John Rawnsley

A photo I took at Waikiki beach In 2011 I visited several cities in the United States as part of a leadership program.  This post includes my observations of my visit to Honolulu, Hawai'i. ************************ Intro and history I spent about five days in Hawai'i, mainly the Honolulu city area and some time at Waikiki.  The cultural exposure of the islands to the world, expressed mainly through surfboarding, flowers (lei) and 'Aloha' (hello, love), is a phenomenal story.  Like many people of my generation I came to know these things from a young age and Hawai'i deserves credit for its marketing and tourism success. The success of the islands from a tourism perspective is partly attributed to the sheer size of the US economy and its consumer base (Hawai'i is truly unique and has been able to capitalise on this as a State of the US).  Exposure globally, though, shows credit should go beyond this fate in history.  Experiencing Hawai'i in person an

This post is to highlight what I'm grateful for in twenty twelve. Above all, I'm grateful for my family and the time I've spent with them this year.  In recent years I've been involved in a few things and found myself too stretched.  This year I re-adjusted and am better for it. I remember some years ago a parent of adults telling me that all ages were enjoyable for raising children.  As she told me I remember the pleased expression on her face as if all her memories of this time flashed before her.  In other conversations I hear of the difficult transition one faces when they raise children and then they leave home.  As my children get older I appreciate this, and as my own work through the 'middle' childhood age I anticipate the final stages of childhood before them.  I am grateful for being able to spend more time with them and my wonderful wife, Anita. Photo courtesy of Justin Brierty and the Centralian Advocate This year I was admitted to the roll