Perth – Page 23 – RodneyOlsen.net

Free Coffee and Cake

August 19, 2009

They 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.

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Free Coffee and Cake? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Faith and Education

July 2, 2009

by Rodney Olsen

4 Comments

Christian education is a subject that evokes a wide range of opinions. Some feel that it’s the only reasonable option in current times, while others would say that it brainwashes children or that it places young people into a false reality, cocooning them away from ‘real life’.

While I have my concerns about some forms of Christian education, I need to say that we have chosen to educate our children through a Christian college. Rather than hiding children away from the world and its views, I believe that Christian education can prepare children to face the world. A teacher’s world view will always come through in the way that they teach and I feel it’s important that our children are taught from people who have a similar world view to our own.

One of the world’s leading authorities on Christian education, author and international education consultant, David Smith, has been described as a gifted, passionate, insightful and challenging speaker. David will soon be in Perth for the one day Christian Education National State Conference – Reimagining the Christian Classroom – Monday the 20th of July – at Swan Christian College. He’ll also be speaking at a couple of parent evenings – Saturday the 18th July – Foundation Christian College – Greenfields – and Tuesday the 21st July – Kingsway Christian College – Darch.

David I Smith completed his B.A. at Oxford University, a M.Phil.F. Degree at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and a PhD in curriculum studies at the Institute of Education at the University of London. He is currently Director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning and Associate professor of German at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He serves as Senior Editor of the journal of Education and Christian Belief and Editor of the Journal of Christianity and Foreign Languages. He has authored or edited over 10 books and over 30 book chapters and articles in the fields of language education and philosophy of education, and travels widely as a speaker at educational events and as a consultant to schools.

In preparation for his Perth visit, I spoke to David during my morning programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM. I found him to be a fascinating person and I only wish I could have spent longer talking about the issue of education.

We spoke about a range of topics such as how we can retain a sense of awe and wonder of God while being immersed in a Christian education environment.

If you have school aged children, can I encourage you to think through the issues David raises? You can listen to our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Faith and Education? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

The Swim Home

June 24, 2009

by Rodney Olsen

3 Comments

It’s all a bit hit and miss with the weather at the moment. I don’t mind the cooler weather too much. I have extra layers to keep me warm. I don’t mind the rain too much. It’s only water and I have a rain jacket.

The problems arise when parts of the cycleways I use suddenly disappear under water. The picture in this post shows one of the areas that floods if the river’s up and the rain’s coming down. I took the photo on Friday morning, right before I turned around and headed back across Windan Bridge to find an alternate route to work.

Today was a different story. There had been a fair bit of rain and so I thought that the same thing may have happened. I intended to detour on the way to work.

As can happen, I got lost in the moment and turned the same way I always do, following the same route I always do. Thankfully there was no flooding so I just headed on my way to work.

This afternoon I needed to go to a meeting. I was running late and so I tried to push myself to make up time. I got to the Causeway underpass and found it flooded. That should have been warning enough. I headed back up the cycleway and crossed the road to rejoin the path on the other side.

Once I got to the area just before Windan Bridge I saw a very wide river which had totally engulfed the cycleway. I was already running late and didn’t have time to back track. I put my bike on my shoulder and waded in. At some points the water was almost up to my knees. Keep in mind this is not just a puddle, it’s part of a river, a moving, swirling river.

I finally stepped out at the other end with some very soggy shoes. I jumped back on the bike and headed off for my meeting.

Thankfully I didn’t have to cross any more flooded cycleways although I did have to ride through an extremely heavy downpour a few kilometres from home. I didn’t mind that too much because the bike needed a really good wash to get rid of all the sand and road grit it’s been picking up from riding on wet roads over the past couple of weeks.

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading The Swim Home? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Perth Cycling

June 1, 2009

by Rodney Olsen

2 Comments

The best place to connect with cyclists around the world remains BikeForums. It’s been going for years and the information you can find there is amazing.

For those of us who live in Perth, Western Australia there is a local forum which will prove to be very useful if enough people register and use it regularly. The problem is that such a forum is fishing from a much smaller pond for its members. Any such forum needs to reach some kind of critical mass for it to be truly effective.

That’s why I thought I’d give Perth Cycling and its associated Perth Cycling Forums a bit of a plug today. I’m in no way associated with the site or forums. I simply reckon it’s a great opportunity for local cyclists and I’d hate to see it disappear through lack of support.

Perth Cycling is the main website which has some excellent links and information.

This site has been set up to provide any person new to cycling or new to Perth, a central point of reference to help them find group rides, race information, race results, forums, classifieds and blogs.

While the site is primarily aimed towards group road riding and racing, those behind the site are willing to develop it into whatever users require.

Perth Cycling Forums gives you the opportunity to interact with other local riders. You’ll find everything there from classifieds to local ride information and advice from other cyclists in your area.

If you are from Perth and you ride a bike, can I encourage you to check out the website and forums. I’m hoping that membership of the forums will grow and that we’ll see some interesting discussions develop.

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Perth Cycling? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Pulling Down the Past

May 21, 2009

by Rodney Olsen

3 Comments

As I was cycling to work this morning I noticed a row of 4 or 5 houses has been demolished just near the East Perth Train Station. They were quite old and had fallen into disrepair over the past few years. There’s another one along with an old corner shop still marked for demolition.

I imagine they’re going to widen the road and they need the space.

I wonder what stories those piles of bricks could tell. I wonder how many families grew up there and where they are now. Were the rooms in those houses full of laughter? There must have been good and bad times, smiles and tears.

Now there are just memories amongst the piles of bricks and I’m sure that within a few days even the bricks will be gone.

Progress is often necessary but it’s good to reflect on what has been before we move forward towards what is still to come. We also need to remember that we sometimes need to remove the past before we can see the real potential that lies ahead.

What sorts of stories could your home tell? Would they be mostly happy stories? Can you remember the home where you grew up? Does it bring good or bad memories to mind?

Do you think some of your friends would enjoy reading Pulling Down the Past? Please use the buttons below to share the post. Thanks.

Tag - Perth