PAGE 17 -  2008
This is the website for Samuel Richard Glenn Stone, known to his mates as Sam, from Yarram, Australia.

Please note: Dad bought a new wide flat screen monitor so the layout from September on may look a bit cramped if you are using a normal monitor. 

Thankyou John for showing me around the dive boat and trying on the helmet. It was awesome.

Hello Catherine, Pete, Sienna and Indigo - I had a great time with you. Thankyou for the birthday party. I wish I could have stayed at your place longer. And hi Georgi, Gemma and Hannah - great to see you. Thanks for a great time at Nanna Stevie's birthday party. 

AT SAFETY BEACH.
Wow - what a great start to the year. Mum and Dad took me down to Safety Beach to see Uncle Greg and Aunty Nita. Its always great to see them - and the beach of course. There was a pageant day at the Martha Cove mrina so we went along - I played golf, won a cap, and had a great time. The water police showed me over their boat - also the rescue boat. And we got to see Aunty Nita's brother Ray's new boat - what a beauty - it must be a hundred feet long!!! Dad said it was great sitting on the deck of the boat watching the poor people go by. I'm not so sure they were so poor. We had a look at a unit that was for sale at the marina - for $1.4 million. It was a bit too small for me, and besides, where could I kick a football? 

BACK TO SCHOOL
The holidays are over and I'm back to school at Yarram Primary. I'm in grade 3 now - actually a grade 3-4 with Mrs Amos. I did well last year at school and I want to learn as much as I can this year. 

(Dad's update - December 2009: Sam has done extremely well during the year. In the government national test, he was "off the page" on four of the six subject areas - ie he was above the highest rated classification of six. His end-of-year report for Grade Three was excellent, especially in his reading where he was at the level of a grade five student, and was well into a grade four level on all other subjects. He enjoys school and welcomes a challenge. Mum and I are very proud of his endeavours.)

TRIP TO PERTH
Nanna Stevie turned ninety on 16 February so on that day Dad and I flew over to Perth to be with her, and to see the rest of the family. Mum couldn't come as she was at school teaching. Dad and I had a great trip. We spend four nights with Nanna Stevie and Poppy Alex at Scarborough, and four nights with big sister Catherine, Pete, and my neices Sienna and Indigo on their farm near Calingiri. I wish we could have stayed longer but I had to get back to school. I didn't get to swim at Scarborough but I did in the pool at Catherine's. 
We had a party for Nanna Stevie at Aunty Georgi and Gemma's place near Fremantle. In the group photo you will see Poppy Alex, Nanna Stevie, Aunty Georgi, her partner Gemma, my cousin Hannah, and me of course. Isn't Hannah absolutely gorgeous. She is studying at Dad's old school in Fremantle - John Curtin High, which now specialises in drama and the arts. Hannah will be a famous actress and model one day. I really like her. 

That's Dad as Pancho Vanilla, the great Mexican ice-cream bandit!!!, and his Mum, my Nanna Stevie. 

Of course, I had to get into the act with the hat! And thats me with Hannah in her awesome bedroom.

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That's Mum with Uncle Greg and Aunty Nita on the beach right outside their house. Thats their place you can see in the photo. All we have to do is walk over the road and we are at the beach. 
 

THE TARRA EASTER FESTIVAL
It's that time of the year again. This time the theme was something to do with the days of the hippy so we got to dress up in weird clothes. It was all about flower power, and ban the bomb, and all that stuff.  Mum looked cool, man! Just as well it was for a parade. I wouldn't be seen dead in this gear again. But it was fun. 

ON THE 'CAL DIVE' BOAT
Wow! Dad took me down to Welshpool to see the huge dive tender boat that was servicing the oil platforms in Bass Strait. He was invited to come and have a look by John Pitcher who is one of the master divers. Dad came home to pick me up. John was great. He showed me the diving equipment and I put on a diving helmet called a Kirby-Morgan. It's so heavy - nothing like Dad's mask and snorkel and regulator thing that he puts in his mouth. With this helmet you can actually talk, and the diver is attached to the boat by a long cord which gives him his air also. I had a lot of trouble getting the first part on and off my head, and I felt strange wearing the top helmet part. John showed me the decompression chamber, and the cage that they lower the diver into the sea. And I saw the bridge of the ship, and met some of the divers and crew.  They were about to leave to go to Bass Strait. John knows how to work all the equipment. He was very kind to invite us to come on board. Thankyou John for having me.

From Dad: Well, even the Mighty Jesaulenko had to start somewhere! On Sunday 20 April 2008, Sam had his first football match. He is with the Yallies, a combined initiative between the Yarram Football club and DWWW (know as the Allies), in an Under 12 grade within the Sale District League -not th Alberton Leage where the two aforementioned clubs play as they do not have an Under 12 competition. The team has been established by Sydney Swan's (ex) star Andrew Dunkley and officials from the two clubs, with Andrew as coach. About forty kids have signed up, some as young as seven. Sam was delighted to play in the first ever game of the club - even though the score was not exactly memorable. The Maffra boys kicked 127 points to - one. Well, as Andrew said, we can only improve. But it was great to see th kids out there doing their best, and without taking anything away from the Maffra boys, they had been playing for several years. Andrew has a way to go with the Yallies (Yall-eyes), but if keeness counts, the team will grow in stature. Besides, it more about having fun and learning the skills of the game, than the scoreboard. I must say Sam is so keen. He knows his limitations but just wants to have a go, nd I am so proud of him for that. 

Dad: Like a loveable pet that had been so much a part of the family for twelve years, dear Leanne had to be let go, hopefully to a more careing family - or enthusiast. She had served us well, but now that Sam was growing so fast, he had in the back seat like Easy-Rider, a far from comfortable position. And she was starting to show her age. It was time to come to our senses and buy somthing a bit more realistic for our family needs. We were all sad to see her go, but thats the way it is. So, welcome to - well, we havn't named it yet - but we have already fallen in love with our Mitsubishi Outlander. I am sure she will give us many years of comfortable driving - and at least Sam will emerge not looking like a distorted pretzel. 

We picked up the Outlander on 18 April 2008. Now, in December 2009, and after an 8,000km trip to Queensland in September, I must say that Wendy and I are delighted with its performance. 
 

But there's something I can't quite figure out. Leanne was really Dad's car, as Mum drove the Mazda to school. Now, we trade in Leanne on a Mitsubishi (which I call the Silver Baron). But - Mum now drives the Silver Baron to work, and Dad gets the old Mazda. I can't figure that out, but who cares - I get to go to school in a car where the my door actually opens from the inside and the heater works! Wow!!! 

Anyway, Dad said that the Mitsubishi Outlander is the smoothest drive he has ever had in a car - and he should know - he used to work for Nissan. But then Dad never speaks highly of Nissan except for the sports cars. And Dad said that because the Outlander is more 'nippy' than dear old Leanne, it is easier and more comfortable to drive. Thats all very well, but Mum said that had we kept Leanne it would be a real chick magnet when I get my license. I don't know what that means but Mum's always looking after me!! 

MY 'NEW' COUSINS

This is my new cousin Lewis. He is great and as you can see, he is a Carlton supporter, just like his Dad. And he's a great footballer too and plays in a team that his Dad coaches called the Sharks. I have been looking forward to meeting Lewis for months and months and months, and finally I got to meet him and my other cousins. Actually Lewis is my fourth-cousin. Let's see if I can get this straight. His Mum is the daughter of my Dad's first-cousin. So, Dad's cousin Marie is my second-cousin, and Marie's daughter Janelle is my third-cousin, and so Lewis is my fourth-cousin. I don't care what the numbers are - he is my cousin, and he's great. 

And below is another photo of Dad and his two cousins. I know Dad loves them very much as he is often talking about them.And here I am with my new cousins -  Lewis, Lily and Isabella. 

IT'S DAG DAY AT SCHOOL

I don't normally dress like this for school but we have Dag Day or Nerd Day once a year to raise some money to pay the teachers because Mum should earn much more - according to her anyway. 

AND THE EISTEDFODD
where I did Woody's song from Toy Story, "You've Got  a Friend in Me". 

And of course, Mum had to get into the act. Actually, she was organising with Fev to have the club do a motivation workshop at the school after the end of the season. Hey, that may be in just a few weeks if we don't win the next three matches. Mum said he is a really nice guy.
 

IT'S MUM'S BIG FIVE - OH!!!

Uncle Greg and Aunty Nita came down from Safety Beach to see us and have a birthday lunch for Mum at the Tom's Cap winery. Everyone said it was a great meal - Uncle Greg especially as he said it was first class and better value than anything in Melbourne. The next day Mum, Dad and I had a quiet birthday for Mum, with a cake. Here I am celebrating with Mum - and waiting for her to cut the cake!

Enough of the pictures Dad, cut the bleedin' cake! 
 

At last - Dad started on my new room. He is breaking through the wall into the small bedroom next to my bedroom, so as to open up a ddoorway into what will be my new study. Its all finished now and looks great.

And that Dad the diver, a model I did for a school project on 'water'. I did one on Dad as an underwater photographer. I also did a large project sheet with photos that Dad gave me. 

Dad was pretty proud of his jigsaw. It was supposed to be a family project but Dad wouldn't let us touch it. He worked on it every night for two weeks and was so proud when it was finished because it was very very hard. I helped him put in the very last piece. There were a thousand of them. 

Yep, that's me playing clarinet at the annual Christmas concert in the Regent Theatre run by my music teacher Miss Lisa (in the background). I accompanied myself on piano - pretty cool eh!!!