it was all to no avail. The fire had jumped the main road and could now be seen creeping down the hill opposite the township...


Wendy Ogbourne tells of a man who fought to save his home as an Australian bushfire came raging towards him.

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January 19, 2010

Russian Cruise Turns Choppy

...When the ship was wallowing, somebody said the stabilisers had not been turned on, and we accepted this explanation. That night my head slid, bump, into the wall at the top of the bunk; and next I was sliding down to have my feet bang the bottom of the bunk...


Shirley Henwood and her family rode out the aftermath of a cyclone.

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Russian Cruise Turns Choppy

...When the ship was wallowing, somebody said the stabilisers had not been turned on, and we accepted this explanation. That night my head slid, bump, into the wall at the top of the bunk; and next I was sliding down to have my feet bang the bottom of the bunk...


Shirley Henwood and her family rode out the aftermath of a cyclone.

Continue reading "Russian Cruise Turns Choppy" »

January 16, 2010

Mary Ann Bugg

...Legend has it Mary Ann swam across the shark-infested waters to the island carrying a file. Ward used the file to break his chains and they swam back to Balmain. Mary Ann hid him and a fellow escapee in a disused boiler until the search died down...

Paula Wilson tells of the life of female bushranger Mary Ann Bugg, who went marauding with Captain Thunderbolt.

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January 12, 2010

Christmas in Yokohama

Peggy Mitchell recalls a Christmas spent in Yokohama 40 years ago.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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January 09, 2010

China

"China strikes me as a country of contradictions,'' says Lytrice Adams.

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January 05, 2010

Hong Kong

Gehan Wijesinha presents a snapshot in words of the vibrant city of Hong Kong.

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January 02, 2010

My Shed, My Home

Shirley Henwood says that from the beginning of time, men have had sheds to escape to.

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December 29, 2009

Riding The Skeena

Rodney Gascoyne rides the scenic rail route in North-Western Canada.

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December 26, 2009

Only The English

...The proprietor greeted us in a friendly, if not astounded manner. To our enquiry as to whether there were any other campers booked in, he answered bluntly: 'Nobody else is that crazy!'...

Peter King recalls a stormy Christmas under canvas in the Lake District.

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December 22, 2009

Mother Mary Berchmans Daly

Paula Wilson tells the inspiring story of Mother Mary Berchmans Daly, the ninth child of an Irish blacksmith, who made a huge success of her life in Australia.

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December 19, 2009

Bangkok, Bougainvillea And Boon

Peggy Mitchell tells of the day there was an almighty explosion in her Bangkok kitchen.

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December 15, 2009

Christmas Is The Best Time Of The Year

Robert Heller wrote this article expressing his delight in the Christmas season,and its real significance, three years ago. It is just as relevant in 2009 as it was then.

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December 12, 2009

Omelette de la Mère Poulard

...Around the turn of this century, a small inn, named the Auberge de Saint-Michel Tête d'Or flourished at the foot of the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. The owners were a Normand couple named Poulard, and over the years, the little inn established a reputation based upon the wife's masterful omelette-making technique...


Poppy Fogarty telles of a delicious omlette - and how to make it.

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December 08, 2009

No-Fad Diets

Ken Sillcock offers some sensible words on the subject of food.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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December 05, 2009

Echoes

...If I had stuck with Anne, would she and I still be together? What of all the women I have loved since then? Their influences have helped forge the man I am today. If Anne had been my last and enduring love, I would not be the person I now am. Would I like myself more or less?...

Peter Lingard endevours to recall some of the loves of his life.

Peter writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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December 01, 2009

Best In Show

...Until you have been to a Cat Show, you have no idea how many dozens of breeds there are, and how obsessed their owners can be with them. Doting mothers entering their small daughters in a modelling contest could not be more competitive and, well, 'catty'...

Wendy Ogbourne reveals secrets of the feline show world.

Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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November 28, 2009

The Little Mouse

Keith Ford remembers with affection his first car, a Fiat 500.

Keith writes for Bonzer magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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November 24, 2009

Family Vehicles

...Mother came home from caring for her mother and bought herself a Holden utility, and obtained her licence again at age 53. She had many adventures with this on gravel roads. One time, she turned the vehicle over and was found by a local minister calmly sitting on the side of the road drinking tea from a thermos...

Dorothy Moffitt recalls driving days.

Dorothy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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November 21, 2009

Granny Reading

...My favourite is a girl who makes me laugh. She tells me things about the story. She says, 'We have fun, don't we?' And we do...

Shirley Henwood tells of the pleasure of going as a volunteer into a school to help young children improve their reading ability.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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November 17, 2009

Sisters In Film

Paula Wilson tells of three Australian sisters who between 1926 and 1933 co-wrote, directed, starred in and handled the behind the scene workings that were required to produce movies.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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November 14, 2009

A Night At A Geisha House, Part 2

Peggy Mitchell is invited by 'Bottler of the Year', Mrs Yomiura, to a celebration at the most expensive Geisha house in Tokyo. Mrs Yomiura is determined to teach the dominant males a lesson.

Peggy writes or Bonzer! magazinw. please visit www.bonzer.org.au

To read the first part of this story please visit http://www.openwriting.com/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=peggy+mitchell

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November 10, 2009

Autumn

"When I came to Canada as a young woman, I discovered the glorious reality of autumn,'' writes Lytrice Adams.

Lytrice contributers to Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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November 07, 2009

The Will To Survive

...As a practicing Buddhist, it is my duty to work out my own salvation with diligence, while allowing all other people to do the same. In this way whatever refinement of the Buddhist path I achieve will stand as testament to others of the worth of the endeavour...

Terry O'Connor points the way to a path which could lead to a better world.

Terry writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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November 03, 2009

Petals From Blown Roses

Each life is like a rose, says Rose Perry.

Rose writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 31, 2009

Men's Hair Formula

Should a man going grey dye his hair? Peter Lingard proves a point.

Peter writes for Bonzer magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 27, 2009

Holidays

The person hiring the dinghy helped us in, and my father took the oars and started off. He'd only rowed about four strokes, when because of the waves washing onto the shore, the boat turned sideways and over, and tipped us all into the sea. Boy! What pandemonium!

Shirley Henwood, with a belated smile, tells of a holiday misadventure.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 24, 2009

1950s Kentish Boarding School

...We wrote everything in ink in those days before the Biro, when pencils were thought not good enough. We ordered nib-holders and nibs, plus other stationery, from the school office, as well as Quink ink, but if you were lucky, you owned a fountain pen that would save you from dipping into the inkbottle every few words...

Rodney Gascoyne recalls his days at a 1950s boarding school.

Rodney writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 20, 2009

May Wirth

Paula Wilson presents a brief biography of May Wirth, a circus artiste who was the best bare back rider in the world.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 17, 2009

A Night At A Geisha House

Peggy Mitchell tells of the night when she was a guest of honour in the usually male preserve of a Japanese geisha house.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 13, 2009

Going Back

...Throughout the ages, women have been socialized to focus their lives on nurturing others. To the extent of undervaluing their own growth, their own independence. But with the loss of the extended family, many women are finding themselves alone as they age...

Lytrice Adams writes encouragingly about dealing with a universal problem.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 10, 2009

What Are We Going To Eat?

...Picture if you will, a large round table, around which are grouped a dozen chairs. Each place has its glass, knives and forks, and a simple plate on which sits a folded serviette. A carafe of vin de table and a bottle of eau du robinet is in the middle of the table, and on the side are some long, crisp baguettes...

As you must already have guessed Poppy Fogarty is a "foody''.

Poppy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 06, 2009

A Harmless Addiction

...I’m sitting at the computer, eyes glued to the screen, fingers hovering over the keys. The message reads 'You are the highest bidder.' My hands are sweating and my heart racing, as I wonder whether to increase my bid or if someone else will come in at the last minute and gazump me. I imagine other bidders sitting at their computers just like me, trying to work out their best strategy...

Wendy Ogbourne tells of her addiction to eBay.

Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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October 03, 2009

An Aerosol Welcome To Australia

"My welcome to Australia consisted of being sprayed with decontamination spray.''

Derek Smith recalls arriving in Australia at the age of 17.

Derek writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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September 29, 2009

Shaky Tales From The Shaky Isles

Joe Lee, an Aussie living in New Zealand, tells of an astonishing one-year-old and a ket.

Joe writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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September 26, 2009

I Remember Them

Derek Smith remembers with happiness and sadness those who figured in his younger years.

Derek writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer,org.au

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September 22, 2009

Of All The Joints In All The World, You Walked Into Mine

...The curator had noticed our emotional reaction and came over to us. We related our story to him and he seemed to be looking at me rather intensely.

'What number did you live in? ' He asked.

'Number three.' I replied.

I was not prepared for what happened next...''

Violet Hall tells of an amazing counter in a war museum.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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September 19, 2009

Overcoming Difficulties

...It’s certainly not an original observation that we don’t appreciate our parents until they’re not around any more. When we’re young, we’re much too busy with our own affairs to think too much about them as individuals. It’s only as we become the older generation ourselves, that we can begin to understand the lives they led or the difficulties they overcame...

Nick Ogbourne tells of his hard-working father.

Nick writes for Bonzer! magazine, Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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September 15, 2009

Dear Dad

Violet Apted recalls one of the saddest days of her life.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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September 12, 2009

My Dad

...My dad from time to time suffered from unexpected sneezing fits for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, during dinner, he sneezed! Being a big man it was not just a little short sneeze, but a huge resounding sneeze that stopped everyone in their tracks!...

And that was the start of quite a performance, as Anne Mayne reveals.

Anne writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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September 05, 2009

A Dead Man

Derek Smith tells of his grandfather who worked on the railways in India - a man presumed by his family to have died.

Derek writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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September 01, 2009

Boarding School In The 1950s

...Some of the school staff were caring and interested in helping the boys, but generally we were expected to cope on our own....

Rodney Gascoyne recalls his days at a Kentish boarding school in the 1950s.

Rodney writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 29, 2009

Molly Morgan

Paula Wilson introduces us to Molly Morgan, a lively lass who was twice transported from 18th Century England to Australia.

Paula writes for Bonze! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 25, 2009

A Journey To Fire Mountain

Peggy Mitchell tells of a visit to an active volano.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 22, 2009

Waste Not

I think that I shall never see
Waste paper lovely as a tree.
But if our current waste don't fall,
We may not see a tree at all.

Valerie Yule suggests a number of simple planet-saving ideas.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 18, 2009

The Riddle Of The Universe

"With all of the knowledge man has acquired it seems we are still at the lower end of the wisdom scale,'' declares Robert Heller.

Robert writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 15, 2009

St. Remy de Provence

Poppy Fogarty visits St. Remy de Provence, a town of artists.

Poppy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 11, 2009

The Disappearance

Michael Hart tells the spooky tale of two mugs whcih disappeared, then reappeared.

Michael writes for Bonzer! magazine, Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 08, 2009

Holiday Planning – the 'O' question

Andrea Roberts suggests that when two people are planning a holiday serious questions should first be asked or disaster may ensue.

Andrea writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 04, 2009

Weedy Sea Dragons

...I squirm, pull and tug, trying to get my body encased neck to ankle in rubber. It's worse than a full body corset and I breathe in as I pull the zipper to beneath my chin...

Glenice Whitting dons a wetsuit to see life beneath the waves.

Glenice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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August 01, 2009

She's Late Today

...Sometimes her hair hung free and loose, flowing over her shoulders, sometimes it was gathered back and held by a comb clip at the back of her head, sometimes two plaited braids swept back from her forehead and held it back from her face. What a face!...

Les Yemm tells of a man obsessed.

Les writes for Bonzer magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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July 28, 2009

She Ran The Marathon

...visions of my child limping with pain along that long inhospitable course riddled my dreams the preceding night. I wisely kept my fears to myself...

Lytrice Adams began to suffer when her daughter announced that she was going to run the Montreal marathon.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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July 25, 2009

Proud Parent

Colleen McMillan tells a delicious tale of a mistake made by a proud new dad.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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July 21, 2009

Australia's First War Nurses

Paula Wilson tells of Ausgtralian female nurses who sailed to South Africa to tend the wounded and ill during the Boer War.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please click on www.bonzer.org.au

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July 18, 2009

Ends For Odds

Valerie Yule give some money and planet-saving tips.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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July 14, 2009

Beyond The Physiotherapist

...Diamonds are the result of age and pressure. And we learn through our life experiences over the years. We can put the pieces of the puzzle together and see how they worked to land us in whatever pickle we find ourselves today. Or in whatever Shangri-la...

Lytrice Adams delights in the positive side of growing older.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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July 11, 2009

The Terror Of Manners

Anna Mancini deplores modern manners - or rather the lack of them.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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July 07, 2009

Lament For Lake Pedder

Wendy Ogbourne mourns the loss of a beautiful lake in Tasmania.

Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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July 04, 2009

Electronic Gas

Sandi Maroney tells of a life ruled by the phone.

Sandi writes For Bonzer! magazine. Olease visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 30, 2009

An Australian Mystery

Colleen McMillan tells of a creepy incident experienced by her granddaughter.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 27, 2009

Cicadas In Japan

...The cicadas of Yokohama were unlike any I had heard in Australia. They seemed to produce definite tunes and sounds ranging from 'keck-keck-keck' to a 'clicka-clicka' sounds.

Peggy Mitchell caused giggles while recording the sounds of cicadas in Japan.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Cicadas In Japan" »

June 23, 2009

The "Too Hard'' Basket

...Nothing sits collecting dust and guilt in the too hard basket in this house. I've taken the phrase the 'too hard basket' and made it into a physical reality, but removing the 'too'...

Andrea Roberts tells how she deals with the tasks that are so easily left undone.

Andrea writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The "Too Hard'' Basket" »

June 20, 2009

Claire Adams

Paula Wilson tells of film star Claire Adams, who fell in love at first sight then set up home in Australia.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please click on www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Claire Adams" »

June 13, 2009

Faith

Anna Mancini muses on the nature of faith.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 09, 2009

Les Pigeonniers du Tarn

Poppy Fogarty is entranced by the "pigeon houses'' dotted through the Midi-Pyrenees region of France.

Poppy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Les Pigeonniers du Tarn" »

June 06, 2009

The Bunuba And The Ngarinyin

...Police who caught Aborigines spearing cattle put them in chains and sent them to Derby hundreds of kilometres away on foot. The torture of the chains around their necks in searing heat must have been unbearable. Many of these were sent by boat to Rottnest Island near Perth where few survived the cold or saw their country again....

Paul Newbury tells of Aboriginal resistence to European invaders.

Paul writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Bunuba And The Ngarinyin" »

June 02, 2009

The Urn

Sandi Maroney tells of a man who planned his funeral.

Sandi writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 30, 2009

Going Bush

....Harry Jensen's attempt at self-sufficiency began in April. He walked into the forest with a hunting knife and a digging stick and a crossbow set he'd bought at a Hobart gun shop....

But could Harry survive in the bush? This story by Michael Grounds reveals what happened to a man who tried to be at one with nature.

Michael writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Going Bush" »

May 26, 2009

Sisters

Lytrice Adams tells the story of two sisters - and the relentless effects of passing years.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 23, 2009

The Fascinating Sixties

Derek Smith tells of the Significant Sixties.

Derek writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 19, 2009

Kind Neighbors

Mary Clemons tells of neighborliness when hurricanes come blasting into Florida.

Mary writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please click on www.bonzer.org.au

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May 16, 2009

Monkey Business

...We loved going to the zoo. Joy, my sister liked the monkeys best. I liked the cockatoos because they talked to us. There was one sulphur crested cockatoo, who always said, 'Hello darling, hello darling, give us a kiss. Cocky want a cup of tea? Dance cocky, dance.' If we bobbed up and down he would dance with us. Or if we made kissing noises he would too. He was always there when we visited. I thought he knew us...

But there came a day when Shirley Henwood decided that she did not like monkeys.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Monkey Business" »

May 12, 2009

Female Pirates

Paula Wilson tells of Charlotte Badger and Catherine Hagerty, Australia's first female pirates.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Female Pirates" »

May 09, 2009

Meandering Through Life

...I stopped running when I was 34 and began to meander through my life, one moment at a time, trying to appreciate each step that I take, making each one significant...

Anna Mancini brings sound suggestions on how to lead a happy life.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Meandering Through Life" »

May 05, 2009

Boodjamulla

Paul Newbury visits Boodjamulla National Park, a place of tranquil waters and the land of the Waanyi people in North Queensland.

Paul writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Boodjamulla" »

May 02, 2009

Tradition

...Why would parents name a beautiful baby girl Apple? Does this name age with the child? How does a girl named Bambi or Honey mature with self-respect?...

Sandra Maroney discusses the naming of children.

Sandra writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 28, 2009

The Hyperthyroidism

...Now I think that hyperthyroidism was the best gift that life could offer me...

Connie Herawati Lilie tells of horrible days.

Connie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please click on www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Hyperthyroidism" »

April 25, 2009

Lessons We Learn

...Grief can only follow its own path and take its own time. The paths are many and the time varies considerably...

Grieving is a lesson most of us learn as we journey the pathway of life, says Violet Apted.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Lessons We Learn" »

April 21, 2009

Coming Up For Air

Gehan Wijesinha feels the pain as he tries to get fit.

Gehan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 18, 2009

The Ups And Downs Of Writing

Wendy Ogbourne tells of the roller-coaster emotions of those who write to be read.

Wendy's words appear in Bonzer! magazine. Do please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Ups And Downs Of Writing" »

April 15, 2009

My Marrtiage Proposal

...When we came to New Zealand, I was fourteen. I was always falling in love with somebody. Or I imagined I was. My life existed mostly in my dreams and daydreams, which was a failing of mine, or so I was always told. Most of these dreams were unrealistic I can see now, but at the time I suppose they kept me sane in a strange country where I didn't fit in, and wanted to go home...


Shirley Henwood tells how she took one look - and fell in live.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "My Marrtiage Proposal" »

April 14, 2009

Shanghaied in Dubai

Violet Apted tells of a nightmare journey.

Continue reading "Shanghaied in Dubai" »

April 11, 2009

Ravaged

...She walked towards me, seemingly oblivious to my presence. Her hands were gripped together in front of her. She gave the impression of wringing them together in anguish, but there was no discernible movement...

Shirley Henwood tells of a hauntingly unforgettable encounter.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Ravaged" »

April 07, 2009

Washing Clothes Without Waste

Valerie Yule suggests that to save the planet's water we really do need to rethink how we wash out clothes.

Continue reading "Washing Clothes Without Waste" »

April 04, 2009

Travelling Light

...We all carry the history of our people within us, as sure as we carry our ancestral DNA...

Alma Iris Ramirez tells of displaced people and a dying river.

Alma writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Travelling Light" »

March 31, 2009

The Madness Of March

Anna Mancini considers the mad month which ends today.

Continue reading "The Madness Of March" »

March 28, 2009

Naming The Natural Estate

The naming of geographic features has a deep, deep significance, as Paul Newbury reveals.

Paul writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Naming The Natural Estate" »

March 24, 2009

Barking Mad

Betty Collins finds herself bemused by the world and its ways.

Continue reading "Barking Mad" »

March 21, 2009

A Fishing Trip In Newfoundland

Sandra Maroney recalls an idyllic fishing trip of many years ago.

Continue reading "A Fishing Trip In Newfoundland" »

March 17, 2009

Elder

...'What's it like to be really old like you Poppy?'

'What do mean really old?' He pushed the laughing boy...

Derek Smith tells a touching story of age and youth.

Derek writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Elder" »

March 14, 2009

The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights color this vengeful story by Mary Clemons.

Mary writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please click on www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Northern Lights" »

March 10, 2009

Best Left Unsaid

Unless Colleen McMillan's grown-up daughter reads Open Writing, she will never know what became of her pet bird.

Continue reading "Best Left Unsaid" »

February 28, 2009

Old Women, Hags And Crones

Alma Iris Ramirez honours the Crone as a symbol that women still have a life to lead as they grow older.

Alma writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Old Women, Hags And Crones" »

February 24, 2009

What Child Is This?

...I understood the concept of transferred affections and how what matters is who actually raises you. There will always be the biological, DNA vibrating connection to one's birth parents, but our hearts, minds and souls seem to be perfectly adaptable to becoming bonded with those who take the time to feed and nurture us...

Anna Mancini writes movingly on the subject of adoption.

Anna writes contributes to Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "What Child Is This?" »

February 21, 2009

Back In Simpler Times

...An article describing the scene when Thorntown's town lots were auctioned off in 1830, mentions that a rattlesnake bit someone's horse, tied out to a sapling. It wasn't much of a horse, but still a pioneer could hardly afford to lose him....

Jerry Selby delves into local history.

Continue reading "Back In Simpler Times" »

February 17, 2009

The Gentle Art Of Sewing

...Women were, and still are, I've noticed, expected to be able to sew by instinct. Ladies were always expected to be able to 'sew a fine seam'; and girls who had nothing whatever to do, and no other talents or accomplishments like singing or playing the harpsichord, were expected to sew 'samplers' at the very least..

Betty Collins muses on the art of sewing.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Gentle Art Of Sewing" »

February 14, 2009

Opening Salvo

...It is contemporary Politics that have been the last straw: I cannot make head or tail or of what is going on in the world...

Betty Collins expresses the views of millions of sane, sensible and bemused citizens.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Opening Salvo" »

February 10, 2009

Rosie Goes Shopping

Rosemary Davison recalls the day she set out to buy lamb's fry.

Rosemary writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Rosie Goes Shopping" »

February 09, 2009

The Gentle Art Of Sewing

...Women were, and still are, I've noticed, expected to be able to sew by instinct. Ladies were always expected to be able to 'sew a fine seam'; and girls who had nothing whatever to do, and no other talents or accomplishments like singing or playing the harpsichord, were expected to sew 'samplers' at the very least..

Betty Collins muses on the art of sewing.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Gentle Art Of Sewing" »

February 07, 2009

It May Be The Food

Connie Herawati Lilie is attached to Indonesia. despite violence against those of her relgion and racial background.

Connie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "It May Be The Food" »

February 03, 2009

My New Digital Camera

There is a disadvantage to using a digital camera, as Lytrice Hood reveals.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "My New Digital Camera" »

January 31, 2009

Lunch At Pirie

Gehan Wijesinha tells of an air drama.

Gehan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Lunch At Pirie" »

January 28, 2009

Easy For You To Say

Jerry Selby juggles with a few long word.

Jerry wrote for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Easy For You To Say" »

A Flicker of Hope

There’s a chance of revival when you enrol in a University of the Third Age course, as Maureen Foreman's poem reveals.

Continue reading "A Flicker of Hope" »

January 27, 2009

Leading The Wanderer Home

... I begin to wonder how I will ever find bus number two seven nine...

Glenice Whitting gets lost on a Jerusalem tour.

Glenice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Leading The Wanderer Home" »

January 24, 2009

Seriously Wierd

Wendy Ogbourne tells the wierd tale of an accident foretold.

Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Seriously Wierd" »

January 20, 2009

Digitally Disadvantaged In Canberra

...One could imagine that only good decisions could come from a government working in such beautiful surroundings...

Shirley Henwood visits Canbera.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer,org.au

Continue reading "Digitally Disadvantaged In Canberra" »

January 17, 2009

Running the Ship

Rodney Gascoyne tells of life aboard a Union-Castle passenger liner.

Continue reading "Running the Ship" »

January 13, 2009

Lottie Lyell

Paula Wilson tells of Australia's first film star.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Lottie Lyell" »

January 10, 2009

Waste No Pleasures

Valerie Yule gives a guide to life's pleasures.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Waste No Pleasures" »

January 06, 2009

Celebrating Motherhood

"The male church hierarchy secluded itself from the lives of ordinary women, but in our community we celebrated motherhood.'' recalls Alma Iris Ramirez.

Alma writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Celebrating Motherhood" »

January 03, 2009

The Eggnog Express

Anna Mancini tells a supernatural tale filled with true love.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Eggnog Express" »

December 30, 2008

Old Folks Home

Ans Redelaar-Seinen brings a disturbing account of old age.

Ans writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Old Folks Home" »

December 27, 2008

Home For Christmas

When Lytrice Adams returned to Grenada for Christmas she did not find what she was expecting.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Home For Christmas" »

December 23, 2008

Period Of Adjustment

Rosemary Davison tells how Sebastian and his sister Melpomene changed her life.

Rosemary writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Period Of Adjustment" »

December 20, 2008

Layers Of Wrapping

Ros Schulz takes a hard, clear look at Christmas.

Ross writes for Bonzer magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Layers Of Wrapping" »

December 16, 2008

Willie

Jerry Selby tells a wonderful, heart-warming tale of Christmas in the Army.

Continue reading "Willie" »

December 13, 2008

Talking Of Home

So where is home? Shirley Henwood tells an ex-pats tale.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Talking Of Home" »

December 09, 2008

My First Ship

Rodney Gascoyne recalls joining the crew of the liner Stirling Castle.

Rodney writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "My First Ship" »

December 06, 2008

Waste Nothing At Christmas

Valerie Yule explains how to have a waste-free Christmas.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Waste Nothing At Christmas" »

December 02, 2008

Tableau In Red

...One morning as I walked towards a bus stand, a small group of barefoot tribal women snaked their way through the narrow Kathmandu streets, heading in the opposite direction...

Alma Iris Ramirez tells of Nepalese festivals.

Alma writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Tableau In Red" »

November 29, 2008

Adjusting The Volume

...What an interesting experience, this volume business. We are designed with two ears to hear and process sound. You would think that we would have evolved into having automatic volume control to go with the ever increasing blasts of sound coming at us from every aspect of life, but especially from young people....

But Anna Mancini cautions that we should not stereotype the young.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Adjusting The Volume" »

November 25, 2008

November

Jerry Selby delights in the month of November.

Continue reading "November" »

November 22, 2008

Economic Fact And Fiction

Australian Ken Sillcock, a man in his nineties, suggests economic reform.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Economic Fact And Fiction" »

November 18, 2008

Cat Women I Have Known

Betty Collins tells of ladies who devote their lives to cats.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Cat Women I Have Known" »

November 15, 2008

The Exploits And Adventures Of A Travelling Musician

Musician Faye Harkness and her husband Blair collected a sackful of interesting experiences when they went on tour to find out what Australia was all about.

Faye writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Exploits And Adventures Of A Travelling Musician" »

November 11, 2008

Been there—done that!

Nick Ogbourne belives that dads should take a full share in their children's school days.

Nick writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Been there—done that!" »

November 08, 2008

Souvenir - A True Story

There was a surprising reward for Good Samaritan Yvonne Becker.

Yvonne writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Souvenir - A True Story" »

November 04, 2008

Wayne

Colleen McMillan tells of a talkative cruise "companion''.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Wayne" »

November 01, 2008

The Morning Train

Kath Mounsey's story reveals the satisfactory result of a smile during a train journey.

Kath writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Morning Train" »

October 28, 2008

Bush Telegraph

So what was it that brought all those men to a stanstill?

Shirley Henwood tells a tale that ends with a chuckle.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Bush Telegraph" »

October 25, 2008

Preparations For Sea

Rodney Gascoyne recalls the days when great passenger liners criss-crossed the oceans.

Rodney writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Preparations For Sea" »

October 21, 2008

Those Darned Cats

Betty Collins tells of the cats in her life.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Those Darned Cats" »

October 18, 2008

Beetle Bombs

...A most amazing thing greeted me in the backyard. The tall old man was standing in the middle of the garden with bomb craters all around him, each no more than ten feet apart, clearly they were targeting him as a moving object, without success, although the garden shed had disappeared altogether. The old beggar refused to come inside. According to him his day had not yet come to die and he did not fancy to be buried before being dead. Cellars had been hit in the past he said. He was right about that. He did survive the war and died of old age living past his 100th year...

Hennie van Dyk recalls the day during World War Two when he went to visit his grandparents while shells were exploding.

Hennie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Beetle Bombs" »

October 14, 2008

Dreams

...Although we were complete opposites, Marcie and I became best friends and were still best friends when we moved on to Kirkton High. That was when I first realised that Marcie was stealing my dreams...

Marion McKeen tells a delicious tale of a dream too far.

Marion writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Dreams" »

October 11, 2008

A Rented House

...We went inside, and our eyes bulged. The stark, modern beauty of the décor overawed us all. While the houses I had always accepted as part of my life had been mostly dull, fawn colours inside, this house almost shouted, ’Look at me, let me blind you with my colours.'...

Shirley Henwood casts her thoughts back more than 50 years to recall her first home in New Zealand.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Rented House" »

October 07, 2008

Adelaide Ironside

Paula Wilson tells the sad story of Sydney-born artist Adelaide Ironside.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Adelaide Ironside" »

October 04, 2008

The Plague Of Mice

...The mice ate shoes, popped out of drawers, into pockets, vases, chairs, bicycle seats, lollies and soft toys. They showed utter disdain and contempt for the series of useless cats that we brought in one after another. They were not easy to catch with butterfly nets and dishcloths. They would not be chased out of doors...

Betty Collins is determined to take a stand against the tiny colonisers.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Plague Of Mice" »

September 27, 2008

A Small Rebellion

Shirley Henwood recalls the day she rebelled in class.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Small Rebellion" »

September 23, 2008

Ada Jemima Crossley

Paula Wilson tells of Ada Jemima Crossley, an internationally-famed contralto singer.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Ada Jemima Crossley" »

September 20, 2008

The Human Spirit

...I think sometimes we forget where we have been and where we are going. We tend to take the negative of our current lifetime and paint it with a wide brush that says, 'We've never been so destructive, lost, mean, ruthless, selfish and arrogant.' Yes we have, we just didn’t have TV and mass media to bring 100% of the entire earth's issues into our personal space. We used to only have to deal with our own small circle of life. Now we are asked to be responsible for 100% of life on a very large planet in a very large universe. That's a lot...

Anna Mancini is determined not to add to the world's problems.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www,bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Human Spirit" »

September 16, 2008

Sorry

...So it was 'sorry' for this, and 'sorry' for that without ever stopping to consider the meaning of the word. And then we continue on our merry way, conning, browbeating, walking over, lying, saving face, all justified and sanitized by that little word 'sorry.' ...

Lytrice Adams is no friend of that oft-used five-letter word.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Sorry" »

September 13, 2008

GDG

Ken Sillcock casts a cold eye on our wasteful ways.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "GDG" »

September 09, 2008

The Jilly

There's a bundle of memories tied up in a coat called The Jilly, as Shirley Henwood reveals.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Jilly" »

September 06, 2008

My Place

There are advantages and disadvantages to living in the Australian bush, as Mal Lewis reports.

Mal writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "My Place" »

September 02, 2008

Illiteracy

Ken Silcock thinks we may be educating young children too soon, and too quickly.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Illiteracy" »

August 30, 2008

Lunch With Bob

James Cumes tells of the day a pudding bowl went astray while the Prime Minister was chatting to the Ambassador.

James writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please click on http://www.openwriting.com/archives/bonzer_words/

Continue reading "Lunch With Bob" »

August 26, 2008

Out Of The Comfort Zone

Glenice Whitting joins a writing course and finds she has embarked on a voyage of self discovery.

Glenice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Out Of The Comfort Zone" »

August 23, 2008

Then And Now

...Everyone got dressed-up for the funeral. The men wore black suits if they had one, but the women and girls always turned out in their best finery—white, or black, or a mix of black and white, or the occasional mauve dress, with shoes and hats to match...

Lytrice Adams tells of funerals as they used to be in Grenada, and funerals as they are now.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www,bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Then And Now" »

August 19, 2008

Wool

Carla Sari tells of the excitement of one young lady on the day that Dino the mattress maker came to call.

Carla writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Wool" »

August 16, 2008

Noise

Was that drumming which disturbed Sarojini Seeneevassen in the middle of the night?

Sarojini, who was born in Mauritius, writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Noise" »

August 12, 2008

One Good Turn Deserves Another

Some good turns can last for years and years, as Colleen McMillan's story indicates.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "One Good Turn Deserves Another" »

August 09, 2008

The Ambiguities Of Memory

Goldie Alexander questions the reliability of memories.

Goldie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Ambiguities Of Memory" »

August 05, 2008

1941-1943 Nottingham Days

Peggy Blakeley recalls her teaching days in the city of Nottingham during World War Two.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "1941-1943 Nottingham Days" »

August 02, 2008

A Hail Of Tracer Bullets

...During one of these raids we noticed a cyclist going past and one second later seeing him fall flat on his face spread out like an eagle. What had happened was that a sliver of white-hot metal had sliced through the frame of the bike in at least two places severing the bike in several pieces. The man was lucky that it was the bike and not him that copped the shrapnel...

Hennie van Dyk tells of life in war-torn Holland.

Hennie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Hail Of Tracer Bullets" »

July 29, 2008

The New Age Healers

Alma Iris Ramirez tells of bears' claws and a fallen eagle.

Alma writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The New Age Healers" »

July 22, 2008

Cats Of Adelaide

Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw -
For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there! - T S Eliot

"No one knows where McCavity hangs out,'' says Betty Collins "but I have an idea it may be down in the City with many Secrets, Adelaide, down at Westbeach.''

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Cats Of Adelaide" »

July 19, 2008

The Jobs Fallacy

Ken Sillcock, musing on the world he knew ninety years ago, says "The human animal has come a long way since in technical knowledge and skills, but it has lost its former tribal common sense. Those people might have worked long hours when there was need, but if they finished the job early the rest of the day was theirs.''

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Jobs Fallacy" »

July 15, 2008

Water – My Comfort

...In the dam nearby my home lived a platypus or two. How I loved to watch from the wooden bridge, their antics in the water. I remember the first time I spotted one. I was swimming, or trying to, with the aid of a tyre tube but rushed frantically from the water screaming, 'snake, snake'. My brother laughed saying it was a platypus but I needed Dad to confirm it before I would re-enter the water...

Jan Rodman tells of watery disturbances and delights.

Jan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Water – My Comfort" »

July 08, 2008

Aliwal North - Childhood Memories

Yvonne Becker recalls the sights, smells and sounds of a hot-springs holiday in South Africa.

Yvonne writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Aliwal North - Childhood Memories" »

July 05, 2008

Silk

...Although the twins didn't say where they came from, they told Mother they worked in the textile factory and lived in one of their boss's flats. Every evening, they strolled down the main street, tossing their long hair, indifferent to the men's bold stares. 'Here they come,' people whispered...

The twins are secretaries, but informed gossip says they are providing other services.

Carla Sari tells of lingerie and intrigue.

Carla writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Silk" »

July 01, 2008

Secrets In The Paint Pots

Hennie van Dyk, recalling the German occupation of his native Holland during the war years, tells of his father's role as a resistence leader.

Hennie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Secrets In The Paint Pots" »

June 28, 2008

College Days 1939-41

Peggy Blakeley recalls her wartime college days.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "College Days 1939-41" »

June 24, 2008

Stairway To The Heavens

Gehan Wijesinha visits the ruins of a Mayan city in Mexico.

Gehan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Stairway To The Heavens" »

June 21, 2008

Kora

Alma Iris Ramirez tells of Buddhist ceremonies.

Alma writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Kora" »

June 17, 2008

Louie

He's there, in her face. She waves him away, but he cpomes back again. Can he survive?

Colleen McMillan tells of a pesterer.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Do please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Louie" »

June 14, 2008

Help!

Lytrice Adams tells of becoming a "prisoner'' during a holiday in Egypt.

Lytrice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Help!" »

June 10, 2008

Stir-Fry Meatloaf Casserole Stew With Things

Rely on Gormitt Pottage to tickle - or should that be stun? - the taste buds

Continue reading "Stir-Fry Meatloaf Casserole Stew With Things" »

June 07, 2008

Cascades Female Factory

Paula Wilson tells of of the horrors which women convicts had to endure after being shipped out to Australia in the 19th Century.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Cascades Female Factory" »

June 03, 2008

Noise In A Garden

Valerie Yule says a garden does not just involve sight, smell and touch. It is also filled with the music of nature.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Noise In A Garden" »

May 31, 2008

This Moving Life

...For most people, moving house is a traumatic experience. It was, for us, too. But pleasure came afterwards with the waking of the senses to all things new...

Edel Wignell tells of the trauma we all dread - and its happy aftermath.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "This Moving Life" »

May 27, 2008

In Droughts Like That

Belinda Broughton's poem comes shimmering from the heat of Australia.

Belinda writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "In Droughts Like That" »

May 24, 2008

Fast Talkers

...For no valid reason, those born in the latter half of last century formed the habit of breaking the speed limit of eight syllables a second, beyond which words become blurred and merge into one another. In the worst cases, they flow on monotonously in complete disregard of punctuation. Now their children have also copied the habit...

Ken Silcock reminds those fast talkers that the purpose of speech is to make oneself understood.

Ken, who is 97, writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Fast Talkers" »

May 20, 2008

The Turkish Bath

Gehan Wijesinha tells of a visit to a Turkish bath house.

Gehan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Turkish Bath" »

May 17, 2008

Meet My Mother - Part One

...'I haven't told my mother about us,' he said.

'What?' I just stared at him in amazement. We'd been going out at least twice a week for ages, well months anyway, and he hadn't even mentioned me? I could see there was some big problem here, and I wasn't sure I was up to facing it...

Was there something wrong with his mother? Shirley Hendwood begins an intriguing story.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Meet My Mother - Part One" »

May 13, 2008

Summer Camp At Little Venice

Rodney Gacoyne tells of summer fun on the canals of London.

Rodney writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Summer Camp At Little Venice" »

May 10, 2008

Flower Sharing

Valerie Yule tells of the healing and comforting properties of flowers.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Flower Sharing" »

May 06, 2008

Life With Father

...I don't think there is any way you can disguise that you have children in the house. Apart from the 'tram-lines' on the once highly-polished coffee table, and the crayon drawings all over the walls, the water pouring under the bathroom door is a sure sign that the boys are playing boats..

Bernard Heller tells pf the "joys'' of bringing up children,

Bernard writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Life With Father" »

May 03, 2008

A Trip to the Pictures*

Elaine Lutton takes the family to see a film while grandfather snoozes.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Trip to the Pictures*" »

April 29, 2008

Nature's Gems

A country lad has riches beyond gold and silver, as Jan Rodman's poem reveals.

Jan contributes to Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Nature's Gems" »

April 26, 2008

The White Shoes

Lytrice Adams writes vividly of being an immigrant in a strange land.

Lyrtice's words appear in Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The White Shoes" »

April 22, 2008

Let's All Panic!

...I hear there was a man who, when he read that smoking causes cancer, gave up reading. I have every sympathy with him, though I could never give up reading, even if it were proven to shorten my life...

Wendy Ogbourne suggests that we should forget our worries and enjoy our lives.

Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Let's All Panic!" »

April 19, 2008

Dad's Place

Sharyn Munro and her sisters make a very speical place for their father.

Sharyn writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Dad's Place" »

April 15, 2008

Moonlight And Lanterns

Paula Wilson tells of an Australian nurse who tended severly wounded young men during the First World War.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Moonlight And Lanterns" »

April 12, 2008

To Go Or Not To Go

Wendy Ogbourne tells of moving from suburbia to live in a small country town.

Wendy writes for Bonser! Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "To Go Or Not To Go" »

April 05, 2008

Beliefs

...I conclude that every constructive and honest belief system has a 'placebo effect'. If you sincerely believe that some superior intelligence can guide you, it will, whether you call it God, Allah, Jehovah, or whatever, in conjunction with the effort of your own powers of thought and known principles of living...

Ken Sillcock brings us the wisdom of his 90 years.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer,org.au

Continue reading "Beliefs" »

April 01, 2008

Please Don't Pat The Snakes

Elaine Lutton and her husband Don have things in their garden which could cause a world-wide shudder....

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Please Don't Pat The Snakes" »

March 29, 2008

A New Coat

Jan Rodman recalls a vist, when still a child, to her grandparents.

Jan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A New Coat" »

March 25, 2008

Marshmallow Fog

Violet Apted tells of a mysterious healing fog.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Marshmallow Fog" »

March 22, 2008

Down The Nile

Gehan Wijesinha tells of a misfortunate journey down the Nile.

Gehan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Down The Nile" »

March 18, 2008

The Collectors

"My mother collected strays, most of them cats, as well as people...'' - and Shirley Henwood reveals that she now takes after her mother.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Collectors" »

March 15, 2008

Making Music

This column by Michael Grounds and Elizabeth Sinclair tells of the delight of making music imperfectly with other people. It's more fun and better for the soul than hearing it performed perfectly by someone else.

Michael and Elizabeth write for Bonzer! magazine www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Making Music" »

March 11, 2008

How To Live

Anna Mancini offers sound advice on how to live a happy life.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "How To Live" »

March 08, 2008

A Trip To The Sky

Edel Wignell retells a Russian folk tale.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Trip To The Sky" »

March 04, 2008

The Great Mistake

Ken Sillcock says it is possible for the whole of the human race to become one caring and sharing tribe.

"We have been hindered from achieving this desirable state by our Great Mistake: our failure to distinguish between wealth and money.''

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Great Mistake" »

March 01, 2008

Beauty

Elaine Lutton tells of a garden "miracle''.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Beauty" »

February 26, 2008

A Smile

...I can still see John hurrying through the classroom door with uncombed hair, shirt hanging out and a smile that would melt anyone's heart...

Jan Rodman meets one of her former students.

Jan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Smile" »

February 23, 2008

The Land Of Lost Content

Peggy Blakeley tells of being compelled to leave the farm where she grew up in a beautiful part of west Lancashire.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Land Of Lost Content" »

February 19, 2008

Cradle Mountain

Paula Wilson tells of Gustav and Kate Weindorfer, whose hearts were stolen by Cradle Mountain, one of Tasmania's top tourist destinations.

Paula writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Cradle Mountain" »

February 16, 2008

Unsustainable Gardens

Valerie Yule points out that suburban gardens can harm the natural world.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine, Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Unsustainable Gardens" »

February 12, 2008

None So Deaf As Those Who Will Not Hear

...Though the first time I flushed my toilet it made me jump. It is a moment I will remember, as it made me realize just how quiet my world had become...

Violet Apted tells how she determined not to be a victim of deafness.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "None So Deaf As Those Who Will Not Hear" »

February 09, 2008

Penketh

...The cuckoo called and when in season there were mushrooms for the picking. The soaring song of the lark was ever with us and swallows and swifts glided and swooped; Willy Wagtails perched on the barn roof and thrushes and blackbirds nested in the orchard, whilst snowdrops, violets, wild roses and 'conkers' helped to define the seasons....

Peggy Blakeley tells of an idyllic childhood.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Penketh" »

February 05, 2008

Life On Bribie Island

Elaine Lutton tells of holiday life on Bribie Island, off Queensland, Australia.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Life On Bribie Island" »

February 02, 2008

Human Kindness

...When will humanity learn that a Caring Society, in which people ask, 'What can I do to help?' can accomplish so much more than one in which the motive is, 'You must compete, and make your economy grow faster than that of your rivals'?...

Ken Silcock presents wise words.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Human Kindness" »

January 29, 2008

The Peach Boy

Edel Wignell retells a Japanese folk tale.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Peach Boy" »

January 26, 2008

First Dance - Part 1

Shirley Henwood finds the charming young gentlemen backward in coming forward.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "First Dance - Part 1" »

January 22, 2008

Archeology In The Garden

Valerie Yule tells of "treasures'' to be found in a garden dig.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Archeology In The Garden" »

January 19, 2008

Road Construction Driving Correspendence School

Anna Mancini has come forward to offer help and instruction to today's harrassed drivers.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Road Construction Driving Correspendence School" »

January 15, 2008

The One That Got Away

Jan Rodman tells of a day at the races, and a moment when resolve was lost.

Jan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The One That Got Away" »

January 12, 2008

A Memorable First

Peggy Blakeley tells of an unfortunate "addition'' to a school nativity play.

Peggy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Memorable First" »

January 08, 2008

The Day After Christmas

Colleen McMillan tells a tale of gratitude in the aftermath of Christmas.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Day After Christmas" »

January 05, 2008

Ocean Liners

Rodney Gascoyne recalls his days at sea with the Union-Castle line.

Rodney writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Ocean Liners" »

January 01, 2008

Blowing Bubbles

...Whenever we heard our mother singing, 'I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles' we knew there was trouble...

Shirley Henwood tells of dreams which never came true.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Blowing Bubbles" »

December 29, 2007

One Of Life's Special Moments

...I asked her if anything was the matter. 'Yes,' she whispered. 'My panties are sliding down.'..

Gerda Aaberg tells of one of life's most embarrassing moments.

Gerda writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "One Of Life's Special Moments" »

December 22, 2007

Oma's Christmas Tree

Glenice Whitting tells a flavourful Christmas tale.

Glenice writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Oma's Christmas Tree" »

December 18, 2007

In Spite Of Everything

...Listen to peaceful music, read poetry, watch birds and wild animals, play the piano or your favorite instrument, write notes to people you love and care about just to say hello, appreciate the sun, moon and stars, wonder at the glory of a flower, watch fish swim, paint a picture, write a song, read a book, talk to your neighbors and loved ones often, volunteer in your community, do chores for the elderly, bring flowers to someone as a surprise—be joyful.

We are magnificent creatures, we human beings, capable of incredible things, deep love, great laughter and high vibrating souls of peace and joy...

Anna Mancini brings encouraging advice for sombre times.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "In Spite Of Everything" »

December 15, 2007

My State School Days

...These were the days when kids made their own fun. I remember riding my horse to school and then organising races against a friend's horse around the football ground next to the school. He had bragged that his was the faster of the two, I not letting on that mine was an ex race-horse, I took little wagers (3d & 6d) on the race and financially came out in front....

Jan Rodman recalls school days in rural Tasmania.

Jan writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "My State School Days" »

December 11, 2007

Half Truths

...Half-truths do not add up. Two half-truths don't make a whole truth. That is their great attraction for the dishonest. You cannot pin them down, as they are much more slippery than lies, damned lies and statistics...

Ken Silcock muses on statements which hide as much as they reveal.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Half Truths" »

December 08, 2007

The Mud's On Top

...It was 24th June 1952 and I had just disembarked at Station Pier in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. I took a taxi into Melbourne and as we crossed Princes Bridge, which spans the River Yarra and leads in to the city of Melbourne, the taxi driver retorted 'That's the River Yarra, the only upside-down river in the southern hemisphere—the mud's on top'. I've never forgotten it....

Bob Page recalls his early days.

Bob writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Mud's On Top" »

December 04, 2007

Deceit

Oh but she was a golden beauty, as Samuel Fleck reveals.

Samuel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Deceit" »

December 01, 2007

White Fright

...Suddenly, in the doorway, an apparition appeared. A shimmering-white, ghostly, naked figure, with long, black hair. My sister and I backed against the door, terrified...

Shirley Henwood tells of the last time she and her sister entered a neighbour's house.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "White Fright" »

November 27, 2007

Morning Walk

...On turning the corner not only do I get my first view of the ocean but also the first invigorating blast of the wind to blow away any remaining cobwebs. As I quicken my pace to keep warm I can admire the pink and grey galahs breakfasting on seed they find in the grasses growing between the beach and the footpath. The crested pigeons, occasionally being distracted by the need to feed, keep up their continual wooing of each other, the males bowing and spreading their tail feathers to impress the ladies...

There's plenty to see on an early-morning walk in the land of Oz, as Elaine Lutton reveals.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Morning Walk" »

November 24, 2007

Time Over Again - A 90 Year Perspective

Ken Sillcock is all for living life now, rather than living one's time all over again.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Time Over Again - A 90 Year Perspective" »

November 20, 2007

Eighty Days Of Doodlebugs

...WW2 was at its height. We had moved into our new house after being bombed out of our previous home. I hated it, as it was so much smaller and four of us had to share a bedroom. My bed was placed under a long window and became the 'box seat' for all of us to watch the nightly air raid 'shows'. How could we have known, tonight would be so different!...

Violet Apted recalls the night when she saw a flying bomb - a Doodlebug.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Eighty Days Of Doodlebugs" »

November 17, 2007

A Child Called Mietta

...On the third day I walked all the way to the lighthouse and looked forward to resting on the deck-chair. To my annoyance I found a child digging a trench. I coughed and waited for her to look up.

'What's your name?' she asked, continuing with her work. The breeze played with her hair, rolling and unrolling short black curls. Finally she turned to look. Her eyes were the same colour as the sea...

Carla Sari writes exquisitely of a chance meeting by the Adriaic sea.

Carla writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Child Called Mietta" »

November 16, 2007

Would You Like Fries With That?

Wordsman Brian Barratt takes us on a linguistic tour of our local fast food outlets.

For more of Brian’s assuredly entertaining words please click on The Scrivener in the menu on this page.

For hours of stimulating intellectual fun do please visit his Web site The Brain Rummager www.alphalink.com.au/~umbidas/

Continue reading "Would You Like Fries With That?" »

November 13, 2007

She's Nuts!

Shirley Henwood recalls her son's first day at school.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "She's Nuts!" »

November 10, 2007

You'' Die After It

Shirley Henwood tells of an accident - and a teasing grandfather.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "You'' Die After It" »

November 06, 2007

Past Labour-Saving Devices

Gerda Aaberg muses on why humans are always longing for something else, instead of living in the "now''.

Gerda writes for Bonzer! magazine. Do please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Past Labour-Saving Devices" »

November 03, 2007

Just Cruising

...I just love driving around rural America. Where else can you see so many unheralded wonders of the universe, like giant cement dinosaurs (so that's what really happened to them), the heads of rich, white politicians carved into the sacred mountains of stolen Indian land, an entire building made out of corn cobs, and a statue of Paul Bunyon whose head turns and talks to little kids..

Anna Mancini enjoys the freedom of the road.

Anna writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Just Cruising" »

October 30, 2007

'Flu Food

...Can any food be more delicious than poached eggs on buttery toast?...

Elaine Lutton reveals the temptations to her taste buds on recovering from a bout of 'flu.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "'Flu Food" »

October 27, 2007

Three Poems

Giancarla Curtis's poems turn the ordinary into something special.

Giancarla writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Three Poems" »

October 23, 2007

Reflections Of Grandma

Violet Apted could see the cottage as she drove along the winding road to the cliff top. "The windows sparkling in the sunlight, gazing out across the sea, as if still keeping a vigilant lookout for my Grandpa, just as Grandma did for her sea captain husband, many years ago. My heart skipped a beat, as I stopped at the little white gate...''

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Do please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Reflections Of Grandma" »

October 20, 2007

Inner Calmness

Dogs are just like many humans when it comes to taking medicine, as Gerda Aaberg reveals.

Gerda writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Inner Calmness" »

October 16, 2007

The Lion In The Cupboard

...I don't believe for a moment that my grandfather had a sadistic streak. He was an incurable tease, and I was just one of his unfortunate victims...

Shirley Henwood tells a story which will arouse many memories of childhood fears.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Lion In The Cupboard" »

October 13, 2007

The Dunny Door

...The table was set up at the bottom of the yard overlooking the ocean. Our garden bench, also painted in fashionable mission brown, provided seating. It is to this little bit of Heaven that we retreat in the late afternoon. A bottle of Merlot and two glasses and all is right in our world. Here we can catch up on each other's day and relax before dinner. From our vantage point over the Bay we frequently see dolphins chasing baitfish. It is hard to say which is more beautiful, the graceful movements of the dolphins or the silver ripple of the bait fish in their anxiety to escape finishing up as someone else's meal. ..

Elaine Lutton paints a blissful scene.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Dunny Door" »

October 09, 2007

Raising Goldfish

Quite serendipitously Betty Collins found herself a breeder of goldfish.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Raising Goldfish" »

October 06, 2007

Car Courage

...My father-in-law owned an aging blue Pontiac that floated down Sydney roads like a rudderless ship. For six days father-in-law drove me to the hospital and back. On the eve of the seventh day, he informed me that I must drive myself...

Goldie Alexander tells of days of fear on the road.

Goldie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Car Courage" »

October 02, 2007

Shades Of Reality

...'Have you checked that the turkeys are all in their yard Colleen?' my ever busy father called as he hurried by.

To make sure the turkeys, all forty-three of them, were safely locked up for the night was my job...

And that job could arouse life-long fears in an imaginative girl, as Colleen McMillan reveals.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Shades Of Reality" »

September 29, 2007

David Held Me

Shirley Henwood's poem tells of the wonder of true love.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "David Held Me" »

September 25, 2007

Life Begins At Eighty

John Powell flew an aircraft for the first time when he was 80 years old.

John writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Life Begins At Eighty" »

September 22, 2007

Marianne's Wise Words

...'Mum was a goldsmith apprentice, and she believed that there was a Creator. He was the Apprentice Master: and everyone was an apprentice—at least during his or her life on earth. "As apprentices," she said, "we are here to learn what works and what doesn't work in the workplace of life...

Patrick Thomas tells of a woman who found a lodestar to guide her through life.

Patrick writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Marianne's Wise Words" »

September 18, 2007

The Dove Dove Into The Bushes

...Let's face it—English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England nor French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat...

Bob Page considers the idiosyncracies of our language.

Bob writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Dove Dove Into The Bushes" »

September 15, 2007

Anyone For Rats And Snakes?

...Would you believe this? In an animal park, I once saw a snake yawning! I was fascinated. It nearly transferred to me: a real yawn, just like you and me...

Gerda Aaberg tells tales about the creatures some people don't like to think about.

Gerda writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Anyone For Rats And Snakes?" »

September 11, 2007

The Clever Monkey

Edel Wignell retells a trickster tale from West Africa.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Clever Monkey" »

September 08, 2007

The Toy Boy

It's a wise lady who learns not to indulge her toy boy, as Colleen McMillan's poem reveals.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Toy Boy" »

September 04, 2007

Gone Fishing

...My husband and I are both what is termed 'frying pan fishermen', meaning if you can't eat it don't bother trying to catch it!..

Elaine Lutton brings a tasty account of her fishing days.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Do please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Gone Fishing" »

September 01, 2007

Two Special Men

...Just promise me you'll live life as keenly as you eat ice cream. Savour every moment as if it is your last...

Caregiver Kathy Berger-Sewell tells of love, of continuity, of the comforting strength of family life.

Kathy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Two Special Men" »

August 28, 2007

Grandad's Off Again!

...The cardinal sin, which was drummed into us well, was 'Never let go of the rope'. It would be better to go swinging up to the ceiling than to let go, as a bell out of control could cause the rope to go snaking around inside the tower in an extremely dangerous fashion...

Nick Ogbourne recalls bell-ringing days.

Nick writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Grandad's Off Again!" »

August 25, 2007

My Body As My Spiritual Teacher

Patrick Thomas declares that his interaction with his body provides unlimited opportunities for him to re-learn his essential God-essence.

Patrick writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "My Body As My Spiritual Teacher" »

August 21, 2007

Grandfather Ezra's Stories

...My grandfather was a storyteller. Tall or true, we never knew....

Shirley Henwood demonstrates that the ability to tell a good tale must run in the blood.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Grandfather Ezra's Stories" »

August 18, 2007

The Lively Taylor

Edel Wignell retells a Scottish folk tale.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Lively Taylor" »

August 14, 2007

The Kiss

Wendy Ogbourne thinks we have a duty to children to warn them that "happy ever after'' does not necessarily follow marriage.

Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Do please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Kiss" »

August 11, 2007

The Last Snapshot

...Life is cruel.
Families split apart in different lands...

Shirley Henwood tells of a sad goodbye.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "The Last Snapshot" »

August 07, 2007

Goodies Galore

Violet Apted recalls a childhood day when she discovered a mountain of "treasure''.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Goodies Galore" »

August 04, 2007

Leading A Spiritual Life

....Forcing oneself to lead a spiritual life—and hating the effort—just won't work. It is a matter of priorities—God or materialism—of determining the reason for my existence. Before tackling that question, there is the important question of who I am. I have concluded after much searching that the real me is that invisible aspect of me called Soul, and that I exist because the Force which brought me into existence loved me enough to create me in ITS likeness. And loves me enough to give me an apprenticeship in god-ness with the promise that, when I complete my apprenticeship, I will be taken on as a permanent God-Helper...

Patrick Thomas contemplates the best way to lead a spiritual life.

Patrick writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Leading A Spiritual Life" »

July 31, 2007

Tassie Troll

...When living in Victoria, one day I saw on the lawn a fair-sized spider with a white back. Maybe because the whiteness was unexpected, I recoiled. Then I came to my senses, and I said a prayer 'Dear God, help me not to be so scared of one of your other creatures.' And do you know what? I suddenly saw that the white 'body' was an egg sac. As a mother, that made me ashamed. Here was a different mother, albeit with eight legs, transporting her offspring to a safer spot...

Gerda Aaberg highlights a subject that causes many a shudder to travel down many a back.

Gerda writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Tassie Troll" »

July 28, 2007

Bush Tucker Chef

From crumbed lamb cutlets to fillets of wild kagaroo...

Mike Larder tells of a bush tucker chef.

Mike writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Bush Tucker Chef" »

July 24, 2007

Advice For New Residents Of Retirement Villages

Shirley Henwood, who gives ample proof that age does not wither a keen sense of humour, gives advice to certain folk of senior years.

Shirley writes for Bonzer magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Advice For New Residents Of Retirement Villages" »

July 21, 2007

Tae A Mobile Phone (srry rbb)

Marion McKeen writes a poem for the texting age.

Marion writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Tae A Mobile Phone (srry rbb)" »

July 17, 2007

House-Sitting

Betty Collins does a spot of house-sitting.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "House-Sitting" »

July 14, 2007

A Wedding In Amsterdam

...Our marriage was planned for December 24th at eleven o'clock in the morning. Juul and Freek, two of our friends, promised to have coffee and rolls ready at our place, when we came back from City Hall with our family and friends. The wedding ceremony made me laugh...

Ans Redelaar tells of her wedding day in Amsterdam during the bleak days of World War Two.

Ans writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "A Wedding In Amsterdam" »

July 10, 2007

Parents Who Won't Stay Put

...Kids don't care about the things that bother mothers, and my favourite things that disappeared with those renovations must have been my mother's despair. Like the 'dirty' fuel stove that warmed us as we dressed for school in winter; the 'dirty' open fire in the lounge-room where I would curl up on the couch and dream in the fire's glow; the big glassed-in verandahs, one with boxes of Mum's younger, town-based finery for dress-ups, one with iron beds for sunny winter snoozing over Sunday papers; and the lino floors, so cool to lie on after the Sunday roast and pudding had filled us to immovability in summer heat...

Sharyn Munro tells of her parents who were ever-willing to try life elsewhere.

Sharyn writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Parents Who Won't Stay Put" »

July 07, 2007

Take Posts!

John Powell, who served in the Home Guard in World War Two, was part of a crew manning an anti-aircraft rocket battery in London.

Here he recalls the night of an air raid.

John writes for Bonzer! maazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

Continue reading "Take Posts!" »

July 03, 2007

Birds In The Yard

...Pale headed rosellas, turquoise and yellow, scaly breasted lorikeets, green and gold, and rainbow lorikeets, purple, green, gold and scarlet, all taking their turn to feast and joining the honey eaters, butcher birds and magpies...

Elaine Lutton delights in the avian visitors in the yard of her Queensland home.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 30, 2007

The Vase

Colleen McMillan explains why a certain vase could not be given away, even though she didn't like it.

Colleen writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 26, 2007

Laying The Ghost

Violet Apted returns to the house in which she once lived to confront a ghost from her past.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 23, 2007

To Love Or To Hate

...Love thy enemy makes good psychological sense and certainly embraces the approach which maintains that spirituality is also practicality. For who is the main victim of hate? He or she who hates. Hate consumes the individual, embitters him and his whole approach to life, poisons his relationships and is the molehill which becomes the mountain...

Patrick Thomas brings words of wisdom.

Patrick writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 19, 2007

Passing On Our Culture

Jerry Selby wonders whether we are passing on lessons about acceptable norms desirable goals and ideals to our grandchildren.

Jerry writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 16, 2007

Stories Of Mysterious Birds

Valerie Yule tells of feathered friends.

Valerie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 12, 2007

Prejudiced? Me?

...I myself had no prejudices. It was with my pure, prejudice-free voice that, as a college freshman, I carefully explained to a black man who'd graduated from my university years before—in fact, the first of his color to do so—that it was important that we as a country avoid interracial marriages.

So ashamed am I now, this is the first I've ever revealed this incident. To anyone...

Frank Kaiser says we seldom recognise our prejudices until we are through with them.

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June 09, 2007

The Flying Wombat

Mike Larder, who writes for Bonzer! magazine www.bonzer.org.au tells of the children's entertainer Mike Jackson.

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June 05, 2007

Sally's Special Day

The ring of a telephone can make a day special when you are a little girl, as Karyn Taylor's story reveals.

Karyn writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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June 02, 2007

The Politeness Of The Irish

Tony Kearney tells an unusual tale to highlight the politeness of the Irish.

Tony writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 29, 2007

Simon And Sooty

...Simon was forever finding animals to save on our small farm. Little birds; lost, cold hedgehogs; the odd rabbit. Even stray old cats. If there was a sick animal around, Simon would sniff it out. And bring it home...

Erik van Bommel tells of an animal in distress, and a caring boy.

Erik writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 26, 2007

Dad's Army At War

John Powell, a member of the Civilian Home Guard (Dad's Army) manned a rocket anti-aircraft battery in London during World War Two.

John writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 22, 2007

Easter Tableaux

...Easter Saturday. The church bells, which have been tied up for three days, begin to peal away. The sky is a glorious blue. Mina is pedalling fast down the road to the farm.

"Two dozen eggs, four bunches of asparagus and don't forget to pick up the Easter cake from the baker," Father had told her...

Carla Sari paints a colourful word portrait of Eastertide. Carla writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 19, 2007

My Grandfather Missed The Titanic

..."Tell us about the Titanic, Grampa," we would plead.

He would take his pipe out of his mouth, carefully tap out the spit, and refill it with tobacco, tamp it down until he judged it was ready for lighting. We waited patiently, fascinated by this ritual. Sometimes he would let one of us strike the match. When it was alight to his satisfaction, he would settle back comfortably, ready to begin...

Shirley Henwood recalls a tale her grandad told.

Shirley writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 15, 2007

Parental Punishment

...Rule number one in our household is: never open the aviary door, but today I can't resist showing off to my special friend, Cheryl...

Penny White recalls a day of terrible trauma in her childhood.

Penny writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 12, 2007

Flannel Foots

Dermott Ryder gives a good-humoured account of attempts to publicise a Sydney folk music club.

Dermott writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 08, 2007

That Still Small Voice - Say Yes!

...We have built into our system a number of finely tuned receptors - intuition, which comes in the guise of inner nudges, conscience, observation especially of unusual occurrences, casual comments that make us prick up our ears, sleeping dreams, waking dreams and a mind which is prepared to think broadly. The Creator uses any or some of these to guide us, uses our patience to allow time for a path to appear, uses our calm to enable us to see what we wouldn't see if we allowed ourselves to be stressed...

Patrick Thomas considers the nature of free will.

Patrick writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 05, 2007

Seven Poems

Cora Miller presents seven poems, each one reflecting a different mood.

Cora writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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May 01, 2007

The Magic Horse

Edel Wignell re-tells a German folk tale.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 28, 2007

Home Swapping

Elaine Lutton extols the joys of home swapping. Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 24, 2007

The Drunkenness Of The Irish?

From personal experience, Tony Kearney dismisses the idea that the Irish are a particularly drunken race. "Indeed, the house and atmosphere in which we were reared,'' he says "was almost entirely teetotal. My mother enjoyed sherry when entertaining her card-playing friends. However, her limit was two glasses and I remember that these brought redness to her face and garrulity to her tongue.''

Tony writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 21, 2007

Mind At Peace. Do Not Disturb!

Ken Silcock says the best way to find peace of mind is to tackle a job.

Ken writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 17, 2007

Reaching The Dizzy Heights

...I was high above the beach looking down at a group of horrified onlookers, including my own mother, and screaming as loud as I could...

Violet Apted recalls fearful moments from her childhood.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 14, 2007

Wimbledon Avenue

....In 1942 most people left their doors unlocked and children, even very small children, freely wandered the quiet suburban streets. Our family lived on the first floor of a cream stuccoed apartment block. The glassed-in balcony was my small bedroom; Mama and Papa slept next door; the sitting room with its shiny mantelpiece clock chiming the quarter hour was on the other side of the corridor...

Goldie Alexander recalls her childhood days in Australia.

Goldie writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 10, 2007

Nothing But The Tooth

...My father was a school dentist in England. His white caravan would be towed from one school to another, for him to do examinations and minor dental procedures. This was intended to catch all the children who otherwise would never see a dentist...

Wendy Ogbourne says that her father was the gentlest of men, but of a rather forbidding appearance, with a grey, bristly moustache and white hair. "It was a great regret to him that, because of his job, he aroused fear in so many children.''

Wendy writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 07, 2007

Night Drama

Keith Ford tells of happenings when a jet fighter buzzed a sleeping town.

Keith writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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April 03, 2007

Lila

Carla Sari tells a tale about a polite dog called Lila.

Carla writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 31, 2007

Why Dogs Sniff Tails

Edel Wignell re-tells a tall tale from Papua New Guinea.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 27, 2007

I Remember When...

Violet Apted dedicates this poem to her daughter, Beverley.

Violet writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 24, 2007

Home Invasion

...Last Thursday we awoke to find the house had been invaded by millions of tiny black ants. They were everywhere...

Elaine Lutton tells of a need to Spring clean on the grand scale.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 20, 2007

A Catastrophe

Before our marriage, we agreed that while there might well be plenty of children (we finished up with seven which, I must admit, were a few more than we had in mind) there would definitely be NO CATS...

Tony Kearney tells a tale of acute embarrassment.

Tony writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 17, 2007

Scary Snake

...As I stood up I could see the darned thing coming straight towards us, a Tiger snake about 1.5m long, and hey, was it moving fast!...

Shayne Doyle gets too close for comfort to a snake on the beach.

Shayne writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 13, 2007

Granda's Place

...The shed has dark corners hiding many treasures: harness, polishes, axle grease, rusty tools, bags of grain, kerosene. A sharpening stone waits at the door, ready to rasp out its ancient rhythms before a sheep is led to slaughter...

Jeanne K Meade brings us a vivid account of a visit during her childhood to granda's place.

Jeanne writes for Bonzer! Please visit www.bonzer.org.au/

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March 10, 2007

My War In South Africa

...Learning anything by rote was never my forte, so for many Latin lessons I would be 'sent out' by an exasperated Sister Juliana, which suited me just fine, because I could sit on the wide verandah which wrapped the stone Convent on the mountainside, and watch the ships' movements in Simonstown, across the Bay...

Betty Collins recalls school days and working in her mother's tea room in Cape Town during World War Two.

Betty writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 06, 2007

Gone? Gone Where?

...We all missed him at parties. His songs, stories and idiosyncratic view of life added much to revels. At any rate, I accepted the invitation....

Then he was back again, there in the Union bar, drinking, philosophising... But it was to be his last visit as Dermott Ryder's story reveals.

Dermott writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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March 03, 2007

A Wild Cottage Garden

...I have a lovely theory that plants flourish from being looked at. They don’t even need to be sung to or talked at. You just sit in the garden and watch them growing. Nobody is allowed to refute this beautiful theory...

Valerie Yule writes with deep affection about her cottage garden.

Valerie contributes to Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 27, 2007

Our Oneness

"You are never alone when you are loved,'' says Frank Dawson in one of the truest of all poetic lines.

Frank writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 24, 2007

Och Ah Ken Yer Faither Fine

Mothers begin to ask questions when daughters bring boyfriends home. Marion McKeen's delightful poem concerns protective curiosity.

Marion writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 20, 2007

Love Is The Art Of Left-Handed Coffee Drinking

Les Yemm's poem tells of illicit meetings in busy cafes.

Les writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 17, 2007

Who's Stupid?

Tony Kearney's story confirms that one should not assume that a bovine-looking and slow moving person is necessarily stupid.

Tony writers for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 13, 2007

Just One Of Those Days

So you think household chores are just routine? Elaine Lutton's deliciously funny account of a domesic day will convince you that you are mistaken.

Elaine writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 10, 2007

An Answer To A Heart Problem

Tony Kearney's father was a hypochondriac and always had at least one serious illness with which to contend. "An early ailment (he was in his mid-thirties) was fatty degeneration of the heart, which made it dangerous for him to engage in physical activities, even running up stairs. His response to this disease was to take up hockey, tennis and golf. He became proficient in all three, established his own hockey team and played for Munster in the inter-provincial competition!''

Tony writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please visit www.bonzer.org.au

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February 06, 2007

Show Time

...We watched the Scots and Irish dancing. Girls of all ages, dressed in kilts, long socks and shiny black shoes, danced and tapped. I loved the moment when crossed swords were placed on the floor and they stepped dexterously between the blades, heads erect, arms and fingers still in dainty pose. Dancing was worldly, but it was fun to watch...

Edel Wignell, who was brought up by parents who belonged to a strict fundamenalist sect, recalls the fun of the annual agricultural show.

Edel writes for Bonzer! magazine. Please do visit www.bonzer.org.au

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