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Town  Life at Grey Worldwide is hectic and constantly
stimulating. Moving to new premises has made things even more
interesting (in the sense of the old Confucian curse: "May you live in
interesting times"). However, after a couple of months of working
alongside electricians and lift mechanics, surrounded by half-unpacked
boxes, we now have glamorous new offices, plenty of meeting spaces, an
expresso machine and courtyard gardens for summer lunches. |
Country  Bungendore is a town of around 2500 people,
about 38km north west of Canberra. It's on the main road to the
coast, so most Canberra people know it as a snack stop on the way home
after a long weekend. It's also a popular Sunday lunch destination, with
cafes and galleries to explore. Nonetheless, it is a self-sustaining
town with local industry, two pubs, two churches, shopping, and its own
CWA branch (conveniently located next to one of the pubs). It has its own
way of doing things, with a lively Anzac Day commemoration, the local
Bungenday that features the famous Dunny Race, and the Bungendore Country
Muster (a kind of mini-Tamworth). The rural village heritage is
epitomised in the existence of The Common, a large grassy tract to the
north of the town. Recent proposals to bisect this area with a road
to the new Elmslea estate met with howls of outrage from the residents of
Bungendore proper. We're still
newcomers, after eight years, but it's a friendly, relaxing place to live.
And driving to work each day through the countryside is good for my soul.
My husband, Fred Harden, has much more about the town in his
country
diary. |
Family  Where have all the young girls gone? Two
to Melbourne and one into Canberra, where she can be closer to her
university, her part time job and her social life. The road to Bungendore
is winding and infested with kangaroos, especially late at night, and a
taxi fare from Canberra is around $80.
Fred's daughter, Aurore, attended primary school here in Bungendore, |
Livestock  We
had chooks for a while. The foxes took care of them. We had a
rabbit, too, but after a lot of initial oohing and aahing, the girls got
tired of looking after it so it went off to the petshop in search of a
happier home. Our pond is full of goldfish, whose numbers are
regularly decimated by a predatory heron. We had three horses at one point
(although never in our own backyard), but one has been sold, one has been
leased and Kate now looks
after her remaining 'boy' at an agistment property in Canberra.
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Garden  Some
people are born gardeners. In other cases, it just grows on you. (Sorry.)
At Bungendore, we have half an acre of garden, so there's really no
choice. I swing wildly between finding it relaxing and getting
totally depressed about the scale of the task. However, in spring,
it takes your breath away. And in summer, it's lovely to sit under
the shade of the old cedar tree with a glass of something cold. There are
lots of trees, so the challenge is to find plants that will thrive in
semi-shade, are frost tolerant and that don't have heavy water
requirements, now that it seems it's never going to rain again. More
Hellebores - that's the answer. And the bulbs seem to like it here
too. |
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Singing  Local
Bungendore musicians John Shortis and Moya Simpson run two world music
choirs, open to untrained and enthusiastic singers. I sing in the one
called Worldly Goods, but I love the other's name - Can Belto.
The two choirs sang together at the 2004 Multicultural Festival and at the
anniversary concert for the Canberra Bushfire victims and emergency
services.  Moya's
passion is songs from Eastern
Europe. Remembering the lyrics of a Macedonian lament can be
something of a challenge, when you have only a shadowy idea of what they
mean. "Think yearning virgins" Moya urges. And throwing yourself into a
Georgian drinking song is lots of fun, even without the vodka.
The current repertoire includes songs from East Timor, New Zealand, Hawaii, various parts of Africa, native America and Eastern Europe, with a couple of gospel numbers thrown in for variety. John also writes songs and our performances at the Festival and the bushfire concert included some of his original compositions. |
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Home | Before your Time | 35 Years | Work | Life |
her mum
and is now at uni. Jackie, my elder
daughter, lived
here for a time, but her heart is in Melbourne with her old school
friends. Kate was the last to leave and still manages to sleep here around
once a week (especially when she has a university assignment due and is
looking for ready access to the internet and an editorial eye).
This
leaves us with two dogs and a cat. The cat is the boss. She's
14 years old and brooks no cheek from the hairy ones. Our older dog,
Fudge, is a Shi Tzu cross with a long-suffering nature that reminds us of
A. A. Milne's Eeyore. "That's all right, go ahead, just ignore me (sigh)
and give all your attention to That Other Dog." Max, is a fluffy
Maltese cross who is the classic lap dog. If Fudge is Eeyore, Max is
Tigger. Boing, boing, boing - "Is that a lap? I'm on it." If
you sense a little anthropomorphism here, you're right. Ah well,
with the children gone, you know.....