Heading south

We're in Sydney tonight with Adam and Monica after a great trip via the Damian Roffs in Armidale, Bill McKinnon in Warchope and William Holly in Dungog. Nick took the train back to Melbourne this morning so he can start working but we should be back tomorrow or the next day. I'd like a report on the left-over medical problems in Lismore. How's Hannah? How's John's broken wrist? How's Jan? Someone must know so share the information.
Jules and I called in to see Aunty Betty and Uncle Ken today and they're in very good spirits. Uncle Ken thinks the South African team is actually better than our team which explains why they're winning. I'm going to talk Nick into giving his 21st present of a bottle of port from the Doug Walters benefit year to Uncle Ken as, apparently, Doug was one of his favourite players. The elder Seages had already seen film of Christmas from, I think, Martin, and wish they'd been there. Annika has declared it the best ever.

Some of the Glen Roffs

A day at the tennis

Some shots from Woodlawn

Hey all!! Thanks for an amazing time while in Woodlawn, i had a blast and cant wait for the next one!

im a man of few words

Roff Christmas 08

Click on the photos for a larger version. More to come!

Just some quick news for readers of the Roff Report that aren't in Lismore during Roff Christmas. We've had three Roff's in the emergency ward in three days. Lizzy had crayfish poisoning and the doctor had to Google it. Nick had a broken nose from soccer courtesy of Zac and Nick instructed the doctor on how to snap it back into place. Alaine broke her finger in mysterious circumstances last night. I hope the doctor has improved his game because Marrianne isn't likely to take any guff.

We took a photo of everyone this morning but are missing Lainey, Marrianne and Amanda so it is not a complete collection, but it's pretty close. The Roff Uncles were up late together at Neil's bar last night and all look a bit worse for wear but chuffed to be in each others company. Dom, Daniel, Jake and Joe keep disappearing to the Rock Room to bang out '70's classics in their new four piece. No name for the band yet but I am onto it.

Sue and Glenn look proud as punch to have grandchildren running everywhere. They are all gorgeous and are carrying their own little personalities around with them. It's exciting to have all the WA Roff's here at once, which is quite a feat considering they live 4000km away. They are revelling in each others company. The Damien Roff's are chirpy as, though the is some confusion surrounding 'Lilly' and 'Milly' Roff and just what kind of a family would allow such similar names. Cal has a new juggling trick that allows him to take his shirt of while keeping a soccer ball in the air. Amy is the bell of the ball as usual. The Stuart Roff's are in their usual fine form except for Lainey's finger and Daniel's hair. Uncle Stuart was voted one of the uncles least likely to be homophobic which is a glowing commendation. Ash is recovering from being slashed with a knife playing the most deadly of all Roff sports, 'Water Rugby'. I think Cathie is glad to have two grown up boys that can basically look after themselves, although with Andrew working 90+ hours per week we may need to reassess the definitions. No such fear with Rowan. The Grant Roff's are in great shape. Nick has just turned 21 and I'll put some photos up in a seperate post.

I don't want to miss the opening ball of the Boxing day test, or going to the Bangalow markets, or to Lennox Head, or to the horse races at Byron, or the table tennis championship. That is all on this morning. There is a big white board up in Neil's bar with this afternoons activities so I need to save some energy for that. Nobody said it was easy being a Roff. Missing you Amanda.

Western Report

Dear Family and Friends

Once again we put pen to paper for a quick family report from the western side of the continent. For some reason we seem busier as the years go on and later in our Xmas card wishes. Nonetheless we want to wish you all a nice break and a happy Xmas and New Year. Hopefully it will be a good one for you.

The family is growing up and all have active and busy lives. Jan is going well. She has been flat out recently doing accounting work for a local firm for 3 days and for Patrick’s ( a shipping company) for the other 2. She is officially ‘casual’ but is still fulltime and enjoying the work. She looks great but will tell you we don’t do enough exercise. Jan enjoys her book club and travel is still her great love. John pushed 54 this year, still teaches at the local Catholic High School and still plays tennis for recreation. He is currently building a coffee table with in laid chess set in local woodwork classes, is adamant that the belt sander is not his friend, and is in reasonable nick. Kate is now 25, lives in Christchurch NZ with her yankee boyfriend Joe and is sub editing a newspaper there. She taught English earlier in the year, then resigned to go to South Africa on a rotary group exchange in May before settling in Long White Cloud land. She will be coming to Lismore for Xmas this year and it will be great to catch up with her. Zac is 22 now, has hopefully finished 3rd year Uni ( awaiting results) doing mechanical Engineering and is still the big tall young man he’s always been. He travelled this year with his friends to Europe to run the bulls, attend a 4 day rock concert in Belgium and to go to his 2004 exchange host mother’s 60th birthday party in Norway as a surprise. Zac is currently doing holiday work in Perth but will be taking a break to join us in Lismore for Xmas. Liz is currently at home having successfully got through 1st year Commerce at Uni. She lived on campus in Perth and had a pretty good year. Liz is now 19 and is working at the local crayfish factory for holiday money before heading east for the family get together then heading on to NZ to catch up with the older sister.

We still drive the same cars and live at the same place we always have in Geraldton. Our highlight this year was our overseas trip in April / May to England to walk Hadrian’s Wall, then on to Ireland and the Scandanavian countries to catch up with our exchange students and Zac’s host parents. It was a terrific trip with lots of great memories. The walking was tough at times- we were caught mid field in a snow storm once- but still enjoyable. Jan loves her travelling and these places were high on her list of good places to visit. When we finished I flew home but Jan went on to do a month long religious tour / course called Tantur in Israel. She said it was interesting, educational and fantastic. John’s brother Glenn was also there doing the same course so they were great support for each other.

It has been a tough year emotionally for us with a number of tragedies to close relatives and friends. Jan lost a close Aunt, and a young cousin. One of the Christian Brothers who looked after us when we came west also passed away. One of Zac and Liz’s friends was killed in a road accident and a teaching colleague of John’s from Wagga just lost his ( Kate’s age) daughter. It does make you think of your own mortality , and luck, and makes the getting together with friends and family all the more important

This year we will be over east for Xmas. The Roff family are gathering in Lismore from the 21st Dec til the new year, so if it fits in with your plans we would love to catch up. We are hoping to stay in Brisbane with our good friend Gerry Crooks ( Liz’s godfather) from 7th to 13th January as well.

If it doesn’t happen we can meet up, then can we wish you all a great time. We again extend that invite for you to come and visit. There will always be a bed for you if you can put up with our hospitality!!

Love to all

John, Jan, Kate , Zac and Liz.

HAPPY 21st NICK

Congratulations! You made it.

Climate change anyone?

"Wet" and "muddy" are words that spring to mind but neither captures the sheer ridiculousness that was my weekend...

The Meredith Music Festival is a three day camping event held on a farm in country Victoria each December, ie. summer...


This year's festival was special. It coincided with our drought ridden state's heaviest downpour of rain for 2008!!! Hooray(?)...


With unrelenting torrential rain for three straight days, a black market in plastic bags emerged and plastic bag fashions were very much "in". After waking up on a floating matress, we soon came to regret our decision to purchase a fifty dollar swimming pool, I mean, tent, from Aldi. On the subject of regrettable transactions, a mate of mine haggled a pair of gumboots off his friend's feet for 100 bucks. I wouldn't have sold mine for a million.

I'm amazed we survived, but as they say, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Now, bring on Roff Christmas!!!

All Sold Out

I went shopping in Armidale over the weekend but I regret to inform you that all of the Mike Tyson masks were sold out. This is indeed bad news for any family members who were being bought for by the Armidale Roffs and had hoped to receive one of these coveted items.
See you all real soon.
Jenny

life in third gear

I will give you the final answer on how many apostles are actually left when i get peoples ideas on which of these can still be classed as "apostles", my opinion is that only one of these can be called an apostle.
Rain forced us to call the trip off early, the kombi kept us dry however the walks and sightseeing we had planned was just far to miserable. Anyway, minus push starting the kombi in the rain several times, and a spider bite to vicky's leg, we had a good trip and thank grant and julia very much for the use of the kombi.

harry and vicky

touche, uncle damian!

Suggestions

In short people: I have been given the awesome task of organising a Cousin's event. (I was going to use the term "Cousin's outing" but feel Nick will make his announcement when he is ready.)

So, in conjunction with the smartest person I know at 4:30am on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday, Alaine, we have come up with three (3) suggestions and are throwing it over to the people. After all, it was the citizens of Canberra who allowed Joe to refer to himself as "The People's Choice". It was the young representatives of South Australia's Youth Parliament who elevated Andrew to the role of "His Eggselency". And it will be the members of the Roff clan who decide, within reason, what they would prefer to do over the Christmas period.

I know Jake did not believe in democracy at his own peril, but people can choose to either:

1) Spend an evening at the greyhounds, approaching the betting counter after Dom in order to see where the smart money is going;

2) Attend the Boxing Day Races at Ballina. And that's horse racing for those who didn't know; or

3) Bowling of some description. Either ten-pin or lawn. Or maybe, if we play our cards right, a combination.

The polls will be open until next Monday.

I'm nominating, by the way, as my favourite tag lines for the year: "A little bit of Roffhousing" and "Going R-off". I notice the effort, Adam. Although, "VI" in Roman numerals means "six" (6) and not "four" (4).

Daniel.

Another from the Archives?

 

Try this snippet of Roff history from the vault… it may work.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=yoHaZLvdCCM

Another chapter impending?

Merry Christmas

Kimi and Brendan

 

Merry Christmas everyone

Merry Christmas everyone. Besides angry looking Santas, we have alot to look forward to in Lismore for everyone. We have the best Greyhound track in the Northern Rivers region, the best coffee shops for Ladies to have tea and coffee, the best BBQ area for sausages, melted cheese and tunes, the best diving board to do stupid back slapping flips, the best sporting facilities to play soccer, tennis, touch footy, and to see Cal dominate with the willow, and the most supportive Christmas concert crowd in the Southern Hemisphere. Hurry up and get here will ya.

Life in second gear

So, as i soon realised just what the Kombi meant to Grant, i decided somewhere just outside of the Grant Roff house that once we finally got the damn thing into second gear that is where it would stay...... 27km/hr on the freeway WAHOOO!!! And if anyone has seen Little Miss Sunshine, you would know just how every photo was taken- me driving as slowly as possible in the car park while vicky jump from the moving machine, take the snap, and then chase after the kombi (it was pretty easy to catch).

We are camping in Apollo bay on the great ocean road tonight, we will go see what is left of the "twelve" apostles tomorrow morning, but for now just enjoy these pics.


So when this happened i realised that not stopping in the kombi for so long was a bad idea- this was going to be our first campsite and now it is quarantined.
harry and vicky

Harry in Melbourne

Okay, it's not a great photo, but you'll get the drift. From left to right in the top row are Annika, Adam, Amanda and Dom (holding Bonnie). Bottom row is Julia, Harry and Vicky. Haz and Vicky are in town on the first part of Harry's retirement. Most of the uncles would understand that three years in the workforce is about all anyone could be expected to stand and it's a wonder he held on for so long before pulling the pin. I collected them from the airport but the conversation was a little strained. When he said he wanted to borrow the Kombi, I thought he just wanted to drive it around the block. Turns out he wants it for FIVE days. Julia is on my back to be graceful but, geese, five days? We had a very pleasant dinner last night with Amanda and Annika as special guests and gave Vicky an idea of what Neil's bar will be like, minus the music. Milly was in Melbourne today to do some official registration as a dental tecnician and met up with Harry and Vicky. There's a plan tomorrow night to meet up with Paris, Indi, Lara and Ben Kennedy (from Marianne's side of the family) and they'll probably be joined by Nick and Dom. It's a big family. Harry has just walked in the door and and has spent the day on Melbourne's free public transport loop in the city which included a visit to the Melbourne museum. Wish I was young agian...

Gay Paris

The womble diary continues. Monica and I flew from Berlin to Paris last week and found a hotel to crash in for the night across the river from the Lourve. We blew our minds wandering around central Paris and the markets and boutiques. Actually, it was more Monica's mind that was blown. She had this expression on her face... as if the the moon had just exploded. So much stuff! A shop that sells AGA stoves (one of our dreams, forget the luxury car, we want a luxury kitchen), shops that sell vintage congnaq, small leather gloves, bird feathers, 70's furniture and butterfly collections. There is so much stuff.

I found it a little harrowing because I had adjusted to the community spirit and rigid organisational structure of Berlin. In Berlin, pedestrians don't cross if the light is red, even when there are no cars. Apparently it sets a bad example for children. In Paris, just because the light is green doesn't mean anything. You have to race across the road, or stare them down or something. There is rubbish everywhere and scooters and trucks, and they are all trying to get into the same single lane alley. It's fricken crazy.

The museums are sensational of course. We went to the Pompadu yesterday and it is the Lourve today. We are staying at a friends and shopping at the supermarket so it is actually cheaper than Sydney for us despite the Euro being worth about AU$500. The food is exceptional. The cheese is brilliant. $3 wine is better than anything I drink in Australia and NO hangovers. The veges all come from Spain or Italy or the French countryside so it tastes awesome and there is a real culture of quality of produce. We are heading out into the the Champagne wine region on the weekend in a hired Mercedes to check out provincial food and wine. They named the place after a drink so it has to be good. I've run out of superlatives so that will have to do. Some intel for Dad. Nobody was riding motorbikes in Berlin, it is too cold and icy in winter. Almost all bicycles, some scooters and a couple of BMs with heated handgrips. It is just too cold. Motorbikes are everywhere in Paris. Scooters dominate. They have these neat nanna blankets that keep the seat dry when you are parked and keep your legs warm when you are riding. I haven't seen a single sports bike with a full faring. Lots of Speed Triples, Yamaha FZ6, Suzuki GSR600 etc. All naked bikes or half fairing bikes. Some big new BMs of all models and lots of airheads in all kinds of crap condition. The only crusiers here are 250s except for one black Vrod, which actually looks cool for one because it is the only one of its kind and it is stupidly large for Paris streets. They have bike racks all over the city with bicycles you can hire. The bikes are all in perfect nick and it isn't too expensive. When you get to where you are going you just leave it at the next bike rack and it stops the clock. Genius.

Uncle Damian's Obscure Trivia

For a bottle of Club Port at Lismore for the first correct post;

Name the four horses on the cover of the Doobie Brothers album, "Stampede".

New Zealand

Julia and I are just back from three days in Auckland where I was invited to the NZ Motorcycle Awards. A column I write is published there and apparently I'm a national hero. I certainly get more respect there than I get in Australia but my writer mates here tell me I get EXACTLY the respect I deserve.
Flash hotel - the Rendevous - with views of the harbour, but just about everywhere in Auckland has views of the harbour. There's actually a 16km walk from one side of the peninsula to the other which I had visions of doing but it didn't eventuate. Instead, we went to an island on a ferry for a decent walk and both got burnt by the hot NZ sun. We were saved only by an excellent lunch and some NZ wine. It was a bit wet on the Monday so we went to the museum and I found out a bit more about Maori culture. It kind of expains the All Blacks. We also had dinner in the revolving tower in town which combined good food with great views. I didn't pick up much in the way of a New Zealand quisine - it's pretty much like Australia - but it was all very fresh.
The speaker at the bike dinner was Tawera Nikau who played league for the Cronulla Sharks and the Melbourne Storm at the turn of the century. He's had a rough time with his wife killing herself while he was playing in England and then losing his leg in a motorcycle accident after he'd retired. He's a nice bloke, though, and was very forgiving of my ignorance of league and the details of his life. Whoever arranged the seating should have breifed me beforehand.
Finally saw "The Dark Knight" on the way home on the plane and the first hour of "Tropic Thunder" which was very funny and will have to be borrowed from the video shop in the near future so I can find out how it ends.
In other news, Nick has arrived home with no particular plans except to save enough money to travel in the second half of '09. Harry and his "special friend" arrive this Monday for a bit of a holiday and we're all looking forward to seeing them. Arrangine the separate bedrooms has been difficult, though - don't know how they're going to manage it in the Kombi.
I could live in NZ.