Happy New Year to all Heirisson members and families!  Let us hope that the terrible events around the world can be resolved peacefully over coming months and years.  But back to events past and coming.

 

Thanks again to Justin’s generosity, we were able to participate in the last Classic Cars and Coffee event at UWA on 31 December 2023.  And it was a big event with a huge number of cars, and huge number of people looking at them.  Ken and Jim did a fantastic job collecting parking money, and Sheridan and Emi, with some modest assistance from Rick and Don sold out available food and drinks. We shared the parking money with the event owners and the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.  Our share was 30 per cent of the total being $2,288.12.  A great result.  Meanwhile, our share of the food and drink sales was $372.33 which was also very rewarding (see attached photos).  As well as raking in money, Debbie, Jacqueline and students from Girrawheen Senior High School had their solar car on display, and an impressive beast it is (see attached photo).  Thanks to everyone involved for a very successful morning.

 

An early Honda 6 Cylinder 1000cc bike

 

Sheridan and Bob were in Morocco on holiday at some time last year, but before the Moroccan earthquake which caused much loss of life and destroyed houses and other infrastructure.  As a result of their travels in the country, Sheridan and Bob became aware of a family – Driss and Fatima Outalba in Marrakech – who have lost everything, and the Board agreed to provide $1,500 to help them get back on their feet.  After some nervousness associated with sending money overseas, we were delighted (and relieved) to learn via Sheridan’s contacts that the money had arrived in their bank account in Morocco.

 

 

 

Students from Girrawheen Senior High School, who participated in the state Solar Car Challenge were thrilled to be selected to participate in the national championships in Tasmania.  Although they were not able to win a place in the finals, they all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and for several of them, it was the first time they had travelled so far from home.  Heirisson will be providing support for the expenses incurred on the trip.

 

 

 

Prior to the end of school year, Emi and Katrine (from Denmark) had an opportunity to put on their finery for a Year 11 Mocktail Party and Mount Lawley SHS, which we gather was very enjoyable (see photo).  Emi also enjoyed the Sydney trip although the weather was not all that kind.  Emi was with the Padgett family (Jaqueline’s in-laws) for Christmas Eve, and then the Burnside-Parry-Cleaver families for Christmas and distinguished herself making a delicious dessert, although it did require some consultation with her grandmother in Sicily! (see photo).  She also knocked up yet another batch of her delicious brownies which continue to be enjoyed.  As this is being written, she has spent some time at Hillarys with Rick and Debbie and is now at Mandurah with Bronwyn and Dai, before being taken on a whirlwind trip around the south west with Jacqueline and Mark.  She will be home just in time to help out with the Australia Day Breakfast before moving on 27 January to her second host family - Libby Mathew, and her two daughters Lucy (15) and Abby (12) who live in Yokine, still within pretty easy reach of Mount Lawley SHS.  Libby and family are looking forward to having Emi with them, and the Burnsides will miss her ..

 

 

 

Julia Otani from Brazil, who was our RYE in-bound student in 2017-2018 keeps in contact.  She is continuing her engineering studies, and is having a year in Porto, Portugal.  She finds the Portuguese in Portugal quite different the Brazilian Portuguese and says she prefers to have her lectures in English!  She has recently been on holiday in Morocco with a group of friends  and she said she enjoyed the markets and the scenery very much (see photo).

 

 

Planning - being undertaken by Robin, Ken and Don – is well advanced for the Australia Day Breakfast.  This year the event is being held in conjunction with a Smoking Ceremony being organised by the Australia Day Council (WA).  All the required permits in place, our good friend and supporter John Patton from IGA Royal Street is providing $750 in sponsorship for foodstuffs, the East Perth Community Group will be helping with distributing flyers (and so will Ken and Don), and R ick has promised music and singing.  Jim and Don will organise the ‘hardware kit’ to be there at 7.00 am.  It will be a big event, and we will need as many Heirisson members and supporters as can be mustered. But, we will learn more about the requirements at next week’s Heirisson Meeting.