From Melbourne
11/85
Dear Alan and Lorna,
The
postal union have decided that they will now process letters to South Africa.
Some of the unions here are running the country. On Cup Day we had no trains in
Victoria. The railways union went for a strike the week before the cup for no
good reason. They thought the government would give in to them but there are
several strong ministers so they just put more trains and buses on for Cup Day.
The workers went back later without getting what they wanted.
The main
hospitals in Melbourne are sending patients home because Hospital Employers
unions won’t work with non-unionists and the government hasn’t given in to
them. The woman’s hospital is just allowing mothers to have their babies and on
the 2nd day they have to go home.
The
builders laborers have put bans on Government buildings again but the
Government is trying to deregister them. These are all State Government
problems except the postal ban. Everyone criticizes SA and anyone who says we
are not going the right way is howled down. A couple of weeks ago Formula 1
racing had a grand prix race in Adelaide. Almost all the cars and drivers came
straight from South Africa but there was not one word of protest because of all
the money involved. There is an election
next month in South Australia and the grand prix racing was looked on as a
boost to the economy. There was just a small paragraph saying that the person
writing thought they saw the drivers getting off a South African plane. He
wondered where all the protestors were.
It was easy enough for the postal
workers to ban your mail it didn’t cost them anything but who they to bare the
cost well that is a different matter.
Well I
have got that off my chest. There are other strikes by unionists but that is enough
to show you who is really running this country. Just in case the mail gets
stopped again could you please send the address of Lorna’s sister who lives in
Swaziland (that is if she still does) so that we can send letters via her.
I also
had some articles about the cricketers but I seem to have lost them. Kim Hughes
was speaking at a luncheon in a restaurant in Melbourne. While he was speaking demonstrators outside
burnt an effigy of Kim Hughes.
Are all
your exams over now Lorna? I hope you are feeling a lot better now. You can’t
do much about the weather and the baby but when your exams are over then you
can relax a little. Well a little! But you never do get over them until the
results are out. The only person we have who is still doing exams is Beverley
and she doesn’t live here and we don’t see her much so it is not like when
everyone was home. I sometimes wonder whether it isn’t worse for parents than
the children when they are doing exams.
Are
Melissa and Jolene still excited about the baby or are they tired of
waiting. It always seems a long time for
children even though for us the time races. I don’t know where it goes but
there just doesn’t seem enough hours in the day for all I would like to do.
Night time is not much good for me I seem to be too tired to do much so I have
to do everything during the day which isn’t long enough.
The
last three Saturday I have spent pushing a large motor mower over the grass at
Trentham. Norm has to do the painting of all the new work and I can’t paint at
all so I get the grass mowing to do. It
gets done but I am very slow just walking behind the mower. But this way I
don’t get worn out and can keep young for a long time. Everything is beautiful
and green we have had a very wet October and November. The countryside looks good Aunty Grace and
Win are coming with us this Saturday just to sit under the trees and enjoy the
country. They invited themselves because they just like going and they don’t
mind if we are both working. They can look after themselves although they have
slowed down a bit now. They are both 86 now. Somehow I don’t think I will be as
active as they are when I am that old if I ever get to that age. Some days my
back and legs are all aches and pain and I can hardly move the next day I am
as fit as anything but I still go
carefully that why I cut the grass slowly. I feel better afterwards than trying
to hurry. This is not the best letter it has been done in bits and pieces as I
found time but I wanted to send one over soon as we were able again.
Love
to you all Mum
No comments:
Post a Comment