Christmas 2024

Dear friends,

I would just like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and Helen and I hope 2025 will be a year will be a good one for you all despite the “interesting times” in which we all find ourselves. This year has been very mixed with some lovely high points: the visit to the UK of our very close friends David and Judy and my dear brother Mark. Also a very recent highlight was getting to see Paul MacCartney in concert thanks to some excellent ticket-watching and last minute purchasing by my good friend Denis. It was a truly wonderful concert, even given some of the other bands I was blessed to see back in Australia in the 1980s. I think, my new updated rating for my top concerts ever would now go like this:

1. Paul McCartney 2024
2. Pink Floyd 1986
3. Elton John with the Melbourne Symphonic Orchestra (1986)
4. Paul Simon
5. Billy Joel/U2/Dire Straits (can’t decide the order here)

In terms of low points, we sadly had to walk a final mile with my dear friend Margaret Hill who lost her battle with cancer in May this year. Also our daughter Grace has had severe mental health issues (see our Christmas letter below). Thankfully, she appears to be doing better although it is a long road to full recovery. However, Grace did talk me into helping with our church’s Christmas choir this year which is always an incredible event, given the sheer force of musical talent our Church is blessed with (it helps being located near the Royal Northern College of music).

Another friend of ours, Jens Meyer, died rather quickly after battling long term health issues and then being diagnosed with an unusual illness which fatally damaged his liver in November 2024. Trump becoming President for me was personally another low point and as I joked with Helen, “2024 was the year that just kept on giving”. I am sure having President Elon Musk in charge will not be problematic for any of us who possess wealth greater than $500 million. I do find it depressing how the billionaire class have so effectively convinced many that their enemies are the “woke”, educated elites (those with a university degree who possess a social conscience and take scientific data seriously), the poor, and the immigrants. We really do need to teach the concept of a logarithmic scale to year 8 children before they leave school so they understand the truth that a new class of super-wealthy are hiding behind the more traditional rich. Oh well, we shall battle on. God bless, Rod