Canterbury Boys High School...

GRADUATE teacher Polly Dunning has only been in the job for three months but yesterday her admiration for Oprah Winfrey produced a $1 million windfall for her school.


The self-confessed "Oprah tragic" wrote to the queen of talk suggesting her students were more interesting to visit than Australia's most famous tourist spots.

And Canterbury Boys High School hit the jackpot when Oprah, at her Opera House extravaganza yesterday, promised every student and teacher at the school a laptop computer.

Ms Dunning's inspirational letter to the Oprah show also secured a surprise visit to the school by rap superstar Jay-Z, who urged the boys - including several refugee students - to believe in themselves and grab life's opportunities.

Yesterday up to 400 students and teachers from the school attended the Oprah show and went wild when she announced the computer gift for the school. "I said it would be great for Jay-Z to see a multicultural school. I wanted to show him Canterbury Boys High School," said Ms Dunning, 22. "I didn't think anything would happen and then I received a voicemail message from the [Oprah] show producers."

As the school celebrated one of its biggest days, principal Leslee Mitton said everyone was "gobsmacked" by the gift.

"It's like dropping a pebble into a stream. The ripples will be felt for quite some time," she said.

"It will hit home when the computers arrive in January."

Winfrey joked: "Now there's no excuse not to do your homework."

Footage from Jay-Z's visit was shown on big screens.

"It was great," he told Winfrey. "I see myself in their eyes, people from difficult circumstances. I believe in opportunities."


This is from the Sydney Daily Telegrapgh Wednesday 15th Dec 2010...

Ben has just completed Year 9 at CBHS, he though wasn't there for the big announcement, he preferred to stay at home enjoying a jarmy day...

It is great news for the school and the boys have been buzzing ever since Jay-Z payed them a visit...

Swimming

Swim club resumed last Saturday and boy oh boy Ben is swimming fantastic times.

Considering he doesn't train he really has imporved on his times.

So with his tennis and bike riding job these 2 things have really helped him out.

He has set himself out his own program of events to swim each week and is really focused.

Kate wont make it back to swim club until next Saturday, dance has got in the way.

Last week I took Ben and froze my butt off, Matt goes this morning and it is a beautiful sunny warm morning....

So till next time take care

Jo

PS don't forget to have a look at http://currelluk2011.blogspot.com/

Clinic Visit

Today saw Ben visit the IBD clinic...

Doctor very happy with his progress and don't want to see him for 6 months...

He gained 5kgs and grew 5cm in height...

The only new thing to his drug cocktail is calcium tablets..

He is having a few skin issues due to the Imuran and will have to make an appointment for a Dermatologist.

He is enjoying his school holidays, even more now as he brought himself a head piece to chat on line with his Sony...

Looking forward to next Thursday for the Crohns & Colitis Support group meeting at Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL, I haven't been able to make for the past few months, so can't wait to see how the other members are going.

Till next time
Jo

September Update.

Wow...where is the year going?

Everyone here is well.... Ben is doing great. Working hard every afternoon still at the chemist. He and Katelyn are looking forward to swimming starting up again soon.

He doesn't have a clinic visit till the end of the month, so will be interested in viewing his weight & height gain. Oh...he did give us a little scare last Monday..thought he may have been at the start of a flare.. but thank god he was just a bit off and bounced back quickly...

Kate has a busy couple of months coming up with dancing. And Brett has only 2 weeks of school left... after the holidays he will just have hie HSC exams.. he just celebrated his 18th birthday. we had a medium sized luncheon here at home.

Matt & I are still working as hard as ever, still no staff... no one wants to work...say the word cleaner and they turn their noses up...but it is us that has the good life style... Being rich doesn't make you a nice person...you have to be nice in the first place....

till next time, take care...

Katelyn has news :-)

Katelyn received a very exciting phone call last night. She has been accepted to represent Australia for the 2011 RSL Youth Club reciprocal tour to New Zealand.

Katelyn dances for the Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Youth Club, it isn't just about dance she also participates in community activities. For example, door knocking for the Red Shield Appeal (Salvation Army), Red Cross calling and donates regularly to the Exodus foundation helping the the disadvantaged in the local area. Also shows her respect to the fallen and serving diggers by marching in the Commemoration Sunday March and the Sydney ANZAC Day march.

With all this and her dedication the Youth Club has allowed her to apply for this tour. She was knocked back at the first round of interviews but was highly liked by all she has accomplished in her time with the club. And lucky for her there was a place left for to attend the second round interviews On Sunday just past.

So last night we had a very happy girl after hanging up the phone. April next year will see her head over to New Zealand for 2 action packed weeks. The main highlight is marching in the Auckland ANZAC Day March. This will certainly be a trip of a life time.

Well that is our bit of good news following a very sad week with the sudden passing of Aunty Jan on the 1st August. Jan will be sadly missed by all her family and many many friends. R.I.P. <3

Ben is grea,t working 5 days a week at local chemist and loving putting his $$$ away. Oh he did ask his English teacher today "why do we bother learning poetry" he totally thinks it is a big waste of time.

Brett is studing hard for his HSC trials and even applied to Uni yesterday, industrial design..

Till next time take care...

The Power House
xoxox

Update...

Hope this finds everyone well???

We are all groovy :-)

Not much has been happening in our part of the world, Ben's health is still great!!

Ben has been busy with his part time job at the local chemist as their delivery boy. At the moment he is doing 5 afternoons a week. He is still enjoying his tennis 2 days a week. He has grown a quite a bit over the past few months and has taken over me, not that, that is any mean feat...

The rest of the family is well, Brett has had his final check up after his plunging ranula was removed, doctor happy with him and doesn't need to see him again.

Katelyn busy as ever with her dancing, she did really well in her solo eisteddfod at the beginning of July, no preparing for one at the end of September. School dancing if busy too with extra rehearsals 3 afternoons a week leading up to the "Bring It On" competition in 2 weeks time at Homebush.

Brett, Matt & Jamie are loving playing soccer together and to date are undefeated, I am about to head off soon to watch.

Big Chris is down for the weekend to go see the Motorex car show out at the showground, I have just dropped BC & Ben out there and will pick up to go watch soccer.

I have enjoyed playing soccer this season, the girls are great and we have lots of fun, the only thing that has been hard is playing against under 18 teams... I can't keep up!!

Nothing much else to report.. so till next time enjoy everyday..

Love

Jo

Busy Busy Busy

I hope everyone is well??

Ben & Brett are a little blocked up at the moment but nothing that slows them down!!

We have been so busy that we haven't had time to scratch!!

Once we arrived home form holidays we hosted 2 great kids form NZ as part of the NSW RSL Youth Club Reciprocal tour fro 3 nights. It was fabulous!!! With them over their 2 week stay we attended our Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Commemoration Sunday Ceremony and luncheon, Welcome concert, Anzac Day March in Sydney, Luna Park and their Farewell concert.

With the help of Facebook we get to keep in touch.

Justin Beiber Mania was in our house with me escorting 4 girls into Circular Quay for the planned concert which was later cancelled!!! A good thing too as it was like nothing I have ever witnessed before, total mayhem!!

Soccer is in full swing for 4 of us, Ben has been promoted up to the Advanced tennis squad on Saturdays, so he is pretty pleased with himself. Kate is busy as ever dancing, between the YC and school she doesn't seem to have much time free. Kate is also in the middle of putting her resume together for her application to be accepted to go to NZ next April, fingers crossed!!!

Till next time, be good :)

A Word From Kate O'Reilly... A real inspiration

I will be running the SMH Half Marathon with Kel on the 16th May. I'm inviting you to make a donation to Crohn's Colitis Australia to help raise funds for their research into finding a cure for these diseases.

Many of you know how debilitating the disease can be and many of you have supported me through some pretty rough times.

If you are able, please go to the following link if you can help raise money for this good cause

www.everydayhero.com.au/kate_oreilly

With thanks

Kate x

I know Kate through the CCA Support Group held on the first Thursday of the month at Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Club. Kate is one of the two fantastic women who are the facilitators of this group. Kate's story is one of inspiration and admiration!!! I know I look up to her as what she has been through has been a hard battle but she has come out the other side willing to share her experiences with others to help them get through this debilitating disease!

Jo

Ben Check Up

Ben had a clinic check up yesterday and everything is fine. Bloods are all good and doesn't have to go back for 4 months. All his med's stay the same so we just have to keep going along as we are.... Ben is one of the lucky ones :)

Where Home!!!

We arrived home at 2pm, after leaving Johanna at 2.30am. A great trip home slowed down a bit by road works on the NSW end of trip.

We have unpacked, washing done (thank God there wasn't much). Boys getting ready for soccer training.

Jamie & Kat arrived here not long after us, was nice to catch up with them. They are here till Sunday when they will both go in their different directions home.

Kate & I have been to seen Uriah, one big bubba that one!!! Brooke and bub doing great :)

All I can say about this holiday is that is one of the best places I have have ever seen and we will be revisiting in the future. We had a tremendous time which was what we wanted as it was the last compulsory family holiday.

Well back to reality now, preparing for work and 2 billets from New Zealand early Saturday morning for 3 nights.

I will upload photos later this evening as I haven't got the energy now.

Keep checking in occasionally....

Day 6

Can’t believe it is the last day of a wonderful week. We have all enjoyed the time away and wish we had a few more days to enjoy this fabulous part of the world. We have been very impressed with what we have seen of Victoria and look forward to planning more trips south to explore.

Today was spent wondering around Johanna, We walked around the property and around the beach area, so much to see and do. All in all today has just been relaxing....

Finnegan has enjoyed another fun filled run through the cow paddocks, and playing with the other visiting dogs.

We have packed up as much as we could till now for our early departure in the morning, we will set the alarm for 2am. The boys want to be home with plenty of time to attend soccer training.

I am very lucky to have been able to celebrate my birthday in such a gorgeous place, with my fantastic family. Thank you to those of you who have called me today, very much appreciated..

Blue Tongue Lizard

Ben being silly, like normal.........

Day 5

Waiting for a platypus!!!

Brooke finally delivered Uriah, nearly 10 pound!!! And 56cm long.... a little over cooked. Both are doing well and I have seen photos already and he looks just like his older brother Taj.

I haven’t slept this great in ages..... First thing we must do when we get home is purchase a new mattress!!

Well lets just say "Platypus hunting sux!"

It is so peaceful here, the wind has finally settled down but still overcast. Today we ventured up to the Otway Tree Top Fly. It is a 600 metre long walkway, 25 metres above the forest floor, made from over 120 tonnes of steel. It was a different way of enjoying the surroundings. Brett, Katelyn and I climbed to the top over the spiral tower which is 47m above the forest floor, Ben & Matt decided to stay on the walkway. Highly recommend visiting this if you come down this way.

From the Fly we walked to the Triplet Falls a 1hour return walk. A few metres in and the steps started, all I could think was what goes down must come up! But to our relief once we reached the beautiful falls the walk back was via a different route, a lot less stairs, phew!! With the high rain fall we have had in the area the falls were flowing fast and were well worth the walk to see them.

To the boys disappointment fish & chips were not had for lunch, we enjoyed lunch at home and so salad was on the menu for me. Matt went for a run up Red Johanna Road to the junction of the Great Ocean Road, roughly 9klm, half of which was up hill. I walked Finnegan down to the top of the beach, we were suppose to go along beach but he made a friend and decided playing with her was way more fun. So I chatted to the other dogs’ owners and wondered back to our cottages. The kids have just walked down to the pool so I don’t know when I will see them again; they were gone for over 3 hours the last time they went.

Brett & I are hoping to do a section of Great Ocean Walk tomorrow, haven’t been able to date due to strong winds, so let’s wait and see what tomorrow brings.

Day 4

Echidna from the other day.

Another night of howling winds but with less down pours. The night sky when clear is the most stunning sight to be seen, over the years we have had the pleasure of viewing the wonders of the stars but this is the best by far.
Today we ventured west to Port Campbell, visiting all the viewing spots of the coast along the way. The high light for me was at Gibbons Steps where we were able to climb down the stairs to the beach and see the apostles from ground level.
I don’t think you could ever become tired of seeing these natural wonders, stunning! With the changes of light, crashing waves always a different aspect to viewing.
Fish & chips for the 3rd day running were had!!! That is what happens when Ben is around, No way are we having it again tomorrow.....And I will ask this question “Why doesn’t any cook the good old fashion potato scallop anymore?? Why do they think the frozen type is a suitable substitute?”
Ben was happy on the trip home as he was able to tick another animal of his list to see in the wild, finally he saw a fox!!
We have enjoyed a Power tradition of cheeses for afternoon tea with a cool beverage in preparation for our 2nd attempt at platypus hunting. Wish us luck.....
Also we have been waiting all day for news of Brooke’s baby but at the time of publishing still no news, so you will have to wait till tomorrow for that news.

The night was spent listening to the pounding rain and ferocious wind howling up the gully. The gale force wind has stayed with us all day, not to mention the cool temperature.
The platypus hunt was a failure last night; we were hoping to go this evening but way to windy. We did stumble across 2 echidnas thanks to Brett spotting them along the fence line. We sat quietly and waited for them to appear but to no avail, and once a down pour came we decided to head home.
We decided to go for a drive, Brett stayed home with Finnegan to do homework. We headed west then up through the Great Otway National Park to do a loop to bring us out at Kennett River east of Apollo Bay. The roads were very winding, even Matt was starting to feel motion sickness and he was driving! The surroundings were beautiful rainforest, lush with tree ferns and tall gums. Once we started the descent into Kennett River we were on the lookout for koalas. Ben was first to spot one and the competition started between him and Matt. Ben was happy when Matt was distracted by a phone call from Claire, so Ben could win.
The rest of the afternoon was spent around the fire watching the huge wave’s crash against the rugged coast, with the kids continuing with their puzzle books. Who needs Playstation when you have a good find a word or crossword book?
Before I forget to mention it, today is Finnegan’s “6th”Birthday.

Day 2

We woke to a dreary wet miserable morning, with misty rain and fog. The weather here changes so quickly that this soon lifted and the sun started to break through. We headed off as we planned last night to head towards Apollo Bay including visiting Cape Otway.
OMG!!!! Seeing wild animals in their own habitat is sensational, today we witnessed an abundance of Koala’s. The road into Cape Otway was just koala after koala, totally amazing!!!! Brilliant!!
We climbed the Light house and were nearly blown off the top. The scenery was beautiful. And Kate managed the best photos from this location.
We headed east more until we reached Apollo Bay and enjoyed fish & chips for lunch in the park by the water. We were kept amused by the tourist doing their version of the Toyota jump for all their photos. The afternoon has been a little spoilt by constant soccer updates about the boy’s team playing like trash!!! 2 unhappy campers here now...
Now home for a coffee, upload photos and wait until time to go platypus hunting.

Great Ocean Road, Day 1

It was so worth the wait.... the countryside is magnificent, very diverse.
We left Campsie at 1.50am Thursday, a very easy drive down with what seemed like 90% on dual roads. Once you cross the border into Victoria the roads are well defined and not littered with billboards.
Ben set up the combustion fire to keep us snugly warm all night, yes wasn’t cold but cool. The first sunset was disappointing, but to wake up to a colourful sunrise made up for it. The day looked promising but to Victorian tradition the rain came but it didn’t stop us at all.
Ben & Kate had time reminiscing in the Vegetable patch about Currell Pa, who did love his veggie patch. Ben was too chicken to collect the fresh eggs so like any big brother sent Kate into the pen to get. Ben turned his fresh collected veggies into a scrumptious salad for us to enjoy at lunch time.
The Bell’s Beach Rip Curl Classic surf competition was transferred from Bell’s to Johanna so we had the world’s best surfers on our doorstep. So our plans changed a little to sit and admire the surfing.
This afternoon saw us head west to the 12 Apostles, in the rain, but nothing could spoil this natural wonder. Absolutely beautiful!!! Seriously nothing could spoil it. The great thing about staying on the road is that we can always go back which we will.
The kids have headed off to the indoor heated pool for awhile, Matt to check out more of the surf comp and I am suppose to be preparing dinner.
What will tomorrow bring........

12 months on,

Wow!!!

It has been 12 months since we set off on our adventure to raise awareness and funds for Crohn's Disease.

I have found myself reflecting over the past few days, wondering how I ever put such an event together in such a small time frame. Still to this day I hold the walk as the best thing I have ever done apart from getting married and being a mum that is. The relationships with my boys have grown immensely since, Ben still refuses to go on another bush walk though.

So what has been going on in our lives since:

Ben: Has been well up until last week when he got a viral infection and has been off school for a week, exact same time as last year. He has retired from soccer and plays tennis twice a week. He has enjoyed another fun filled season at Ashfield Swim club. He was awarded the Cantabrian award for Year 8 in 2009 a wonderful recognition of his year. He is progressing along nicely in year 9. He is on 3 monthly clinic visits for his Crohns and is relieved to be in remission.

Brett: Has even thought of going on another hike with me!! He is going well in year 12 and still has no real idea of what he will do when his school life is over. He is loving his soccer, this year he is able to play along side Matt and Jamie in Premier League 2's, they are all are as happy as pigs in mud. He has just had surgery to remove a plunging Ranula (Dr still not sure) from in under his tongue, he spent a night in hospital then a week off school on a liquid diet, the worst part for him was missing soccer!

Claire: Gave birth to a beautiful baby boy Cobalt in December, Yes she was pregnant on the walk but just didn't know it!!! The family is doing great :) and she is back playing soccer in 2010.

Jackie: Still talks about the walk, it made her stronger then she already was, she now knows she can face anything thrown at her, you go girl!!!! She is still teaching dancing, that will never stop, it is her life.

Peter: Enjoyed a dream trip to Europe in September with his wife Kim, A little different to his time hiking with us. The walk was good practice though for some of the steep stair cases they had to climb in Italy.

Stuart: Still admits to complaining!!!! He enjoyed a trip to New Zealand last year with His wife Vicki. Plus a milestone birthday!!! He is also working on a walk on our weekend away in May with the Click Group, looking forward to that. But remember Stuart ,only an hour or two.....

Me: well i wish i could do it again, but be fitter from the start and not exhausted on return to be laid up in bed for weeks! That part i regret. I will do another hike like that again and not in the too distant future! I am playing soccer in Claire's team this year, a bit fun and to get fit. I have a lot of goals to conquer this year.

Matt: is still busy with the soccer club, he does wish though he had more time for his boat.

Katelyn: Dancing, dancing, dancing, and no she is not playing soccer!!! She too enjoyed Ashfield Swim club this year.

So that is about it, I will keep this blog updated from now on, so check in occasionally to see what we are up too.

We are off to The Great Ocean Road in Victoria next week. Can't wait even Finnegan is coming, he wants to swim in the Southern Ocean-he did ask nicely!!! Brett and I will do a couple of day walks along the the Great Ocean walk, will then decide if that is next!!!

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter, and once again Thank you for your continued support!!

Be Good!!