Childhood

Childhood School		Within a week or two of Suzanne's birth, her parents moved from Harrison to the neighbouring town of Kearny. In May 1960, when she was almost thirteen, there was another move, this time to Lyndhurst. By then she had four younger sisters, the youngest, Jane, being only a few months old. From the age of kindergarten Suzanne had gone to St.Cecilia's School in Kearny, where she had many friends. She found it difficult to change to eighth-grade at the Sacred Heart School in Lyndhurst, where she knew no one. After one year, she graduated from grade school and went to Lyndhurst High School, as there was no Catholic high school in the area. Being part of a large family, with little money to go round, Suzanne took a part-time job in her last year at school working behind the counter at Woolworths. When her father told her that he would pay either to put her through college or for her wedding, she chose the latter.

Learning computing Montclair State College Meeting Paul Perna		Over the next two years she was employed by the Prudential Insurance Company where she learnt computing and also took private, part-time instruction to obtain additional skills. Then, paying her own way, she went to Montclair State College. Initially, her decision was to major in French and take English as a minor. Then, realising that the few years of not using French while working had diminished her language skills, she switched to an English major as she would otherwise be at a severe disadvantage for college accreditation.

Marriage		Suzanne had met Paul Perna prior to commencing college. He was now also studying at Montclair and she worked very hard both to put herself through college, and to help Paul. She went to college by day, and did computer work by night. She and Paul married on 17 August 1968 during his final year of College. Suzanne left college and worked while he finished. She then returned to college and also worked full-time at nights from 1969 to 1972, receiving her Degree in 1972.

Working in New York City		After graduation there was a glut of teachers so she took a job in the computer field. Soon she was working for Nixdorf in New York City where she combined her teaching and computer skills by instructing clients in the use of computer equipment.

Sporting Interests		From an early age, Suzanne was sports-minded like her father, and often discussed sport with him. She enjoys watching sport on television, whether it be baseball, football or tennis. In the male-dominated corporate environment in which she worked, she always considered this one of her greatest assets.

Divorce		Both Suzanne and Paul were very disappointed when, after ten years of marriage, they lost a child through a miscarriage and Suzanne discovered that she was unable to conceive again. Suzanne's career became very successful and they bought a pleasant house in a good suburb. She hired a maid to assist with the cleaning while she concentrated on her career. Commuting every day to and from New York City, she often did not return home until eight or nine at night. In addition, her position required extensive travel throughout the United States. Paul returned each day from his teaching position at 3.30 in the afternoon. This was an unsatisfactory situation, and their relationship ended in divorce in either 1983 or 1984 and the marriage was annulled by the Archdiocese of Newark.

Nature of the work

When Mary started as a court stenographer, she found the work exacting. Every word that was spoken had to be accurately recorded. Sometimes there were heated words and interjections, but nothing must be missed, as precise records of proceedings were important. She was trained to type a special code on a machine about eighteen inches long, which stood on a tripod. With fingers going "a mile-a-minute", the machine produced a paper tape on which strange symbols appeared. Later, she deciphered these symbols and transcribed the tape into normal text.Working through an agency, Mary started work in the courts in Hackensack, New Jersey. Sometimes, if a lawyer needed a deposition from a client, he would ask the agency to supply a stenographer. Mary often found herself working in lawyer's offices.

Sometimes Mary transcribed her own tapes but more often she hired a typist to do the work. For a period her younger sister Betty, who had not been trained to read the special tapes, typed them for Mary, who first transcribed them on to an audio tape.

Unsuccessful marriage to Gary Richie in 1974

Mary's first marriage was unsuccessful. She had known Gary Richie, who lived nearby, since she was fifteen years of age. They had an "on-and-off" relationship for several years and finally married on 6 January 1974, when Mary was nineteen. After two years they realised they had made a mistake, and were divorced. Mary returned to live with her parents.

on, the son of Edward Knecht and Frances Panton, was born on 27 April 1951 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. Up to the age of three he and his parents lived on the second floor of a house in South Orange, New Jersey. His family then moved to Kenilworth, New Jersey and he was with them until the age of twenty-five. In 1993 he recalled his early life:

Boyhood

I was an altar boy at my church and a boy scout. From the age of seven I began salt-water fishing, and have never lost that interest. As I grew I became a member of the Catholic Youth Organisation - the CYO, a YCS member and, most of all, I became an avid baseball player from seven years old through College.

Ron went to Grammar School at St.Theresa's and to High School at Seton Hall Prep from 1965 to 1969. Between then until 1973 he attended Seton Hall University, completing his B.S. Marketing. Following graduation from College he worked as an exporter of chemicals to South and Central America for three years, but then left the business world. He met a man who was ready to retire from the dry-cleaning industry. For about one year Ron worked under him and then purchased the business in July 1977.

Entering the Dry-Cleaning industry.

Ron's dry-cleaning business in Rahway, New Jersey developed rapidly and, after increasing gross profits by 500%, decided in 1989 to embark on a huge expansion. Unfortunately, six months later a recession hit the United States. Instead of growing as expected, the business tumbled backwards by about 20% In 1993, Ron said:

The last three years were the hardest times I ever faced with just trying to stay ahead of the bills. Helpfully, good times will eventually prevail.

Their Houseboat

Returning to part time work to find everything now computerised

The things of value in life

In 1987 we bought a houseboat and use it as our summer home. We travel the bays and sometimes the oceans of New Jersey all summer, fishing and relaxing. The kids love it. It is like a mobile home on water, and it is Ron's haven.

Mary returned to work in 1993 after an eight year leave of absence to take care of her two children. She found many changes during this period:

Everything had become computerised. I now have my office in my home and take down testimony on my stenograph, which is computerised. Everything is recorded on a 32 inch disk. I put this in my home computer which transcribes it into English. I then proofread it on the computer screen and print it on my printer. This makes life so much easier compared with the past. I work part-time, I can do what I love, and be home with my children, too.

Looking back over her life, Mary said:

The things I loved most as a girl were horses and singing. I had always dreamed of singing in a band, but lacked confidence. People have told me that I have a good voice. I am now a girl-scout leader and am working part-time. My interests are my children and my job. I love my job and am always learning new things. I love gardening and flowers but what I value most are my husband, children and financial security. I believe very strongly in physical fitness and work-out aerobically three to four days each week.

Summary		ngelo, the son of George Diakos and Maria Charizani, was born in Greece on 10 June 1954. In 1973 he came to the United States of America, being the only member of the family to do so. Not having arrived in the country officially as a migrant, it was not until 1992 that he gained American citizenship. He married Betty Dougan, raised two daughters, Kristina and Maria, and works as a short-order cook in a diner. g
Childhood in Greece: ¹ Nomoy = "A suburb of" Three close encounters with death. ² A very popular, small german made motor vehicle often referred to as a VW		Angelo was born in Kato Nevrokopi Nomoy¹ Dramas in Northern Greece (the region of Macedonia, famous for Alexander the Great). He, his older brother and sister, parents, aunts, grandparents and all children lived in the same house. As a young person he had three close encounters with death, which made him believe that there was a God up there, looking after him. The first was when he was five years of age: he fell from the second floor of the house and split his head open. He went to hospital, but survived. Then, at the age of eight he went swimming in the river with friends. He fell into a whirlpool, tried to get out by himself but failed. Finally, two friends realised he was in danger of drowning and managed to pull him out. The next day, a seven year-old was caught in the whirlpool. A twenty year-old went to his rescue and both were drowned. His third lucky escape from death was when he was about fifteen years of age: riding a motorcycle from a farm, he encountered a tractor coming the other way with a Volkswagon² behind. Suddenly the VW zoomed out to pass the tractor and crashed into the motorcycle. Angelo went spinning ten feet into the air. Miraculously he landed in a sitting position on the bonnet of the car, slid off and stood up, largely unhurt. The driver of the car was an animal doctor who held some authority, as he was also a meat inspector and worked with the police. He was annoyed that the headlamp on his car was broken, but did not care about possible injury to Angelo. g
Starting work at the age of twelve. ³ cement or concrete imitating stone, for coating exterior walls of houses Leaving home in 1972 1973: Illegal entry into the United States of America. Permanent Residence and Citizenship.		Angelo had fun with friends, but did not receive much schooling. By the age of twelve both he and his older brother were working in the stucco³ business. He did not get on well with his father who sometimes drank and was violent. His father neither helped the family, nor did he help Angelo and his brother get an education. Angelo saw only problems ahead so, in 1972, at the age of seventeen, he left home with a boy-friend and worked on ships: this took him to Singapore, Russia, Italy, Holland, Spain. In 1973 he jumped ship, when he reached the United States of America. He was then nineteen years of age, spoke no English, knew no one, and was an illegal immigrant. It was not until 1980 that he gained a "Green Card" that gave him permanent residence status, and it was 1992 before he gained U.S. Citizenship.
Establishing himself in New Jersey: working in Greek owned restaurants.		After jumping ship he made his way to Astoria where he had been told there was a Greek community. There he met a Greek who sent him to Hillside, New Jersey, and he started working in a restaurant. He also worked in a Greek food store in Elizabeth next to Hillside. Being an illegal immigrant, he had to hide from the authorities, and move around constantly, at one time working in a small restaurant in Hackensack. The owners of Greek restaurants and shops took advantage of his illegal status, so that he was paid little and got a raw deal.
Learning English		Being surrounded all the time by other Greeks, his elementary command of English did not improve; to learn English he bought an English/Greek book and took night classes at Hackensack.
Problems of being an illegal immigrant		He had numerous difficulties: for example, to obtain a driving licence identity papers were required. Fortunately, a driving school instructor helped him to obtain his licence.

Working in a diner:

conditions

⁴ 1993 (In 1994 Angelo

changed to a different

diner with better working

conditions)

The difference between a diner and a restaurant

History of the diner

Angelo now⁴ works very long hours: about sixty hours per week in a diner. Working both day and night shifts, he becomes very tired, and finds it difficult to spend time with his family.

A diner is different from a restaurant in that it offers a greater selection of food from snacks to complete meals, is usually open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and operates in the fast food area: providing quick service, as opposed to the restaurant that supplies a more leisurely full dinner. The diner is found mainly on the east coast of the United States of America and had its origins in the 1880's when horse drawn lunch wagons could be wheeled up anywhere that promised a brisk trade. The food was simple and the coffee hot; they became both popular and respectable - so much so that the Women's Temperance League bought a few to tempt tipplers out of bars and into the food wagon. From this came the phrase "on the wagon" for someone who had given up alcoholic drink. In the early 1900's railroad dining cars were among America's classiest restaurants. Soon, the food wagon became modelled on the dining car and became a Diner. No longer mobile, they were sleek and fine and had booths, or "seating for ladies". They remain popular to this day.

Very often diners are now owned by Greeks. Many of these owners take advantage of their employees, often arranging part time-work to minimise their outlay. There is no union to regulate conditions - so employees often receive neither holiday nor sickness benefits.

Most Greek diner owners come from the Greek Islands, not from the mainland. Angelo considers his own mainland people as open, warm and big-hearted while those from the islands seem grasping, thinking only of their own advantage and not of the welfare of their employees. Angelo found it difficult to adjust to the way of life in America where the Greek people for whom he worked were not big-hearted.

Marriage and family

⁵ 1993 (Since this was written he changed to a

diner within walking distance of his home)

Working in Hackensack, New Jersey, he met Betty Dougan in February 1976. They were married on 24 July, 1977 and have two children Kristina and Maria. After marriage they lived from 1977-1985 in Lyndhurst, NJ and then bought their own two-family house in Harrison, NJ in May, 1985, which they now fully own. With his work schedule, he has little time for personal interests, but enjoys playing pool and the occasional friendly soccer game with his fellow employees.

Angelo still⁵ works as a short-order cook in a diner at East Rutherford, NJ.

His long hours of work took their toll and, in May 1991, he developed dizzy spells. However, a CAT scan revealed nothing and a month later the spells passed. In 1992 he left his job in the diner and took temporary work elsewhere. He found that work was tough in all diners so eventually returned to his former job.

Things that matter to him

Most important to him is the health of his entire family, and, after that, is his desire to revisit Greece and see the family and friends that he left behind. Three times he has brought his mother to USA; once he has brought his father. In 1994, he hopes to visit Greece.

School days

etty, the fourth child of Joseph Dougan and Joan Fall, was born on 23 October 1957 in Kearny, New Jersey. When her parents moved to Lyndhurst, New Jersey, Betty attended the local Sacred Heart School until seventh grade. Her father then discovered that her teacher was insufficiently qualified, and was not correctly marking the children's work. Annoyed at this, he moved Betty and her younger sister Jane to the local public school. In 1993 Betty recalled that she hated this public grade school with a passion because her class-mates always beat her up. Later, she went to the Lyndhurst High School from which she graduated in 1975.

Meeting Angelo Diakos

While most girls at high school dated boys, Betty did not date anyone, saying that she did not like the American boys. Her older sister Mary, following the break-up of her marriage with Gary Richie, several times dated a Greek boy, John. By this time Betty had left school and was in the work-force. She joined Mary one night for a roller-skating evening. There she met a young Greek boy, Angelo Diakos, who also disliked parties, so they spent the evening talking together. Betty found that Angelo was quite unlike the average American boy.

Marriage

The Wedding

¹ 18029F

One and a half years later they married on 24 July 1977. Her mother recalled this:

They married in the Greek Orthodox Church. First, they went to our Church to seek permission. This was granted because the Greek Orthodox and Catholic Churches were very close. Betty's young niece Jackie¹ was the ring bearer. To us the ceremony, being in Greek, was quite strange. They marched around, holding something over their heads. We had not the remotest idea of the meaning of much of the ritual.

Afterwards we had the wedding party. Angelo hired a Greek band that played both Greek and American music. Everyone joined in the fun although, in Greek tradition, the men dance and the women do not. Angelo led a big snake-line. It was curious to see all the men, with Angelo at the head, holding a man's white hanky, flapping, bowing, dipping, and snaking around.

As it was a Greek wedding in America everybody joined in after the first couple of times. The men did it first just to show everybody how it should be done. During the evening they interspersed Greek and American music. We all had a lot of fun.

Their home

Work and the birth of

Kristina

² Inflammation of the

renal pelvis

Betty and Angelo rented a small apartment in a two-family house in Lyndhurst until, in May 1985, Angelo bought his own small two-family house in Harrison, New Jersey, and managed to pay for it completely within seven years.

Between September 1975 and May 1978 Betty worked as a data-control clerk for Consumers Distributing in Secaucus, New Jersey. Then, when she was five-months pregnant with her first child she was hospitalised with pyelitis² and took disability leave. She then rested at home until the birth of Kristina in September 1978. In the following year, working from her own home, she became a typist for her older sister Mary who was a court stenographer. Later, she took office work through several agencies catering for temporary work. She also took a short course in cake decorating, and for a time decorated and sold cakes privately.

Birth of Maria

Desire to move homes

Betty and Angelo's second daughter, Maria, was born in May 1980. In 1993 they were still living in Harrison but hope to move to somewhere more convenient in the future as their home is now too small for them, street parking is very difficult, and they had once had a bad experience with their tenants on the ground floor.

In 1990, the ground floor was rented by a thirty-eight-year-old man, his wife and two-year-old child. One day in April the wife returned home to discover that her husband had hung himself. Betty and Angelo tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late. This was a great shock to them, and one from which they took considerable time to recover. It reinforced their desire to move to a more spacious home.

Working for the Apex Trucking Company

Betty's visit to Greece

In March 1982 Betty gained a position with the Apex Trucking Company in Secaucus, New Jersey, but left them temporarily in July 1984 to make a three-month visit with her young children to Greece, so that she and the children might meet Angelo's family. This proved a very difficult experience because she could not speak Greek, while Angelo's family did not speak English.

Returning to the work-force:

Recession

Interest in a "time-share" unit.

She returned to work for Apex, left them in April 1986 to take another job within walking distance of her home, but rejoined Apex in September 1986.

Then a recession hit America and greatly affected the trucking business. In June 1993 she was laid off from work but later started work for another trucking company in Moonachie, New Jersey.

In 1991 Betty and Angelo bought a share in a "Time-Share" unit in Florida. This allows them each year to spend a specified time on vacation in the unit, or exchange this for a vacation at one of the many hundreds of "Time-Share" units in the United States, or elsewhere in the world. Unfortunately by 1993 they had not had much opportunity to make use of this facility.

Activities with the children's schools.

As her children Kristina and Maria grew and started school, Betty became involved in school activities, becoming a member of the Harrison Parent-Teacher Association. She helped run the refreshment stand to raise money for various school sports. Her daughters are now involved in cheer-leading at their schools, so Betty also belongs to the Cheer-Leaders Association. She has also held the positions of Vice-President and Secretary of the Lyndhurst Garden Club. At one time both Betty and Angelo went regularly to a Lyndhurst health spa - where she enjoyed aerobic classes, while Angelo worked on a weights program.

From a very early age Betty was always interested in collecting things. As a hobby, she is now an avid collector of coupons issued by various shops and producers. There is much competition in the United States of America between both different products and different shops. Local newspapers and product packages often contain cut-out coupons that give substantial discounts or free offers on particular items. Betty puts her childhood collecting interest to advantage by collecting - and putting to use - every coupon she can find.

School Days

Meeting Jane Dougan

rin, the son of Bernard Collins and Veronica Mitchell was born in the United States of America on Christmas day, 1962. In 1976 he attended a boarding school, a minor seminary called Bele Fontaine in Lenox, Massachusetts. He then moved to the Essex Catholic Boys' School in Newark, New Jersey from August 1977 to June 1979. He met Jane Dougan in 1976 while taking part in a school play . Erin was fifteen years of age but, being over six feet tall, he looked older. Jane thought he was eighteen and they started going out together.

His move to Idaho

Jane follows

Marriage

Newark was not a good area in which to live because of racial tensions. Erin's mother had been mugged more than once, and Erin became a disciplinary problem for his school. Because no local school was willing to take him, his parents sent him for his last year of schooling to live with an older brother in Idaho. This he did, and then went on to College in Moscow, Idaho.

Erin and Jane missed each other so she persuaded her parents to let her also study in Moscow. Initially Jane was a year ahead of Erin, but he took a heavy load and completed his course a year earlier than normal. He and Jane were in the middle of their Senior College year when they married in New Jersey on 2 January 1983. They had little money behind them so, in addition to their studies, both worked. Erin delivered pizzas and became a night clerk in a convenience store.

During his undergraduate course Erin gained an Army scholarship. Unfortunately, after two years, a heart defect was detected and he was discharged. He was forced to reassess his future.

Graduate School:

Public Administration

First job: Idaho

Erin initially majored in secondary education and history, and did very well, gaining both a B.A. and a B.S. He then went on to Graduate School, earning a Masters' Degree in Public Administration. Leaving College, he took a temporary government job with Boise city, the capital of Idaho.

Personnel officer,

Arizona

The move to Kingman

When work at Boise came to an end, he accepted a position as Personnel Officer for the Mohave County, Arizona. As it was a responsible position, he added three years to his age when making his application, and gained the post. Jane's mother recalled the move:

They decided to move themselves, so they hired a U-Haul truck to take their furniture. The route from Boise, Idaho to Kingman, Arizona crosses the Rocky Mountains. With their daughter Jessica, Erin and Jane drove the truck - towing their car behind them. They made this move during the winter and encountered much difficulty in getting through the snow and ice. They were forced to buy chains and fit them to the tyres. Eventually they reached Kingman, which they found was in a flat, hot desert. There they rented a very small house.

Career change:

A move to Oregon

Early in 1989 Erin was ready for a change in his career development and decided to look for a more challenging position. His decision was hastened by a change in local government. He applied for and, in March 1989, obtained a position working for the City of Gresham in Portland, Oregon. During this year Jane and Erin had Joey, the fifteen year-old son of his sister Lydia, live with them. Erin tried to get Joey out of the crime-ridden area of Newark, to give him the same opportunity that he had at the age of sixteen when he went to Idaho.

and then to an insurance company in South Jersey

Erin's move to Oregon proved to be a case of "out of the frying-pan into the fire." He hated the new position and was there for only one year before he applied for and secured a position as a Risk Management Consultant with an insurance agency at Hammonton, New Jersey. Once again they hired a U-Haul and, on 18 February 1990, set out to drive 3,000 miles across the country. They settled at Sweetwater in South Jersey, 110 miles south of Lyndhurst. Erin's work was now administrative, and often involved weekend work and long hours.

1992: Return to Kingman, Arizona

Personal interests

Although he enjoyed the work, the lifestyle of the company for whom he worked was not conducive to family living. After close family discussion they decided to seek a position back in the West. As luck would have it, in August 1992, Erin was invited to take a position as Personnel Officer with the Mohave Community College in Kingman, Arizona - the place from whence his journey had begun. In addition to his position in the Community College, Erin is establishing a private consultancy of his own in insurance brokerage.

Erin and Jane bought a house at 3308 Diamond Drive North, Kingman and, by 1993, they had settled back into the community. Outside his work commitments he reads widely, being interested in classical and modern literature, philosophy and politics. He engages in a physical fitness program and occasionally goes hunting during which he enjoys the solitude of the mountains and the camaraderie of his hunting partners. His strong inner-directed drive to surpass his previous levels of achievement is tempered by his desire to create a functional family unit free of the problems that both he and Jane experienced during their own upbringing.

Early schooling

Jane's passion for dance

Montclair State College:

discouragement

ane, the fifth child of Joe Dougan and Joan Fall, was born on 5 February 1960 at Kearny, New Jersey, U.S.A. Three month's later her parents moved to 404 Page Avenue, Lyndhurst, New Jersey. Initially, she went to the Sacred Heart Grade School at Lyndhurst before her father transferred her to the public school. She then went on to Lyndhurst High School. From an early age Jane developed a passion for dance. Fortunately her mother started work and so could afford the dance lessons. Her mother recalled:

Jane was so very good at it that Dick Shell's dance studio gave her a scholarship. Paying for only two lessons a week, they allowed her to go every day after school. She became obsessed with dancing and loves it to this day. She took Ballet and Jazz.

After completing high school, she went to Montclair State college and enrolled in theatre and dance. In her first year she became discouraged. Thinking that she was not making the progress she wanted, she switched in her second year to kindergarten teacher training. This was no better. Her heart was not in it and she kept looking at the bulletin boards to see what was going on in theatre and dance. Realising that she had made a mistake she decided to move back to the dance course.

Meeting Erin Collins

While at State College, Jane remained involved in community theatre. Through this she was encouraged to audition for a dance role in West Side Story to be held at the Essex Catholic Boys' School in Newark in January 1978. There she met a young man, Erin Collins, who was over six feet tall and had a part in the play. Joan related their meeting:

Erin saw Jane and was attracted to her immediately. Later, he said to a boy-friend, `Don't you dare tell that girl that I'm only fifteen, because that's the girl I'm going to marry.' His friends laughed at this but, undaunted, he introduced himself to Jane. They liked each other and she thought he was eighteen.

In 1993, Jane recalled:

One day, after we had been going out together for five or six months, we were sitting in Erin's kitchen when his older brother, Tim, walked in and said, `Gee, Erin, if you were only sixteen, I could have got you a job.' I was taken aback. I had already guessed that he was younger than eighteen, but did not think he was only fifteen. I cried out `What?', and there was dead silence. Realising that the "beans had been spilt", Tim and his mother rapidly left the room. I was in shock, being an eighteen year old, dating a fifteen year-old! Erin thought I would dump him on the spot but, by this time, our relationship was strong and age had become irrelevant.

Erin moves to Idaho:

Jane follows him.

Erin moved out of the district to stay with his brother in Idaho where he completed high school. Jane was very upset at this. When he started college, she asked if she could study with him at Moscow in Idaho. Her mother remembered her own background:

I remembered how I came all the way from Australia to America and thought, who am I to say, `You can't go that far away.' Jane was almost twenty-one. She asked, `Will you still pay for college for me if I go there?' I said, `Why not. If that's what you want to do. You're old enough.'

So Jane went to Idaho and returned to dance, but had to do her sophomore year again. With Jane's changing career decisions, Erin was now only one year behind her in his studies. He worked hard, compressing four years' study into three, so they graduated in the same year.

Marriage

To help pay for her course Jane took a part-time job teaching at the North-West Dance Centre. This she enjoyed very much. During the Christmas vacation in their senior year they both returned to New Jersey and married on 2 January 1983 in St.Michael's Church, Lyndhurst.

Birth of Jessica

Move to Kingman, Arizona

Returning to College they struggled, with little money behind them. They graduated, and Jane gave birth to her first child, Jessica, in October 1983.

After graduation, Erin took a temporary government post at Boise, Idaho, but later secured a position at Kingman, Arizona.

Nursing course

Birth of Theresa

Jane thought that she might never have opportunity to dance again, so she enrolled at college to become a licensed practical nurse. Once again, when she graduated, she was pregnant. Theresa was born in July 1986. With a new baby she had neither time nor desire to take a nursing post.

Jane establishes a dancing school in Kingman

The move to Oregon and then to South Jersey

Still feeling a void in her life, she took a job in a local health studio, teaching children's creative dance and, later, aerobics. Through this she finally opened her own dance school, which she named The South-West Dance Centre. This was very successful and each year membership grew. Just as the school became well-established, Erin took a job in Gresham near Portland, Oregon. Jane closed her dance school with the intention of furthering her dance studies in the bigger city in Oregon.

Unfortunately Erin's new job did not fulfil its early promise. He was not given either the level of responsibility nor the leadership roles that had been implied and which he desired. He felt frustrated and, knowing that he would not remain long in the position, he and Jane felt that the future was financially insecure.

Jane gave up the thought of dance and decided to return to nursing for the added financial security it would bring to the family. Because there was a considerable gap in her practical nursing activity, she was first required to take several refresher courses. Nine months later Erin took a job in South Jersey.

Jane worked for a short time on night-shift as a nurse at the local hospital in South Jersey, but this was far from satisfactory. Towards the end of 1990 she took a part-time job in a nursing home dispensing medicines but, as dance was her first love, gave serious thought to starting a Master's in Dance Education at Temple University, Philadelphia, where she had received a Department Fellowship - awarded on the basis of academic and professional merit. Late in 1991 she enrolled at Temple University but found her schedule very hectic as she also kept her part-time job at the nursing home.

Return to Kingman

When Erin decided to return to a less pressured life-style at Kingman, Arizona, Jane flew there in May, 1992 for a job interview as a nurse. Whilst there she bought a house. By August 1992 they were settled at 3308 Diamond Drive North in Kingman and she had taken a full-time position in the local hospital, with the future ambition to reopen her dance studio.

Resigning from her hospital post, in March 1993 she became a school nurse because of the more convenient hours for her family. During the summer school recess she also took a part-time job at a local nursing home. From November 1992 she conducted several dance workshops and in September 1993 she reopened her South-West Dance Studio.

When Jane moved back to Kingman she had not completed all the requirements for her Master's Degree in Dance Education, but found she could continue the work in Kingman, and expected to gain the degree by May 1994.

In 1993, when asked what matters most in life, Jane responded:

Happiness! Fulfilment, which comes from being loved, and being sincerely committed to one's family. A happy home environment is of the highest importance. For this one needs all the right ingredients: communication between members, individual respect, sharing within the family and honesty within the group. Self-acceptance is most important: I have found from experience that if one does not have this, there is a tendency to become self-centred. For example, I did not pursue a career in professional dance performance - which I could have done - because it was not consistent with my personal values.

¹ 1994

SUMMARY

Childhood

Adventures: Camping, New Zealand and California.

² Nul-Arbor (No trees).

A desert-like area separating Western Australia from the Eastern States.

Interest in sports

Surfboarding

³ A small beach area without habitation, south of Busselton, near Cape Naturaliste.

High School

an, the only child of Peter Ozanne and Joy Weir, was born on the 3 October 1954 at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Perth, Western Australia. He married Judith Fall on 2 December 1978. They have¹ two children, Ben and Sasha. Ian trained in psychology, sociology and social work, and became a parole officer. He was posted for several years to Broome, Western Australia where he was responsible for the Kimberley region (in area, somewhat bigger than France). In this position he had much contact with Aboriginal groups. He returned to Perth at the end of 1988 to live in his home at 6 Linden Gardens Floreat Park, Western Australia, 6014.

In 1994, Ian wrote the following account of his life:

I am an only child. When I was born in 1954, Dad was studying in America and Mum and I sailed over to join him six weeks later.

My childhood memories are generally happy. Mum and Dad were very caring. I did not throw tantrums as a child after arguments with Mum and at one stage had to have an angry, jutting jaw corrected! Mum and Dad have always been supportive and as helpful as possible. Whenever we get together there are always lots of laughs. Dad has one of the loudest laughs in the world!

I remember fondly our Cocker Spaniels Blondie, then Cassie and Bernie. I ran away from Grade One of Primary School after Blondie died.

My first great mate was my next door neighbour Mike Phillips. We used to kick a footy over the fence between our houses, or play cricket for hours.

When I was about seven, Mum and Dad took me with them by car and camping across a largely dirt Nullarbor² to Sydney. We then went by plane to New Zealand. Another great adventure was to go by ship to California for a year in about 1964. I attended primary and summer schools, learnt to ski and went by bus with Mum to visit my Uncle Dan in Oregon.

I really enjoyed visiting my grandparents in Floreat, listening to my grandpa's stories and watching him perform magic on anything he touched in the shed. You could shave with his cutting-tools and eat off everything else!

I have always enjoyed most sports, particularly surfing. I graduated to fibreglass surfboards when I was about twelve. For many years I thought of little other than surfing with my school mate Terry Cocks. We used to go "down south" in his parents' caravan and stay at Meelup³. I now surf mainly on my own but occasionally join Neil Arthur whom I also met in primary school. Neil and I took up sailboarding with a passion in approximately 1986 and after a couple of years we learnt to ride in the surf. It is great fun teaching my daughter Sasha and her friends to ride sailboards. They learn so quickly.

I did not enjoy the excess of rules at Hale School, my High School. However, I was an average student, except for maths, and did well in rugby because I was very big for my age. I played on the senior team for three years and became the captain. I think I should have run away down south to surf full-time when I was fourteen!

Tertiary Studies

⁴ = West Australian Institute

of Technology, now Curtin University

Yak House

Working for Community

Welfare

Meeting Judith Fall

⁵ Mini = A very small motor vehicle, manufactured by the Morris company in England. The company no longer exists but their Morris Minor and Mini-Minor were very popular.

MARRIAGE

Family

Three years in BROOME

Discovering a feeling

for the land

Family life in Perth

When in High School I worked at a gas station and later ran a drop-in centre called "Yak House" which was aimed at trying to help troubled youths like me! I had lots of fun and made many friends.

In 1971 I completed my High School Leaving and Matriculation exams and managed to get into W.A.I.T.⁴ I took majors in Psychology and Sociology because I had enjoyed working with people at Yak House. During the course I had the wonderful experience of going on the inaugural WAIT in Europe study tour. My late Uncle Tom Hogg left me the money in his Will and I went at short notice for three months. Near the end of the course I did cleaning jobs. I got a full-time job as clerk in the "Records" for Community Welfare on 1 April 1976, but I still ran Yak House for a year. Later I completed a Bachelor of Social Work to improve my chances of advancement in my new job.

In "Records" I met the girl of my dreams, Judith Anne Fall. She was beautiful, shy, smart and she seemed to like me! We fell in love and I managed to entice her to live with me. We enjoyed talking, sailing our surf-cat, camping and motorcycling together. Before we married we went to New Zealand together and enjoyed skiing and driving around the islands in a hire mini⁵. By that time I had obtained a full-time job as a probation and parole officer working with adult offenders.

Jude and I married in Christchurch Chapel in Claremont on 6 December 1978, had a big reception at the Cottesloe Civic Centre and a lightning three-weeks' honeymoon driving over to Sydney and Brisbane.

We set up house at 6 Linden Gardens, Floreat in what was my grandparents' home. Jude and I bought my mother's half of the house and set about renovations and additions with Jude's competent designing and draftspersoning skills. Jude began full-time studies in psychology and we attended antenatal classes together, but these pursuits were put on hold by the birth of our son Benjamin Ian Ozanne on 26 November 1979. On 9 January 1983 our daughter, Sasha Joy Ozanne was born. I am so delioghted to have two such marvellous healthy and cheeky children.

We travelled as a family to Broome for nearly three years in 1986 due to a promotion with my employment. Jude's post-graduate studies suffered but we gained valuable insights into country living. Jude launched a national miniatures magazine. I shall never forget the feelings that the land gave me and the some of the lessons learnt from my Aboriginal colleagues and associates. I had regular field trips into the wilderness with my work but there were many lonely times for us as a family as I was often away for several days, and came home very tired.

In recent years I have had much enjoyment from pursuing various spiritual ideas with Jude and our mutual friends. In 1990 we had a most enjoyable two months holiday driving around the "Eastern States" and living in my parents-in-law's caravan. Jude and I have become regular walkers together in Bold Park and around the suburb. I have involved myself in Ben and Sasha's sporting interests, learning to become a basketball coach and club secretary. I am yet to come to grips with Sasha's latest sport, netball.

I am loving developing friendships with Ben and Sasha as Jude and I encourage them to reach their full potential. I am enjoying seeing them become ever more confident and happily independent in their relationships with the world. I am also feeling more sure of myself, confident and relaxed in the world. Paradoxically I also feel simultaneously less sure and confident about many things as time goes by!

I am still enjoying the rough and tumble of making my contribution to improving the School of Life. One day I hope to graduate into grandparenthood alongside grandmother Jude!

		udith, the first child of John Fall and Kay Melson, was born in Perth, Western Australia, on 9 September 1955. She married Ian Ozanne on 2 December 1978 and had two children, Ben and Sasha. g In May 1994 she wrote the following account of her life:
CHILDHOOD		At the age of two years, I travelled with my parents and baby brother to England where we lived near London, returning to Perth when I was five. My memories of my childhood are peaceful and happy, with loving parents at home, and plenty of freedom. I loved dolls and collected, and made, an abundance of them, but I was always a tomboy. I roamed around the streets and lanes in South Perth and Como with my brother in a gang, building tree-houses, underground tunnels and engaging in various forms of childhood guerilla warfare. Although I didn't enjoy schoolwork particularly, I loved the old house that had been converted to a school, and playing on and under the long, winding verandahs.
The Family moves to Currie Hall Effect on her life as a teenager A year in England without school		When I was eleven, my father took a position as Resident Fellow at Currie Hall, a student residence at the University of Western Australia. This meant that the whole family moved into an on-site flat. At the time, this was a disruption I did not want, but I later appreciated that the move enriched my life, giving me an opportunity to meet people from many different backgrounds and cultures. My father developed a strong interest in humanistic psychology and so, as a teenager, I had ready access to ideas and philosophies, and devoured books of all sorts. In the weekends and during the holidays, Peter and I explored and cycled through the University grounds and nearby King's Park. I sailed on the river in our own small boat and in heavy, old, clinker-built boats as a member of the Pelican Point Sea Rangers. Schoolwork continued to be an accepted chore, and spending a year in England instead of going to school, in the year I turned fourteen, was like a wild dream come true.
Leaving school Working Living away from home		I completed my secondary education at Penrhos Methodist Ladies' College, South Perth, and then commenced training as a primary school teacher. Feeling disenchanted with the education system, I then worked for several years as a technical assistant at the Western Australian Museum and as a clerk at the Department of Community Welfare. After leaving school, I lived away from home both in a flat by myself and in a shared-house, and made several close friends. I loved living an independent life with my own, though meagre, income.

A return to study

Marriage to Ian Ozanne

Children: Ben and Sasha

While working at the Department of Community Welfare, I met Ian Ozanne, also working as a clerk. Soon afterwards, Ian started working as a social worker for the Corrective Services Department and I began studying at the University of Western Australia for a B.A. majoring in Psychology. We married on 2 December 1978 and, by the time I had completed my degree, we had two children, Ben, born in 1979, and Sasha, born in 1983. My children have brought a great deal of fulfilment to my life and I continue to enjoy watching them develop and being involved in their interests.

Interest in Miniatures

Establishing an

Australia-wide magazine

working as a counsellor

While Ben and Sasha were small, I developed a longstanding interest in miniatures. I made and sold miniature paintings, needlework and furniture through craft fairs and through miniatures shops in Perth, Sydney and Brisbane. I also established and edited an Australia-wide miniatures magazine that continues to be very successful, and I worked voluntarily as a counsellor.

Three years in Broome

Widening the horizons

Between 1986 and 1989, Ian took up a position in Broome. At times, I felt quite isolated and lonely, but made some good friends and enjoyed the relaxed, casual lifestyle and the opportunity to travel throughout the Kimberleys. Almost everyone in Broome was friendly and accepting, and I loved living in a mixed and much less homogenous population compared to the conservative, middle-class suburb where we lived in Perth. Until this time, I had led a very safe, sheltered life and in Broome met many people with health and financial problems. It became obvious to me that different family structures and lifestyles did not necessarily mean less happiness or fulfilment in life, but simply meant different types of problems and different types of fulfilment. My time in Broome led to me becoming more open in my ideas about how I wanted to lead my life.

Enlarging interests:

Social history

Dancing and Singing

Further studies.

Returning to Perth, I studied Australian social history and took up dancing and singing. Dancing and singing are an important part of my life and I look forward to eventually having time to belong to more than one singing group. I am currently enrolled full-time in a Post-Graduate Diploma of Applied Psychology at Curtin University and hope that this will be my last year of academia and that I'll be able to find work in this area next year.

Values in life

I have been very fortunate to have been brought up in a home where I was materially well cared for but, more importantly, where I received unconditional love and support and where I was shown the value of being accepting and non judgemental towards others. These values give life meaning despite the difficulties I sometimes have in applying them! Having time to enjoy the company of my family and friends and being available to them in times of need are very important to me. In addition to people and relationships, I find great enjoyment in music, nature and humour.

SUMMARY

¹ Methodist Ladies' College

Wesley College

Developing an interest in

Electronics

{Comments by Peter were made in 1994}

eter, the second child of John Fall and Kay Melson, was born in Perth, Western Australia on 12 July 1957. On 13 May 1978 he married Lee Baker while he was still an undergraduate. Since graduation in Electrical Engineering he has worked in the area of digital hardware and software design. He and Lee have four children: Shannon (b.1979), Michelle (b.1981), Christopher (b.1982) and Amy (b.1989). In Mid 1993 he and his family went to Switzerland where he was employed by Alcatel, a telephone system manufacturing company.

When Peter was six months old he travelled with his parents to Britain for three years, returned to Australia and commenced primary school at MLC¹ at South Perth. He transferred to Wesley College in South Perth after second grade and completed his secondary education at that school, gaining a half-scholarship in high school. In 1967 his parents moved into a student residence at the University of Western Australia, Nedlands. Peter and his sister commuted daily to their South Perth schools.

Peter recalled:

I remember that, as a young boy, I enjoyed climbing trees and building tunnels. My father worked as a university lecturer in electrical engineering and his career rubbed off on me. I enjoyed visiting the laboratories at his workplace. At the age of eleven I became interested in electronics and knew what I wanted for a career. I was lucky because I had no trouble in selecting subjects for study at high school. My parents gave me an electronics construction set. I built many projects and this increased my interest.

Although Peter enjoyed school and did well academically, he was not a sportsman - probably because he did not come from a family with a traditional involvement in sport. However, in his teen years he played hockey for his school as it was a sport new to all the boys when it was first introduced. In 1969 at the age of twelve he travelled with his parents to England for a year and enjoyed a camping trip in Europe.

A year in England

Shyness and Assertiveness

Studying Engineering

Discovering an interest

in the Guitar

My parents gave my sister and me the choice of either going to school in England, or having a year without school. We jumped at the chance of a year off! When I returned to Australia I was a year behind my former classmates but soon made a new set of friends. I believe that taking a year off school was beneficial to my education: I found that many subjects now seemed much easier.

I remember being a very shy boy but, at the age of fourteen, I realised that nothing was to be gained through shyness. I tried to be bolder and more assertive. Inwardly, I am still shy and often prefer to be a listener. Perhaps any assertiveness that I have is to some extent a bit artificial.

After completing his secondary schooling, Peter enrolled in the engineering faculty of the University of Western Australia. In the early years of his course he lived with his parents in Currie Hall, a student residence, and had contact with students from other, notably Asian, cultures. It was through this that he became interested in the guitar.

When I was fifteen my father started learning the guitar. I followed him. I enjoyed it very much and spent many hours each day practising. A year later I went to Sydney for a master class. This was my first time away by myself. Later, my teacher in Perth wanted me to go to Spain to continue my studies and to make a career in music. I appreciated the fact that my father counselled me, but left the decision to me. Although I loved the guitar, I decided that an electronics career would be more economically viable. Years later, when I had a family of my own, there was less time to practice; I gave up the guitar altogether, but look forward to returning to it in later life.

Life changed for Peter when he left school. As he recalled:

Meeting and marrying

Lee Baker

Work: Deltec Pacific

Xdel

Working as a private

consultant

Switzerland

Children

Discovering a

Religious Faith

The Important Things

in Life

I worked during the summer vacation for a security alarm company before starting at the University. There, I met my boss's sister, Lee, who was visiting him from Newcastle, New South Wales. My boss threatened me with the sack unless I took his young sister out. Soon we came to love each other very much and decided to marry before I completed my University studies.

They married on 13 May 1978 and Peter completed his engineering course in 1979, majoring in control systems. Initially Peter rented his parents' house in Como. Later they bought a house in the suburb of Wilson and, still later, built a house in the same suburb.

From 1980 to 1986 he worked as a software engineer for a small company, Deltec Pacific, that manufactured alarm and building-monitoring systems.

After five years the company announced that it would close after two more years. Peter and several other engineers stayed on contract for those last two years but decided to start a consulting and contract developing company when their contract was completed. They formed Xdel Technology and undertook a variety of projects over the next seven years. They then disbanded the company, and each person went his own way.

Peter and Lee formed a partnership, P & L Systems. Peter worked as a private consultant for over a year and then had the opportunity to take a contract with Alcatel STR in Zürich, Switzerland. In 1993 he and his family moved to Switzerland for a period and found this quite a challenge, especially with language and cultural differences.

Soon after marriage, Peter discovered the joys of being a family man.

After a year of marriage, our first baby, Shannon, was born. Prior to her birth, I had always wanted instant kids - children who were born at the age of seven or eight. Perhaps this was because I had not had interaction with very young children and this made me feel insecure. Shannon's birth changed this. I was very excited and found a new joy in young children - and also a change in allotment of my time. I found that childbirth was particularly exciting and, after the home-birth of our fourth baby, Amy, I had a desire to become a midwife! However, it was not economically feasible to make such a career change.

Peter enjoyed family activities and took part in such pursuits as bush-walking, rock-climbing, canoeing and, in Switzerland, skiing. However, another facet of life also claimed his attention:

While renting a house in Wilson, missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints visited us. Up to that time I had no belief in the existence of God as a separate and individual being, but what they told us seemed to ring true. One night I had an overwhelming feeling that what they told me not only seemed true, but was true. I had never had such a feeling before. Suddenly I had no doubt. Over the next few days I suffered great confusion as I let go some of the things I previously held true. Now, thirteen years later, in 1994, I am strong in my belief but find it difficult to live the way that I know I should.

Commenting on what he finds important in life, Peter said:

I find that there are so many things to do in life, and so few hours in each day. It is important, but difficult, to choose which things to pursue, and which to leave untouched. I know that I do not always make the right decisions. I find my work challenging and interesting and, when being paid at an hourly rate, I tend to work more than I should. Time and money are exchangeable, and striking the right balance is difficult. Still, I'm very grateful as I know there are many people in this world who are not in a position to choose their working hours.

I think it is important that people work together rather than against each other, as much precious time is wasted in this way.

My long-term goal is to see my children established in their own lives, and to find myself in retirement with enough means and health to enjoy life.

Summary

ee, the youngest child of Stanley Baker and Jean McInnes, was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, on Sunday 1 February 1959. When she was ten years old her mother died and she was brought up largely by her father. She married Peter Fall in Perth, Western Australia on 13 May 1978. They have four children.

Brothers and sister:

Age difference made her almost an only child.

Lee was the youngest child in her family, being born when her mother was forty-three years of age. In many ways she felt an only child because of the age difference to her siblings. Robert was eleven years, and Kerry almost sixteen years her senior. Her parents also had an adopted daughter, Kay, who was more than twenty years her senior and who married when Lee was one year old. This age difference meant that Lee did not come to know her brothers and sister as people until many years later.

From her earliest memories, Lee's mother was always ill, having led a difficult life, losing her first two babies. She withdrew much into herself, and later developed heart problems. Lee recalled:

The sickness and death of her mother

I can remember my mother always being sickly. Always. She had a bad heart and for most of my childhood was in and out of hospital. She had been in bed for six months before she died when I was ten. The death certificate stated the cause of death as heart failure, but I think she may also have had cancer. It took me a long time to recover from the trauma of her death.

I awoke one night at three in the morning during a terrific storm. Dad said, "Wake up! We must go to the hospital." I was terrified. My mother died in the car, but Dad took her into the hospital, and came out later to tell me she was dead. I didn't believe him. He asked me to go in, kiss her and say goodbye. I never overcame this experience.

School and childhood friends

Over the primary school years, because her mother had been unable to settle in any one place for long, Lee moved from school to school in Newcastle. She had many acquaintances, but few close friends. During these years, before her mother's death, she spent much time at the home of her sister Kay. Kay had married Eric Gardner, and their daughters Carol and Robyn and, later, their son Jeffery became as siblings to her.

Illness, frustration

and anger

Lee enjoyed high school and made many new friends. Life changed for her with only her father to guide her through the adolescent years. Although she grew close to her father, the traumatic experience of the past, and normal teenage frustration made her angry and rebellious. At the age of fourteen she became very sick with nephritis - inflammation of the kidney - and for a week lapsed into a coma. When she recovered, her father thought that she needed a mother, so they both went to live with his sister Marian who had married Harold John (Jack) Gunn.

Rebellion		Lee rebelled against this as Marian's ways were much more strict than those of her father. A further difficulty was that in fourth-year high school she wanted to train as a nurse. This meant commuting to Sydney. Her father opposed this, both because he was over-protective and because he thought that girls should marry and raise a family, not develop a career. Lee left school, took up shorthand-typing, hated it, and rebelled. She wanted to grow up, to be free and independent. Having left school, time was on her hands. Most days she left home early in the morning and did not return until late afternoon. She felt that Marian's house was not a home for her.
The move to Perth: Meeting Peter Fall Marriage: 1978		Lee had always idolised her brother Robert. So, when life was bad in Newcastle, her father suggested that she visit Robert who had settled in Perth, Western Australia. She arrived in Perth on 10 January 1976 and, on that same day, met Peter Fall, a university engineering student who was engaged in vacation work for Robert's firm. It is a family joke that Robert asked Peter to take out his sister, saying, If you don't take her out, I will sack you; If you do take her out, I'll give you ten dollars." From this, a relationship grew and they were married on 13 May 1978. Eventually they settled in the suburb of Wilson at 14 Hyland Way.
Establishing a family		Lee found Peter a very stable, compassionate partner, and life took a new turn with the arrival of the family: Shannon (b.1979), Michelle (b.1981), Christopher (b.1982) and Amy (b.1989). Her father was still an important part of her life. On retirement, he periodically drove across Australia living six months with Lee and Peter, and then six months with his family in New South Wales. Lee recalled the effect of his death in October 1981:
Death of her father		When my father died, I lost my rudder. Apart from Peter, he was my stability. It was like someone threw me into a pool and said, "OK, Now swim." I had grown up; I had Peter; I had Shannon, but Dad was still behind me; he lived with us, and he was still a parent. For a while I was left floundering. But cope she did. Looking back, she realises that her children taught her much about herself and that her father gave her much:
Learning what matters in life		I have learnt how to set more realistic goals for myself; I have learnt to be patient and to be very forgiving of myself. I have learnt to accept myself as a fallible human being. I have learnt that the most important thing in life is caring about people. Family is very important. Through years of trying to isolate myself I have learnt that we all need other people. Human relationships are the most significant and lasting things in life. Homes come and go, jobs come and go, but human relationships are always there. Today, I still very much feel the benefit of the love and security that Dad gave me as a child. The strength I needed to overcome so many of my early experiences has come from my father. So we all need people to care about us, and we need to care for people. For me, that is the most important thing in life.