| 2012 | ||
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For 20 years I have chronicled the development of the Gamble family and our adventures. In 2012 things changed. Usa and Neil are now divorced; Roger is at university in Sydney; Rex is at school in Bangkok. The Gamble family is disbursed. Usa said she wanted a divorce at the end of 2010. I was reluctant, but under divorce law in Australia she could do it unilaterally or I could go along for the ride; there wasn't much point fighting it so she got her wish.
Neil and Usa. Married March 13, 1992. Divorced May 13, 2012.
2012 wasn't a good year. In March we filed for divorce. In April there was the (uneventful) court hearing. In April we also sent Rex, at his request, back to international school in Bangkok. Also in April Neil's Dad sold his apt in Sydney, packed up and moved to Adelaide (not that there's anything wrong with that). In May the divorce was "final". In June my mother had a stroke; she won’t recover and will spend the rest of her days in a nursing home. That's a lot of change in a short time; mostly, but not all, bad. My father moved to Adelaide mainly so he could be close to my mother (his first wife) and my sister. He moved into the same retirement village as Mum; a different apt but in the same complex. He arrived in mid-April and Mum had a stroke in mid-June. That didn’t work out too well for him.
There's not much more to say. Roger completed his first year in Science at the University of Sydney. He is aiming for a combined B.Sc. / BA degree. He started off majoring in Psychology but during the year he decided to switch to Neuroscience. He is more interested in that and the whole point of studying is to do something you like, right? Rex started back at RIS in Grade 9. He is studying there with the intent of going to college in the US. School starts early in Bangkok (7am) and commuting was a bit tough so when he started Grade 10 he decided to change to boarding 5 days a week. That's working out well; he likes the boarding experience, commuting is nearly out of the equation (only Friday and Sunday) and his grades are good. As far as I know Usa has her coffee shop in the Sydney suburb of Seaforth. I had a difficult year in PNG. Nothing terrible or dangerous, but it was a year full of challenges and I'm never really sure there isn't something lurking around the corner that will bite me in the backside. Here are some photos from 2012. I am looking forward to the family visiting Port Moresby in the beginning of January. I asked if they wanted to come and see what it's like here and they agreed to come for a week. As long as they get in and out safely I'll take it as a successful visit.
Best wishes for a happy and successful New Year. I am hoping 2013 is a better year for me than 2012.
All the best … Neil |
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