Posts

Eulogy 24 - A Salute to Les Kimpton

Image
  EULOGY 24 - A Salute to Les Kimpton His Gift never stops Giving! Leslie Andrew (Les) Kimpton [1] was the youngest of 5 children. That simple fact is very important to this Salute to Les! There was 18 years difference between his eldest sibling, Mabel [2] , and himself. The time gap does suggest that Les may have either been a mistake or a very unexpected outcome. But being the youngest, Les had the distinction of being the last to die. He was the “ last custodian ” of the family memories, the family home, and the family possessions. This as such is not unusual, except that 3 of the Kimpton siblings had never left the family home [3] – in Les’s case, he had lived in the same house for over 70 years – unmarried, and when his 2 brothers died, alone there for 19 years. Les was only basically educated and factory skilled. He had started in a local hosiery factory in his 20s and stayed there until he retired 45 years later. His friends were those at the factory. They were largely ki...
Post a Comment
Read more

Snippet 17 - Capt. James Saundry

Image
  SNIPPET 17 - CAPT. JAMES SAUNDRY “ Right in the middle of the Action” The parents of James Saundry [1] , Tom & Ann [2 ] , farmers from Breage, Cornwall, may have had other dreams for their 3 rd child, James, but Historic Events clearly shaped him. Within his first decade, the English Navy was sailing to the opposite extreme of the World, Part Jackson, to off-load convicts in a strange, new land. And at the same time, the French were rioting, declaring startling new beliefs, inflicting horrors on their nobility, and creating a new Hero, Napoleon, who would soon take on the might of the English Navy & military. And at the same time, the Irish were rebelling against the might of their English Masters.   Within his second decade, England had 2 new Heroes – at sea, Horatio Nelson, and in India & Spain, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.   James stepped away from his family farm and sought a life at sea – the natural home of any Cornwall man. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Commentary 19 - DECLUTTERING

Image
SHAKY HANDS AND MOIST EYES GO WITH DECLUTTERING   (Written by Warren Maloney for Friends on 3 June 2024) This morning I began something that should have been tackled a while ago - decluttering the persona of my past lives in Business and Politics. First the Tie drawer(s). No one wears ties any more - Not even to funerals. But ties & in my case, bow-ties, were the essence of my daily image from school through to the 2nd retirement - 50+ years. And they were an easy present to give Warren - the footy club ties or the Rotary ones or that outrageous bow-tie for the next family wedding. This morning I instantly knew the story behind each and had to accept that the stories are still worth telling but the ties do not have to be kept.  But what about the blue one with pink flying pigs that I wore to my good friend's 3rd wedding! Or the very narrow school tie - not worn since the very last day of school - November,  1966.  Or the rainbow bowtie ... or the Clan Mackintosh ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Commentary 18 - THE CONSCRIPTION IDEA

Image
  THE CONSCRIPTION IDEA   (Written by Warren Maloney on 2 June 2024 for a Discussion by the Jackson Zoom Group)                                                               The UK Conservatives (or really just the outgoing PM Sunak) have created a Platform of CONSCRIPTION to pursue if they are re-elected in 2024.    In reality the half-baked Sunak model is something like a weekend @ month in the Army for a year OR some type & number of Community Service hours per year (" if you would be so good enough to do them "). But none of it is compulsory! What could possibly go wrong?   This got me thinking about Conscription - Why has it has never worked or been accepted in Australia? Why Countries under no military threat accept it (e.g. Brazil, Cambodia, Greece, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Commentary 17 - Reflections on Growing Old and King Lear

Image
Commentary 17 - Reflections on Growing Old and King Lear (A thought email exchange with the Jackson Zoom Group - November 2023) Perhaps some thoughts if you are exploring what can be learnt from "King Lear" as you face Old Age in the Moment! The cutting through line is when Lear yells to the winds "  Nothing can come of nothing, speak again. Now Gods stand up for bastards! To have a thankless child. "  The Play can be seen on many levels - a simple tale of Father/Daughters relationship. Or as a provocation of Parent Control that even wants to extend through Legacy to continuing Control after Death. Or a dying power becoming irrelevant! Or the reality of life's ending when you have already forsaken a common morality of the next generation and an understanding of others' needs, and have unwittingly shaped the faults in your own children. Life finishes with some grasp of understanding by this " poor old man " but it is too late - " Speak what we ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Snippet 16 - The Cotton Famine

Image
  DRIVEN OUT BY “THE COTTON FAMINE” Lancashire in the mid-19th Century was the World Centre of Manufacturing Cotton Products. You would think that the Wealth thereby created would be enough. But as Paul Keating said – “ In the Race of Life, always back Self-Interest – at least you know it’s trying. ” So, the Factory Owners formed a Cartel of Supply and severely restricted the availability of Cotton and the Products from 1861-1866. The era was called “The Cotton Famine”2, as the factory workers became unemployed – the families were forced to food-queue (there was no safety net). Many died of starvation and depression. Some found ways to leave by boarding ships to Australia, Canada, or the USA. Part of our family, the Houghtons, were caught in that trap of Famine. Richard & Mary Houghton3, with 4 children under 10 and 1 on the way, caught the ship “ Sultana ”, bound for Queensland. It cost virtually all of their savings (£8) to get aboard. But their luck got worse. The ship’s Doc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Table 7 - Ancestors who died in Wars

Image
  ANCESTORS WHO DIED IN WARS Total = 86 (Male 86 – Female 0)   Note - The Work is always in progress, and I am very happy to receive additional information or corrections at any time.   Acknowledgement – Considerable work has been done by our Cousin , Mary Vanderfeen, particularly with WWI & WWII & Irish Family members. Much reliance has been placed on this work. Thank you!   References – Wikipedia has been used in the text as a reasonably reliable and accessible point for anyone seeking further information on the Events.   DATE OF DEATH NAME AGE AT DEATH EVENT & DEATH LOCALITY 987 Geoffrey I of ANJOU [1] 37 ANJOU/FRANCE WAR Château-du-Loir, France (Siege of Marcon) 17 May 1102 Hugh VI de LUSIGNAN [2] 63 1 st CRUSADE Ramia, Egypt (The Battle of Ramia) 1134 Phillip...
Post a Comment
Read more