Norman Meets Cherie

Posted on August 28, 2008 by Henry

Norman is about to meet CherieIt\'s me Norman Continue reading →

Posted in Norman Stories | Leave a comment

Traverston Dam-Norman meets Sneeze the Australian Lungfish

Posted on August 28, 2008 by Henry

Norman Meets Sneeze the Australian Lungfish at Traverston Crossing on the great Mary River, Queensland, Australia

Norman looked out from his hammock which was tied to the Hibiscus plant at the back of Henry’s house at Yandina. The summer was drawing to a close and autumn would be here within months.

Before the winter set in Norman thought it was time that he visited his friend Big Al at Kadanga which is a small country town in Queensland Australia.He packed up his knapsack, put it on his back, shut the door of his house and started the three day walk to where Big Al lived.

Norman’s trip had been a long one and finally he arrived at the Traverston Bridge which was not far from Big Al’s house. He looked down from the bridge to the Mary River that was one of Queensland’s largest rivers than wound its way from the hinterland to the eastern seaboard.

Norman was surprise to see that there was not much water in the river.

He decided to walk down to the rivers edge but then all of a sudden he slipped then rolled and rolled down the hill.

Receive Ach Payments Times New Roman;”>Norman got to the bottom and laughed to himself.

What fun that was he said.

Hello Norman, it has been a while since I have seen you said a voice.

Norman knew who it was.

It was his old friend Sneeze the Australian lungfish.

How are you said Norman, it certainly has been a while since I have seen you.

Well, said Sneeze, not to good at the moment.

Norman looked into the water where his friend Sneeze was.

Oh and why is that.

We are going to have to move our house Sneeze said.

Move, said Norman, you are not going to move, you have been here for 1000 years.

Where are you going, said Norman

That’s the point said Sneeze we don’t want to go anywhere.

Norman stood there looking at Sneeze.

What do you mean?

They are going to flood the Mary River, Norman.

Flood the Mary River, said Norman, surely not.

I know, but you see Norman, they told us that they need lots of water for everyone to drink and to use to grow things and the only way they could do this was to flood the Mary River and all the farm land around here.

Norman they are going to put a big dam here

Oh no, what about Big Al, Norman thought to himself, this would mean that he would have to move too.

I have been swimming further down the river looking for a new place to live said Sneeze and Norman I am really getting concerned that I will not be able to find a place

Norman looked at Sneeze.

She was a real strange looking fish, a Queensland Lungfish with a long heavy body, large scales, small eyes and paddle-like fins.

She had olive-green to brown on the back and sides with some scattered dark blotches, and whitish underneath.

Squeeze was 1.8 m and a looked like she weighed of 40 kg. Norman remembered meeting her when she was one and now she was fifteen years old.

What can I do to help said Norman?

Well said Squeeze what you can do is to tell all your friends about what is happening hereon the Mary River.

It’s so important Norman that everyone is made aware that you just can not decide to put a dam on the Mary

River or anywhere else just because everyone needs water.

You have to think about what you are destroying when you do these things.

I know what you mean, said Norman, my friend Henry says you should look after your environment and heritage because it can not be replaced once it has gone.

Henry says that you need to think of other ways to do things.

He said a very good friend of his told him everyone should hasten slowly and Sneeze I think that you should do that, do not rush into anything alright.

I have to go now but I will be back to see you again Sneeze, said Norman and with that Norman started to climb the hill towards the Traverston Bridge.

Once up on top, he looked down on the mighty Mary River, and then looked across the farmlands to the green hills in the distance.

Norman looked back down at Sneeze and wondered whether the flooding of the Mary River would ever happen.

Norman looked towards the hills, the sun was going down and he needed to get to Big Al’s house before it was dark.

What can I do to help Sneeze thought Norman as he started to final walk along the track to Big Al’s place?

Posted in Norman Stories | Leave a comment

Welcome To The Life Of Norman

Posted on August 15, 2008 by Henry

Henry Gosling was born in Suva, Fiji in 1947. the eldest son of John (Jack)Gosling and his wife Jean (nee Tarr).

The third child of six children, Henry was educated at Suva Grammar school in Fiji and at the age of 16 left Fiji to work on the  Norwegian    freighter “Thor 1” with his fathers  hope that he would follow his grandfather, Henry Gosling,  and become a sea captain.

Henry Gosling senior was born in Hull, Yorkshire, United Kingdom and left home at age 14  to follow  the lure of the sea. He had a  varied life at sea and eventually he was shipwrecked in the Yasawa Group of Islands, Fiji. He was the  third officer on  the tramp steamer “Kilburn” that was carrying coal from Newcastle to Mexico when it ran onto a reef and broke it’s back.

Henry stayed on in Fiji and married the daughter of another seafearer, Captain Frank Williams. They started the internationally known company Williams and Goslings that still operates in Fiji today under the management and ownership of the Aidney family.

Following two years at sea young Henry decided that the life of a seaman was not for him and he left the “Thor 1” to travel to Auckland, New Zealand on route to Sydney, Australia.

It would be twenty five years before he made it to the shores of Australia.

Over those twenty five years saw a marriage to Estelle Simpson and three children from the marriage Dion, Andrew and Cherie.

It was during this marriage that Henry became involved with his father in law Len Simpson working with him running and managing a small suburban newspaper company in Auckland. As the company gew so did Henry’s newspaper knowledge and eventaully he sat on two newspaper company boards of directors in Auckland, New Zealand.

His first marriage moved on and Henry married Sandra Wilkinson from Hamilton, New Zealand and together with her three children Jane, Michael and Steven the family of now six  lived in Redoubt Road,  Wiri on acerage.

With the sale of the Courier Newspaper Group  in  1983 Henry was offered a position to run the Fiji Sun Newspaper in Fiji. This was to be the start of ulilising all of his newspaper knowledge gained from the 15 years he was mentored by Len Simpson.

Son Jonathon arrived in 1983 adding the seventh child to the union of Sandra and Henry.

From Fiji the family moved to Australia and moved from Sydney to Newcastle in New South Wales where he launched a newspaper against the Newcastle Herald and the Newcastle Star. The publication was financed by real estate agents to counter continuing high advertising rates charged by the two other newspapers in town.

Newcastle Times was eventually sold to Rural Press with advertising rates locked in for five years.

Henry and Sandra moved onto Byron Bay, New South Wales, where they restructured the Byron Shire News before selling the publication to Australian Provincial Newspapers in Brisbane .

In 1997 they decided to move back to New Zealand and it was here in Warkworth that Henry took up the position of Divisional Manager Newspapers, Times  Media Group. After two years it was time to go back to the sunshine and Henry and Sandra moved to Queensland, Australia where Henry took up managing a boutique cheese factory in the country town of Kenilworth on the Sunshine Coast.

The Life of Norman

Throughout this whole 30 year period Henry has been writing stories about Norman.

Norman was created when Cherie his daughter was six years of age. Sitting in the car one day Henry told Cherie a story about a caterpillar who was called Norman. Since then, Norman has continued to  tell stories about life in general and the adventures that he has gone on over the years.

Norman now tells stories to the four grandchildren, Samatha, Bailey, Charlie, and Fletcher.

Norman will be writing stories on a regular basis and if you want your child to receive a Norman story just email me Henry, at henry@koru.com.au

 

 

 

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Man Behind It All

Posted on August 12, 2008 by Henry

It was a sunny afternoon on the day it all began..

And this is where it ended up!

Henry

Posted in General | Leave a comment