Saturday, July 09, 2011
50th Birthday Weekend Guests
50th Birthday Weekend Part Two
If you are just catching up with my blog make sure you read Part One first so that all of this will be in perspective and correct chronological order.
Part Two
The first potential spanner in the works came when Tiger cancelled the flights that several of the WA contingent were due to fly on! The joys of cheap fares and discount airlines! but there were further problems to come of a more earth-shaking nature. Having managed to secure replacement flights on other airlines, these subsequent flights were threatened by the ash cloud that resulted from the volcanic eruption in Chile!
Cancellations and delays made the already tricky arrival schedule of the birthday guests a changing and uncertain affair. Despite these hiccups everyone ended up making it.
The following table summarises the comings and goings as I remember them. Unfortunately I’ve lost the sheet of paper that had all the travel and accommodation plans on it so this won’t be as accurate as I’d like.
| Guest | Original Arrival | Actual Arrival | Scheduled Departure | Actual Departure | |
| Mum | 6 weeks early | On time | 24/6 | 23/6 | |
| Dad | Wed | Thurs | 23/6 | 23/6 | |
| Vicki | Wed | Thurs | 23/6 | 23/6 | |
| Alan | Fri AM | Fri AM | Mon PM | Mon PM | |
| Zach | Sat AM | Sat AM | Mon PM | Wed AM | |
| Jordan | Sat AM | Sat AM | Sun PM | Sun PM | |
| Alex | Tue | Tue | Wed | Wed | |
| Collo | Fri PM | Fri PM | Sun PM | Sun PM | |
| Steve | Fri PM | Fri PM | Sun PM | Sun PM | |
| Birchy | Fri AM | Fri AM | Mon AM | Mon PM | |
| Chris | Fri PM | Fri PM | Mon AM | Tue AM | |
| | | | | | |
| Joshua & Eleanor | Fri AM | Fri AM | Mon PM | Mon PM | |
| Sally Warren & Callum | Mon PM | Mon PM | Wed PM | Wed PM | |
| | | | | | |
| Carolyn | Allan | | | | |
| Sophie | Lorna | | | | |
| Paul | | | | | |
| Chris & Carol | | | | | |
Originally Sophie (Favourite Daughter) said she would cook dinner for us on Friday night, which would be a treat as she is an excellent cook, but there was a mysterious change of plan and instead she and Mum took me out for lunch on Friday.
(Carolyn was busy doing a Zumba instructor’s course that day which is a whole other story, and she couldn’t join us for lunch.) I figured something was afoot but had no idea what.
When I walked into the restaurant I got perhaps the biggest surprise of my life, all 50 years of it! Sitting at a table was someone I hadn’t seen in nearly 20 years. Joshua Brinen. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Not just because it was so long since I’d seen him but because of where he had come from to be there: the USA!!!
Further explanation is required.
Back in 1982 when I was 20 I travelled overseas and was away for a couple of years, living in London most of the time. In the northern Summers of 1983 and 1984 I went to America and worked as a camp counsellor on a Summer camp in upstate New York. It was at Camp Schodack that I met Joshua who was 12 years old. He was in my bunk (group) for the Summer and we became friends. The whole camp experience was wonderful and after it finished I stayed with Joshua and his family for a couple of days. The following year I was Josh’s counsellor again and a second memorable Summer ensued although not without mishap.
One day Joshua fell off a horse and broke a bone in his shoulder. I took him to the hospital and stayed with him for the next four hours as we waited for treatment. My care and concern for him while he was badly hurt had a much greater impact on him than I realised because he attributes this incident as the reason I became his “hero”, and ultimately why 27 years later he flew half way around the world to come to my 50th birthday! Not only did he come from America but he also brought his 5 year old daughter Eleanor with him, all for four days, and all to honour me and celebrate my birthday.
The backdrop to the backdrop is that over the last dozen years or so my Mum has travelled to the USA and stayed with Joshua and his family on three different occasions. Unbeknownst to me they had been plotting for the last two years to pull off this surprise and boy oh boy, they got me an absolute beauty! I could hardly speak as we ate lunch I was so stunned to see him, and to realise that he had come so far just for me.
Having these special surprise international guests added a whole new dimension to the weekend.
By Saturday morning everyone had arrived, the food was being prepared and the BBQs were hard at work. At this point I need to mention Chris and Carol, our next door neighbours. A few days before the weekend when I was working out where everyone would sleep I realised that it would be handy to have a couple of extra mattresses. When I went next door to ask Chris and Carol whether they had any they could loan us they countered by saying, “We’ve got three spare bedrooms, how would people like to stay here?”
Their generous offer was the perfect solution to our accommodation needs, providing us with an extra two queen size and two single beds in three separate rooms for the weekend. They even had a side door, accessible via the garage so that people could come and go without disturbing them. This proved very handy as we had a couple of pretty late nights.
On Saturday morning Chris also offered us the use of his BBQ and in fact ended up cooking half of the meat for us too. In light of their generosity and hospitality the least I could do was invite them to join us for lunch and they said later they had really enjoyed it and that it had been very memorable.
Very old family friends Allan and Lorna joined us for lunch too so we had quite a big group squeezed onto the back verandah come lunchtime.
The food was great and was followed by a few gifts and presentations.
A couple of the boys gave me Geelong items. (How did they know?) Chris blew me away by giving me an artist’s easel, something I’ve long wanted. Vicki had found some very cool Scrabble letter canvasses and personalised them with her birthday message. Pop gave me a Blu-Ray DVD player! And Mum presented me with the end results of many months of work, the afore-mentioned birthday book. (Thank you to any of my readers who contributed to the book, it is very special and affirming.)
There was another surprise: Vicki played a video message on her laptop recorded by my great mate Paul in San Diego. He recounted how we had met in Cairns in our early 20s and how our lives have inter-twined through a series of visits and adventures over the proceeding 30 years. Our youngest son Paul is named after him. By the time his message finished I was in tears.
Imagine that? And there were a few more before the day was done.
Because of the unique and eclectic nature of the group who were gathered, I took the opportunity to introduce everyone and describe the background and circumstances of my relationship with each of them. It gave me a chance to reminisce, tell some stories, acknowledge people for the part they have played in my life and thank them for being there. It went on for a while and I shed more tears but no-one seemed to mind. Now that I’m half a century old perhaps people are more indulgent of me! It seemed a good and appropriate way to formalise the celebration.
The last act was provided by Alex who pulled out a pink guitar and sang a song for me, something he has done at many of the special events and significant moments of my life over the last 30 years since we met at Thornlie Church of Christ. Al has been a constant in our lives, our kids have grown up with him as a special presence and in turn we have offered him love and hospitality whenever we could. His gift of music has provided a soundtrack throughout our friendship.
The next thing on the agenda was a little bit left-field: a Skype hook-up to stage the mid-season draft of the CFFL!! A frantic 45 minutes of footy based banter, aborted trade deals and semi-informed selections occurring on either side of the country with four of us crowded around the computer in my study and a room full of mates/coaches gathered in the hills of Perth.
Time was very pressing due to the fact that we needed to get going to the footy in Melbourne by 4.30pm.
I had hired a Coaster bus from work for the weekend and we all piled aboard that and headed up the Princes Freeway on our way to the MCG. I even managed to get Jordy to come with us. It is something of an anomaly in the Holt Press family but Jordy doesn’t like football so the fact that he came in my honour was pretty cool.
The 14 of us found seats near the wing in the Olympic stand of the MCG and were joined by Cameron and his mate Dave and kids. It was the first game of Aussie Rules footy Joshua and Eleanor had ever been to so some explanations were required. I don’t remember many of the specifics and details of the game apart from the important fact that the Cats won, another birthday present. I love going to the footy but it was even more fun than usual to have a group of friends and family there to share the experience. Even St Steve and Chris, the only St Kilda fans seemed to enjoy the night.
After the game we piled back into the bus and headed home to Ocean Grove, dropping Mum, Dad and Vicki off in Geelong along the way as, with all beds full at Ocean Grove, they stayed the night at Allan and Lorna’s.
A midnight feast of leftover BBQ food, a bit more footy talk and then to bed by about 1.30 concluded a great day.
On Sunday we split into two groups. Carolyn took Paul to his soccer game and a few family members went to watch him play, or tried to! They got a bit lost in Lara and only made it for the last 15 minutes of the game.
The rest of us headed back to the MCG and another footy game, between Melbourne and Fremantle. Sadly the Dockers decided not to show up and were thrashed by the Demons. After the game we dropped Steve Grant and Jordan off so that they could catch their flights home to Perth. It was sad to say goodbye and I thanked them profusely for coming.
Home again to Ocean Grove and a hilarious game of Balderdash to conclude the evening.
Early Monday morning I took Birchy to Avalon airport but the volcanic ash cloud meant his flight was cancelled so he joined us for lunch with Joshua and Eleanor in Geelong. He flew out later that afternoon.
All good things come to an end and I had to go back to work after lunch!!
Mum took Joshua for a drive down the Great Ocean Road in the afternoon and he and Eleanor flew home to America early Tuesday morning. Their presence for the weekend was like an extra layer of special icing on what was already a very sweet birthday cake.
Alan flew home that night. Chris left on Tuesday morning although her flight too was cancelled and she spent another night in Melbourne with family.
Zachariah was supposed to fly home Monday night but managed to miss his flight. The subsequent flight was cancelled so he ended up spending two extra nights with us, which was fine by me. Thankfully he has an understanding boss.
My actual birthday was Tuesday and I had arranged a shift swap so that I could finish earlier and we could go out for dinner that night. By then things were supposed to be winding down! So I thought!
Mum, Dad, Vicki, Carolyn, Sophie, Paul Alex and I walked into a lovely restaurant in Barwon Heads and I got another stunning surprise! Sitting at the table was my dear friend Sally and her husband Warren with their son Callum!
I was gob-smacked and blown away all over again! Sally had been one of the people who had told me she couldn’t make it and enjoyed telling me how proud she was of herself for fooling me because of the disappointment she sensed in my voice at the time! My scheming mother had been in on this secret too and was glowing with satisfaction at yet another successful undercover plot! It was fantastic to see them and have them share in my now very very special birthday!
Sally and I met at a creative writing and drama camp in 1979 when we were both in year 12 at high school. We became great friends and have many many special memories of adventures and good times shared together. I am pleased that Paul and Callum get along really well and I hope they may continue the family friendship into a second generation.
I had been blind-sided again but was thoroughly delighted regardless of my naiveté. We all had a beautiful meal which finally consummated my birthday.
I told everyone over the weekend that it was far and away the best birthday I’ve ever had. It was certainly the most memorable, not to mention the most elongated!
Finally, let me again say a huge thank you to everyone who was a part of it, either in person or via my birthday book, and thank you for your love and friendship over some or all of the last 50 years.
Love Marcus
PS Sorry if I got any details wrong, my memories were a little hazy on a few things. I blame my age!
Friday, July 08, 2011
50th Birthday Weekend Part One
50th Birthday Weekend
NB. I have taken a long time to get around to blogging about this because I really wanted to do a good job on it and do justice to what turned out to be a fantastic event. Consequently, it will be quite a long post. No apologies though, it was worth every word. I will add pictures as soon as I can.
Several months ago I sent out a tentative invitation to a small group of family and close friends inviting them to join me in celebrating my 50th birthday, June 21 2011.
Having moved to Victoria in October and knowing that the majority of invitees live in WA, SA and Qld, I was not expecting a big response. In fact I wasn’t very hopeful at all but 50 is a “special” birthday and I figured I should at least put it out there. The plan was to make it a footy, friends and family weekend on the 17-19 June. We would host people who were able to come, have a BBQ lunch on the Saturday as the main “celebration” and all go to the footy at the MCG on Saturday night to see Geelong play St Kilda.
One of my mates, Cam, a colleague from school chaplaincy days was already going to be in Melbourne for a conference in the week preceding so when he said he would stay on for an extra day and join me for the footy I knew I had at least one guest for the occasion.
I was not prepared for what happened next and that was to become a recurring theme!
Another mate, Grant “Collo” Collins said he was coming and that Tiger Airlines had a really great fare available. We weren’t to know the troubles that would engulf Tiger at that stage and Collo sent out an email to all my CFFL (Chaplains Fantasy Footy League) mates encouraging them to join the party.
Next on board was St Steve, so named because he is truly saintly in his role as CFFL Commissioner and because he is a St Kilda tragic. The Cats v Saints game was all the incentive he needed.
Then Birchy said he was coming. He’s both an ex-chaplain and ex-CFFL coach and one of my closest friends, having spent the last few Summers together on team at Augusta Beach Mission.
By now I was getting very excited. The response was way beyond my hopes and although a few people said that much as they’d love to come they just wouldn’t be able to, there were still more positive RSVP’s to come.
Chris, my friend and former youth work colleague who lives in Esperance signed on. Chris has a bit of an identity crisis when it comes to football. She purports to be a West Coast fan but interestingly in recent seasons has declared her love for the Saints. I’m not going so far as to label her a fair-weather fan but…!
In her defence Chris was actually at the MCG for the famous 1966 Grand Final to witness St Kilda’s only ever premiership so her Saints credentials are bona fide but she does love to party on with the Chardonnay set now that she lives in WA. We love talking footy and stirring one another up so I was rapt to hear she was coming.
As soon as Alex heard about the event he made plans to be there although, with Alex, making plans and following them through are not always the same thing. However, he assured me he was coming and my delight and expectation continued to grow.
On the family front the first to RSVP was Mum. I always knew she would be there but she seemed even more excited about it than normal and asked unusual questions about the plans and arrangements. I would only discover why later. Mum actually arrived 6 weeks before my birthday and enjoyed several visits and excursions of her own with family and friends around the eastern states in the lead-up to the event including meeting up with her closest friend from school whom she hadn’t seen in over 40 years! She tracked her down via FaceBook and they had a lovely couple of days catching up, picking up as if they’d never been apart!
Mum had also been busy working away behind the scenes on a special project, putting together a Birthday Book for me containing messages from friends and family from around the country and beyond.
My sister Vicki was coming from South Australia which shamed me a little bit because even though I was in SA when she turned 50 I wasn’t able to be there for her birthday party as I was running a footy trip for a group of kids from Busselton at the time and had my hands full.
My older brother Alan (Big Brother the Accountant) surprised me with the news that he was coming. I say surprised only because I had tried for years to get him to join me for a footy weekend to Melbourne when I lived in WA and he had never taken up the offer. Again, I was rapt to hear he would be joining me for the occasion.
My younger brother Bruce was not able to make it but we did share a special phone call on the day which really touched me as did the things he wrote in my birthday book.
The final WA guests on the RSVP list were very special, being our sons Zachariah (The Heir) and Jordan (Spike). Carolyn (Mrs Holt Press) really misses everything and everyone from WA and especially feels the distance from the boys now that the rest of the family are living in Victoria.
The last of the known guests was my Dad. I was quite worried that Pop wouldn’t make it because of a recent episode of Bell’s Palsy which has had a serious impact on his health, particularly his eye and mouth, making all sorts of everyday things liking seeing, eating and drinking quite challenging, not to mention driving. Because of these limitations he decided to fly down from Queensland and hire a car to get around in once he got here.
There was quite a bit to organise in readiness for the weekend which was done against the backdrop of Carolyn’s Dad’s on-going health problems and the need for her to be available for him.
To be continued
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Footy Almanac Geelong v Hawthorn Rd 12
Hawthorn v Geelong
Rd 12 MCG 7.10pm
Wow! What a game! We all know the recent history of the Cats and the Hawks but can we keep expecting them to deliver every time they meet?
Every time they play it’s built up and anticipated as a huge clash of FIERCE RIVALS, and unlike other “Big Games” that promise much and deliver little, Geelong/Hawthorn games promise much and deliver more!
More pressure, more intensity, more drama, more excitement, more skills and more thrills. And if that isn’t enough, they also manage to deliver edge of the seat cliff-hanger thriller finishes every time they play, even when there is only a seven week break since the last time they played as in last night’s encounter.
The round five game was a comparative blow-out with a margin of 19 points but that didn’t reflect the closeness of the game.
Last night was not a goal for goal slug-fest with neither side able to break free.
It was a game of intense and sudden swings of momentum where both teams looked capable of running away with it at times before the other hauled them in, overtook them and sprinted ahead, only to be unable to shake off their pursuer.
Last time Buddy and the Hawks - a passable name for a 50’s rock n roll band I feel - raced out to an early lead before the Cats awoke and began to claw their way back. Last night it was Geelong who started the better and built a three goal lead by quarter time on the back of a virtuoso performance by James Podisadly. The JPod was irresistible. Every time the ball came his way he marked it and goaled and when he didn’t mark it, he crumbed it and goaled and on one occasion even marked it and hand-balled it to Travis Varcoe who goaled. Gone were the JPod’s yips that threatened to destroy the Cats hopes of victory against Collingwood. Last night he was cool calm and confident in front of goal and never looked like missing.
But just when Geelong looked comfortable Hawthorn came on a charge and kicked five goals in a row. Franklin was in the right place at the right time to capitalise on the good work of Mitchell, Shiels and Rioli further up the ground.
A soft 50 as a result of a melodramatic dive from Buddy from a Bartel bump lead to a Hawks goal and they were up by 13 but footy karma would remember what happened.
Hawthorn were on a roll and the game was in the balance when suddenly it was Geelong’s turn again. Bam bam bam and the Cats were in front. JPod bagged his sixth goal of the half. It came as a shock but it shouldn’t have.
Five goals without reply and the Cats were cruising into half time.
Until the last 90 seconds of the half that is, when Renouf and Franklin goaled for the Hawks and the margin was cut to just six points. I was really disappointed with the way the quarter ended. Our advantage was wiped out, momentum shifted back to the Hawks, the game was delicately poised and a nagging doubt that with every successive Geelong victory post 2008 we moved inevitably closer to a loss to Hawthorn. How long were they going to accept coming second to the Cats? They hadn’t lost a game since we played them in round five and the amount of media focus on Geelong’s recent domination must surely burn them up.
I was worried at half time. Imagine how I felt at ¾ time after they had held us goalless in the third term? The Hawks had finally decided enough was enough from JPod and double-teamed him for the rest of the game while kicking four goals themselves. They were 17 points in front at the final change and I said to Sport Boy, “I’ve got a feeling Hawthorn are going to kick the first couple of goals and run away with it”.
Ever the confident one Sport Boy chided me and said “I reckon we’ll win by two points”. I wished I shared his faith but despite the evidence of the last eleven weeks that the Cats are the most resilient, hard-working, never-say-die team in the league and can never be written off, I thought this was the game we were going to lose.
I watched the Cats huddle intently through the binoculars at the break and did not pick up any sense of urgency or detect any sign that they were worried. It looked matter of fact and focussed, as if they knew what they had to do and it was now a matter of doing it.
Last week Luke Breust came on as the sub for Hawthorn against the Bulldogs and kicked three goals. Early in the final quarter last night he took a mark in the forward pocket and lined up for a set shot that would put the Hawks 23 points in front and surely in a game-winning position. There were no heroics for the young Hawk this time, his shot missed everything and went out on the full.
The first few minutes of the final term were all Hawthorn, they just couldn’t get a goal to capitalise on their dominance. Then the game took its last and most decisive shift of momentum. Joel Selwood who had been quiet all night seems to have a special reserve of something extra: determination, desire, commitment, courage, will to win; whatever it is he turned it on in the last quarter and on two separate occasions forced the ball forward under intense pressure and both times Steve Johnson goaled as a result. The Cats were not done, the margin was 5 points and the embers of hope were being fanned back to life in my doubting heart.
Then came the worst moment of the night. At a boundary throw-in Jarred Roughead dropped to the ground as if shot and immediately hailed the trainers. His Achilles tendon had snapped, his night and his season was over and with it perhaps the Hawks hopes of victory were also gone. After the ambulance carried his forlorn figure from the ground Jimmy Bartel kicked the ball forward again, the Cats piled on the pressure and Daniel Menzel kicked the third goal of the quarter and Geelong were in front. They had done it again, they would not be denied. They kept pressing and had several chances to seal the game but successive behinds and missed shots saw them only manage to grow the lead to 5 points. The door was still open if the Hawks were good enough. Their problem was that Geelong’s backline put on a master class of defensive skill and coolness under pressure with the usual suspects, Scarlett, Taylor, Lonergan, Enright and the AFL’s oldest super-sub, Darren Milburn continually marking across half back and repelling wave after wave of Hawk attacks.
Sport Boy and I were literally bouncing in our seats it was so tense. The Hawks sent the ball inside 50 one last time. Buddy lurched forward. Lonergan’s hands were suspiciously positioned. The Hawk fans screamed for in the back. The whistle blew. Andrew Mackie was paid the mark, no free-kick. Mackie cleared. The siren sounded. The Cats had won again. I could hardly believe it even though I’d seen it with my own eyes.
As we made our way out of the MCG Sport Boy said to me, with a completely straight face, “The footy’s getting a bit boring Dad…Geelong always win…the margin’s always less than a goal…I dunno if I want to keep coming!”
Cheeky little bugger!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Footy and Family
I'm still recovering from the footy last night, another great game, another thrilling finish, another narrow win for the Cats who are now 11-0 on top of the ladder and breaking all sorts of records.
As we were walking out of the MCG Sport Boy said to me with a straight face, "Dad, the footy's getting a bit boring...Geelong win every game and the margin is always less than a goal". Cheeky!
I have already said to him we should be thankful we are living in a time of such football richness, most fans don't get to see their team win every week and the days will come when the Cats start to lose regularly.
But until then, we are enjoying the footy immensely.
Last week I took Mum up to Shepparton on one of my day's off so we could visit Auntie Merle. Merle hasn't been in the best of health recently but seemed quite bright and happy while we were there. My cousin John and partner Heather dropped in to say g'day. When we were kids many of our school holidays were spent at Nathalia with Nanny "Falia" and our cousins the Gallaghers, John, Geoff, Julie and Kathryn. I have many special and happy memories of Nathalia, a small town in the Goulburn Valley between Shepparton and Echuca on the Murray River.
Last weekend my stepmother Julie came down to Geelong so we could go to the Cats v Bulldogs game together. All of her family are Footscray/Western Bulldogs fans and they usually get together and go to this game each year, but for some strange reason all the Bulldogs fans found reasons not to attend this year! Maybe something to do with what a lousy season the Dogs are having but that didn't stop me sending a message that they are all lacking in loyalty and like rats deserting a sinking ship!
The Cats had a 10 goal win which Julie, The Heir and I enjoyed very much. The Heir was over for a week to visit Grandpa Jones who has been very ill the last few weeks although I'm pleased to say he has improved significantly the last few days. After one of Sport Boy's soccer games a couple of weeks ago, in Ballarat, we went to visit Mrs Holt Press' Auntie Joan who lives nearby. We were invited to stay for lunch and ended up having a lovely visit that lasted all afternoon. Joan is a bit eccentric and a lot of fun and seemed to really enjoying seeing us.
Don't let that disapproving expression fool you.
There is a very significant event looming in the Holt Press world: my 50th birthday on June 21.
In honour of this great occasion a number of family and friends are flying in from around the country to help celebrate on the weekend. There will be a Birthday BBQ lunch on Saturday followed by a trip to the footy at the MCG on Saturday night to see the Cats play the Saints. I'm really looking forward to it as you can imagine. If any readers would like to join us please come along!
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