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August, 2009:

Free Coffee and Cake

Aug 19th, 2009
by Rodney Olsen.
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coffee.jpgThey say there’s no such thing as a free lunch but there is a free morning tea.

My apologies to those who don’t live close enough to Perth to take advantage of this but my morning radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM will be even tastier during our annual Radiothon next week.

Thanks to Miss Maud and Five Senses, we’re inviting 20 listeners each day to join me and my morning programme guests for morning tea each day from Monday the 24th to Friday the 28th of August.

The morning teas will run from 10:00 a.m. to around 11:30 a.m. and should be a lot of fun. It’d be great to catch up and it’s a wonderful opportunity for me to show off my workplace at the new complex in Como.

We’ve done a similar thing over the last couple of years and had such a wonderful time. The food from Miss Maud is always outstanding and the Five Senses coffee is spectacular. On top of that it’s a lot of fun meeting a variety of listeners and letting people see how radio works.

If you’d like to be part of the fun simply click here to email me at my work email address and tell me which day you can join me. If you’re one of the first 20 replies for each day you’ll enjoy a delicious, free morning tea at our Como studios thanks to Miss Maud, Five Senses Coffee and 98.5 Sonshine FM.

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Make Your Mark

Aug 17th, 2009
by Rodney Olsen.
4 comments

MakeYourMark.jpgI’ve created a hand print in support of Indigenous suicide prevention, now it’s your turn to leave a mark at Lifeline’s Make Your Mark site.

Suicide is such a devastating way to lose members of our communities. It’s heart breaking to think that some people believe that death by their own hand is a better alternative than continuing to live.

Did you know suicide among Indigenous Australians is up to 40%* higher than in the general Australian population?
It’s also believed this figure is under reported. (*Living is for Everyone, 2008)

By creating your own hand print you will be showing your support for Indigenous healing, emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention.

For every handprint created the NRL (Rugby League) will donate one dollar to Lifeline for this cause. You can also donate directly.

Your participation will help Lifeline connect Indigenous communities with services and resources to support individuals and families into the future.

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Finally Home

Aug 17th, 2009
by Rodney Olsen.
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It’s good to be back at work after a couple of week’s break. (Though I don’t know if break is the right word.)

During the past fortnight our family moved house from one side of Perth to the other. We’ve been busy settling in ever since.

One of the strangest things has been the fact that even on the final inspection before settlement it felt like we were looking through someone else’s house. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn’t an inspection like the dozens we had done while looking for a new home, this was the one we had selected and would soon be ours. Just a few days later we were moved in and the new place has pretty much felt like our home since day one.

We’re finding our way around the area and getting used to new routines. There are still surprises each day. As I headed out the door this morning I noticed a couple of ducks sitting in our front yard. I had to dash back inside to let the rest of the family know.

If I’m counting right I’ve moved 9 times, including this latest move, in my 46 years on this planet. For a little over the first 16 years of my life I lived in one place. For just under 16 years we’ve lived in our previous home.

How many times have you moved during your life? Are you settled where you are now or is there a home to which you wish you could return?

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90

Aug 15th, 2009
by Rodney Olsen.
2 comments

Tom_Olsen_Cook.jpgDad would have been 90 yesterday if he’d lived.

I still miss him so much and wish he could be around to experience the little things of life. I’d love to invite him over to see our new house. I know he’d be so thrilled to see how well Emily and James are doing as they grow into the amazing young people that they are.

This time of year is not only a time of remembering the anniversary of dad’s birth but also of his death.

In August of 2002, dad was seriously ill in hospital. Although he was a Christian in his teens, he had not followed Christ after his service as a cook in the second world war.

As he put it he “made his peace with Jesus” while in hospital. In the week following his decision he talked about going home to Jesus his Saviour and of seeing his wife again. (Mum passed away in 1987.) Our family had never heard dad talk that way before. There had been a huge change in him.

On Saturday at the end of that week he was in a pretty bad way. We went to the hospital to visit and he wasn’t really there. Most of the time he was in a very deep sleep. James was just three and a half at the time and I held him in my arms beside the bed. James then started to sing Amazing Grace. It was a song that I would sing to James as I put him to bed each night. I joined James quietly to help him with the words. Dad opened his eyes and acknowledged us there. We stayed a little longer and then headed home. Dad passed away that night just a few days before his 83rd birthday.

We were the last visitors to see dad and I imagine the last thing he would have seen and heard while on this earth was a very small boy, his grandson, singing about the Amazing Grace that he now knows so well.

(Dad was a chef and continued cooking well after his retirement. The photo in this post was him working in the kitchen of the retirement home where he lived in his final years.)

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What did you say?

Aug 12th, 2009
by Rodney Olsen.
3 comments

Sometimes it can be the simple things that amuse me.

While navigating our way through Ikea yesterday we heard an announcement via the public address system.

If you have lost a child in the store today could you please come to …..

Today? Do they think that there might be a parent in there hearing the announcement and saying, “Oh no, that couldn’t be our little William. We lost him in here three days ago.”

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