PO BOX 11253, FRANKSTON, VICTORIA 3199 | 0402 926 131 | www.celebratelivinghistory.com.au

CELEBRATE LIVING HISTORY

October 2014

Connecting students and seniors to

celebrate stories for future generations

Spotlight: Frankston Exhibition

IN THIS ISSUE...

A WARM WELCOMEWelcome to our second newsletter! Hard to believe the year has flown so fast! It has been an amazing semester and I am so happy to have such talented interns from Griffith University and Swinburne University this year.

Continued on Page 2

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: THIS IS MY GRANDMOTHERMy grandmother is an amazing woman and an inspirational person to me. Her name is Anka Kurbalija. She is 73 years old but she still cleans the house like it’s no big deal. She still walks just for pleasure, not because she has to. She always gives me her words of wisdom that I listen to over and over again.

Continued on Page 3

RECIPE OF THE MONTHThis month’s recipe is a traditional Thai savory rice porridge.

Continued on Page 4

Upcoming Event:

Celebrate Living History of Frankston Exhibition

Tuesday 21st - Sunday 26th October 2014Cube 37, 27-37 Davey Street, Frankston

Issue No. Two

Alan Ross, Bill Underwood, Bev Wilkinson, Gail Dudeck

Frankston high school students Emily, Evelyn & family Doreen and Elise

WELCOME!! PAGE2

PO BOX 11253, FRANKSTON, VICTORIA 3199 | 0402 926 131 | www.celebratelivinghistory.com.au

HOWDY FOLKS!

Welcome to our second newsletter! Hard to believe the year has flown so fast!

It has been an amazing semester and I am so happy to have such talented interns from Griffith University and Swinburne University this year.

Shout out to our star interns this semester Billy Jupp, Rebecca Turner and Jessica Green!

Well the Celebrate Living History of Frankston exhibition is on this month, and I am so excited to be able to show the photographs that started off this internship program about connecting generations to document wonderful stories of seniors.

Who wou ld have thought one exhibition would have such an echo effect! One idea sent me on a mission to Griffith University to gather my first posse of interns in 2012 and I’m still going today!

If I have learnt anything from interviewing seniors, it is to create your own opportunities. Believe that anything is possible; know that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it.

I’m so happy to have the students from Frankston High School join in the fun of the exhibition this year! Such talented contributions to my request of submitting a photo with your favorite senior star!

On the topic of Frankston High School I interviewed former student Fred Harrison the CEO of Ritchies Supermarkets, his story of starting as a trolley boy and working his way to the top got my attention! Also many of the seniors I hang with used to know him as a little boy!

Fred kind of reminds me of myself ! I started with an idea and slowly gained the support of major universities and seniors not only in Frankston but the world. My dream is for Celebrate Living History to become sustainable so that not only will I gain a paid job but I can also open doors for students.

It was so frustrating being told that I did not have the experience; it was like how could I gain the experience if you won’t open the door?

Here is to opening doors and most of all THINKING BIG!

Till later folks!

Bev

Alan Ross, Bill Underwood, Bev Wilkinson (Founder of Celebrate Living History), Gail Dudeck

“If I have learnt anything from interviewing

seniors, it is to create your own opportunities.

Believe anything is possible; know

that you can achieve anything

you put your mind to.”

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT! PAGE3

PO BOX 11253, FRANKSTON, VICTORIA 3199 | 0402 926 131 | www.celebratelivinghistory.com.au

My grandmother is an amazing woman and an inspirational person to me. Her name is Anka Kurbalija. She is 73 years old but she still cleans the house like it’s no big deal. She still walks just for pleasure, not because she has to. She always gives me her words of wisdom that I listen to over and over again. She is the same hard working woman that she was 50 years ago.

She told me a story about her life during the war that I was really inspired by it and I wanted to share t h a t s t o r y w i t h y o u . M y grandmother is not from Australia. She has been living in Europe her whole life. She was born in Croatia but then moved to Bosnia in the t o w n o f B a n j a L u k a . M y grandmother started working at the age of 18, she worked in a hospital as a nurse. Her job was to work with the children in the hospital. Then when my grandmother was 35, she went to university and got her degree as a specialised nurse. What she specialised in was supervising the hospital and organising the beds that the children would stay in. After a while my grandmother set off for Libya with my grandfather. Once four years passed, they returned from Libya due to the fact that my grandfather started having trouble with his heart again. When the war started in 1992, a lot of people either fled because of fright

or went to fight. My grandmother did not leave Banja Luka. This war went on from 1992 to 1995 and during that time my grandma worked in the hospital with the children there. She remembers seeing some people come into hospital with i n j u r i e s s u c h a s broken arms and legs. Then sadly, in 1999 my grandfather died of a heart attack. When he died, my grandmother stopped working and she hasn’t worked since.

She still is a very wise woman and me learning about this just shows me how strong and brave she was. Even though she has had ups and downs in her life, she has always stayed optimistic of the future and has always had a smile on her face through those rough times. She really inspired me to work hard and n eve r g i ve u p. T h i s i s my grandmother. Anka Kurbalija.

“She always gives me her words of

wisdom that I listen to over and

over again.”

This is my Grandmother By Hana K.

Hana and her grandmother Anka Kurbalija

RECIPE OF THE MONTH! PAGE4

PO BOX 11253, FRANKSTON, VICTORIA 3199 | 0402 926 131 | www.celebratelivinghistory.com.au

INGREDIENTSRice Porridge:

❖ 1 cup cooked jasmine rice❖ 4 cups of water❖ 1 cup ground pork❖ 1 cube chicken stock❖ 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped❖ 2 tablespoons thin thai soy sauce

Toppings:❖ 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped, fried❖ 1 tablespoon sliced ginger❖ 2 tablespoons sliced shallots❖ dash of ground white pepper

INSTRUCTIONS1. Add 1 cup cooked jasmine rice to a large pot. Add 4 cups of water and bring to a gentle boil.2. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup ground pork with 1 teaspoon of finely chopped garlic and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and form into small bite-sized meatballs. 3. Add 1 cube of chicken stock and the bitesize ground pork balls to the rice to cook. Stir to mix. Excess water and fat from the meat will appear at the surface, carefully use a spoon to remove the fat from the surface.4. Assess its consistency. If it is becoming too thick, add more water.

5. As you wait for the porridge to cook, lightly fry 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic until lightly brown. You will use this as a topping at the end.6. Once the porridge is creamy and slightly thick, stir and add water if needed or to adjust to your desired consistency, you can also adjust the taste to your liking by adding soy sauce too.7. You’re done! Scoop servings into bowls and top with lightly fried, finely chopped garlic, sliced ginger, sliced shallots and a dash of ground white pepper for extra flavor.

Traditional Thai Savory Rice PorridgeRICE PORRIDGE “KHAO TOM” WITH PORK

Many thanks to our major sponsors!

To become a sponsor email celebratelivinghistory@gmail.com

for further information.

Thanks to our sponsors!

Partners: Swinburne University, Griffith University & Frankston High School