11 Burra Years

2001: The Property

On 31 May 2001 we moved into our new property at Burra, some 30 kilometres south of Queanbeyan, most of the last 5 kilometres of road unsealed, and 54 kilometres from my office in Belconnen, on the other side of central Canberra.

The house was large, much of it double brick, it was north facing and on the northern side the house was protected by a decorative grape vine, with the leaves keeping out the sun in summer and being deciduous allowing the sun in during winter. At each end of the house was a large master bedroom with bathroom complex, so the one we didn't use was ideal for guests and became known as the Atkins wing (after our close friends Warren and Naida Atkins). We had stayed at their house before moving as we had to leave Georgetown, and then they stayed with us for a few weeks, as they were leaving their Canberra house before moving to Newcastle, but they often stayed as guests later.

The property was on nearly 20 hectares, with the house quite isolated and distant by about a kilometre from the road, and basically having a view to its own valley. It was well irrigated, with a bore and three dams, one fed via pump and able to distribute water then via gravity to facilities such as cattle troughs, garden, vineyards etc and plenty of roof water. There were four tanks, totalling 160,000 litres capacity, one off the house roof, one each from the rooves on the two large barns, which could feed by gravity to the main tank, and a header tank up the hill which could be fed by pump from the main tank.

Two thirds of the property was grazing land, fully equipped with electric fences and there was a barn for horses, or in our case a store for firewood. I actually quickly learned how to run the electric fence, trace and repair faults.

There was also a vegetable garden irrigated from the top dam. This is in the foreground. One of the barns can be seen above, and behind it, partially obscured, is the header tank.

The more rugged upper part of the property was interesting as it had part of a historic drystone wall built by Chinese workers who had come to the region during a gold discovery in the region in the 1850s. It only went through parts of four properties and was not publicly accessible. It seemed Burra Station, which originally occupied the whole valley, thought it convenient to put the wall up since a work force was on hand, but probably ran out of money. There are interesting wooden sections in the wall which showed old sawing techniques.

There was also a delicately balanced, rather large granitic tor up there.

There was also a vineyard. Benjamin is seen here mowing it. There were five varieties, Merlot, Barbera, Semillon, Gewurztraminer and Sieger Rebe.

The whole property was rather divine and we had some pleasant years there.

Lois and I are shown here soon after arrival at Burra.

Farm products

After moving I was away for a few weeks as well as the Atkins being there, then Lois came and enjoyed a short holiday at the end of my long stay. When we finally got back into it we were quite industrious. Lois actually spent a lot of time around the property with a brushcutter, whereas we knew the real solution would be to get cattle in, as we did fairly soon, agisting some of Richie Butler's steers and then heifers.

There was a vegetable garden and Lois was making full use of it. She produced the tomatoes shown above, entered them in the tomato section of the Burra Fair, and was awarded the prize for best Burra tomatoes. She was awarded this prize by Member for Eden Monaro Gary Nairn. I got to know Gary later through my Maths Trust work as well as the fact that in a delicately balanced electorate like Eden Monaro everyone gets to know the local politicians better than in the complacent political region of Canberra, where there were nevertheless excellent members such as Bob McMullan. Gary always remembered Lois' prize at the Burra Fair. Gary, later, in 2015, was to be awarded an Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) at the same time as me, Queen's Birthday list, and attended Government House at Yarralumla also on the same day.

In the meantime I had covered the Gewurztraminer (which seemed to be the most productive of the five varieties we had) with netting in 2001 for the 2002 vintage and above is a sample of the resulting fruit. The wine tasted beautiful, this is really one of the nicest and most complex white varieties, with its French version associated with Alsace, and mine matched the expectations initially, a few weeks later when I tried it. But it went right off though a couple of months later, so I had a lot of chemistry to learn. It was relatively hard work, given I also had a job, and this was to be my only vintage.

But cattle had more interest. After agisting we wanted our own stock and procured two older cows, both pure breds though, from nearby serious Murray Grey farmer Richie Butler. Both of these cows were characters. Doris, from the Glen Stud in Walwa originally, was already in calf and Ellie, really Nuelle, born on a Christmas Eve, bred on a stud in southern New South Wales, and with great personality. We also brought in Rafael, a son of Australia's most high profile Murray Grey bull Temar Lotus L62, as company for Ellie. Lois watches as from left Ellie, Doris and Raphael feed on some lucerne.

In October Doris was to give birth to Blue and proudly posed here for a photograph. In the following March Ellie delivered Bruno. When Blue was old enough to be sold I advertised him on the internet and sold him to a farm in Gundaroo.

The Gundaroo farmer had seen the two young bulls together (above, Blue at left, Bruno on right) when he came to collect Blue. A few months later he called to ask the status of the other bull. He said he had placed Blue in a paddock with 13 cows and had 13 confirmed pregnancies and then in another with 19 cows and 19 more confirmed pregnancies. I said I was about to place Bruno on the market so the paternal grandson of Temar Lotus, who was to become a tremendous long-barrelled specimen, weighing almost certainly well over a tonne, was on his way also.

For the following breeding year I acquired a third cow, who was a maiden daughter of Doris and after a visit by a bull called Chester, in 2004 we had three further fine specimens of Murray Grey bloodstock, with the whole herd seen above. One was a daughter of the young Doris who we called Deborah, while the older cows produced further bull calves who we called Basil and Ben. But the drought was by now in full swing. These heavy animals were helping convert the property into a dust bowl. I had learned a lot about cattle farming. In fact vaccination was the only thing I wasn't doing, as Richie had the equipment. I was doing the tattooing and everything else. I had learned the trade but with the drought it was time to move on. The Gundaroo farmer was happy to buy the younger blood stock, but Doris and Ellie were old enough I felt to retire and I found a place to take them for their last days.

The farm recovered eventually and we took further of Richie's cattle for the property on agistment from time to time, but our time of farming our own animals had ended in 2005.

Wildlife

Burra, certainly our property at the southern extremity of the valley, was a haven for wildlife. I think during our time there I saw every species of bird to be found in the area, including once one of the two varieties of the black cockatoo. Our next door neighbour Ian Anderson was a valuable adviser on this. Kookaburra were numerous and would frequently conjure up an orchestral experience in the valley. Owls are certainly to be found at night.

Among the more common colourful bird to be found is the crimson rosella.

Snakes are everywhere in the Australian bush and most are venomous, certainly the browns and the red belly black which are most common here. I was not prepared to tell Lois until we later moved but I once found a small brown in our bed. Once when I was out on a Sunday evening to do the regular pumping to the header tank I turned back after turning on the tap to see my hand had been just adjacent to the head of a 4 metre snake basking in the fading sunshine, culed into two halves. Walking around the property one would occasionally see a snake head emerge from a hole. One Sunday evening I was enjoying a beer sitting on our loading bay wall, looking down the valley when a brown approached me. I remained in my position and allowed it to pass me and into its hole in the wall. The point about snakes is they do not attack, they are not interested in you. The most important thing is to let them know you are there, make sure you make yourself heard as you are walking through the paddocks and don't surprise them.

Kangaroos are obviously the most iconic Australian animal. Plenty can be found in Canberra, where a kangaroo on average dies each day on a road. They are not an endangered species, with hundreds always around the property, with a small mob shown here near the entrance gate.

The kangaroo is nocturnal but will come out during the day, particularly at dusk, and can come fairly close, but not too close. The most interesting sight I had was twice when I saw two bachelor fights. They were more vicious than I had ever seen with humans and demonstrate how dangerous they can be.

There was one wallaby, who we called Wal, who would sometimes come near the house, especially after some rain. They are smaller than kangaroos and the head has a distinctly different shaped head.

There were plenty of frogs around. They would often climb our back glass door as shown here.

Of the prickly animals, the echidna was often to be found. This particular one came to our front door for a social visit in 2008.

The iconic wombat is quite large, but almost exclusively nocturnal, in fact quite nocturnal, as I don't remember seeing one before 2300 any evening. They live in large holes, males and females sleeping in separate ones, with mating apparently occurring during their night time adventures.

How the tortoises survive droughts I don't know, but we had dams and apparently they can submerge themselves deep underground to survive dry times. This fellow wandered down from our upper dam right to our back door, maybe to tell us the water level was getting low. I got the message and carried him back to the dam.

Parties and people at Burra

Burra was a very social place and like Kingston an excellent place for parties and entertainment. The two most famous parties we had were one which Benjamin ran himself in September of 2001, our first year there, to celebrate his 20th birthday, and later a street party for our 60th birthdays.

All of Benjamin's mates came round and the main activities were held in the barn during the evening and on the "tennis court" below the house the next day. The barn had not been electrified, so it gave me an excuse to develop the property, which we were to do a lot of, installing air-conditioning, a proper TV antenna, proper kitchen gas system, new carpet, tastics in bathrooms, down lights for the kitchen and family area, road development, more cattle water, major bore upgrade, etc.

Benjamin is shown above preparing for the event with one of his friends James O'Brien.

In January and February 2007 we were to turn 60 and we decided to hold a street party (plus relatives and friends from town) to celebrate. It was a strong tradition in the street. When we first arrived there were a lot of older people, but gradually things changed to us being almost the oldest in the street by 2007. In October I had been presented with a rainmaker in Manila, but I was to transit through Melbourne to New Zealand and arranged for Benjamin, who was at that time living in Melbourne, to come to the airport to mind him. Later I found it hard to get this off him. He said since it had been in Melbourne the drought there had virtually broken and it was good for the city. I was keen to solve our drought problem and managed to get him to hand it over to me when there on business in February, just before our street party.

As I approached check-in at Melbourne airport I received a text from Lois. There had just then in a short period of time been 45mm of rain there in a supercell storm and for the first time we had been there the house was flooded. When I arrived I found our road had been washed away. We had upgraded it to good quality which had lasted several years. I had to get neighbour Tony Marin in at short notice with his machine to restore access for the party. Oddly, neither he nor other neighbours on adjoining properties had any rain at all.

As a special surprise I had arranged for Lois' sister June to arrive on the Friday evening. Lois saw a vehicle approaching and wondered who it was, but it was niece Carolyn driving June. Lois and June are shown after June's arrival.

The party was a great success, with about 60 people in attendance. Lois and I are seen about to cut the cake.

Over the years, as well as the Atkins we also had many other guests to stay or just for a barbecue. Above is Scottish friend and colleague Adam McBride in 2007.

Lois had a small section outside the back door set up as a fairy garden. She is attending to it by herself here but used it as a good way later on for communicating with granddaughters.

The twins and other births

In about April or May 2002, Gregory and Natasha said they were expecting a baby at the end of the year. Soon afterwards this was upgraded to twins, identical. There was much rejoicing all round, and Greg and Natasha went to great efforts to cater for twins, with the house gradually being endowed with lots of matching things.

In August concern grew as it appeared one of the twins was taking resources to the deprivation of the other,and in September it was decided to induce birth, just at 24 weeks, to maximise survival chances. So the identical twin girls were born.

They were to spend months in post natal care. Pictured on the day of their birth were Nakita (915g) above and Lani (545g) below.

After a few weeks it became clear that the smaller, Lani, who had been given at birth about a 60% chance of survival, was in trouble, due to infections in the hospital. We were all with her in the evening of her 28th day, when she passed away. It was the saddest thing I had experienced, very sad for the parents, sad for all. It was the first time I had experienced very premature death in my family, the only other having even experienced death, then in my view premature, had been the death of my father in 1984 at the age of only 63. The expectations of all which had built up with so much hope were dashed. The experience played on my mind for a long time. It was probably 5 years later that I was able to start having a day in which it did not think about it.

Nakita had more chance and fortunately she survived. After about three months in post natal care she was discharged and came home still needing back-up oxygen at times.

In a triumph over her difficult beginning, Nakita finally became mobile and crawled for the first time, and I think in the photo above she knew it and was celebrating her achievement. Nakita was to grow up and live a normal life, very savy, street-wise and sharp, and a pleasure to be with.

In the next two or three years two other daughters were born to Greg and Natasha.

In October 2003 Nakita is seen welcoming the arrival of sister Kaylana.

And in July 2005 Alyssa was born. Here she is being welcomed by sisters Nakita (left) and Kaylana. I was overseas, in Mexico, during this birth and I had to wait a couple of weeks before seeing her.

The girls used to enjoy their frequent visits to the farm. Here are Kaylana (left) and Nakita arriving on one occasion in December 2005.

In April 2006 Gregory and Natasha separated. From then Gregory lived with Nicole Hughes, another primary school teacher, and her two daughters Imogen and Phoebe.

Stephanie and Steve

As indicated in Chapter 9, Stephanie went to Adelaide in 1998 to commence a medical degree. She lived in a number of places over that time, mainly flats close to the city, in one year sharing with Benjamin, who also studied there for a year.

Stephanie obtained excellent academic results and graduated in December 2003. She is shown above with Lois and me, having graduated with honours, being only one of seven who did so out of a cohort of about 120.

She continued as a registrar at the Royal Adelaide Hospital through 2004, where she met Steven Galluccio, a more senior registrar who had been a couple of years ahead of her.

In March 2005 Stephanie brought Steve over to Canberra to meet us. Here they are shown on the hill at the back of our property, during this visit. Shortly after, they announced their engagement and soon I was in Adelaide on business and met Steve's parents, Rocco and Margaret. They had started in Adelaide as Italian migrant market gardeners in the north east of Adelaide. When I explained my father had been the Commonwealth Bank manager in the same area it turned out they knew him. They later produced a letter signed by my father thanking them for being good customers and paying off their loan. It can be a small world.

The wedding was held in Adelaide in March 2006. Most of the visiting relatives were staying at the one hotel in Adelaide, which also was where the bridal party prepared. As the father of the bride I saw the other guests off to the church at Blackwood while I had the honour of driving with Stephanie to the church to give her away. I took the above shot while we were waiting to board the cars.

This shows the Taylor family, from left my brother John, sister Susan, Steve, Stephanie, my mother Betty and me.

And above our family, from left Benjamin, me, Steve, Stephanie, Lois and Gregory.

In March 2007 Jasmine was born. I was in Hong Kong on business at the time and couldn't get back for a week or so but Lois was very excited and drove over to be with and help Stephanie. Proud grandmother and mother are shown with Jasmine.

Benjamin through these years

As indicated in 1999 Benjamin graduated in 1999 from Canberra Grammar School with a good University entrance score. He had been strong in science, all the disciplines really, but wanted to study engineering, was strong in chemistry and decided on chemical engineering. As he got on well with Stephanie, Adelaide University had a strong reputation and taught chemical engineering, the plan was to go there. But first he wanted a gap year, unlike Stephanie, who had wanted to get straight into University. He used the gap year (while we were still living in Kingston in 2000) travelling and selling barbecues at a place in Fyshwick, where I would take him to work on the way to my work.

But by 2001, when we were moving down to the farm, Benjamin had gone to Adelaide. One of the more memorable features of 2001 was his 20th birthday party back at the farm, which is described above.

Albeit the traveler, Benjamin found an ingenious way of travelling while studying in 2002. In 2001 at Adelaide he noticed on a wall an advertisement for exchange programs with MacGill University in Montreal. He duly applied and found his way there for all of 2002.

I was in England in the middle of the year and he arranged to join me there for a few days during which we went to ancestral sites in Lincolnshire, also London, Oxford and Worcester. We are seen above at the Worcestershire Cricket Ground, which Australian cricketing great Jack Fingleton described as one of the four great cricket grounds of the world, the others being Adelaide, Canberra (where he later lived as a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery) and Cape Town. Three are looked over by a Cathedral, the other by Table Mountain.

In 2003 Benjamin transferred to Melbourne University, where he enrolled in a double degree, now in Civil Engineering but with Arts also. In Arts Benjamin specialised in French, where I believe he was quite fluent after specialising in school and presumably developed in Montreal, and international affairs, where he had a strong personal interest. In 2007 he graduated, and like his sister in medicine, his engineering degree was awarded with honours.

This is the official portrait with us. Here he is wearing his Arts hood (yellow), whereas in the other photo he was wearing his blue engineering hood.

Benjamin continued working in Melbourne until early 2009. He was employed by the listed multinational engineering firm, Coffey, in their office at Abbotsford, a stone's throw from Collingwood's Victoria Park Oval. The work sent him at times to various parts of the country, sometimes even Canberra, specialising in energy projects, at the time mainly wind farms. But by the beginning of 2009 he was seeking new horizons, and took up a position in New York.

There had been a number of large family functions, both inside and out, but the last one at the farm, on 25 April 2009, was to be Ben's farewell. Stephanie, Steve and Jasmine even came over for it, so everyone was present. Benjamin is obscured on the left while serving vegetables, while clockwise from his left around the table can be seen (subject to various levels of obscurity) Imogen, Kaylana, Nicki, Phoebe, Gregory, Alyssa, Nakita, Steve, Jasmine, Stephanie and Lois.

Gregory, Benjamin and Stephanie are photographed together after the dinner. As described below, we were to leave the farm just 5 weeks later.

Lois and illness

Breast Cancer

In Chapter 5 I refer to Lois' serious illness in 1992, when access to private health care almost certainly saved her life. Lois enjoyed good health from then until 2003. In June of that year I was invited to Canada, to be the Lyons Lecturer at their Olympiad training in Waterloo. I had arrived in Toronto where I had spent three days first working with Ed Barbeau. Ed and I had been appointed as co-chairs of ICMI Study 16 on challenge, and were doing some early planning on it.

On the night before I was to travel down to Waterloo Lois contacted me to tell me she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was the first to know, and it was important to break my journey to return and be with her. Ed offered to take my place and I gave him the materials I had prepared.

In these circumstances the airline was considerate and enabled me to rush home, leaving Toronto the following evening, although the leg across the Pacific on United Airlines was not impressive. So I was back with Lois a couple of days later and I was able to talk things through with her. The treatment ended up involving two operations performed by the much-loved Canberra surgeon John Buckingham, and then intense rounds of chemotherapy first and later radiotherapy. These were, as is well-known, extremely tiring for her.

I cancelled plans to attend Olympiads in Japan and the US and basically was around for a few months to see her through. Stephanie was also able to come over for the most difficult times.

Of course Lois had further tests over the years, and fortunately this disease did not return. However another was about to arrive.

Parkinson's Disease

In about 1999, a colleague, Robert Bartnik, had contracted Parkinson's disease, so I was familiar with the symptoms. One Sunday morning in late 2003 I woke up and became aware of a slight hand tremor Lois had with her right hand. There was no other explanation so I feared Parkinson's disease. I noticed this on two or three further occasions in the next few months.

In late January 2005 I had been home one afternoon, and Lois arrived home, having been in the city. She was most upset, told me she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and was concerned about the potential load it would cause me.

The diagnosis had been made by Canberra neurologist Roger Tuck, the same neurologist who in 1992 had impressively diagnosed the osteomyelitis,as described in a part of chapter 5. Roger had become a family friend, even been to the farm, because his son and Benjamin were school friends. He recommended we look elsewhere for another doctor for a second opinion.

With this news we had an arrangement to take a holiday in Oman, which we did, and it went very well. Later in the year we took Roger's advice and arranged a visit with Professor John Morris, at Westmead. He examined Lois, concurred with the diagnosis, but the disease was in an early stage. Professor Morris said in general Parkinson's disease is fairly manageable, with medication most of the symptoms (particularly tremor) can be nullified, and it does not usually affect life expectancy very much.

It was difficult to predict the future but it was important to get overseas travel while possible, and at the beginning of 2006 we went to Egypt and had a fabulous time.

We started with a stay at the Intercontinental Semiramis, overlooking the Nile, crossed the river to Giza, across to Suez where I saw my great uncle's war grave, went up to Alexandria and across to the remote Siwa oasis near the Libyan border (where we are seen above) and then came back to Cairo for a week or so, all a fabulous time. There was an ominous last morning though, when Lois said she was too sick to get out of bed and go down to the airport for the trip home. I did not know what to do but somehow I got her there.

In the middle of 2006 I had three conferences to attend. I had enough influence that I was able to arrange the dates to make them sequential. First was the ICMI Study 16 Conference, for which I was co-chair. This was scheduled for Trondheim. Then the IMO was in Slovenia and finally the WFNMC conference in Cambridge. There were a couple of fill-in times such as a day or so in Austria en route from Trondheim to Slovenia. I took Lois with me and we are seen above celebrating our wedding anniversary at Vanvikan, near Trondheim, the day after the Study Conference had finished.

She was OK for the first part of the trip but was struggling near the end of Slovenia,and was really struggling by the time we got back to Vienna (when we needed to call in a doctor to our hotel room) after IMO and during the Cambridge Conference. This was to be her last time overseas.

The next year or so proved fairly uneventful, but condition was declining and by now Stephanie had us seeing Neurologist Assoc Prof Tom Kimber at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. I was for some time able to drive Lois interstate and we had regular chances to reach Adelaide. For a while we were looking at experimental brain surgery which had been showing signs of helping Parkinson patients, but Tom said Lois was not responding to one of the key medications in the right way, which meant she was not suitable. He said in fact, without calling it a diagnosis, she had a variation of Parkinson's known as Multiple System Atrophy. Ominously I looked at the internet and discovered this had a life span of 5 to 8 years after diagnosis. I am sure Lois conducted the same search. It was all very demoralising.

In the middle of 2008 on three occasions Lois dry-boiled vegetables in saucepans and I realised I had to take over all cooking and did so from then on.

In September 2008 we filled a long-term promise to take our four-wheel drive Subaru Forester to Tibooburra with the Bakkers, who took their own in convoy. This was again a fantastic holiday.

We are shown at the hotel at Wanaaring, west of Bourke, well into the outback, with the Bakkers.

From Tibooburra we were able to drive to Cameron Corner, on the border of New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia. I, Lois and Sally Bakker are shown in front of the white pole which marks the triple boundary. Lois survived this holiday OK, but in hindsight this was our last real adventure holiday.

On returning home though I realised it was going to be difficult to continue to live at the farm. I put it to Lois that we needed to place it on the market and return to the city. Whereas she had been the instigator behind the moves from Melba and Kingston, she was not the instigator here, although she accepted it and later became more in favour of the move.

With the farm on the market Lois accompanied me on the long November 2008 AMC presentation trip to Perth, first, then Adelaide, and further. In Perth we walked up the street and this was the first time I realised she could not walk independently. She needed my help. She was too unwell to attend the national ceremony but on the following day attended the state one. We went on to Adelaide and then Melbourne. The morning we were to fly up to Brisbane she was definitely unable to go. Fortunately Benjamin was still living in Melbourne and he minded her for the two days while I was in Brisbane. I then returned to Melbourne and collected her. The flight from Melbourne to Canberra on 25 November was to be her last plane flight.

On returning home I arranged a mobile to assist her movement, and Lois was OK to take the car trip to Adelaide, where we would see Stephanie and I would attend the annual Test cricket match. On one evening at about 11pm Lois suffered a minor stroke. I did not have enough experience to understand what to do but she was able to write a short message in diminutive handwriting. I called Stephanie and then the ambulance and soon she was in emergency at the Royal Adelaide hospital.

By the time she arrived, the worst had passed, they said she was stable and I should return to the hotel to sleep. But at 5am I was awoken and instructed to go to the hospital to collect her. The condition was by now very serious and Tom Kimber agreed to authorise her to stay in hospital for a few days while he conducted a number of tests. So our stay in Adelaide was extended somewhat. The tests were not encouraging. Lois was eventually discharged, with some new medications which showed some promise initially, and I drove Lois home across the Hay plains.

I had no idea that help could be available from the Federal Government, and all the media talk I could see was that it was fairly useless. I also assumed I would be means-tested out from help. But Stephanie told me to try. One day in April 2009 we were driving past the Queanbeyan hospital and I left Lois in the car while I went in to inquire. To my amazement my visit was taken very seriously. Details were taken down and I was told officials would be at the farm within a couple of days.

And they were. On the spot they conducted an ACAT test and certified her for low level care. They brought a lot of equipment out, which had the effect of disabling me from using the ensuite toilet, the one near the bedroom. But they did tell me country NSW here was not very suitable, not just because of the distance making it difficult to get carers, but the only nursing homes in NSW in this southern district, which I would need if business travelling for casual stays, were at the coast and not in Queanbeyan. Even though the farm was not yet sold I realised we had to move. I had help from my Burra-based Real Estate friend Greg Hedger to find a 2 bedroom ground level townhouse in Turner where we could move almost immediately.

On 12 June, 2009, we moved from the farm to this townhouse in Macleay Street. The last difficult act was for Gregory and me to help lift Lois up the back steps and into the car. The day was foggy and one of the coldest I remember in Canberra with a maximum of just 4 degrees. Another era of our lives had ended and an uncertain one was now to begin.