I'm Temporaily Snowed Under

[Captain Kong]

Welcome back Richard, Good to see you in February. and thanks for your link to your site.
Cheers
Brian.

[j.sabourn]

All the time out here Richard have been insured with QBE and never found fault. Always paid up straight away, with no bother. Cheers John S. Ref to #10

[Keith at Tregenna]

Pleased to know you are well, thanks for the update and the link. K

[happy daze john in oz]

Richard, 'I am snowed under' Pleas expalin just what part of the Blue Mountaisn gets snowed out in Februaury? We were sitting down here in Melbouren with 40 degrees day after day, do you have a special kind of snow up there? Must ask Vernon.

[Richard Quartermaine]

We rarely get into the thirties, John and and it has hovered between day temps of 11 to 24 Celsius over the last few weeks. We did get get a good snowfall 18 months ago (see Margaret and Cleo - head of security on our front verandah, below). I'd say Vernon over in Blackheath 'Bleak Heath' no offense Vernon - also had his long johns on.

John S. QBE has become one of the major world insurers from the two Scots, Burns and Philp set it up as QI in 1886 to insure their ships and cargo between Sydney and North Queensland. They were tight fisted with their pay but were sensible in their dealings. I, naturally, have a some pride in the fact that I was a steward on Burns Philps ships 66 years ago and am still associated with the company. In Fiji in the mid 60s a major Indian storekeeper insured in Lautoka got burned down when the store next door went up in smoke. It was 1.00 am when I got the phone call so I rushed down to the office and checked the records, got the bloke who had a Cessna out of bed and when the bank we used in Lautoka opened got a cheque for 5,000 quid for a progress payment and fronted up to the three Gujarati owner brothers. Gujaratis were the principal Indian shop owners in Fiji and I had to turn the Burns Philp agency into QI Lautoka Branch to handle all their new business. When I transferred to QI Singapore Christmas 1968 there at Nadi airport were Jairaj, Parshottam and Lalji who handed me a parcel - "there are good tailors in Singapore" - it was a light weight wool suit length that lasted me for years. My sister Yvonne worked at the Bank of New Zealand three doors up and she said they always asked about her brother. The point I'm making is that it is no less easy to do the right thing and sometimes it is remembered. Do the wrong thing and it is never forgotten.

Of course I'm living in the past, I'm more comfortable there!!
Richard