My Portfolio

Every day in my practice as a counselor, I see how our lives are defined by relationships with others. Relationships shape, sustain and strengthen us.  They give our lives meaning—our very identities. And relationships are still, as they always have been, enhanced by sharing our personal experiences and stories. Several years...

Margaret tells us that she didn't have many days off while working for her father in 1943, however she and her sister were silver medallist dancers and attended the school dances (even though they had left school). They also went for walks and did a lot of reading. When she joined...

Judith relates two very different experiences in her first two jobs as a Nanny and Governess in her gap year in 1964.    

On the road…again!Afghanistan to ZambiaChronicles of a Footloose ForesterBy Dick Pellek   On Name Dropping   The Footloose Forester has been a practicing iconoclast for most of his adult life.  No, make that most of his entire life. As a teenager, he spent plenty of time musing about hypocrisy and the...

Joyce talks about her first job and how she secured it...

In 1994 my wife, Diane, was called as the Relief Society President in our LDS ward.  In preparation for her first Relief Society Visiting Conference (for female members of the church who have been called to visit the homes of the sisters in the ward each month), she was at a...

This week's prompt - "Topic: Holiday Activities.  So much can happen in only a few short days but there is always one thing that should stand out.  By reflecting upon the weekend" . . , I will share a memory while it is fresh on my mind. On Labor Day, Monday...

Bills talks about his long service in the Infantry during the Second World War, serving in Tobruk, Libya, Alemain, New Guinea and Borneo.  He also tells us how the War dominates his thoughts as he gets older.

Alice Domagalski recalls her first job.

Margaret talks about being paid 5 shillings per week when she worked for her father in the early 1940's.  When she joined the WRENS in 1943 she was paid 16 shillings per week and her 1st uniform was provided.  Her parents gave her a 'best' suit for Xmas and she describes...

Judith had her heart set on being a Lawyer only to discover in her last year of schooling that she had studied the wrong subjects.  She did a range of jobs in the gap between school and university including live-in nannying roles and waitressing.  She then trained as a Kindergarten Teacher in...

Joyce talks about attending 5 Primary Schools in South Australia, her Secondary School Years at Norwood Girls Technical School and her choices of study as an adult

From an early age Judith remembers listening to and enjoying music.  Her parents had a record player and they played a wide range of classical music.  At Nambour High School she went to classical music concerts. And to this day she finds classical music uplifting.  

This month we are spotlighting a man who was not born or raised in Salem.  However, he promised his wife he would bring her back to where she was born and grew up, which he did two different times. L. Dean Lee was born in Idaho and raised in Nevada.  He...

Judith recounts her school life as her father changed jobs and they moved from Loftus to Griffith, then the family moved to Queensland.  They lived in Nambour and she enjoyed her time at the Nambour High School.    

Avis talks about her bedroom which was her favourite room in her childood home in Port Pirie South Australia

Avis talks about her school days at Port Pirie South Australia from 1935, her Shirley Temple curls, her achievements at High School and her first job.