Opinion

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran Christmas was truly Christmas back then, precious and pure, like the children we were. I am maybe seven and the Christmas lights are twinkling, shimmering in the December dark; the shops on High Street, glittering, glowing, even the butchers with their pinky, red glow I find entrancing: turkeys, plump and pimply …

AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON It’s a busy time of year – officially a holiday but if you are the one in charge of making Christmas happen- it’s a full-on labour of love. All that present buying, wrapping, shopping and cooking is where it’s generally women who shoulder the lioness’ share of the tasks. …

PART 5 CALLAN NUNS BLAZE A TRAIL DOWN UNDER BY JOHN FITZGERALD The energetic Callan nuns in Parramatta didn’t waste any time: Early next morning, December 9th, they opened their school. On that first day, fifty-five pupils enrolled for classes. Christmas arrived and the nuns spent much of the day reading letters from home. Their …

BY CLAIR WHITTY Christmas can be a lonely and sad time for those of you who are missing someone you have lost. I now know how you feel, my father passed away on 7th December. Even though he had been failing in health his death was sudden and was a shock. He will be a huge …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Most talk of having a ‘traditional’ Christmas, though for some it might mean one thing, and for someone else something else altogether. My wonderful daughter-law Genevieve way back on her maternal grandparents side comes from the Jewish tradition. She is non-practising, though does mark Hanukkah. But her …

BY CLAIR WHITTY This time of year, many of you will be out and about partying. Some of you may end up with a hangover the next day. Here are some tips that may help prevent this. I cannot promise anything but they are worth trying! Some common symptoms of a hangover are headaches, tiredness, …

FURTHERMORE  By Gerry Moran As a child he spoke no English, couldn’t read music most of his life and played the piano in one key only – yet he became America’s greatest songwriter. Irving Berlin was born Israel Isidore Baline in 1888 in Russia and grew up in a tenement in New York City with …

THE FACT OF THE MATTER BY PAUL HOPKINS Back in the late ‘80s a colleague of mine never came into the national newspaper office without wearing a new outfit every other day. Needless to say, she wore it well. Occasionally, I would compliment her new look and she would politely acknowledge my appraisal. One day, …

BY JOHN ELLIS, FINANCIAL ADVISOR Christmas week is upon us and the whole population is gearing up for one of the biggest spending sprees of the year. Many retailers and small businesses see this as the time when they make a sizeable amount of their total return for the year. Now, while we spend, spend, …

AS I SEE IT MARIANNE HERON “How did you get over the Christmas?” is an odd question, as though the occasion was a steeplechase hurdle that had to be jumped. It can be a bit mad at this time of year, with all that buying and cooking and eating, giving rise to festive memories often …