Springfield Lakes, 10 March 2023
Hi Marlis,
We’re already in the 3rd month of the year, where did the time go?! I hope you are doing well and have been keeping out of trouble 😊. It’s been another two eventful months, so let’s get right into it!
Yumi’s new volunteering, sports and work
Yumi’s taken up a coordinator role for a greyhound organisation called: Love A Greyhound, or LAG for short. All of a sudden, it’s a flurry of activity around the house with dogs coming to visit, dogs needing transport, fosters, adopters and delivery people picking up and dropping off dogs, people to talk to and problems to solve. I think she’s enjoying it, but it’s pretty full-on for these first couple of weeks. The lady she’s taking over from is moving out of the area and the other lady is on holidays so instead of 2-3 dogs to look after, she’s organising 5-6!
Her role is to organise a network of foster carers on the southside of Brisbane, get the dogs to them and then try to get them adopted. The people are all equally lovely, just not quite as organised as Yumi, but they are all volunteers and are doing the best they can. It’s interesting for me to see how this must have been Yumi’s experience of my SES volunteering in Melbourne. She’s gone parts of the weekend, lots of ‘emergencies’ and so many text messages and email and phone calls you’d be thinking they are planning the invasion of a small country!
It’s good fun to have the dogs come and visit. Well, most of the times, the last one had fleas! She got a good wash and treatment with drops and then stayed outside for the next 6-8 hours with Dash, who looked very unimpressed that he also had to stay outside while he did nothing wrong! It was all sorted in a few hours, and they got along well enough, we washed all the blankets and pillows and that was it for the fleas 😊.
She’s also taken up sports again, but this time in a group setting. She’s pretty fit already from all the walks with Dash, but is of course using different muscles jumping and dancing around to music so there might have been some (a lot…) of complaints about muscle aches and sore legs… Just wait until she starts her new thing in April where she’ll be joining a dance group who plan to do a performance at the end of the year. Apparently, it’s a very big do of a competition for amateur dancers who put on a whole show and compete for best performance. I am sure she’ll have fun, I am also very glad she’s getting out and about a bit more.
Work has been quieter than she likes, but it does allow her to spend more time on volunteering and sports and the work she is doing, she really enjoys. With our combined income we’re doing just fine, so let her have some fun for a change because she’s always working, working, working. In the meantime, she’s building her network from the ground again, that takes time. She wrote a submission for a government consultation on things I won’t bore you with, but the cool part was that her work got quoted four times, which means it made good sense and helped the discussion along a fair bit. Go Yumi!
Clean up Australia Day
We took part in the Clean up Australia Day activities in the area last weekend and that was good fun. I go around the neighbourhood most mornings during the week with my trusty litter gripper and plastic bag and sometimes I find things that are too big or dirty to carry. On the day, they set up a collection point and stand in various places, so Yumi and I drove around the place picking up the big items first (wooden pallet, small tent, office chair, big plastic tub and various car parts) to drop those off and then went to a more remote area where things just end up but don’t really get cleaned up by council. I think 50% of all the rubbish collected that day came from us, ha-ha, they looked very impressed. We were just happy it was no longer polluting the environment. It’s pretty cool to see people in kayaks out on the lakes pulling up rubbish and so many kids having fun scavenging too, that’s how it gets done! I also signed up for a casual volunteer role to go help clean up areas, plant trees and do other nature-related stuff, sounds like fun. It’s likely nothing comes from it, because these volunteer groups are not very organised most of the time, but I’d be happy to spend the time if they need some help.
Since moving to Springfield Lakes I’ve picked up and handed in 1,215 plastic bottles and packages that raised $121,50 for another Greyhound charity. That’s money that would have gone in the bin otherwise. It’s a very neat system where you can drop off your collected bottles and containers at collection points, they get scanned by a machine and in the end you can decide if you’d like to keep the money or give it to a charity. I have a huge bag that I keep the bottles in outside (they stink quite a bit sometimes) and every 4 weeks or so I hand in about 200+. It keeps the plastic out of the environment and puts money in the charity’s pockets, what’s not to love, right?
Marine Science
You might remember from last time that I am looking at starting a new degree, in Marine Science, with the idea to one day become involved in conservation of our coast and waters. There’s quite a lot to figure out and I am glad that I didn’t sign up to start in February. Now I have the time to find out how it will work, studying full-time next to work, it’s been 10 years since my last degree, a lot has probably changed. I don’t think it will be an issue doing the two things at the same time, it’s more that I want to be sure that I am making the right choice. What university is the best option? Is this a new career or just an interest? How much will it all cost? What should I do to prepare? What jobs are out there? Will I need this to work in the field or is it better to spend the money on getting experience? So many questions. The way I see it, if you want to be a Marine Scientist, Queensland is one of the best places in the world to do it, so let’s see how far I go!
I’ve started reading up on the different aspects of Marine Science and have been listening to a podcast (recorded radio episodes) titled: “So, you want to be a Marine Biologist”. The lady who started it wanted to share what it’s really like to work in Marine Science. I’ve listened to about 50 episodes on my morning walks so far and I have learned an enormous amount already and there’s another 50 episodes to go 😊. The main take-away so far is that there is no ‘one path’, you’ll have to work at it, have a bit of luck, get to know people and it helps if you know how to scuba dive. As it happens, those are all things I have or know how to do! I’ve got until May to decide and enrol. Normally I never take that long to decide anything, by then I will surely have figured it out.
Work
It’s been interesting times at work, with lots happening in different places. My director and another manager colleague left 2 days apart in mid-February. Just this week we heard that our new director is about to sign on but will only start in June because she has a 3-month notice period. We seem to be doing fine since January when our previous director sort of checked out, so we should be alright for the next 3 months too.
It doesn’t impact on my role too much, other than that the team are very busy and hardly have time to think for 5 minutes, let alone think about change management. I had a good chat with my colleague Daphne, who is also Dutch and now acting as our director and we agreed that I am not really doing the work I was hired for, but operate more as an executive officer, running small projects and looking after things no one wants to do or has time for.
I am not sure how long that remains fun, but we’ll see where it goes.
I finally got a chance to speak to my boss’ boss (Chief Operations Officer) about the plan to set up a change management office, but the way things are going with budgets and the fact that it’s been 3 weeks since and I haven’t heard back yet tells me this will not happen. I thought I’d be more upset about it, but I get it, everyone is under a lot of pressure to not spend money and I am asking for a lot of money and people. It’s a good idea to set up a special office for change, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. Let’s wait and see, I expect to hear from him somewhere this month and get asked to implement some watered-down version of the plan. Maybe he’ll surprise me, but I’ll be surprised if it’s something else than the ‘light version’ of the original😊.
The project I am supposed to be working on for the past 6 months, still hasn’t quite started. As in, the contract with the supplier is still not signed, but we’re doing what we can as a project team to prepare for what’s about to come at us. Craig, the new project manager has started and he’s a bit of a special case, but will get the job done and that’s all I really care about. I am not too busy most days and get to do what I want, with no one getting in my way, let’s not complain about that too much, shall we?
Meanwhile the start of the academic year has come and gone and it’s just the best time to be at campus. The sense of excitement, all the new students who have no idea where they are going or what they are doing, new friendships being made, everything hustling and bustling, it’s a lot of fun.
The mentoring program I am helping with is running well and in a few weeks it’s already wrap-up time for the pilot program that helps us decide if the program is worth repeating. I am pretty sure we’ll do it again, but much better and with less stress the second time around.
It was International Women’s Day this week and the volunteer group I am part of organised an event with a very engaging speaker who shared stories about her career path and some tips and inspiration for other women in the workplace. Universities are already pretty good when it comes to equal rights and opportunities, but there is still a lot of improvement. The invite clearly said that everyone, women and men, were welcome and there I was, the only man amongst 50 or so women.
I felt so awkward and out of place, but more than a few women thanked me for coming and being an ally. I used to be very vocal about women’s rights but got a lot quieter when I figured out that right now, as a white, middle-aged, wealthy man you can’t win or even play for a draw. Speak up and you’re told to sit down and be quiet. Sit down and be quiet and you’re told you are part of the problem because you’re not speaking up. Go figure. I don’t mind it too much though, it’s true, men have been at the front long enough and what’s a few decades of reversed roles after a few millennia of male-organised repression, right?
Yumi’s birthday
It was Yumi’s birthday two weeks ago and now we’re both 44 again until I turn 45 in October. I had organised some greyhound-themed gifts from an artist called Richard Skipworth. His drawings are often cartoons and so hilarious to greyhound owners (and probably other people too). I got her two t-shirts, two mugs, a few writing pads for her Greyhound volunteering tasks and a glossary of cartoons that make both of us laugh out loud every time we read through it.
We went to the city and visited the Queensland Museum where they had a large display on about Australian wildlife. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. Great to see the diversity and learn about the animals I had never seen before, but sad because a lot of them would have been killed just to be put on display. Well, at least the museum was free, haha.
We also stopped by the Museum of Modern Art and that was very…modern? A lot of the stuff goes right over my head but there’s always something new to see and I don’t have to “get it” to enjoy it. Kind of excited about the dinosaur exhibition that the Queensland Museum will put on from next week because in my heart I am still 4 years old and loving dinosaurs 😊.
After that we had lunch with a Change Management contact of mine from Canada who happened to be in town for work. We had great vegan burgers at a very tiny burger place and then had to do one more greyhound task for Yumi’s volunteering. Then it was back home, watched a movie and that was the birthday done. Oh and of course there were heaps of cards and messages and all that good stuff, a good day indeed!
Dash
Dash has truly been living his best life. He’s now been with us for 6 months and that’s 6 more months of life than he would have got if we hadn’t taken him. Everyone is feeling pretty good about that outcome! Every day is the best day of his life, always excited to go out, to eat snacks, to sniff trees, snooze for hours, hang around Yumi all day and meet other dogs. And then the next day we do it all again. He likes almost all dogs, aside from Labradors and Golden Retrievers somehow. No idea why, he might just have had a bad experience at some point but as soon as he sees one, he’s not happy. He’s stopped chasing most other things, including brush turkey and water birds, so that’s real progress.
We went for a walk in the city with a whole group of about 12 other greyhounds and he was really enjoying himself. We were quite surprised to see him develop an interest in water recently because only a while ago he was afraid of even a shallow puddle but nowadays he’s knee-deep or more into the lake and trying to drink it all while standing in it. Here are some pictures of Mister Dash snoozing on his sofa (with his eyes open), cuddling with Yumi, on the big sofa with his favourite toy, Mrs. Prawn (not to be confused with his second-favourite toy, Mr. Lobster) in a staring contest with a turkey on the fence outside the window (behind the plant) and up to his belly in the lake nearby.
Change Management Institute (CMI)
I dove headfirst back into a role at the Change Management Institute that I was part of two times before already. Each time I left because leadership was getting a bit strange and crazy, but three times might be the charm, haha. The lady in charge is very good to work with and I get to run events and do what I want, which always works very well for me. We just did a round of networking drinks and I am always amazed at how many people I actually know and who know me.
Then in two weeks we’re hosting a breakfast event called a Lean Coffee, which is just a fancy excuse to talk about change management and drink overpriced coffee (or tea in my case). And then right on the end of the month I am helping a set of friends launch their book about change management to a global audience. I read it and it’s really good, so I was happy to jump in! This is the sort of thing I enjoy doing and as long as the politics stay out of my way, happy to get involved!
SES
After nearly five months I’ve finally started with my new SES unit. It’s all a bit strange and unfamiliar and very familiar at the same time. The coolest part is that my SES mate Michael from Victoria now also lives in Springfield Lakes and we’re SES buddies here as well. It’s good fun to go to training nights, but a bit annoying that everything they are telling us I already know and have taught to others. I am happy to wait and see what happens after the initial training that they have to do. If it turns out that I have to retrain everything, I might apply to the fire service or do something else altogether. I think it’ll be fine, this is just something to get through.
All the same, I’ll be back in orange soon and then we’ll see how busy things get. They have a very different profile than my previous unit, which means they respond to different requests for assistance and different things happen in the area. There is still a lot to learn for me and I consider everything else just a good refresher and an opportunity to work on my knot tying skills.
Small stuff
1. The Netherlands trip in July is slowly taking shape, but Yumi’s dad is not exactly in a hurry to book accommodation, but hopefully by the end of the month things will start moving.
2. After 6 months in Queensland, it’s safe to say we think we made the right decision to move, especially now that we’re getting more involved in the community, it’s a good place to live.
3. We’re planning to get more serious about scuba diving because we miss it and I also plan to buy a second-hand kayak, more on that in the next letter, I hope.
4. I’ve also started looking at who might be the best plastic surgeon to do an operation on my upper chest to remove the excess skin from when I was much heavier. It’s not cheap, but I think I will feel much better when it’s gone. If it’s anything like the operation on my belly region I will never have regrets!
5. My Father second-oldest brother, Henk, passed away at 81 from cancer last week. It was a long time coming and he held out for a long bit, but in the end the sickness won and he could fight it no more. They made him comfortable in his last hours, which is probably the best any of us could hope for when it’s our time to go, I guess.
6. I was so excited last week, when I cycled home there was an echidna just minding its own business and digging in the earth looking for snacks right next to the bike path. It looked really unimpressed by me just looking at it and just waddled along. It’s the first time I’ve seen one in a built-up area, very cool. We also saw our first red-belly snake, so we stayed well away from that one and Dash is not keen on them too, which is exactly how we like it!
7. I’ve had my bike repaired a few times now because I didn’t want to buy a new one, but by now everything but the frame is new, and I might have been better off buying a new one. Oh well, it’s good as new for real now 😊.
Okay, that’s most of it I think, I’ll be back early May again to tell you about our adventures of the past two months.
Be well and stay warm now that Autumn is coming!
Gilbert
