CHRISTMAS GREETINGS FROM THE HANNAHS

Hi Everyone

Judy and I are back on the Sunshine Coast for Christmas, and we are about to "babysit" a beautiful home and B&B up on Buderim. Our wonderful and gracious friends heading away, and have asked us to look after it - which we are really looking forward to.

This past 12 months has seen a major change in our lives and lifestyle, as I retired in April and we headed off to the Atherton Tablelands through central Queensland.

First, we had two months in Maryborough, staying with Judy's brother Chris, and helping with their church - Grace Community Church - in the old Maryborough Powerhouse.

We headed up through Biggenden, Gayndah, Mundubberra, Monto and Cania Gorge for a month, Biloela, Springsure, Emerald, Rubyvale, Clermont, Theresa Ck Dam, up to Moranbah, back to Clermont, Charters Towers, and Townsville. These are the places we stayed, but we saw and experienced so much more. Mission Beach is another beautiful place - just like Hawaii - only 'simple', with the added bonus of sighting a wild cassowary.  We saw another on the Atherton Tableland, this time with three chicks.

We then headed up to Innisfail, and onto the Atherton Tablelands where we met with our close friends Geoff and Mary Parry.  Geoff and Mary and Trevor and Jan Stock also came out to Cania Gorge for a few days with us while we were there - and we had some wonderful times.

In Atherton (aka Athvegas) we spent a lot of time finding all the places where my Mum and Dad spent a huge chunk of their lives, and then my grand parents graves. We had taken my Mum's ashes with us, and while that scared the heck out of Mary Parry, Mum enjoyed every bit of the fun and frivolity we had taking her "back home". Malanda, Millaa Millaa, Lakes Tinaroo, Eacham and Barrine, Herberton and everywhere around the district, all came back to life for me, as I was only 5 years old when we headed to Malanda for my Grandfather's funeral.

We found my Mum's father's grave at Millaa Millaa, and I pressure cleaned it and the graves around it, and then we placed half of her ashes in his grave. Her Dad was a World War 1 Military Medal hero, and he passed away at age 33 after being gassed and made an invalid.

Her Mum was buried at Atherton, as she had remarried and moved to Tolga. I also cleaned her grave, which was situated very close to my father's parents graves. We placed the rest of her ashes with her Mum. I found a "long lost cousin" in Tolga, and we had lots of fun times with her family.

We then travelled down to Mossman Gorge, the Daintree, and into Cairns. The day we went to Kuranda, Judy came down with shingles, which really put the brakes on our happy days. Luckily we were able to find a doctor who knew what he was doing, and gave her the anti-virals to quieten it down.  While Judy stayed in bed, I was able to go back up to Malanda for the centenary of the State School, where my dad and many of his siblings attended in 1923.  We also caught up with my aunt Dot, who we hadn't seen for about six years.

We then headed back down the coast, staying in free camps at times, and caravan parks when we needed some R&R. Down through Cardwell, which was flattened by Cyclone Yasi, Back into Townsville - I found another cousin I didn't know I had - Doug in Townsville, and we had some great times with him - even though he was in hospital after a heart attack!!

Down to Airlie Beach (where we flew out over the Barrier Reef in an old floatplane - then we took a trip out to Reef World and while I went scuba diving for the first time, Judy snorkelled her way around the 'buoys'. Rollingstone, Yeppoon, and into Bundaberg where we stayed with Judys' cousin for 10 days.

Down to Hervey Bay, and back to the Sunshine Coast.

We have had an amazing trip, spent some wonderful Sunday mornings at some amazing churches, and met some truly beautiful people.

We almost need to start a Facebook page for Misty-Rose, our ragdoll cat, as she has found some awesome fans, who want to have photos with her and give her lots of cuddles.  She has developed into a great little travelling companion, and while she used to panic when we hooked up the caravan, she now sits back and relaxes in her bed in the back seat.

We missed our beautiful grandchildren, sons and daughters in-law - but over the coming months, we will definitely be catching up with them all.  Tim has divorced and now lives in Sydney, but he gets to have his kids, Tayla and Jordie (now 12 and 14) every second weekend. While he spends a lot of time at Channel 9, he also is doing all the adverts for Channel 10 and their Winter Olympics - and they are now going to air. He will spend a month in Melbourne with 10 - making up replays and highlights which you will also see in February.

Brad, Kirsty and little Emilee, are doing really well - with a new brother or sister for Em due in May.  Emi is a constant delight in our lives.

We have had an amazing 8 months, and while we intended going to Tasmania for next Christmas, I have now signed up for Bible College to do a Diploma in Ministry and Theology for the next two years. While a lot of the course can be done online, 30% is face-to-face, but it is in Gympie, so we will be hanging around a bit instead of heading off for long periods.  But there will definitely be short trips away when we feel like it.

I pray that you all have a beautiful, safe and "family friendly" Christmas and New Year, and we can only thank our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ for our safety, our health and our provision - that has taken us across and around our beautiful state this past year.  (Well not quite, we've yet to see the Outback)!

Heart Reef on the Great Barrier Reef from the seaplane

After the flight

The day we took to the road from Maryborough

Cheeky King Parrot at Cania Gorge

More cheeky wildlife at Cania

Perpetually chillin'

Beats working!

Our blog address - hannahsinthekingdom.blogspot.com.au

God bless

Peter and Judy - and Misty Rose    

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME BETWEEN BLOGS

I gave up blogging a few months ago, it's jolly well time I started again.... The delay is mostly because our data

modem has been chewing up more than it should, despite Telstra's assuring us that that is not the

case....    A Facebook friend of mine has a blog, she is an English teacher and Creative Writer, she's inspired

me to start again. Thank you Catherine Joy....

We really have had an amazingly good time touring around Queensland, driving firstly up the

inland just west of The Great Dividing Range, with the goal of Atherton Tableland. There on the AT we found

and renovated important family graves of Peter's grandparents, two Scottish emigrants, George

and Elizabeth Hannah, and Norah and Edward Ellson.  We were there about a month.

On to Mossman, then to Cairns, where I succumbed to the Shingles, keeping me lying low for a few weeks. We

reconnected with Peter's cousin Ronda, her mum, and their aunt, all locals. The Daintree, Cape

Tribulation and the massive rain forests all around there, Mossman Gorge, a day in Port Douglas,

Palm Cove, Cairns Night Zoo, Kuranda on the train, the Skyway for the return trip, it was all

amazing.

We stayed in Innisfail for a few nights, Peter went and saw Paronella Park, an amazing Spanish

Castle built by hand by an emigrant Spaniard.  I needed to rest that day.

Townsville again, where we saw to a little business with Telstra. We also went to meet a cousin of

Peter's, Doug Hannah, whom he'd never met. He is also studying the Hannah Family Tree. We

had difficulty finding him at home and found out he was in the hospital!

Airlie Beach was amazing, we hadn't seen it in 40 years, it was very different. We did a flight out to

the Barrier Reef on a seaplane, an old Canadian Beaver. It was truly amazing flying low over it,

the pilot did a quick touchdown on the water for a moment to give us that experience. Next day we

went out again, this time on a cruise launch, calling at Hamilton Island on the way. I snorkelled and

loved it, Peter did a scuba dive, a first for him. We were totally exhausted at the end of that big

day.

On going further south we had a stay at Rollingstone, then a free camp at Bushy Parker Creek.

We visited my cousin near Sarina, with the van hooked on. Misty stayed in the van while we went

inside the house for a cuppa. Linda had two boisterous dogs, excited to see their feline visitor. We

think Misty got quite distressed.  When I went to show Linda the van, I picked up Misty as she

looked scared, the dogs came to the door, Misty freaked and grabbed onto my arm, cutting through

my tissue paper skin. Much blood was shed, we went to Sarina hospital and got some first aid.

Dramas!

Calliope River was a perfect place for a free camp, then we made our way to Yeppoon and stayed

at Kinka Beach for a few nights. Many beach areas there, I've always wanted to see it.

Next stand out was Agnes Water and the Town of 1770, a beautiful little place, we stayed a few

nights. Very pretty place, 1770 was where Captain Cook first came ashore in Queensland, in, you

guessed it, 1770!

Bundaberg next to stay with my cousin Les, for almost a week. We went down to Moore Park for a

drive, and around town to see the markers where the floods reached. Other than that, we just

spent family time together with Les and Jean.  Misty fell head-over-paws for Les....

On to Hervey Bay, for several days in the Torquay Palms Caravan Park. We came home for an overnight

stop to celebrate Kirsty's birthday, then returned for the rest of our stay.

We returned home on 9th November to be ready for two weekends of weddings, then we left again on
25th November to trip around again. We've been to Kilcoy to check out the Somerset region, which has a
special interest for my father's family. Henry Plantaganet Somerset was an important

member of Queensland Parliament between 1904 and 1925, and he brought to the parliamentary floor that a dam

should be built out there, to prevent flooding. This (Somerset Dam) did not happen until after he

died, but he had the vision originally, they named it after him. He was an Englishman from royal lines in England.... He boarded

with my grandmother during Parliament sittings. Nana was a deserted mother with two kids, then a

third child appeared, more than likely fathered by Mr Somerset, as he paid for her confinement in a

Brisbane private hospital. All very interesting. We found his grave and the church that he had built

alongside his homestead called Caboonbah, near Esk. Caboonb
ah burnt down in 2009. As an

aside, my father and his younger sister were like peas in a pod.... Draw your own conclusions! But

obviously, he was a good man.  He had a wife and ten children back home.

After Kilcoy we stayed at Esk for a few nights, then  to Crows Nest.  We've been to Toowoomba for church and took in
The Milne Bay Military Museum.  My father was stationed there during WWII as an ambulance bearer.

We came to Kingaroy and saw the Bunya Mountains today, did a little shopping and will rest up and leave here Friday morning.
My niece Brittany is dancing in her annual concert this Saturday in Maryborough, I am looking forward to attending, then we will
be back home next week.  We have a house-sitting to enjoy for a couple of weeks from mid-December.

What have I enjoyed the most? The frequent changes of location and seeing new places regularly are

fantastic, but I love the natural beauty of old forests and gorges, mountains, wildlife and pretty

beaches, stunning blue skies, relaxing in the late afternoons...... I could go on!

The Barrier Reef from the seaplane


google.com/+JudythHannah

Travelling back from the Reef

The church Henry Somerset built on his property

Henry Somerset's Grave