April - May 2017

Well "Tempus Fugit" (Time Flies), ain't it the truth. Much has happened since my last blog and although I keep saying I'm going to blog more often it just doesn't happen, apologizes for that. Mid April saw us at a family reunion (of sorts) at a caravan park in Red Rock, NSW. It was an awesome opportunity to catch up with extended family and we covered about eight sites at the van park.

On return from Red Rock I had surgery on my left shoulder (again) which is doing well at present. Anzac Day was almost a non event for me as I was in the process of getting out of hospital and wasn't in a position to get out really.

The May long weekend had us at our Jeep Club "Bundy Swim-in" held at Bundaberg Qld, which is a bi-annual camping event at a property of one of our members. Obviously I was very restricted on what I could do (observe and photograph only) which was boring, but necessary considering my recent surgery.

There was a variety of military vehicles including many amphibious type which utilized the local Burnett River, hence the name "Bundy Swim-in". Land based activities included a few road runs, rail rides on a section of train track on the property, night time activities had many sitting around campfires enjoying a beverage or two and the banter of the days events. The kids were not forgotten either and had fun on the rides in the big vehicles/bikes and in the many miniature Jeeps on hand. A few treasure hunt style games and spotlighting at night kept them very active over the four days. Unfortunately I only managed to stay for two of the four days and had to stay in a motel in town, so I missed many of the activities which I believe were highly successful also. Next time I'll be okay.

A trip to Casino, NSW for the weekend 6-7 May was next on the agenda to once again another family get-together, this time for our Granddaughter, Zoe Paige's Baptism into the Catholic faith, which went really well indeed. Later in May we're off again to Townsville to help a great friend celebrate her 50th Birthday, so looking forward to that too. We'll also catch up with a few long term friends in Townsville while we are there.

 Cheers all Rick Canhan

 

On the road again!

I feel I have been on a pilgrimage of some sort, on the road traveling from town to town. But I must say March 2017 is a significant period in my timeline for a number of reasons. Firstly my second Granddaughter, Zoe Paige Mortimer will turn one on the 31 March, and she has already taken a few steps too, bless her. March is also the beginning of Autumn, not that you'd believe it with the heat we've still been having. Also March is important to me as its is the anniversary of my entering the Australian Armed Forces, despite my being out now for about fifteen years, my service of twenty two years plus still weighs heavily on my mind. I recently attended a reunion of sorts with many old mates from previous units I served in. It was our motorcycle group AGM (not club or gang) made up of ex and still serving men and women who just happen to like riding motorcycles, it was held in Dubbo NSW and members came from far and wide to attend. We had the meeting which was important, but it was the comradeship that is still displayed by all military members still serving or not, it's incredible to see and feel. I was proud to be be a part of it all. Unfortunately I left my bike at home as I was heading further south to Corowa following the meeting, plus I had our dog, Molly, with me. Molly sort of became the unofficial mascot for the weekend in Dubbo, she was loved by one and all.
Met up with some long term civilian friends in Dubbo too, yes we do have civilian friends too. These good friends I have known long before my army days, when I was a long haired sixteen year old visiting a town called 'Peak Hill' in country NSW. I won't be naming people or telling tales out of school, but I can tell you we had a great time, chasing girls and being chased, seeking grog, hunting and fishing, that's all I'm gunna say.
I passed through Peak Hill on my way south and remembered with fondness the great times we had there, and wondered where everyone else is now. The township has changed little in the past forty years. Most I spoke to had only lived there in the last 6 to 10 years, although I did find the brother of a friend who now owns the Butchers shop in town and we had a great time talking about old times. I also spoke to a fine old gent who told me his shop has been in the family and open for eighty three years, I didn't know him personally,  he told me I would have been too interested in having a good time of it instead of shopping when I was there, he was probably right too.

Happy New Year - 2017

2017 is here and I've hit the ground running. Attended a Jeep Club activity on Jan 1, which involved members placing train wheels on their Jeeps and drive onto some of the many hundreds of kilometres of disused railings around Qld. I also had an assignment to write an article for our club magazine too, so I'm still writing and having fun at the same time. There are some great photos and videos on my Facebook page so be sure to check them out.

Cheers for now and keep on reading!

Just a quick note

With Christmas 2016 over and all of our many visitors departed for their homes, we now await the arrival of the 'New Year'. We had an awesome time catching up with family and friends. Christmas is a time to ponder and reflect and although normally seen as a joyous occasion it is often also an emotional period for some, and like most this year was no different.

Despite the busyness of the Christmas period, I've had the opportunity to do some writing and review some of my various projects of current stories of which I've selected a particular storyline which I'm sure will please most. Look out for a post early in January where I'll leave a short synopsis to hopefully get the reading juices flowing. Who knows? I may just get to publish another novel in 2017.

That's it from me for the year, I think. I hope your festive season was fruitful and also joyous. I'm currently sitting here typing with my youngest granddaughter, Zoe 9 months old today, on my lap who is watching me type with keen interest, despite the hic-cups. Future writer?

I'd like to finish this blog today with a huge 'Thank You' to all who have supported me and my endeavours to contribute to the world of literature. As always I appreciated every comment or notation left or sent, it fires up my creativity and encourages and inspires me to keep on writing, cheers all.

Yours Sincerely

Rick 

Tempus Fugit

I wrote this post a while ago and recently discovered it was still sitting as a 'draft' so I thought I'd post it anyway as it's still as relevant today as it was the day I wrote it.

Tempus Fugit. Well "time" certainly does fly doesn't it? Or so it seems anyway. But why? Time management or the measurement of the time process through systems developed by intelligent beings (humans no doubt) has been recorded since the beginning of time itself, someone has been keeping track. The Ancient Egyptians and the Ancient Mayans documented and recorded the passing of time thousands of years ago. Modern society sees time as an important commodity and measures it through the use of time pieces such as clocks, watches etc.
Time is important (apparently) in the business world as time waits for no one.

Writing

The written word

The topic for this day is writing, now seeing as writing is 'what I do' within RickWrites I had better do some, I was recently reminded I am at times, a little inconsistent with actually getting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. I must admit this statement is true and I apologize up front for this lack of dedication to my writing. I need to apply myself and rectify the situation immediately, although, most know I have been somewhat preoccupied of late with the restoration work on my 1943 Willys Army Jeep.

I recently (four weeks ago) underwent a near on full shoulder reconstruction to my left shoulder, and have been restricted to the use of my right arm/hand only, consequently my endeavours to work on the Jeep have dropped off considerably. I've still been able to perform some much needed research on-line, although I'm now battling the keyboard one handed, not that I was much of a speedster on the keyboard anyway, more of a two finger operator who needs to constantly look at the keyboard.

My passion for the 'Written Word' is well known and it seems at present I have ample time to write and with one hand I find once again I am forced to revert to pen and paper, thank goodness I'm right handed. I must admit on past projects while working on a story line I'd find this method often gets my thoughts onto paper so much quicker, seems I write (by hand) just as quick as I can think. Often it is hard to decipher what is written on the page at the end as the mind goes into a sort of trance and the pen often does not leave the paper, so you end up with script that continues like some ancient scroll. I don't even stop for spelling, grammar or what ever, it just flows, editing comes later, much later. 

I'm considering writing about the Jeep restoration process. I know much has been written on the subject of Jeep Restoration, but I could write this on my personal journey during the process including why I chose a Jeep for my project, where I found it, how I started restoring it and what I have discovered along the way. I have learnt a lot so far and still have much to learn. I have been documenting what I have done to date in photographs which could complement the story. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments.

Cheers all,

Rick Canhan


Footnote: For your convenience I have changed the settings so anyone can make comments now!

2016 Draws to a close

What's new today...

As 2016 draws to a close I reflect on the past year and what has come to pass over that time. The Latin phrase Tempus edax rerum basically means, time the devourer of all things, and when you think about it life just rolls on, no matter what. This year I have known the sadness that comes with the loss of close friends and the enjoyment that comes with the arrival of yet another Grandchild into our lives. Time certainly waits for no-one.

Although I have a passion for writing I find once again I have written very little this year and I feel I need to concentrate more on the writing side of my life. Despite not putting pen to paper my mind has always churned and is now full of ideas just waiting to pour onto paper or screen.

Currently my primary focus at present has been on the restoration process of my 1943 WW2 Willys Jeep. I found this jeep through a fellow patient whilst in hospital in Feb 2014 he'd taken a photograph with his phone of an advertisement of a jeep for sale in Marybourough Qld. The ad was the type that showed a photograph of the item for sale and a row of tear off phone numbers. Consequently I got the Jeep in May 2014 and have since been on a huge learning curve of learning the in's and out's of probably one of the most well known icons this century, the WW2 Jeep.

My next writings may well be a combination of my passions, writing and jeeps. Who knows, perhaps I could write a journal on my Jeeps restoration process. Watch this space!

June 2016

It's mid June 2016 and that means the end of the finanancial year, yep that means TAX time and with that comes the normal EOFY bargain sales. As I'm retired basically I pay little tax and that is via my com super  (DFRDB) after 22 years in Defence and as I only pay minimal tax I'm below the tax threshold and I generally get it all back anyway. We do have an investment property, if you could call it that, it's running at a loss and virtually get no tax benifits from that either, but hey we are alive and well and appreciate each day we wake up.
June has also been a month of sorrow with the passing of a great friend and also joyous with the wedding of a family friends daughter, Chantelle to Aaron, in Townsville. Next month will see us all visit the Polling Booths once again in a bid to choose a leader for this great country of ours, unsure which way I'll vote this time, not much between any of them.

Time to reflect

A time to reflect on who we are and why or what we are here on Earth for. Most won't or don't even think about the who, why or what we are here for and that is understandable at times. We exist and therefore we live and co-exist and we multiply and sometimes many times over. We succeed and we fail, and we get back up and we try again. We've continued to do this for centuries now and to what end, what purpose are we doing this? Is it just to live? Yes! we develop and gain knowledge but history has shown we as humans don't learn from our mistakes for we continue to make them. I for one do not know the answer.

I am feeling this way at the moment as I lost a very close friend only recently, I am so shocked at his departure from this world so quickly and unexpectedly that I find it hard to comprehend and this has led me think, to what purpose was his life or any of ours. He was a good man, a awesome father and a helper of those less fortunate than himself and yet he is now gone, never to be seen or heard again, why? I guess that it sounds awful, but it was so sudden and unexpected that no-one got the chance to say goodbye, but then would that have made any difference or make it easier to cope with? Certainly not for him anyway, but those that remain, who knows? I guess it might have.

I will remember my friend forever as a man with few regrets, he was at most times a jovial man who always had a joke to tell. I still hear his laughter and it is his laugh that I will remember fondly for he had a laugh like no other. He had strong morals on life and his philosophy was that no matter what happens to us in life we should be so grateful for what we have as there was/is always someone out there worse off than us. He told me once to live my life as if this was my last day on earth, we are here but a short time, so live life to the fullest.

My world will be a darker place without you my friend.

I will miss you Phil Shivnen.

Royalties

The ones writers receive not the Royal Family. I have an admiration for all forms of royalties be it those in high places or the cheque one might receive from the proceeds of hard work. I was fortunate enough and humbled to receive a royalty cheque in the mail just yesterday and although it was not vast it was a sign to me that readers, somewhere have seen and purchased copies of my book. That alone is inspiring to me and I'm indebted to my readers forever. What the royalty cheque does not tell me is in what median it was found or even if they were hard copy/s or ePub. This is where I as the author feel to a point I have lost a little control over the sale of my product, my publication. I need to regain this and retain it for life.
Unfortunately, like most I was pretty naive when it came to publishing my first novel, I just wanted to get it out there with the old adage "write it and they will read it" I like most, self published my first novel and again, like most, trusted the publishing company would see me right, that they would look after me and they did to a point. Apparently I retain full rights and ownership of the works written, although I'm not sure how I exercise those rights as I don't seem to be able to adjust the sales cost up or down. I'd rather sell a hundred books at say $1.00 each than ten at $10 each especially ePubs, that means 90 more readers would have read my book instead of just ten and that is my aim, to get people to read them, heck I'd like to make them free for a time and I know people can do this but I don't know how, because I don't have control over the product. But I am learning.
I have a number of novels waiting in the wings so to speak, extracts of some can be found in the (WIP) Writing In Progress section on my website www.rickcanhan.com.au which I might add is up and running again. Cruise on over and check it out, if you do, please drop a comment or two. Cheers again for now and keep on reading, Rick.

That Writing Workshop

I attended a Writing Workshop late April and I said I'd let you know how it went so here it is. It was absolutely awesomely inspiring and I got a lot from it despite it not being aimed at the writer of fiction. Obviously the ultimate aim of the workshop was to take the next step to do the weekend retreat for the ultimate 48 hr author. I can see the concept of the retreat and believe it is an awesome concept, but it wasn't for me, not that I didn't have faith in myself to follow it through, but I guess as Natasa would say "my ducks were not lined up yet" and at $20,000 my ducks had better be lined up straight and true.  But the whole idea certainly gave me food for thought and I'm well on my way to getting myself in a better position to move forward with my writing as its my audience that deserves to be satisfied with what they read. Cheers for now, Rick.

On this day 46 years ago

Well, it was 46 years ago today, I arrived as a ten year old migrant with my family from England.  The documents below show how and when we arrived in this country we now call home.

 

The years have simply flown by or so it seems. I am now a husband, father and a grandfather, and so the family continues to grow. I served 22 years in the Australian Military and saw operational service overseas. My final employment was 11 years with Qantas Airways which is ironic really as we arrived in Australia on QF736 from London to Sydney.

 

I was sort of forced into an early retirement due to ill health and now live on a veterans pension on a half acre block in the beautiful Glass House Mountains. I am also a published author and a keen writer of fiction and non-fiction.



ANZAC Day 2016

Wow, what a morning we had, awesome. 03:30 depart for Currumbin RSL to get bus at 04:00 to the service area. The set up they had at Elephant Rock at Currumbin Beach was absolutely awesome. We were directed to the Veterans and family VIP seating. The service was one of the best I've been to in a long, long time. The rain came down as the wreaths were being laid and nobody moved. We finished up at the Currumbin RSL for a Gunfire Breakfast and I managed a chat with a few old diggers, they have so much to tell and ANZAC Day is a day they don't mind talking about their time in the services.

My ANZAC journey 2016

 ANZAC Day has always been a special occasion in everyone's social calander, this year will be even more memorable for me especially.  It is with much trepidation I venture south to attend the ANZAC Day Dawn Service at Elephant Point, Currumbin Qld. I say with trepidation as this is my first attendance at an ANZAC Day Service for a number of years. Over the last ten years or so I've done my own thing and remembered the occasion in my own special way, usually in solace.
I registered at the Currumbin RSL to obtain passes to gain entry to the Veterans and VIP seating area for myself and a few guests. I understand the ceremony at Currumbin is one of the largest in Qld if not Australia so I'm really excited at the prospect of attending, although still a little anxious at the same time.

Another Grandchild

I've just got back last night (Fri) from a 'road trip' to Townsville and back, been away near on three weeks, maybe more. Tracey and I went for the highly anticipated birth of our second granddaughter to Luke and Lindsay. Yes, we knew it was a girl but we were sworn to with-hold that info. Zoe Paige Mortimer was born 31 March 2016 at 13.25 hours weighing in at 6lb 9oz and a length of 50cm, so she was a keeper. See Lindsay or Luke's Facebook page for photos or just ask Tracey I think she may have one or two on her phone! Oh... BTW Tracey stayed up there, doing the grandmother thing, Luke came back with me.

Now I've got to update the family tree on Ancestry.com. A writer's job is never complete. Cheers all Rick

Writing Workshop Tue 19 April 2016

I'm about to attend a Writing Workshop with Natasa Denman from 48 Hour Author at Quest Chermside, Brisbane. I'm so looking forward to it. My sister, Karen, is joining me on it too so that should be twice as awesome. Will let you know all about it. Cheers Rick

'Follow Me' on my Blog

I'm hopeful that by now everyone has got the message that my main website 'unfortunately' crashed.

With that, I also notice only five people are following me on this site and two of them are related. I know more of you are following me than that. Please scroll over and click on the 'Join this site' to follow me, at least till I can sort out the problem with my website. Thank you.

I'm extremely grateful to you for coming to find me here and I'm hoping you'll have a browse around and make a comment while you are here, I've set it up so that anyone can comment on my blog now, so please do. Thanks again.

My book "Mayan Prophecies" is still available directly through myself, drop me a line and we'll sort something out.

Please check my blog and comment if you wish. You can follow me through this blog, my Facebook page, LinkedIn or Twitter, see my "Contact Me" page for details.

Cheers, Rick Canhan

Manifesto - Writing Challenge

Challenge 1

Calateral Damage

I am a Veteran, I served in the Australian Army for 22 years, I served in an Operational Zone for six months in East Timor in 2000. I took discharge in July 2002 and once again joined the civilian workforce, although this time it was different. Following a breakdown in 2006 I was diagnosed with PTSD and a severe depressive disorder.  Fortunately I sought help quite early and I managed to remain in the workforce until ill health forced my hand in mid 2012 although I live a reasonable lifestyle, I am unable to perform any reummuniative employment. I now live on a Veterans' Affairs Pension and am considering writing on the subject of living with PTSD.

Unseen casualties of war

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is not new. Soldiers have been suffering the effect of PTSD for a long as soldiers have fought in battle, only it didn't have a proper name then. In earlier times like in WW1 and even WW2 many soldiers were unfortunately executed for cowardice etc when they were no doubt suffering from the effects of battle, they eventually called it shell shock or battle fatigue.

Many Veterans' from more recent conflicts are suffering in silence with PTSD from their Military service. There are many Veterans' that are homeless and too many are taking their own lives. These are the forgotten soldiers from many conflicts around the world. They are the the unseen casualties of war. They are calateral damage.

I personally know of Veterans' who are suffering the effects of surviving being in a war zone. Veterans' were soldiers too and as such have witnessed and sometimes done the unspeakable, things that no one should ever be asked to witness or do. These thing cannot be easily forgotten, they cannot be unseen or undone. The minds eye can never close to the horrors of war. The Veteran can suffer a number of conditions ranging from bouts of severe depression, anger on a unprecedented level, severe anxiety, sadness, being suicidal, just to name a few. These are often wrongly treated with the old self medication  strategies of drugs, alcohol, gambling or a combination of all and some I've not mentioned also.

The problem

The problem is two fold really, one part is recognition and acceptance. Firstly that is by the Veteran themselves recognising and accepting they have a problem, which for many is hard to do, especially with the stigma attached to a mental health issues. Once that stage is complete the Veteran then must ask for the help they so desperately need and once again for some this is a hard thing to do.

Secondly the recognition and acceptance phase then must be completed by the government departments such as Veterans' Affairs. Like most government departments this can and does take too long to complete,  often leaving the Veteran with very few options, financially and emotionally, resulting in family breakdowns, homelessness and a totally unacceptable level of Veteran suicide.

The solution 

One solution to the problem would be to not send soldiers to war zones, in a perfect world that is. I see a possible solution in the administration of government departments such as DVA (Dept of Veterans' Affairs) having suitably trained ex military personnel on staff to assist in the processing of claims. I know DVA do a wonderful job, but like most government departments they are understaffed and the public servant mentality without any military knowledge, can impact badly for the Veteran.They can also at times be a little unapproachable and unrealistic into what is happening at the Veterans' end. The Defence Budget every year is massive, but does this budget take into account the cost of taking care of the Veterans' after the fact ? I think not. Whilst sending billions of dollars overseas, often with a zero return benefit. Could this not be redirected to supporting our own aging population including our Veterans'?

Summary

Our Veterans' are suffering. In summary I feel we need to look after our Veterans' better, we need to have a higher level of respect for those that put their lives in harms way for this country so that we, the population can live the lifestyle we are accustomed to. Next time you see a serviceman, servicewoman or a Veteran, thank them for their service. I know it means so much to know they are cared for and more importantly, appreciated.

Rick Canhan

Back on Blogging

What's new today...

Well I'm back on Blogging again after reading a recent newsletter/email from Jeff Goin, sometimes we all need a kick start to get us back on track. I have been an avid follower of Jeff Goin for awhile now and have been receiving his newsletters but often not getting around to reading them in depth. I'm glad to say I read this one (in depth too) and I'm also very glad I did.

Jeff's newsletters often got me motivated but this one more-so. I've resurrected my old blog and accepting Jeff's 7 day Blog Challenge. So watch this space. Cheers All!

Times are a changing!

Well the times are really changing alright. It's 26 days before the supposed end of the world, well the end on the Mayan Calender anyway, but maybe they just ran out of room.

My debut novel published in Jan 2012 was actually called 'Mayan Prophecies' and I for one certainly hope its not the end of the world. I've got my next novel waiting to come out.

I do believe the ancient Mayan people foresaw something, something that was of great important and it would occur at that time, something important enough it had an effect that interrupted their recording of time and space. Some sort of change within the Galaxy system itself, it must have been significant enough to stop these early space watchers.

Be alert over the next few weeks and see if you can work out what it was that stopped a civilisation in its tracks.

talk soon, cheers Rick