Movie World

We joined the Ireland family for a day at Movie World. A great day out was had by all. With a group of 4 adults and 6 kids there is always someone wanting to go on the same ride.

The Superman Rollercoaster goes from zero to one hundred kms in 3 seconds. This put Wayne and Brett off further coasters for the day. Sally and Louise left them in the kids section and did the big kid's rides together.

Sally & Brett

The kids had fun in August with their cousins coming to stay. We took them to Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, city cat ferry, up Mt Coot-tha and bike riding along the river. After a few days with us they travelled to the Gold Coast for theme parks and beaches.

Kindy Fete

Charlotte's kindy had a big fund-raiser which closed the street one Sunday morning. There was a huge turnout to see the entertainment, animals, police, firetrucks and more. Josh, Tessa and Charlotte really got into the swing of it.

Murray & Denise

We had a very enjoyable day trip to Murray and Denise's with a picnic lunch at Lake Currumbin. Murray left a few things at home and the kangaroo sausages unattended on the bbq but we had a great time.

Kirsty got to play with Bella (their dog) and Bear (their cat) and Josh, Tessa and Charlotte played with frisbees, trees and the lake's edge.

Kirsty

On July 4th we took on Kirsty, our Seeing Eye Dog Puppy. She was 8 weeks old when she joined us and we will be her Puppy Carers until she is about 1 year old. She will then go on for formal training and placement with her new owner.

We have learned a lot about dogs in a short space of time! Seeing Eye Dogs Australia provide all her food & vet costs and Bev (the trainer) meets us weekly/fortnightly to support and further Kirsty's training. We also go on interesting outings once a month with the other SEDA puppies, like to a firestation or camel farm.

Kirsty goes everywhere with us. She is now well known at school, kindy and the local community. Living in the Crean household has made her bombproof and very tolerant of children!

Charlotte's birthday and more

Charlotte turned 4 on 23 June and had friends over for a party. They played in the garden and rode the plastic motorbike down our "luge" course in the backyard.

Josh planted a herb and vegetable garden when Grandma and Grandpa were here. We have had to put netting over it to keep out bush turkeys, possums and Kirsty. All the plants are growing well.

Wayne has shouted himself a new mountain bike and is enjoying riding it on Mt Coot-tha tracks. Murray has a new bike also and both are aiming to get out more often on the trails.

Visitors

Helen and Ken came to stay in late May for 2 weeks. Very fortunate timing as we moved into our new house and benefited from extra hands! We visited Louise's cousin Lyndon in Toowoomba. We explored lots of Brisbane with Ken and Helen including a trip to "Straddie" Island.

Georgie (Wayne's cousin) and Phil Orme plus Phil's mother came to visit us from New Zealand. It is always nice to have "rellies" look us up and visit.

Kids having fun

The kids are loving school and other activities. Josh is enjoying music at school. Both Josh and Tessa have had athletics and cross country.

Kirsty our seeing eye dog puppy arrived in early July to stay with us for 12 months. We socialise her and get her familiar with everyday places like shopping malls, trains, buses, beaches etc. It's lots of fun for the kids but also fairly hard work at times.

Pembertons & Seaworld

Our first visitors came in April. We were able to show Gary, Penelope, Caitlin & Anneliese the sights we knew of Brisbane. Then we joined them on the Gold Coast for a trip to Seaworld. Much fun was had by all (except Charlotte & Tessa on one scary ride). Seaworld is fantastic with stage shows, rollercoasters, huge water slides and not forgetting the sea creatures (especially the dolphins). Congratulations to Pen for her audience participation in the dolphin show!

Moving & Exploring Brisbane

We arrived and stayed in Annie St for 4 months then moved to our own place in Auchenflower. Hopefully this is the last move for a while. Once the boxes were finally unpacked we had more time to explore the area further.

Southbank is very nice and handy - it was the site of Expo88. Brookfield A&P Show gave us our first camel ride. North Stradbroke Island is a great day trip by vehicular ferry. It has beautiful beaches and dolphins can be seen from the cliff top walkway.

Advance Australia Fair

On 12th February 2008 the Crean family left Singapore to live in Brisbane, Australia. Wayne started work with InterGen Australia as General Manager Trading and Marketing the next day. We moved into a rental house in Auchenflower with a lap pool which we use nearly every day. We all love the space, outdoor lifestyle and bbqs.

Soon after arriving we visited Murray, Denise, Bella (dog) and Bear (cat) at Cabarita Beach, NSW. The surf beaches are great.

Near our home is the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where we visit often. Here we can feed kangaroos, rainbow lorikeets and cuddle koalas.

Joshua and Tessa started at Milton State School and Charlotte at Rosalie Kindergarten. They have all settled in very quickly and are making new friends readily.