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Working at NAB is an interesting thing and has many aspects to it. One thing that they do is allow us 2 days a year to do volunteer activities and they still pay us. They support many charities and there are always lots of options as to what to do on those days. This year, my first day was to assist the Salvation Army with one of their food vans where they take food, drinks and snacks out for the homeless and needy folk who live amongst us.
It is admirable that these people do what they do to help people who are having it tough and I was happy to have the chance to assist and get to see the world that I only view from afar.
So the reality of the experience was that I joined the crew long after the work had begun and my first task was to help load the food into the van and prepare for the off. Throughout the evening we made 8 stops and provided food to around 40 people who wouldn't have eaten otherwise.
It was a good feeling to be part of the team for that evening and to hear some of the stories of the people we were helping. It really brought home how difficult it is for people to turn things around when things take a turn for the worse. It must be soul destroying to watch your life spiral out of control and find your self in a position that it is unlikely that you'll return from. To end up accepting that this is your life.
The people we met were appreciative of what we were providing and friendly and mostly upbeat - they are people who have friends and lives and though their circumstances are unfortunate, they do what we all do and try and make the most of what we have.
So the experience made me think about those people and their circumstances and it also made me think about my world. I have it so good and really, I always have - I do appreciate how well my life has gone and I don't take it for granted.
I have talked about this event before. I think that it is a great idea. Each month, a theme for a letter is provided to 5 women celebrities and they write the letter and then come together to perform them to an audience. I have never been a letter writer, but I do enjoy reading letters. More than that, having them performed by the writer ensures that there is a better chance that you understand the letter itself. With the written word, the moment it is given to another, it is open to be interpreted by the receiver based upon what is happening with them - and the original message doesn't exist. But this event eliminates that.
Other than the concept of this event, the biggest factor is down to the participants and what they want to share and how well they can express themselves through these letters. My experience with these events is that it has a hit rate of around 80% i.e. one dud per show.
This month's show had letters written by comedian and activist, Stella Young, Triple J presenter and musician Steph Hughes, acclaimed author Cate Kennedy, actor Virginia Gay and all-round goody, Chrissie Swan.
There was humour as always and some interesting thoughts.
The most moving one came from Cate Kennedy who started off a bit awkwardly but then started feeling it and really stopped reading and just talked. Earlier that week had been her mother's funeral and she was talking about her mother and how she lived her life and then moved on to talking about the things that she hadn't done rather than what she had done. She talked about sentimentality and how keeping objects for their sentimental reasons is a waste as the sentiment exists without them and they are nothing without the sentiment. True. She also talked about going through her mother's things and seeing how much she had that she seemed to be saving, but saving for what. Cate talked about how she hoped to leave nothing behind because she would be busy living. It was a very moving and interesting letter.
So the first month of 2013 has ended and I am looking back at some of the folk that I caught up with - I know some rather nice people. Most of my catchups are one to one, so a group catchup is different for me.
One of the group occasions is when a certain group (all from work) get together. The girls in question are Deanne (who has left NAB), Michelle (Foxy) who is now in a different team, Tonia who is now my boss and Nic who is now Tonia's boss. We've known each other for a few years now and I always enjoy having a laugh with them - this was no exception.
Soon after arriving in Australia, through friends I met Francine who I went out with for 18 months. We have been mates with since then and I got to meet her large family and spent many good times with them all including a few Christmas Days. As I was new to Australia when we met, a lot of my discovering Melbourne times were shared with Francine - lots of food, lots of music and really doing loads of interesting stuff.
Georgina is a friend who I met about 4 years ago whilst wandering down Brunswick Street - a chance meeting that led to a great friendship. I haven't actually seen her for a while, but with Facebook, there is always a way to stay in touch. It was great catching up with her again and we shared tales of our adventures - we both had plenty to say.
Sharon and Bec are two friends from when I first worked as a contractor at NAB back in 2003.
The project we were on had some fine people on it and I remain in touch with several of them. I catch up with both Bec and Sharon individually but we also like to have dinner together every now and then - plus we go to one footy game together each year - Carlton (for them) v Hawthorn (for me). Since we started the tradition, Hawthorn have won every one of the games. Anyway, it is always a pleasure when we get together.
Steph is a friend from about 6 or 7 years ago - a fellow Pom with a similar sense of humour. She is a talented artist and a good egg. We hit it off from our first meeting onwards and like to catch up fairly often for dinner somewhere nice - usually around her side of town - Collingwood/Fitzroy. Always a pleasure.
Terri is a friend I made when I first arrived in Australia and was contracting out at Coles Myer in Tooronga. We used to end up at the same coffee cart most days and just got to know each other from that. We have shared many evenings out over the last 15 years, though we seem to see less of each other recently - which just means we have more to talk about when we do see each other.
Karin is a friend who I first met when I was applying for Permanent Residency back in 2005- she worked for Immigration Lawyer that I was using and we just became mates and catch up with each other fairly often - we live in the same area, so that helps. We always have plenty of stories to share.
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