Happy New Year !
We’re not quite sure where the last two years went, but we went to New Zealand, arriving in Auckland during early January 2007, having spent nearly five wonderful years in Singapore.
It was all part of a plan based around Chris wanting to greatly reduce his international business travel, Simon going off to university in Melbourne, Jona having finished his GCSEs, Hugh not being at a critical point in his education, and the spiralling costs of staying in Singapore.
So here’s the last couple of years, mostly in pictures …..
After Christmas 2006 in Singapore Chris zipped over to England for his father’s 80th birthday, taking Hugh with him. This partial crowd scene includes: Mum, Alison, Chris, Dad, Emily, James, Hugh and Rachel.

After this lightening trip it was back to Singapore to complete packing and move out of the house we’d really enjoyed for the past few years.

Simon about to leave for Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2006.

Simon about to leave for RMIT University Melbourne, January 2007

After a couple of weeks in a rented apartment in Auckland City centre, we moved to this house as it is closer to the areas we wanted to explore for buying, and better commuting distances for Hugh’s school and Jona’s uni.

Hugh was enrolled into Kristen School, and is doing very well there. The school is very similar to United World College in Singapore, and also offers the International Baccalaureate, which we favour. Hugh’s highlights, other than very pleasing academic results, have been his participation in the school’s Under 15 and Under 17 basket ball teams.He picked up awards for Most Valuable Player, and Sportsmanship, the Class Personality Award, and does very well at drama and ‘hard tech’. Possibly heading for a career as a comical physicist.

He’s also progressed well with the saxaphone, now turning out some tuneful jazz!

Jonathan joined AUT University to do a Diploma in Sport and Recreation, graduating in March 2008 with a string of distinctions and merits. He then opted, and has been accepted, for a place at Buckinghamshire New University near our old stamping ground in the UK. Starting in September 2009, Jona will be following his passion by doing a degree in Sports Management and Rugby Studies.

During most of 2007 he was still recuperating from his ACL reconstruction surgery, but by taking his time and following the programme carefully, he was able to take to the rugby field again, joining Northcote Rugby Club, literally right next to the house, playing for their Under 19s, mostly in the number 10 jersey, but sometimes as full-back and once as scrum half. On the whole a very successful season, just being pipped for a place in their league’s final. Jona’s game was pretty much back to where it had been before the injury, and the rigours of New Zealand rugby will have been good for him. He was picked for a trial for North Harbour (feeder for Super 14 rugby), although didn’t make the cut this time….possibly for being English!!

In his ‘gap year’ between finishing at AUT and departing for the UK , Jona has been working as a sales assistant at Rebel Sport. Whilst there his talents were noted and he won an ‘Awesome Service Award’ which got a little airtime on the radio, and an amusing write-up on their website:- http://www.awesomeservice.co.nz/default.asp?s1=winners

Things started well for Simon at RMIT, he hugely enjoyed life in RMIT village, and got a job there as a Residence Assistant. However half way through the first year he decided that Architecture was not what he wanted to do. This seems to be substantially down to the peculiarities of the Architecture faculty. Anyway, having thought it all through very carefully, Simon opted to change to the Industrial Design degree course. This he feels is more in line with his interests, and having completed his first year on that course with very pleasing results, it was clearly the right decision.

After a year in the RMIT Village, Simon has moved to a house that he shares with four (or five?) other guys. He has also been developing his interest in bass guitar and regularly playing in various Melbourne venues with his band, Kickstarter. http://www.myspace.com/kickstarterband

When neither studying or playing his bass, Simon helps out at a community restaurant project known as ‘Lentil As Anything’. Unpaid, but all the lentils you can eat apparently. http://www.lentilasanything.com/index.htm

Loads of other stuff happened too …

In October 2007, we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary,

and (not necessarily connected) bought a piece of land on which to build a new home.

The land is a lovely section just to the north of Auckland, yet still only 25km from the city centre. Unfortunately the cost of building and various other economic factors (exchange rates, mortgage rates, etc) have conspired to prevent us building as yet. Meanwhile some race horses (not ours) keep the grass cut for us whilst we ponder what to do and when to do it.

Over Christmas 2007 and New Year’s 2008 we had a great time. Simon and Jona went to Europe, whilst Deb, Hugh and Chris went to South Africa for the wedding of Jason and Nikki (daughter of Chris’s cousin Lucy). A great time catching up with family all too seldom seen.

After the wedding festivities, we took Hugh to a game park where we chased some rhinos, and then went down to Cape Town for a few days visiting some of Deb’s friends from our Maidenhead days, and meeting up again with Deb’s former tennis partner in Malawi, Tamsin, also now living in Cape Town.

And then on to the UK to meet up with Simon and Jona and to spend Christmas 2007 with the UK family, and meet up with various great friends.

Cousins: Simon, Jonathan, Hugh, James, Rachel and Emily

Hugh with his old Carrington School mates from yonks ago: Megan and Louis.

A Christmas jam with the Parrotts!

Sadly New Year’s Eve 2007 was to be the last time that we would see our friend David Self. In September 2008 we heard from Martine that David had finally lost his brave battle against cancer. Hard to believe that on New Year’s Eve, David had been joining in the fun. In this photo it is Martine’s turn at charades, with sons JJ, Chris, and Nick, with Jona and Hugh trying to guess.

And random stuff from other times in 2008…

Work has not really been mentioned, but amidst all the thrills and spills there’s been a lot of that too. Ironically, having moved from Singapore, Chris ended up spending large amounts of time travelling from Auckland to Perth (twice the distance of Singapore to Perth). It was worth it though, as the business outcomes were very good. On the whole travel has been less than when we were based in Singapore, and Chris soldiers on with the same company, http://www.portraitsoftware.com/

As for 2009 and the global business outlook … who knows?!?!

Nautical themes: Jona’s after his Dad’s grog, and this is the type of boat on which Chris took part in the New Zealand Coastal Classic … http://www.coastalclassic.co.nz/

It’s been great fun spending time with Ruth and Jon Williams and family, old (well, young really) friends from Malawi days. Here seen enjoying a chocolate fountain, and rescuing Debs and Chris from a non-existent coastal footpath on Kawau Island.

Jona helps Grandpa check his videocam settings.

Deb’s XXth birthday!!

We five, spending a quiet Christmas 2008 in Auckland.

With Love and Best wishes for the year ahead.

We look forward to hearing from you all!

The Lowthers