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Teres Family Newsletter Diary  
Teres Family

Entries start at the most recent and go back to the first edition in July 2004. To read the diary in chronological order, jump to the first entry and read backwards.

Paul Teres is partner to Barbara Collins who  is firstborn daughter of Con and Bridget Collins  

2004    2005     2006   2007  2008 2009

November/December 2008 and January 2009
Barb and Paul
We’ve had such a busy year – too many holidays I think. 2009 will be a lot quieter. In the last few months, the family celebrated what would have been Wasyl’s 100^th birthday with a BBQ on the banks of the Maribyrnong River. We attended a family day at Pauline’s Ukrainian Elderly Citizen’s Home. A choir sang Ukrainian songs and we enjoyed afternoon tea. At an Accor Club presentation, Paul won a prize of two tickets to the Rocky Horror Show and a dinner for two at Café La at the Sofitel. Paul continues to visit his grandchildren every week and takes Josh out when the weather is suitable. I’ve been tutoring an intellectually disabled young lady in literacy, doing my junkmail round twice a week and I’m back at my old work as an administration casual. I visit the gym several times a week and Paul has joined up too so he can work out, swim or just sit in the sauna/spa and contemplate life. We are currently preparing for a trip to Thailand.

Surfers Paradise Holiday
Sophie, Andrew and the kids had a much needed holiday on the Gold Coast in December.

Lisa and Dave in Thailand
Email received from Lisa on New Year’s Eve
Happy New Year from Koh Samui!! Dave and I are having a great time in Thailand. Love it here-it’s fantastic. Great hot weather, shopping, food and the people are very nice. Had 5 days at Patong Beach in Phuket which was a lot of fun. It’s very busy there though and loads of people, traffic everywhere. Lots of people have motorbikes/scooters and there are taxis everywhere. You have to be careful crossing the roads. The resort we stayed at though was brilliant and very comfortable. It had three huge pools and a couple of pool bars, gym, spa etc.  I had a massage at the resort spa one afternoon and it was lovely-very relaxing. The room was really large and we could walk out of our room a few metres and straight into the pool. It was heaven. Wish we had stayed there longer-If I ever return to Phuket will stay at Banthai Resort again. It was across from the beach and in the centre of it all.  We spent a day at Patong Beach sunbaking which cost 100 baht for a sun lounge. Was a lot of fun there as people come past all the time wanting to sell you stuff and get you drinks etc. The water was really warm and it was a good day. Spent more time relaxing by the hotel pool though as it was quieter and more relaxing. Once you walk out of the resort into the heart of Patong its very busy. We also did a day speed boat trip to Phi Phi island and did some snorkling and that was really great too.
 
We arrived at Koh Samui island on last Monday afternoon- it’s a 45 min flight from Phuket. We are staying at a resort right on the beach and we are in a bungalow room near the beach. We can see the water from our patio. The hotel here is not as fancy as the Phuket one, but it’s a great location right on the beach-gorgeous views.  It’s a lot more laid back here and much quieter than Patong. People don’t hassle you as much trying to sell stuff! We have hired a motorbike for the week (cost 700baht in total for 6 days which is like AU$35 for the week -bargain!!) to get around the island and do some touring. It's a lot of fun driving around on one of them (although Dave is doing the driving-I just hang one the back!). Last night we drove to Cheweng beach which is 10mins down the road for dinner. Have pretty much spent the past couple of days relaxing on the beach and went and did some shopping in Chaweng (the main restaurant and shopping strip).
 
Tonight we have the new years gala dinner dance at the resort. Its a jungle theme and should be a fun night. It’s been raining here a bit today but it’s clearing now-weather can be a bit tropical and humid at times. We are here at Koh Samui till Tuesday then we fly to North Thailand for two nights before returning home to Melbourne on Thursday 8/1.

September/October 2008
Barb and Paul's 2nd wedding anniversary
For our 2^nd wedding anniversary on 27 August 2008, we traveled to Echuca for a short break. We caught a tram into Spencer Street, then a train to Murchison and a coach to Echuca. We stayed in the Steampacket Inn which was built in the 1870s and is now a National Trust Classified boutique Bed & Breakfast. It’s on the old Port of Echuca. We walked a lot, ate a lot and had a paddle steamer ride on the Emmy Lou to Morrison’s Winery where we had lunch before being picked up by the Emmy Lou for a return trip to the Port of Echuca. We had lovely two days there, with great weather, before catching a coach to Bendigo and a train back to Footscray where we caught a tram home almost to our doorstep! After our visit, we noticed that they were reviewed by The Age. If you are interested, read the review here.

Combined celebration for Lisa’s birthday and Fathers’ Day
It only happens every seventh year – and 2008 was one of those years where Fathers’ Day and Lisa’s birthday fell on the same day. So it was a good reason to have a double celebration! Lisa invited family to Barbarino’s Restaurant on the Friday night before her birthday, and then on Fathers’ Day, we all celebrated the double event at Lisa and Dave’s place.

Sam’s 1st birthday
Sam turned one on 19th September. He had a BBQ party for friends and family at his local play centre. The adults enjoyed the BBQ and Sam enjoyed his special ‘1’ cake.

Paul’s Red Cross Donation milestone
Paul was invited to take part in this year’s Red Cross Milestone Donor’s Ceremony to celebrate his 250^th donation. This year it was at The Victory Room at Telstra Dome. Each milestone group was asked to stand when their milestone was called out. There were hundreds of men and women in the first group to stand – the 100 milestone. The 150, 200 and 250 groups were smaller and it was very noticeable that there were very few women. As the milestones got higher, the groups became smaller. There were only 15 in Paul’s group. But the milestones grew even higher with 300, 350, 400, 450 and 500 donations. All men. There were only 3 in each of the last two groups. After the ceremony, we enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea while we waited for Paul’s group to have their picture taken.

Seniors Citizen’s Week
Paul and I had  fun this Seniors Citizens Week. I’m still a fake SC but in February next year, when I turn 60, I’ll be a REAL one. We joined in on the Seniors Citizens Week launch in Federation Square and went on the walk. With Paul’s competitive spirit, we strode out in front and were first to the finish line – although a few other Senior Citizens tried to muscle in on the last stretch. On Tuesday, we saw two movies at the ACMI (Australian Centre of the Moving Image) in Federation Square. It’s a fascinating place to go by the way. We saw “The Page Turner” and “Love in the time of Cholera” -both excellent movies. We had a few hours to kill in between the shows so we had a walk along Birrarung Marr and went for a free ride on the tourist bus around Melbourne. Dad and I also had a couple of outings. We went, with Judy, to the talk on “Maintain Your Brain” by Professor Frederick Mendelsohn of the Howard Florey Institute (http://www.florey.edu.au/) in the BMW theatre at Federation Square. It was a very informative talk with a long question time. We had a lot of our current knowledge reinforced and learnt a few new things too. On Thursday, Dad and I went to an informative talk at the Ombudsmans Office.

Remembering WasylPaul’s father, Wasyl, passed away on 6th May 2006. If he had still been with us, he would have been 100 this birthday. His family came together at Maribyrnong Park on a beautiful day on 5th October 2008 to remember his birthday (6/10).

July/August 2008
Big moves for Lisa
Lisa has moved in with Dave and they are living in St Albans. Dave has his own business in scrap metal close to his home. Lisa also has a new job as Senior Financial Accountant for an international company, based in Sunshine, who distribute tractors and other farm equipment.

Mornington Peninsula Holiday
Paul and Barb travelled down to the Mornington Peninsula for a week in June to get a better idea if this is where they would like to spend their retirement. They were interested in a village that was being built at Mount Martha but ended up putting their names on the waiting list for The Village Glen in West Rosebud – but more of that a bit further down.

During the week they checked out all the facilities that the Peninsula has to offer and were lucky that the weather was really good after the dreadful fogs that seemed to settle right across the bottom of Victoria for a few days. Unfortunately, this was when Andrew and his family came down for a BBQ and so we decided to sit inside our unit, with the heating on, while we ate our BBQ.

The Village Glen Retirement Village
Towards the end of our Mornington Peninsula holiday, we stopped at The Village Glen retirement village. We were given a great tour of the whole village and they even gave us lunch! We just loved the place and knew that this is where we would like to spend our retirement. We have put our name on a waiting list but will have to wait for a few years until the type of villa that we want comes up. The village is very large and even has it’s own Par 3 golf course – as well as a fantastic pool/gym complex that overlooks the golf course.

Eastlink Adventure
In early July, we took Judy and Renato and Dad down to Rosebud to have a look at the proposed retirement village, but also to test the new Eastlink tollway. We wanted to see if the journey would be any shorter via the tollway. It wasn’t – but it was a much easier drive and it was wonderful being able to avoid Springvale Road. It took us 90 minutes to get there with not many holdups. But it took two hours to get home again as we were caught up in a couple of those bottlenecks that have had some attention in the news.

After visiting the village, we popped into visit Ernie de Vlieger who is now living in Rosebud. It was great to see Ernie and his partner, Sue, and their new spoodle, Sandy. They have a beautiful home down there and just love living in the area.

Barb and Paul’s South Pacific Cruise
We headed off on a short cruise on 2nd August on The Pacific Dawn. The cruise left Sydney and traveled to Noumea, Isle of Pines and Ouvea before returning to Sydney. While enjoying the cruise tremendously, we couldn’t help but compare it to our last cruise on the Sun Princess. We think the Princess Line has won us over and this was probably our last P&O cruise. We had a balcony for the first time this cruise and it was WONDERFUL. Here is a picture of me sitting in The Dome on the ship as we left Sydney Harbour and a picture of the ship that Paul took as we were returning to it by tender from the Isle of Pines.

Eagles Show
Judy, Renato, Paul and Barb went to an Eagles tribute show at Moonee Valley Legends Room in July. The band presented a very authentic sound as they played their way through a history of Eagles songs – finishing with the fabulous Hotel California. Great night!

Pa and Grandma (that’s Paul and Barb) babysit Sam
We had fun babysitting Sam on Sunday 17th while Andrew, Sophie and Josh went to watch a Hawthorn Footy game. Pauline came along to join in the fun as well.

May/June 2008
Paul and Barb's Lindeman Island Holiday
We went for a 10 day holiday to Club Med, Lindeman Island, in April. What a fantastic time we had – NEARLY as good as a cruise. I’ve written a diary of our holiday which you can read here if you are interested in this type of all-inclusive holiday (airfares, transfers, all food, drink and activities!)

Paul’s 250th blood donation
I started donating whole blood in 1966. It took 30 years to reach 100 donations because you can only visit every 3 months. Having changed to plasma donations, I am able to visit the Blood Bank every 2 weeks and spend an hour reading the paper. I always enjoy the party pies and coffee afterwards.                        It’s also a good opportunity to visit Crown Casino.

I believe this is a vital community service that most people can participate in and encourage all readers to get involved. THE BLOOD BANK NEEDS YOU.

March/April 2008
Lisa and Dave
Dave and I travelled to Hong Kong for a week to celebrate New Years.
We arrived on 29th December for a six night stay in a lovely boutique hotel called 'The Luxe Manor 'located in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong. It was very central to the harbour ferry, trains, shopping and all the major attractions.

We spent our time in Hong Kong shopping at markets (lots of great bargains!), eating delicious Hong Kong style Chinese food, visiting tourist attractions such as Lantau Island (where the Bronze Buddha is located), Victoria Peak (highest point in Hong Kong) and just exploring the sights of this colourful city.

We spent New Years Eve at a trendy bar on the 50th floor of a skyscraper overlooking Hong Kong Harbour. The view was very spectacular and we enjoyed watching the midnight fireworks and dancing the night away.

Another day we spent at Macau which is about a 60km ferry ride from Hong Kong. This Portuguese colony is now owned by the Chinese and has developed into a casino mecca. A bit like Las Vegas. We spent a day here visiting the sights and went to the Venetian Casino which was very luxurious & spectacular. Dave and I played roulette and won $1600 HK!!! Then we had a fantastic Portuguese dinner which topped off a memorable day.

It was a great holiday and one of the best New Years Eve's I have ever had.  If you enjoy shopping for bargains, great Asian food and a lively city then you would love Hong Kong!

Teres Easter Holiday
Andrew, Sophie, Josh and Sam went to Albury for Easter with another young family, Sophie said, “Unfortunately Josh became sick on Thursday with a Virus so wasn't himself most of the trip. We also discovered he gets carsick which is not much fun.  On Saturday we just played some games and made Easter baskets ready for Easter bunny. The adults went out on Saturday night and the children were looked after by Karina’s mum.  Sam had a ball - he got so much attention and slept all night each night. Sunday we did an Easter egg hunt which was fun and had a BBQ with some of Karina’s family, and made a pinata for the kids, which was fun (we have great video footage of it). Played some cricket and then prepared for the trip home. We came the long way home through Beechworth, Milewa, Mansfield, Bonnie Doone. We got Josh some medicine so he wasn't as sick, even though he threw up twice, poor little man.  But all in all was a great holiday.”

Barb’s news
I’ve taken up a local paper/junk mail delivery route. Why? To save more money for holidays!!!!!!!!!! What a great way to get paid for exercising.

We’ve have been looking around at retirement villages and are very interested in one down Mornington Peninsula way. It’s called Martha’s Point. We are going on a week’s holiday a little later on in the year to check everything out.  In preparation for the possible move, we have been taking loads of ‘stuff’ to Trash and Treasure markets, working in the garden and having a good clean out of rubbish. It’s truly amazing how much junk one accumulates over a 15 year period.

Our next holiday is not far away. We will be taking off to Club Med on Lindeman Island for 10 days – lots of pics for next newsletter!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve been working out hard at the gym and now have MUSCLES to wrestle Paul with (LOL)

January/February 2008
Barb's retirement
After being in the full time workforce almost continuously for 40 years, I decided to retire at the end of 2007. And thanks to Paul, I have been able to achieve that goal. As I write this, it is the first day I would be going back to work after the Christmas break and it does feel a bit funny. Especially as today is 40 degrees and I would have been very COOL at work. But I did enjoy the sleep in this morning!

On my second last day, 20th December, I knew the staff were going to have a farewell morning tea for me. I was hoping to keep the occasion low key so I was a bit worried when I found out some of them had disappeared into the conference room – and I wasn’t allowed in – yet! I was like a cat on a hot tin roof. I felt sure I would cry as I had been feeling very weepy for the last week so I took my box of tissues as a security blanket.

When I was allowed in, I saw they had a beautiful, catered morning tea prepared and what I thought was a PowerPoint Presentation ready to go on the big screen. After a bit of chitter chatter, Suzie who was my Manager for most of my time at Quit, got up to tell people that a special DVD had been prepared for me by one of the staff – the amazing Margarita. In her own time, she had gone around to everyone in the Tobacco Control Unit with a small whiteboard for them to write on and a video camera. They all showed their wonderful diversity, senses of humour and warm thoughts about me using the whiteboard and other props – like young Jo sitting in my seat with her legs propped up on the desk reading a travel guide and Jean who just drew a banana. She knew I would know what that would mean. I was truly flabbergasted and ALMOST rendered speechless by the amount of work I know goes into the production of something like this. This is such a special and unique gift that I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

Well, then came the speeches with Suzie and my current manager, Jayne, saying such lovely things about me. We have all been through a lot together over the last 12 years and I consider them friends as well as work colleagues – at least I did! Now they are just friends. Jayne has been very unwell over the last few months and I was touched that she was able to come in to farewell me.

I feel like crying as I write this, it was such a wonderful farewell. However, my adrenalin had me so pumped that, at that stage, I was still more excited than weepy. But then it was my turn to make a farewell speech. I took my tissues up with me. But I made it through without going into the high pitched squeak that my voice turns into when I become emotional.

Christmas
Paul and I had Christmas lunch at Andrew and Sophie’s place again this year. Lisa was with us this year and it was little Sam’s first Christmas and Josh’s third! Sophie’s Mum, Kate, Paul’s Mum, Pauline, and Andrew and Lisa’s Mum, Barbara Teres were all there too. Seated around Sophie and Andrew’s new dining table, we had a delicious, traditional Christmas lunch - thanks to Sophie and Kate.

Campervan Holiday
Paul and I set out on New Year’s Eve in a 2 berth campervan on a 3 day adventure to Adelaide. We wanted to see what it felt like in case we want to take longer trips in the future. We used the www.standbycars.com.au site – they send us regular emails when they have vans they need relocated. In this case, it cost $1 plus (booking fee of $15) a day and we paid for diesel and campsite fees. We set off on a 40 degree day and I was dreading our first stop at Portland as I wasn’t sure how the little air-conditioner would cope with the heat. Luckily, the cool change came through about an hour after we arrived – 24 hours before it hit Melbourne! So we spent the evening at the New Year celebrations put on by the city of Portland. Next day we traveled to Cape Jaffa. Not good. Don’t go there! The caravan park was about the only thing at Cape Jaffa – apart from a lot of boats. It was windy and dusty and we spent the rest of the day in the campervan watching DVDs. On the 3rd day we arrived in Adelaide. After dropping off the van, we caught a bus to the bus terminal and put our luggage in a locker and used our 2 hour bus ticket to catch a tram down to the beachside suburb of Glenelg. Then after a great Chinese meal we returned to the bus station in time to catch the overnight bus back to Melbourne. It was a double decker and we were on the top. I forgot how hard it is to try and sleep in a bus/train/plane overnight. It dropped us off at Highpoint Shopping Centre at 6.30am and we walked home from there and went straight to bed. It took us a few days to recover from this ‘adventure’.

New Zealand Cruise
We had a most wonderful 14 cruise in January around New Zealand on the Sun Princess. We embarked in Sydney and traveled through some pretty rough seas to Milford Sound at the bottom of the South Island then traveled up the East Coast stopping at Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Taurangi, Auckland and the Bay of Islands before continuing home to Sydney. We were so impressed with the Princess Line – very high quality everything! Here is a link to a comprehensive diary of our trip. You might like to read it if you are interested in cruising to see the sort of life you have on board a cruise ship – or if you are interested in New Zealand. 

A week at Bellbrae
Paul booked a week at the Bellbrae time share resort and had a very busy week indeed. First, Lisa and Dave joined him on Saturday. Next day, Barb arrived and Lisa and Dave organized a BBQ. Lisa and Dave left on Sunday night to try their hand at fishing for squid on their way home. Barb and Paul had a couple of relaxing days and Barb left on Tuesday. Paul came back to Melbourne and picked up his mum and took her to Bellbrae for the remainder of the week. Paul didn’t have a camera with him during this time which was unfortunate as I would have liked to have seen Pauline, who is 91, in a pair of orange and hot pink board shorts in the vigorous spa!!!! Paul arrived home on Friday – exhausted.

December 2007

October/November 2007
Seniors' Week
Barb and Paul decided to see what Seniors Week had to offer this year. We attended the launch of Seniors Week and took part in the walk at the Docklands. We were surprised to find out that it was a very brisk, one hour walk. And we led the pack the whole way!!!!!! A few other senior couples tried to sneakily take the lead from us but we just sped up. We were quite puffed out when we find got to the finish.  The next day we went to the ACMI theatre at Federation Square and saw two movies back to back, “The Last King of Scotland”, and “Notes on a Scandal”. Both enjoyable movies – neither of us went to sleep. By the time we got home we were quite tired.

Barb and Paul's Tasmanian holiday
Did you know you can’t take any fruit into Tassie? We didn’t. As we entered the airport, a sniffer dog took an interest in my hand luggage. We thought it might have been my prescription medication but it was the 3 tangellos I had thrown into my hand luggage at the last moment. So I started my holiday with a hefty fine.

Here are we are standing outside the Cascade Brewery after an excellent tour and beer tasting. We had a terrific little holiday in pretty Hobart. We went on the Cadbury Factory too - which was a bit disappointing. They no longer give tastings during the short tour! We travelled everywhere on public transport and walked a lot. The weather was overcast most of the time – but not cold.

September 2007
Fathers Day
We spent Father’s Day lunch with Paul’s children Lisa and Andrew, and Andrew’s family Sophie, son Josh and “the bump” (“The bump” has since been born and is now “Samuel” – see September newsletter for pics).

Then we dropped in to see Barb’s Dad on the way home.

Lisa's birthday
We celebrated Lisa’s 35^th birthday at the Conservatory at Crown. We shared a delightful seafood buffet with Lisa, Pauline, Andrew, Sophie and Josh. Here’s a picture of Lisa and also one of Josh who was also enjoying the delicious food!

The new baby has arrived!
The new Teres baby has arrived safe and sound. Sophie delivered, by Caesarean birth, another beautiful little baby boy named Samuel Alexander at 9.42am on Wednesday 19/9/2007. All went well and Sophie is a bit sore but in good health. Josh isn’t quite sure about the concept of ‘baby brothers’ yet. Read what he has to say in his blog: http://seretja.blogspot.com/

Overseas visitors
Paul and Barb had the pleasure of showing visitors from USA around the city of Melbourne recently. Vince and Pat Polzer were parents of a student when Paul taught in Denver, Colorado 18 years ago. We met them at their hotel straight off their 16 hour flight from Los Angeles and had a brief catchup over a cup of coffee. Then we caught the City Circle tram for a quick ride to the Casino. After a stroll along Southbank, we stopped for lunch at Federation Square. Then on to the Tourist Shuttle Bus for another trip around Melbourne – finishing at the Shrine. We took a break late afternoon and then finished our day with dinner at the Dragon Boat Restaurant in Chinatown. It was a big day, especially after such a long flight, but they were only in Melbourne for two days and HAD to see the penguins on one of those days. We were exhausted and Paul said he could never be a tourist guide – but he did a great job of planning the one day Melbourne tour.

Barb and Paul's Warrnambool Adventure
We ‘backpacked’ to Warrnambool on September 25^th! Well, we really just put our backpacks on and caught the train, stayed overnight and returned to Melbourne, via train, the next day. Here is Paul while we stopped to have a picnic lunch in the lake at Warrnambool. They weather was great.

July/August 2007

Barb and Paul went on a terrific holiday to Magnetic Island – 8kms off the coast of Townsville. Read Barb’s report on what they did there for 2 weeks including Paul’s accident/s.

Andrew and Sophie’s new baby is nearly here. Sophie goes in to have the baby delivered on September 19^th. Paul and I were invited to go to a 7 month ultrasound viewing. We all sat in a warm, darkened room, in lounge chairs, and watched the new baby inside Sophie’s womb, on a big screen. The baby was not in the right position for good viewing on the first attempt, so we all went for a walk in the hope it the baby would move around – and he did! The ultrasound experience was recorded on DVD for the proud parents to take away with them. Paul thought the baby looked a bit like Wasyl – but we all thought Paul has a vivid imagination.

May/June 2007

Barb and Paul had Mothers Day lunch with Pauline on their way to Portarlington. We visited the Ukrainian Elderly Citizens Hostel and spent an enjoyable few hours with Paul’s Mum.

They spent a few days at Portarlington in May. The weather was cool but it was a great rest for us both after a busy period. 

On May 5th, the Teres Family met to remember Paul’s father, Wasyl on the first anniversary of his passing.

Pauline turned 90 in May! We celebrated this milestone at the Moonee Valley Racecourse bistro

April 2007

Barb and Paul met Pauline and a party of residents from her hostel at Ukrainian House in Essendon for lunch in April. We had a Ukrainian lunch consisting of meat, cheese and egg with an accompaniment of a relish made from horseradish and beetroot. Happy birthday was sung in Ukrainian, together with what we presume was a folk song and it was an enjoyable occasion.

Barbara has started to transcribe the letters of her Mum and Dad from 1945 -1946. She started the project to assist Jessica in the novel she is writing about Con but has become engrossed in the story that the letters tell. Without going into a lot of detail, as Jessica’s novel will finally tell the story, Con and Bridget started to correspond while Con was at war in Papua New Guinea in 1945. They were introduced through Con’s young brother, Bill - who would have been about 16 at the time. Bill worked with Bridget (or Suzie as she was known as at the time – why? – wait for the novel!)

Barb isn’t halfway through the letters yet but knows that the letters are significant. They give an insight into both Con and Sue/Bridget as well as being of historical importance. Thanks to the foresight of Con and Bridget in keeping these letters, the contents of these letters have provided a valuable heirloom for the Collins Family.

March 2007

Barb and Paul had a holiday in Merimbula recently with Paul’s son’s family - Andrew, Sophie and baby Joshua. We got some great shots of Joshua at his first experience of the beach (see newsletter).

Andrew and Sophie have announced that they are pregnant with their second child. Joshua will have a little brother or sister in September this year!

Andrew, Sophie and Lisa joined in with the Collins family at the get together on March 25th! See pictures in the newsletter of Josh enjoying a paddle in the water and climbing the stairs with grandpa!

Lisa has moved into her new unit in Carnegie and had a house warming lunch there on Sunday 1st April for her family.

Barbara is ramping up her fitness regime of Pump and Combat classes, working out in the gym and walking, with BOXING classes. Although it seems to be a losing the battle, she is determined to lose the ‘nana’ arms – but is also enjoying the extra cardio vascular component that comes with boxing.

She has also decided to fully retire at the end of the year, a little over 12 months ahead of the ‘plan’. She and Paul are already looking forward to a 2 week cruise in January next year and lots of other travel plans that won’t have to fit around her part time work. Yee Haaaaaaa!

Barb went to the same St Joseph’s reunion as Judi has reported in her news. She attended the school as both a student, AND taught there for two years in the early 70s. She met one former Prep student who remembered lots of interesting things from her year with Barb. First thought on entering the hall was “OMG what are all these OLD people doing here?” until the reality hit that she is that age now too. Those of you who are 50 or older will confirm that we feel a lot younger on the inside than we really are  - so it’s a bit of a shock when confronted with reality.

January/February 2007

This Christmas, Barb and Paul spent Christmas lunch with Andrew and Sophie’s family at Andrew’s place. Sophie and her Mum, Kate, and sister, Emma, prepared a fabulous traditional Christmas lunch which was enjoyed by us all – including Andrew’s mum, Barbara, Paul’s mum, Pauline and young Josh. 

In early February, Pauline, Paul, Lisa and Barb had very pleasant afternoon tea at the Sofitel to celebrate Lisa’s return to Melbourne and to thank Lisa and Paul for the tremendous effort they put in to clearing and selling Pauline’s home in Brisbane.

Paul’s Last Trip to Brisbane (except for holidays)
I left Melbourne by car early on Saturday 6^th January with the intention of travelling the whole day – taking regular breaks. The weather was warm, traffic light and I was well supplied with food and CDs so kept driving to finally stop at 11.30pm for a good sleep at Goondiwindi.

I continued the trip early the next morning and arrived in Brisbane well before schedule. Lisa was out at the gym so she was surprised to find me sleeping on a mattress in the lounge when she got back. It was good to catch up with her. She had been looking after the house and negotiating the sale of remaining household furniture.

The following week was very busy with the final cleanup, solicitor’s appointments, phone calls and visits to friends. By the weekend, the work was done so Lisa and I celebrated with a BBQ. After a rubbish removalist took away the last unwanted items, Lisa and I waved goodbye to my parents’ house and left for Melbourne in two FULLY laden cars on Monday 15^th January.

We reached Moree late afternoon and checked into a cabin for an overnight stay. Next morning, we started off refreshed for a planned long leg to West Wyalong. However, 90km down the road, just before Narrabri, Lisa’s car broke down. Four hours were lost waiting for a pick up truck and repairs but we still made West Wyalong by 9.30pm. We completed the last 560km of the trip with ease next day and were relieved to have made it back safely.

I’ve vowed that’s the last long distance move I’ll be involved with – getting too old!!

November/December 2006

It looks like Paul's almost monthly trips to Brisbane will be coming to an end. Pauline's house has been sold and there is only one more trip to make to finalise the last clean up and bring Lisa back to Melbourne.

Joshua has started swimming lessons. Paul is very happy about this as he was once a swimming instructor himself and knows the value of children learning to swim at an early age. 

Josh Teres turns 1 on 21st December but he had his first birthday party on 17th December in the park across from his home. He was surrounded by family and friends - big and small - and had a terrific time! 

October 2006

The Teres family is going through a period of readjustment. Pauline is settling in well at the Ukrainian Elderly People's Home after leaving Brisbane at short notice. Fortunately Lisa was up there to help with her departure and has remained for a working holiday. She is caring for the house and liaising with Real Estate agents. Paul went to Brisbane in early October to collect some of Pauline's possessions and delivered these by truck. He has been back to Brisbane late October to finalise the sale of the property. Barbara and Paul are enjoying married life but have not had much time together up to now. Some family days are planned in the near future to give everyone the opportunity to catch up.

Pauline is VERY happy in her new home at the Ukrainian elderly Citizens Hostel. Paul even reports that she has seen her laughing! She has a lovely room and is enjoying plenty of good food with a Ukrainian influence. They go on many outings and have a lot of in-house entertainment – all in Ukrainian. Sophie and Andrew went to visit her and Josh entertained all the residents. No language barrier when it comes to cute babies!!

Sophie, Andrew and Josh also came along to the last CollinsPlus get together at Graham’ place. Here’s picture of one little girl who really caught his eye, Maddison (daughter of Mary’s friend, Rick). In fact, he was a hit with all the girls – especially if they were in pink! Josh is also enjoying playing in the park near his home. 

Barb has decided to give up Avon at the end of this year. After 3 years as a team leader to a group 100 representatives and after reaching her goal of President’s Club, she thinks it’s all a bit too much in her semi retirement. With the unit looking like a warehouse, and the Paul and the garden starting to feel a bit neglected, priorities have been put in order!

Talking about the house looking like a warehouse – the time is coming for ruthless clean out. To this end, Barb has done a course on selling on Ebay and will soon be selling off all ‘stuff’ that is in excess of needs!

August/September 2006

Lisa
Lisa has moved to Brisbane for a working holiday. Paul and Lisa drove up to Queensland late July and Lisa is staying with her grandmother, Pauline, while she is on her working holiday.  She has a job with a sports stadiums management agency.

Barb and Paul
We were married on 27th August 2006 at the Registry Office in Melbourne. Click here for a story about our wedding and honeymoon and here is a site with lots more pictures – but photographer’s photos not yet available. Thanks for taking all these pics Graham!

Josh
Joshua is now sitting up and starting to crawl! Go to newsletter for pictures showing that he is already displaying a ken interest in money!

May/June
Lisa is moving to Brisbane. She has a new job that she will be taking up at the end of the month. She and Paul drove up on Monday (25/8) and Paul will stay there for a couple of weeks before flying back to Melbourne. The Teres family got together on the Saturday before the trip to farewell Lisa.

Barb has made ‘President’s Club’ in Avon and will be attending a special dinner for President Club members in mid August. She has ALMOST got her wedding outfit finalised and Judi, with her eye for fashion, will be helping her ‘tweak’ it.

Barb and Paul were invited to dinner at Andrew and Sophie’s during the month and Sophie cooked up a delicious minestrone soup and some yummy calamari. Baby Josh entertained up with his antics – as did Max

Pauline is biding her time in Brisbane until a place becomes available at the Ukrainian hostel in Melbourne. Paul will be assisting her with packing and other moving-house-tasks in his time up there.

May/June
The oldest member of CollinsPlus has passed away. Wasyl Teres, father of Paul and father-in-law (to be) of Barbara, slipped away quietly, early in the morning of 6 May 2006 at his Cazna Gardens Nursing Home. He was 97 years old and died in his sleep.

His funeral was attended by family and the few remaining friends in Melbourne. He was buried at Fawkner Cemetery. 

Now that Wasyl has passed, Pauline feels free to come to Melbourne to live. Paul has found an ideal hostel for elderly Ukrainians in Melbourne – not TOO far from our place.

Pauline will have her own room and ensuite. She has been to look at the facility and has given her approval. It means that as well as being close to family and joining in family activities, Pauline will have the company of others who will share her experiences and memories. She already knows at least one resident and the Pastor who conducted Wasyl’s funeral visits regularly and speaks very highly of the facility. Pauline has been placed high on the priority list which is great news. Pauline has been very lonely in Brisbane over the last few years while Wasyl was a resident at Cazna Gardens Nursing Home.

The current task is to help her pack up and be ready to move quickly when the hostel place becomes available. After the funeral, Paul and I went to stay a few days with Pauline. During this time, it was Pauline’s 89th birthday and we had a BBQ with a friend, Roman, at a nearby park.

After visiting Pauline, we spent a couple of days on the Gold Coast having a much-needed rest. Two and a half days doing nothing but sleeping, eating and walking were just right after a very hectic month!

Luckily, Barb abd Paul also managed to get a holiday in Bright in earlier in the year. See great pics in the May/June 2006 newsletter.

Since Barb started wearing her pedometer about this time last year, she has clocked up over 3 million steps! Not quite the recommended 10,000 steps a day- she’ll just have to try HARDER in the next 12 months!

April 2006
Lisa 
Lisa had an adventure filled holiday in New Zealand. In Auckland, before commencing her Contiki Tour, she emailed: “Auckland is a great place and the weather has been fine since I arrived. Today I did another day tour...this time to Rotorua. I ended up going with a smaller company called Greenworld tours. There was only 8 of us in the minibus and I was picked up from the hotel at 7am and we drove to Rotorua where I went to the Polynesian spa pools and then went to the Puatui thermal area to see the Geysers and volcanic area, and also watched a Maori concert. It was fantastic and I could quite easily have spent a few days there.....maybe next visit! The mineral spa pools were wonderful! On the way back the tour went to the Waitomo glow worm caves which was also very interesting. I got dropped back at my hotel at 7.30 pm so it was a very long day...and my second full day tour in two days. Tomorrow I will sleep in and then I fly to Christchurch in the afternoon. I’m staying at the Holiday Inn tomorrow night and then meet up with my tour mates on Tuesday evening to start the Contiki tour."

Other highlights included a cruise on Milford Sound, being transported to the top of a mountain by helicopter and then trekking for two and a half hours on a glacier before being picked up again by the helicopter. Although drawing the line at bungy jumping, she did jump out of a plane and here is the picture to prove it. (Lisa is on the bottom!) The holiday included lots of socialising as well as action. It goes without saying she is already planning for her next holiday.

Barb and Paul 
Barb says, “We have been busy planning our wedding, which will be a very small, family, adults only (sorry kids) family affair. This was a compromise with Paul’s plan of eloping and getting married at sea. Everything is set except what I’m going to wear and that COULD take the next four months to decide. More news closer to the time in August. It will not be a traditional wedding though – can’t really see myself in a bride’s get up at 57!  Paul’s been up to Brisbane again to visit Pauline and to make sure she is safe and comfortable. It will be a relief when she will finally be able to come to Melbourne to live. Paul is happy that the football season has started and that his team, Collingwood, seems to be off to a good start. We are setting out for a holiday in Bright tomorrow and we are taking our bikes with us to explore the great bike paths they have up there. I hope there are some autumn leaves still about – I’m hoping to take some very autumnal pics for the next newsletter.”

March 2006
Poor little baby Joshua has been in hospital. Not 3 months old, Josh was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis when he was having consistent problems with feeding. However, this is quite common and the medical staff at the Royal Children’s Hospital reassured Sophie and Andrew and fixed up problem for Josh with a little operation. Sophie and Andrew had quite a few sleepless nights (especially Sophie who stayed at the hospital with Josh in a 6 bed ward full of sick children and their parents). But things are now getting back on track with Josh looking like his own little self again! Here is a picture of him home again and happy. Read All About Joshua on his blog!

Since the last newsletter – Paul has proposed to Barb. After 14 years together, he finally popped the question and the wedding will be in August this year. Paul was in favour of eloping or being married at sea, but Barb suggested a very small and simple wedding so close family could help celebrate the event!

Lisa is off on a holiday in New Zealand. After a week of exploring the North Island solo, she is being joined by a girlfriend on a Contiki tour of the South Island, including an overnight cruise on Milford Sound.

Paul is on his monthly visit to his Mum in Brisbane.

January/February 2006
Paul became a grandfather on December 21st 2005.  Joshua Andrew Teres is the first baby to be added to the tree since the beginning of the CollinsPlus project.  Joshua  was only 6lbs 9oz when he arrived. and Joshua is the first of the CollinsPlus family to have his own blog. See newsletter

On Christmas Day, Lisa hosted lunch at her home in Kew. This was her first time to host Christmas Lunch and she and her Mum, Barbara, created a very festive atmosphere. The meal was delicious and VERY filling – but who can resist Christmas fare? 

Paul’s golf is really improving (since he got his new clubs from Ebay). In January, he played in an RACV Victorian 4B Championship Qualifier at the Northern Club with his mate, Jeff. They came second with a score of 46 Stableford points!!! In March, they will play final rounds at Sorrento and National Golf Clubs.

We have recently acquired a copy of Pauline, Paul and Wasyl’s immigration records from the National Archives. It’s wonderful to have a copy of such historical records. 

November/December 2005
Barb and Paul went for a week to Phillip Island for a delightful holiday and had a Cup Day with a difference! (see newsletter for reports and pictures)

It’s not long now until the birth of Baby Teres – he’s due on or near Christmas Day! And Paul is up in Queensland, again, for a few days attending to his mum’s needs. Now that he has joined the Qantas Club, waiting at the airport is much more pleasant.

Paul’s daughter, Lisa, is hosting Christmas Lunch this year for the members of the Teres Family who are able to be there and, then off to Barbara’s sister’s place at Patterson Lakes for dinner.

October 2005
Paul has been to visit his Mum in Brisbane once again this month. He installed a portable refrigerated air conditioner that will make life more pleasant for her during the very hot Summer months. He also took her to an ear specialist to have her ears thoroughly cleaned of wax and then accompanied her for a hearing assessment to find out the extent of her hearing problem. The test showed that although Pauline has some hearing loss it is not yet serious enough for her to require hearing aids.

On Sunday 16^th, Paul got up at 4.00am and rode into the docklands to be bused down to Sorrento for the start of the 100km leg of the Round The Bay in a Day bike ride. Barb rode in to Docklands to meet him at the finish and to ride home with him (in case he fell off his bike in exhaustion!) She need not have worried as he completed the ride in 5 hours. However, knee trouble has flared up so that will be the last major bike ride for Paul. Barb and Paul are off to Phillip Island for a week’s holiday. 

Thanks to recent advancements in ultrasound technology a scanner has now been produced that totally captures the wonder of the baby in the womb in 3D. Instead of the traditional grainy, black and white images of the 2D machines that needed the operator to explain the image, the new technology provides dynamic pictures of how the baby actually looks. It’s possible to watch as the baby smiles, yawns, sucks its thumb and stretches. Sophie and Andrew have had some of these ultrasounds taken –  Click here to see more.

September 2005
Sophie and Andrew are pleased to announce the new baby will be a BOY!!! They have been busy preparing a room for the new family member.

Paul is preparing to visit his Mum in Brisbane once again next month. Following that trip, he will be doing his 100km bike ride and then he and Barb are off to Phillip Island for a week’s holiday.

Barb and Paul have been doing ‘senior’ things recently. We attended the Seniors Expo and had our hearing tested and saw a great show by Denise Drysdale. We had front row seats so when Paul decided he wanted to go to a Centrelink talk halfway through the show, Denise heckled him all the way out of the auditorium! Paul won a couple of Showstopper tickets to “Nashville Favourites” at Crown that included a light lunch and lots of prize draws – none of which we won - but it’s always fun thinking “it could be us this time!” as the numbers are drawn out.

Lisa’s belated birthday was celebrated at a Yum Cha at Golden Dragon Palace Chinese restaurant in Lower Templestowe today (Sunday 18th).

August 2005
Baby Teres is very comfortable and doing well in his temporary accommodation according to the last ultra sound which was captured on video.

Paul has returned from Brisbane after a few weeks with his mother (Pauline). He visited his father several times in the Cazna House Nursing Home and also took Pauline to visit some of her friends while he had the car on this trip. Although his Mum told him not to bring his ‘sticks’ with him, Paul did end up taking his golf clubs and had four very enjoyable games.

Barb was extremely pleased to have Paul back home again in Melbourne because, as well as missing him heaps, lots of things needed fixing around the house – and she will now be able to practice dancing with a partner as dance classes.

Paul is off in October to ride 100km in a section of the Round the Bay in a Day bike ride. He will be bused down to Sorrento and will ride back from there to Melbourne.

July 2005
Paul’s father, Wasyl, has been in hospital with an upper respiratory infection. Paul is preparing to go up to Brisbane by car for a visit with his mum, Pauline. Paul is a “Mystery Shopper” and will be doing a few mystery shops in country towns on his way up to Queensland.

Sophie and Andrew will be shifting to Windsor over the next few weeks so they will be settled in more suitable accommodation for the arrival of Baby Teres. They will also be taking a holiday break in Queensland soon and are hoping to catch up with Paul and Pauline while they are up North.

June 2005
Paul is back in Brisbane again this month for a week. His Mum, Pauline, is not able to return to Melbourne in the foreseeable future, so Paul is putting extra support into place for her to make her life in Brisbane as safe as possible.

Barbara is busy working on this newsletter, working part time at Quit, working the Avon business (and is now the internet team leader for her district) and looking after the garden and Paul - not necessarily in that order. With a couple of visits to Mum a week and trying to catch up with various family members, life is indeed full.

May 2005
Paul is back in Brisbane for 10 days this month to attend to his mother’s needs. Pauline lives alone in Brisbane as her husband, Wasyl, is in a nursing home. Paul and his children are all keen for Pauline and Wasyl to relocate to Melbourne, and hopefully this will be possible in the near future.

Paul has received a Megastar Plasma Donor lapel pin from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service to acknowledge his participation in the Apheresis Pledge Program.

Andrew and Sophie Teres are settling into married life and there should be a few more wedding photos in the next newsletter.

Lisa has settled into her new home in Kew.

April 2005
On March 19^th, Paul’s son, Andrew, married Sophie Lloyd at St John’s Church in Toorak.

It was a perfect day with the weather in the mid 20s and no wind. The church was candle lit and oozed with tradition, making a picturesque backdrop for photos. The reception was held at the Kooyong Tennis Centre where the two families and their friends helped Sophie and Andrew celebrate their union. The setting, food and wine, speeches and general ambience all made for a memorable evening. Noteworthy memories were the Bridal Rumba, the groom’s socks (Hawthorn of course) and Andrew gently removing the garter from his bride’s leg before tossing it into the group of eligible bachelors. (Male version of tossing the bridal bouquet).

Andrew’s grandmother, Pauline, made the trip, with Paul, down from Queensland and really enjoyed her time at the wedding.

Lisa Teres has changed her job and her address. She has moved from the Mordialloc area to East Kew so she is now much closer to the rest of the family. She has also commenced a new job as a specialist recruitment officer – specifically in the accountancy area.

March 2005
Big news in the Teres Family. Paul turned 60 on 26/2 and celebrated at home with family and a few close friends. 

Paul’s son, Andrew, will be marrying his fiancée, Sophie Lloyd, on 19 March.  They will be married at St John’s Church in Toorak. The reception will be held at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. Paul’s daughter, Lisa, will be a bridesmaid as will Sophie’s sister, Emma. They will honeymoon in Port Douglas and the Gold Coast. There will be lots of pictures in the next newsletter.

February 2005
Paul’s Mum, Pauline, who is 87, fell while shopping and fractured her knee in early December. She told Paul on the phone from Queensland that it was “a bit sore” but after a visit to the doctor she was put into hospital. She was there for about 10 days until Paul could get up from Melbourne and he stayed with her until early February as she undertook rehabilitation. He worked with local services to make sure she could manage after his return to Melbourne. Even with a splint on her leg, naughty Pauline insisted the doctors “don’t know everything” and continued to do her gardening and other difficult chores regardless of the splint. Hopefully she will be completely recovered in time to attend her grandson’s, (Andrew), wedding in Melbourne in March.

November - December 2004
Paul finished the Great Victorian Bike Ride with 8000 other participants – although we heard about 1000 dropped out early in the piece. The race started in Port Fairy and finished 8 days later in Geelong. Paul arrived back in Melbourne with Andrew, Sophie and Max looking brown (caused through a combination of sunshine and dirt!) and just a little tired. He handled the ride remarkably well but he thinks maybe he will be a volunteer helper at the next ride instead of a participant.

Lisa has a new part time job at Syndicate. In addition to her fulltime job at West Point Finance, Lisa is a very busy young lady!

October 2004
Paul when received acknowledgement from the Red Cross for having given 150 blood donations.

Paul is training for the Great Victorian Bike Ride in November. He has Barbara’s bike set up in the courtyard on a stationary trainer so he can train while he watches television! (He is also training out on the road.) He’ll be taking his roadster bike on holidays to Queensland so he can continue his training up there while Barbara relaxes on the beach.

Paul and Barb are off on holidays in October to visit Paul’s 95 year old Dad for his birthday, then on to the Gold Coast for a week and then to Maroochydor for a week. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

September 2004
On Sunday 1^st August, Paul and Barb attended the Red Cross Milestones presentations where Paul was acknowledged for having given150 blood donations.

Paul Teres has returned unscathed once again from his annual skiing holiday on Mt Hotham. He only did cross country skiing this time to build up his fitness for the upcoming Great Victorian Bike Ride.

Lisa Teres (daughter of Paul) has a new job as the Financial Accountant at WestPoint Finance.

Sophie Lloyd (fiancée of Andrew Teres who is son of Paul Teres) has been promoted to the position of 2IC at Angus and Robertson’s bookstore in Melbourne.

August 2004
Paul is heading off in late November on the Great Victorian Bike Ride. It’s a 9 day ride from Port Fairy to Geelong including the Great Ocean Road. Paul did the ride in this area a few years ago with a mate and loved it. He’s in training at the moment. Not bad for an almost 60 year old!

July 2004
Paul has been visiting his Mum and Dad in Brisbane. His Mum, Pauline, is always happy to see Paul as Wasyl is in a nursing home and Pauline has lots of odd jobs for him to do around the place.

Paul’s son Andrew and his fiancée Sophie have set their wedding for 17 March 2005.

This website has been made possible by the patronage and sponsorship of the late Cornelius Charles Collins.