Christmas Message 2023

Hi there,

This year's message will be short and sweet. You really don't want to read a six-page blurb do you, not over the Festive Season when there is so much else to do?

We had three major events occur in our lives during 2023:

Early in the year, we did a cruise from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, Hobart, Melbourne, and back to Adelaide. It was a short, eight-day cruise that gave us a break from the rigours of life in the Barossa.

At Kangaroo Island we were able to catch up with a couple whom we knew at Alice Springs. The husband had worked with Robin at ATSIC and the wife had run a tourist shop, They'd moved to Kangaroo Island well before we retired and we hadn't seen them for years, so it was good to catch up over a cup of coffee and high-calorie cakes.

Around mid-year we sold our house at Somerset Park, Mugeeraba on the Gold Coast because the cost of rates, water and everything else was increasing and having to do a tax return every year just because we had a rental property was painful. It was a very good sellers market, so it was time to go and we found we earned as much interest on the capital value as we did in rent. A no-brainer for people our age who aren't looking for long-term investments.

We had thought we'd probably retire there, but the Gold Coast became less attractive for us as the years went on. Life at Tanunda is much nicer.

Our third major event was a cruise from Adelaide to Willis Island and back. Take a look at the map:

You can read all about this trip on our blog HERE

We love cruises that leave from Adelaide because it's much easier than having to travel interstate, usually by aircraft. 

We had the pleasure of meeting up with long term friends at every port except Cairns which was the highlight of the trip. 

We will be going to Alice Springs for a couple of weeks over the Festive Season as Dale cannot get leave from his job at the hospital and Meredith has commenced a new job so doesn't have leave accrued. We'll probably spend two or three weeks there. 

Meredith said goodbye to the Northern Territory Government after around 15 years and now works for an American private sector company associated with the Joint Defence Facility, Pine Gap. She's still project managing and seems to enjoy the change from the public to the private sector.

Grandson Tory has almost finished his electrical apprenticeship and said he will move south when he does, which will be lovely for us as we will most likely see more of him. He turned 22 in November.

Grand Princess Nov 23

Finally, we seem reasonably well for our respective ages and are grateful that is the case. Both of us have some nagging age-related issues, but we accept those as the outcome of survival. 

Both of us are involved with the RSL Tanunda. Robin became secretary in November and Christina is still on the Management Committee. Christina still attends numerous craft activities that include quilting, embroidery, knitting, and spinning and has produced some really good work. Robin attends the local Men's Shed at least one day per week and along with his work for the RSL, is a Legacy Legatee and Vice President of the Barossa Village Resident's Assocation having stood down as President in November.

Next year we have another cruise planned that will take us from Sydney to Japan. We're getting our travel out of the way before Robin turns 80 and travel insurance either becomes difficult or inordinately expensive.

So that's it from the elder Henrys of Tanunda.

We hope you have a wonderful festive season and are so very pleased to have had you share our lives no matter how long or short our relationship has been.

Fond wishes.

Christina and Robin

13 December 23