CollinsPlus
E-news 
Edition 10. November
– December 2005.
Editor:
Barbara Collins
You can
send news at any time to The Editor. A reminder email will be sent out
a little while before each edition is due. So please keep the newsletter in
mind whenever anything happens in your family that you would like to tell
everyone about!
Index
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All about Carly Collins |
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Website news
I received an email from Peter Deacon about
an interaction between his family and the McManus Family who have not been in
touch for 30 years or more. It’s a great story – See the Deacon and McManus
News further in this newsletter.
Collins Family News
Go to Collins Family in CollinsPlus
Website
Social Events
Bridget’s
Birthday
Bridget
was 82 in November. As usual, family members who were able to be there to
celebrate gathered at Gregory Lodge Nursing Home. We had another terrific BBQ
with almost perfect weather. Unfortunately, Bridget was having a bit of a down
day and it was hard to get a smile. Click here to
see more pictures of the birthday BBQ.
Next Family Get Together
Christmas Day
Mary has kindly volunteered her home at
Patterson Lakes for the family to meet for ‘dinner’ on Christmas Day. More
information through the grapevine! Thanks Mary. We will enjoy relaxing with
your great water views after a hectic Christmas Day.
Diary Dates for next year
Have you put these dates in your 2006 diary
yet for the family get togethers?
April 2
July 9
October 8
Con Collins
Con Collins is the Ground Zero man for this website.
Con has now had his 2nd eye cataract
laser surgery done and all is going well – apart from some bruising. When
he goes back for a check up, he will find out about new glasses that go with
the whole procedure.
He went to a reunion on 6th
December for past Australian National Line employees - at The London
Tavern in Richmond.
Graham Collins
(Graham Collins is the first and only son of Con Collins who is the
Ground Zero man for this website. Graham
Collins Family)
Carly has been accepted for the
Commonwealth Games! She will be dancing in the closing ceremony and maybe the opening ceremony as as well. She’s
unsure of the details yet but will keep us posted. Read more about Carly in the
‘All About…’ and the Health Tips
sections.
Tyson. Poor
Tyson was punched at a party a few weeks back. He says, “It wasn't getting
punched that annoyed me, it was the fact I was hit from behind that really got
to me. Just a cowardly act – I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm
over it now, nothing a few stitches didn't fix.”
Tyson has also booked his ticket for some
overseas travel. He said, “Yep, I've booked my ticket!! I'm leaving on the 27th
of February at 12:50am. I arrive in London at 3:05pm on the 27th. I'm so excited.
I'm going over with Kate, who comes back in February for her sister’s wedding,
and will be living with her in Fulham. I plan to work for 3 months, then travel
Europe, most likely with myself or a few mates, as Kate has seen most of it and
will want to do her own thing. Then I'll come back to London and work for
another 3 months before going to the States and Canada, before coming home in
Feb 2007. That's if everything goes according to plan. The money situation will
determine whether I'm there for a year or 6 months! I need to find a job pretty
soon so I’m starting to forward my CV around now. I'm so excited. I can't wait.
I’ve got so much to organise though, and of course, everything costs money, so
I'm going to have to have a few quiet weekends I think to save a bit more. If I
didn't have a home loan it would be easy, but I have to make sure that's taken
care of whilst I'm away.”
The Bill Collins
Family
Bill Collins was the only brother of Con Collins. Kath is Bill’s wife. Go to Bill Collins page for more information on this family.
Aunty Kath has had the stitches from the operation she has had on
her LEFT hand out and it is healing well.
She went to Sorrento with Paul's family for the Cup weekend which was a
great break from the routine. She has
her own little area at the Sorrento home and can make a cup of tea etc. for
breakfast.
Here are some pictures of Aunty Kath’s 70th birthday back
in May.
On 16th November, Bill has been gone for
six years. Kath writes, “An anniversary is poignant with memories and we
feel a little fragile. Grief comes to all, but as we travel this route I
hope it makes us more understanding and able to have empathy with
others. After Holy Mass on 16th, I was able to gather some
orchids and roses fresh from the garden, and Paul and I went out to
Templestowe. The cemetery looked green and peaceful as we
have had a drop of rain and the grass had been recently
cut. Paul trimmed the grass around the plaque and gave the granite a
polish and it looked really good when we left.”
Other news from the Bill Collins Family is,
“Michaela's Dad has moved from Queensland and settled comfortably in the
new home. His room has his own chair and TV and an ensuite. He
is very proficient with the ironing so that is a chore which is
welcomed by all.
The secondary school children are home
already and talking of what to do and where to go in this extra long
holiday. Paul, Rebecca, Matthew and Damien had tickets to the Australian Open
Golf. This came about has Paul rented his Sorrento house to some golfers,
hence the tickets.
Christmas Day we will all lunch at the home of Paul and Michaela which is set up beautifully with a tennis
court, pool and spa and a billiard room. All can find something to do
after lunch.
To all who read the Bill Collins
Branch news, may Jesus, who is the Source of all Peace, shower
you with blessings of joy this Christmas. Who knows what 2006 will
bring? This year there have been several natural disasters and
so much violence everywhere. As the poet wrote ".Go out into the darkness
and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be for you better than
light, and safer than a known way.”
The Zoch Family
Catherine Zoch is the 4th girl in the Con and Bridget
Collins Family. She is married to John Zoch. Go to Zoch Family
page.
Elise has sent some news in for this
newsletter. She says, “In netball, it’s come to the end of the season and my
team made it to the semi-final on 3/12. We played really good and the final
score was 14 -13 in our favour. We were so proud of ourselves. The Grand Final
is on the 10th of December – I can’t wait!!
School has been all right – not much school work to go. We finish work on 7th December but then we have
two weeks of activities and the last day of school for me is 21st December. So
we go on a few exciting excursions like The Eastern Beach at Geelong, Ten Pin
Bowling, Roller-Blading and the movies.
The Zoch bathroom is undergoing a major
renovation, complete with spa bath. It will be great when it’s all finished but
in the meantime, the ensuite is getting pretty crowded!
Jessica had a wild fancy dress 16th
birthday party. She invited 26 friends to celebrate with her at her home. Click here to see more pictures.
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The Cabrera Family
Judith
Collins is the second girl in the Con and Bridget Collins Family. She is
married to Renato Cabrera. Go to the Cabrera
Family page.
Judy says, “We have been going out to the movies and dinner almost
once a week - it's our regular thing to do at the moment.
We have been to a few Chilean fundraisers which is always fun. They
sure know how to party and until late. The Chilean Club is raising
funds at the moment to send to Chile for a Christmas party for the
kids on the streets.
We had a lovely afternoon and evening down with Graham and the
gang. After tea we watched a Movie called ‘Saw’ (which was a bit
gruesome) on Graham's monstrous TV. It was great. Then we played Pontoon
with Graham and Brenton. Brenton started off as banker, then I got 21, so I
became banker. I hate to brag in this
newsletter, but I remained the banker for the rest of the night and cleaned up the table with my final hand being 21. (I had to tell you though
that Brenton donated one stack of chips to Renato who was down on his luck and
Graham lent Renato four stacks of chips. Had it not been for their generosity,
they might not have been cleaned out.”
Judy had some broken capillaries lasered on her nose and cheeks. She
says, “When I came out of there I looked like I had a bad case of the chicken
pox. It was all quite noticeable for a week and I could not put any make up on
it for four days. I have to wear sunblock 30+ for a month. So anyone
considering laser treatment on their face should plan not to go anywhere for at
least a week (unless you don't mind the stares). The effect of the laser
will not be noticeable for 2 to 3 months, however the main one on the tip of my
nose has gone already.
Why to we get capillaries?
- Too much estrogen - so as women go through menopause their
estrogen levels rise. (This is why more women than men get them)
- Sun damage. For anyone needing to have laser treatment done in
small doses, you don't feel a thing.
A lot of our time is spent going to see Mum everyday. We like
to make sure that she is getting enough fluids and a walk every day. We always
put her down for a sleep too. We like to make sure her cupboards are tidy and
that all her clothes are fixed if in need of repair or replacement. We
get some wonderful responses from her at times and this means the world to
us. Bear still goes to visit mum too, he loves it there and the last time
we went he did not want to leave. We had to search hard for him. He was hiding
under her bed right up the end where the pillow is. It was almost like he was
trying to say he wanted to stay and look after grandma.
Bear went to a Dog's Day afternoon festival in Royal Park. He had
fun - luckily the stipulation was dogs must be on leads. He collected a
few goody bags, had a few sniffs and we all had a lovely day.
We went to a Healthy Living Festival – the first of its kind for
Moreland City Council. It was in a park that is very close to us and was very
well run. We picked up a few freebies and were entertained. The festival had
something for everyone. Bear came to that too.
We are gearing up for Christmas and doing the last bits of our
Christmas shopping.
On Christmas Eve we go to Family Mass at St. Ambrose Church where
the children can dress up as Nativity characters. After that we go to Renato's
sister Patricia's house, where all the family sit around have a few drinks and
a meal. Then at Midnight it's time to reflect on the birth of Jesus, and after
that it's time to open presents. When all of that is over you sit back and a
drink the traditional drink which is homemade by Renato's brother-in-law,
Marco. It tastes a bit like Kaluha and milk and a traditional Christmas
cake. This is how Chilean families celebrate Christmas. As
usual it's a late night but lot's of family fun.”
The Gough Family
Mary Gough is the 3rd girl in the Con and Bridget Collins Family. She is married to Chris Gough. Go to Gough Family page.
Alex reports, “Well
Max and I had glandular fever but we tackled it early so it wasn’t to bad. I
wasn’t allowed to play any sports. Not even netball. Lol.
For netball, my team
and I got into the grand final and we won. At the start of the finals, we were
third on the ladder and in the grand final we played the team that was first so
we were all pretty exited. In November I also went on camp at Wilson’s
Promontory. Everything we took we had to carry on our hikes except on the first
night when we had to climb a mountain to watch the sun set. If I had to take my
pack up there I wouldn’t be here today. It was hard enough without them. We
also had to carry all our food. We were on camp for two nights. The longest
hike was on the second day but the climb on the first night was the hardest.
On Saturday 10
December, Zac and I have our drama productions. Zac’s is about Pirates and mine
is about a soapie. Mum’s still doing belly dancing but at the moment it still
looks like bum wobble. On the December 15th, Zac has his grade 6 graduation mass and
ceremony. Next year Zac will not be going to school with Max at St Bedes -
instead he will be attending Rossbourne School in Hawthorn.
Well that’s all from
the Gough family. Merry Christmas to all and we hope to see you all soon.”
The McManus Family
Helen McManus, nee Lennon, was Bridget Collins’ (nee Lennon) eldest sister. She married Patrick McManus and they had four children – Margaret, Kevin, Brian, Patricia and Gerard. Click here for more information on the McManus Family.
Kevin and Beate hosted Peter Deacon’s son, Mark for a
week so that Mark could have some work experience in his Uncle Kevin’s
architecture firm. Read more about this in the Deacon Family news. Barb and
Paul will be catching up with Kevin and Beate early in the New Year.
The Deacon Family
Peter
Deacon
is the son of Mary (Molly) Deacon (nee Lennon) who is the youngest sister of Bridget
Collins (nee Lennon) who is married to Con
Collins.
Peter emailed with this great news:
“Recently, m youngest son Mark was able to meet our cousin Kevin McManus and
gain an invaluable insight into working as an architect.
For some time now, Mark has set
his heart on becoming an architect. As part of his year 11 assessment, Mark was
required to undertake one week of work experience with an architectural firm.
Unfortunately, his school couldn’t find him a placement on the
Kevin is an architect and runs
his own successful business in
This story is quite remarkable,
particularly since Kevin and I had lost touch over the years, and in fact we
had not seen each other for over 30 years.
As soon as I sent my email out to
Kevin, he replied with a very warm welcoming phone call and offered to take
Mark under his wing for a week and show him what it is like being an architect.
So Mark, who only just turned 16 the day before, flew down to
Peter says that the CollinsPlus
website helped this contact to take place – which is really terrific!
The Teres Family
Paul Teres is partner to Barbara Collins,
daughter of Con Collins. Go to Teres Family
page.
Barb and Paul went for
a week to Phillip Island for a delightful holiday. See
pictures here.
And click here for Barb and Paul’s Cup Day with a
difference!
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.
The Squires Family
Leo Squires is 2nd cousin on
paternal side to Con Collins (Jnr)
Leo reports that his
trip was marvellous with heaps of stories & experiences. This included a
confrontation with hostile Muslims upon exiting Egypt, serious diarrhoea, being
50km from a suicide bombing in Israel (five killed), touring Egypt accompanied
by a policeman with an AK47 machine gun under his suit coat. He says it
was wonderful to experience the history and culture of the Middle East/Holy
Land over the past 5,000 years. He promises to tell more of their
adventure one day. He does hasten to add that it’s great to be back home.
A few days after
their return, Leo and Jan attended a Squires Family Reunion. Leo says it was
great and they expect to have another one in a year or three!! His Dad’s sister
(Therese) was 96 a few weeks ago. And another aunt, Rose Squires, recently
turned 89.
On the way back home
from the reunion, they went via Gowangardie/Shepparton (where Jan’s parents are
buried). They called into Maureen Matthews (Coffey & Noonan
descendent) and shared a bit of family & travel news. They have now
established the exact burial site of Margaret Coffey (Leo’s mother’s mum). The
site is unmarked but he is planning to identify it with a head stone in due
course.
Carly Louise
Collins 8th Dec 1983 -
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Hi Everyone! My name's Carly Collins, I
was born on the 8th of December 1983 at the Mercy Maternity Hospital. I am
the third child to my parents Joelle and Graham Collins. I am surrounded by
my four brothers, Brenton and Tyson who are older, then Wade and Darcy who
are younger. It's certainly not easy being stuck in
the middle of all these boys!! |
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So I was accepted into Holmesglen Institute of TAFE to study
Hospitality Management. I completed this Diploma over 18 months only to
realise that I really didn’t like working in the industry. I had a few jobs
in pubs and hotels and Target, but just didn’t enjoy any of them. So for 6
months I was not studying, until I suddenly thought about the fitness
industry! Don’t know why I didn't think of this earlier! I love keeping fit
so I decided to enrol in a personal training course at Box Hill Institute of
TAFE. I completed Certificate 3 and 4 in Fitness in 2004. I started working
at Elite Fitness Equipment in April 2005, and also at the Genesis Fitness
Club in May 2005. I do personal training, gym floor and reception desk. In
the future I hope to further my qualifications by also completing courses in
nutrition and massage. |
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Dancing is a huge part of my life. I began dancing at the age of
4, doing |
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During my teen years I was also very into
basketball. I played for the Wantirna Jetbacks for 9 years but eventually had
to quit as it interfered with dancing. I started up a mixed basketball team with
all my friends from Target and we played together for about a year but then,
due to everyone's other commitments, we had to stop playing. It was only at
high school that I realised I had some athletic ability after doing quite
well at our athletics and cross country carnivals. This inspired me to take
up athletics. I did this for a few years with long distance and cross country
as my strongest events. Other things I enjoy doing are going to the gym. I’m currently a
member at Genesis Fitness Club where I work. I like going out on weekends
with my girlfriends and watching movies & TV -especially reality TV
shows. I hope to audition for the next series of Big Brother - I auditioned
for BB in 2004 and 2005. And I also enjoy going to watch all my brothers play
footy!!! |
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Lasted updated by
Carly on 7th December 2005
Carly Collins
Only
daughter of Graham Collins who is only son of Con Collins.
Carly
is doing a Personal Training course at Box Hill Institute of TAFE.
CARLY'S END OF YEAR HEALTH TIP……..
Let's Shape Up For Summer!!!!
To achieve real results you need to push yourself,
which is where the F.I.T.T principle comes in.
F- is for FREQUENCY
Low intensity cardio needs to be frequent. If you
walk, try to do so every day. If you're up to training a bit harder, then three
to four sessions of intense cardio training will have you fit.
I - is for INTENSITY
How hard you train determines the swiftness of your
results and determines how often you need to train. If you can train at an
intensity that has you unable to have a conversation, then do so. Your fitness
will improve quickly and you'll shed fat faster. But high intensity can also
lead to injuries, burn-out (when you stop training) and a lack of enjoyment.
Start at an intensity you can handle then slowly increase it.
T- is for TYPE
The type of cardiovascular exercise you do can
greatly affect results. If your body is used to a certain type of cardio, it
won’t be as beneficial. Aim for a variety of training using as many muscles as
possible.
T- is for TIME
If you're training with low intensity you'll need a
minimum of 30 mins a day to stay healthy. If you want to lose weight you'll
need to crank things up. Sixty minutes at a minimum, and longer on weekends. If
your intensity is higher you may be able to get away with 15-30 minutes. You
should finish feeling well and truly worked, but also energised for the day.
Hydrate with water to keep awake.
So that's the F.I.T.T principle! By
following these four guidelines, in conjunction with some strength training,
and a healthy diet, you will be looking great in no time!! Remember to be
creative with your choice of exercise, challenge yourself with different
things, because your body will show results quicker than doing the same thing
all the time!!
Happy birthday to
Andrew and Carly in December: Click
here for your birthday card.
Simple
test to determine if someone has had a stroke
This is something that we can all store away
in the memory banks and hope we never need to use it!
BUT you can never say never.......
Birthdate
test results
Do you
remember the birthdate
test last newsletter. Here is a graph of the 21 responses. Looks like we
have our fair share of big shots and peacemakers but could do with a few more
romantics, conservatives and life of the party types.
Go
Granny?!?
I received an email
recently telling about how a 96 year old granny took out her frustration on a
bank. As usual, I checked it in the Urban Legends website (www.snopes.com) - and sure enough, there it
was when I typed “bank letter” in the search engine. It originated in 2003 and
“although, cast as a humour piece, this item is also a sardonic expression of
the frustrations we've all felt in dealing with mindless bureaucracy,
rigidly-enforced rules, and unreasoning electronic attendants in conducting
business transactions.”
So here is the email I received and here is the Urban
Legend report on it!
http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/takethat.asp
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Computer Terminology for Country Folk
(from our ‘country cousin’
Margaret Martin)
Women rule!
God appeared and
said, "I want all the married men in the world to form two lines. I want
all the men who wore the pants in their family to stand in one line. And in the
other line, I want all the men who didn't."
The married men did
as God asked. The line of married men who were bossed by their wives was over
10,000 miles long. The other line, consisting of men who truly wore the pants
in their family, consisted of just one lonely guy.
To the line
stretching for 10,000 miles, God said, "You men are weak. You should be
ashamed of yourselves."
Then God turned to
the guy standing all alone in the other line and said, "Tell them, my son:
Tell them how you did this. How did you become the only man standing in this
line?"
And the guy said,
"I don't know. My wife just told me to stand here."
The Perfect Couple
Click
below:
http://www.flashfunpages.com/couple.swf
Truths we learn at different stages of life!
What are seniors worth??
They
are worth a fortune! They have silver in their hair, gold in their teeth,
stones in their kidneys, lead in their feet and gas in their stomachs. I have
become a little older since I saw you last and a few changes have come into my
life.
Frankly,
I have become a frivolous old girl. I see five gentlemen each day. As soon as I
wake up, Will Power helps me out of bed. Shortly after that, it’s time for
Uncle Toby to come along, followed by Billy Tea. They leave and Arthur Ritis
shows up and stays the rest of the day. He doesn’t like to stay in one place
very long, as he takes me from joint to joint. After such a busy day, I’m
really tired and glad to go to bed with Johnny Walker. What a life! Oh, yes,
I’m also flirting with Al Zymer.
PS
The preacher came the other day. He said at my age, I should be thinking of the
hereafter. I told him, “Oh, I do all the time. No matter where I am, if I’m on
the parlour, upstairs, in the kitchen or down in the basement, I ask myself,
“Now what am I here after?””
BOOM BOOM!
Cool
links
All websites featured in this newsletter are archived on the Links Page of the CollinsPlus site for future reference.
http://www.mycardmaker.com/create-a-birthday-card-fun.html
On this site, you can make
your own card using your own photos and/or their artwork. It’s free and easy to
use. You can then either print the card out or email it. The person who
receives it can either print it out or view it on line.
Congratulations this month to ….
ü Carly for being selected to dance at the
opening/closing ceremonies at the Commonwealth Games
ü Kevin McManus and Peter Deacon Families for making contact after 30
years
ü Leo and Jan Squires for being so adventurous
ü Lisa Teres for hosting Christmas Lunch this year for the Teres Family
ü Mary Gough for hosting Christmas Dinner this year for the Collins (+)
family
ü Michaela's Dad for being good
at ironing (a rare trait in a male!)
ü Alex Gough for helping her netball team to win the Grand Final
I wish you all a happy, safe and peaceful
Christmas!
