Chris Fenton here.
Well
done, Andrew, for so many years of being the centre point of our year's communications.
If anyone is interested I will give you an
update on me.
I have been practising, as one of two
alternating GPs, in the mining town of Middlemount in the Central Highlands of
Queensland since 2012.
After
7 years of FIFO work in Middlemount – 2 very busy weeks on and then 2 weeks off
– returning to Sydney every time when off I have moved to live in the town in
March which was very fortunate with the travel restrictions between NSW and
Queensland kicking in almost the moment after I moved.
I
have a son, Douglas, living in Singleton, who is working in the Environmental
Department of Yancoal, so we have both ended up in close association with the
Coal Mining Industry.
He
is trying to protect the flora and fauna and the community from the
environmental impact of the coal industry and I am trying to look after the
employees of the coal mines and their families.
Coal
mining, especially in Queensland, remains a very risk heavy undertaking with
multiple deaths every year and hundreds of significant and eventually career
ending injuries – the latter being largely invisible.
https://www.amsj.com.au/queensland-fatal-mining-accidents-2019/
Douglas
is a confirmed bachelor and has gained great satisfaction from renovating a
heritage home in Singleton built in 1864 and returning to rowing recently after
many years absent since his school days.
Douglas’s
twin brother Hugh is a film maker in Adelaide who has developed a very
successful business videoing conferences and seminars and training courses for
South Australian Government Departments and editing them from two days down to
two hours, with the two hours having great impact, and giving the viewer real
value for the time spent watching.
The
changed mind set this year has brought about may mean that we will see the near
demise of the face to face conference and the professionally edited video
format – which is a great deal more sophisticated and complex than just zooming
in to a meeting – looks like it will become more and more important, if the
purpose is teaching or informing people, as opposed to being a medium for a
live Committee or Board Meeting or business discussion which is so well suited
to zoom or similar media.
Hugh
is married to Kate and they have a 4 and a 6 year old which, with me living in
Queensland and their being in South Australia, has meant that there has not
been any getting together at all this year.
Hugh
and Doug’s Mum is Peta – sister of Ian Cook – who is happily re-partnered for
the last 13 years or so and living on the Central Coast.
I
am recently remarried to Anna, from the Philippines, and we have just bought a
house in Yeppoon, where we will now spend our two weeks off, out of every four,
with the aim of retiring there in a few more years.
My
chief purpose in life for the last 14 years has been to establish an NGO in
Timor-Leste which, over these years, has been through three significantly
transitioning iterations and is now, since October 2017, called Maluk Timor.
It
has taken a great deal of my time and effort but has been the most rewarding
and interesting endeavour of my life.
I
have been CEO from 2006 until February of this year, having clocked up exactly
50 self- funded trips there since 2006 and, cumulatively, 2 – 3 years there
over that time.
I
remain very involved in the work although, this year, have been unable to go
there for the first time, because of Covid.
The
NGO now has 14 international staff who have stayed in country throughout this
year and 70 Timorese staff and has become a very substantial medical NGO aiming
to assist the T-L MOH to deliver improved primary health care across the
island.
If
interested, having a look at the website www.maluktimor.org rewards the visitor
well I think.
I
hope our numbers do not diminish any more for some time – over the years we
have lost quite a few it seems which is premature and sad.
I
know that you have marked the passing of each of our year mates.
Can
you list again those who are no longer with us? It would be good if more of the
year would stay in touch through you.
It
is 43 years since the end of our last year together.
It
went by pretty quickly.
Best
wishes to you Andrew and to everyone else in the year as we all continue to try
to do our best with the life that we have.
Chris
Chris
Fenton 0421 220783
