[Leonard Hall]

A new boy ??​

Hello everybody, I wish I was new but at age 84 I think I have passed my 'used by' date, but never mind I haven't gone off yet.

 

[Xe]

Hello everybody, I wish I was new but at age 84 I think I have passed my 'used by' date, but never mind I haven't gone off yet.

Welcome! You are definitely still a spring chicken. I think @Vinylted is around your age too. Please tell us more about you. Where are you from?

 

[Leonard Hall]

Hi to everyone, I have so much to do and so little time but my wife and I reside in WA in a town called Broadwater and have been here for two years today because I recall after we had unpacked a few things two years ago there was a knock on the door and we were reminded that it was Halloween and we were totally unprepared but we now have a few bags of lollies just incase we get a few children knocking on the door. I wonder how I ever had time to work as we don't have any spare time now as we walk dogs for our local POOPS group and we cycle on our tandem and I mentor at a local primary school. We live opposite a Possum sanctuary but in two years we have not seen one but we do hear them at night and they do eat plants I believe.

 

[Xe]

Hi to everyone, I have so much to do and so little time but my wife and I reside in WA in a town called Broadwater and have been here for two years today because I recall after we had unpacked a few things two years ago there was a knock on the door and we were reminded that it was Halloween and we were totally unprepared but we now have a few bags of lollies just incase we get a few children knocking on the door. I wonder how I ever had time to work as we don't have any spare time now as we walk dogs for our local POOPS group and we cycle on our tandem and I mentor at a local primary school. We live opposite a Possum sanctuary but in two years we have not seen one but we do hear them at night and they do eat plants I believe.

You're right You do have a very busy life. It's great though... it keeps you feeling young. What kind of mentoring do you do? It's really admirable that you're so intent on giving back to the community.

 

[Leonard Hall]

To answer the mentoring question I have been doing this at schools in Perth and now Vasse for a number of years and I started at our youngest grandchildren's school in Perth. We have 9 grandchildren now aged from 12 to 36 but I never mentored them. I began by helping in classes of 7 year olds and I absolutely loved the kids and visa versa. However when we moved South two years ago to a seaside town 260km South of Perth mentoring took on a new form as although I had a police clearance and a working with children card I had to join an organisation called Edconnect, and this group control where mentors can work in the local schools. This year I have been with two year 6 boys who are in their final year at primary school and we have been building a Meccano Ferrari sports car at first and now a Ducatti motorbike., each model has hundreds of small parts and it is very demanding.

 

[Xe]

To answer the mentoring question I have been doing this at schools in Perth and now Vasse for a number of years and I started at our youngest grandchildren's school in Perth. We have 9 grandchildren now aged from 12 to 36 but I never mentored them. I began by helping in classes of 7 year olds and I absolutely loved the kids and visa versa. However when we moved South two years ago to a seaside town 260km South of Perth mentoring took on a new form as although I had a police clearance and a working with children card I had to join an organisation called Edconnect, and this group control where mentors can work in the local schools. This year I have been with two year 6 boys who are in their final year at primary school and we have been building a Meccano Ferrari sports car at first and now a Ducatti motorbike., each model has hundreds of small parts and it is very demanding.

that sounds like so much fun. They obviously don’t do this during school time do they?

 

[Leonard Hall]

Actually I do meet the boys on Monday mornings straight after the morning assembly and it doesn't seem to worry their teacher and we are usually together for about an hour. Believe me times have changed since I was at school (I am 84) because there are no desks and the children sit anywhere and half are on the floor.

 

[Xe]

Actually I do meet the boys on Monday mornings straight after the morning assembly and it doesn't seem to worry their teacher and we are usually together for about an hour. Believe me times have changed since I was at school (I am 84) because there are no desks and the children sit anywhere and half are on the floor.

That's insane! That's different even from how I did school and I didn't finish school that long ago But its a great thing! Education is not something that should stay the same. As times change and the kids become accustomed to technology, it's important that the education systems evolve as well.

 

[Leonard Hall]

Actually today is Monday and I will be having a mentor break because the whole year 6 group are going on the annual school camp at Rottnest Island for several days. This means a 4 hour bus trip followed by a ferry transfer from Perth WA to the island where they will all have a well deserved rest. When I was the same age in an East London school us kids from poor families would get a whole months holiday in the south of the country and that would include a day trip to Brighton at the seaside. This was quite normal in the 1950's.

 

[Vinylted]

Welcome to the the forum Leonard (or do you prefer Len?) you youngsters are always so busy with life. I am a full time carer for my wife, and also to atone past sins am Chairman of the Social Committee of our retirement village. Keeps me going, and I fill in the gaps here on the forum.

 

[Leonard Hall]

If at 84 you think I am a youngster just how old are you? I do prefer Len actually, there is an Australian habit of adding a Y but anyone who calls me Lenny is quickly put in their place. You don't say where you live but I am in Broadwater which is a seaside town 260km South of Perth WA. However we have had 17 homes in our 61 years of married bliss and prior to coming down here exactly 2 years ago we spent 7 years in a retirement village in the north east of Perth and towards the end we had got fed up with life there so we decided to have a sea change but we are both minus an arm and a leg as when one leaves a village it is such a big loss and in our case $200,000 but we have enough left for a couple of decent funerals when the time comes. Actually some of the POOPS dogs that we walk live in a nearby village and the usual bickering goes on there too so we are told. That is life I suppose.

 

[Vinylted]

If at 84 you think I am a youngster just how old are you? I do prefer Len actually, there is an Australian habit of adding a Y but anyone who calls me Lenny is quickly put in their place. You don't say where you live but I am in Broadwater which is a seaside town 260km South of Perth WA. However we have had 17 homes in our 61 years of married bliss and prior to coming down here exactly 2 years ago we spent 7 years in a retirement village in the north east of Perth and towards the end we had got fed up with life there so we decided to have a sea change but we are both minus an arm and a leg as when one leaves a village it is such a big loss and in our case $200,000 but we have enough left for a couple of decent funerals when the time comes. Actually some of the POOPS dogs that we walk live in a nearby village and the usual bickering goes on there too so we are told. That is life I suppose.

Not all villages are as bad, but I imagine there are always disagreements when you get so many people from ll walks of life. We have 68 units here in Melbourne, mostly very agreeable folk. Naturally in my role o the social committee I get to meet those willing to join in and contribute to our community.. I only beat you by a few years Len, but 'tis dangerous territory! lol We did a round Oz trip back in 1999 spending some time in your neck of the world, some very lovely places along the coast, an in the forests. I'm past long driving trips like that now, my wife can no longer drive ( we used to share) so the distance defeats me. Still there is enjoyment to be had everywhere if you look for it.

 

[Leonard Hall]

We arrived in Melbourne as 10 pound poms in January 1970 and were deposited in a migrant camp in Preston that comprised of Nissan huts. We survived there for 6 months and during that period I started work and bought a Holden HR sedan and we decided that the weather was not to our liking so we bought a 6x4 trailer and put all our possessions in it including my bike as I am a cyclist and always have been. We drove to Sydney via the ACT and I had pre-arranged a caravan hire when we arrived, I can't recall how I did that as there were no mobile phones or internet but anyway after that we rented a house and I got a job and we stayed there for 5 years.