During 2004 Zara Williams (daughter of Russell and

Nikki Williams n¾e Maishman) has swum out of her skin

for East Grinstead Swimming Club. Zara, who turns 12

years old on 23rd February 2005, now holds the Under

age 12 club records for 25, 33, 50, 100 and 200 metre

freestyle, 25, 33, 50 and 200 metre backstroke and 50

and 100 metre butterfly. She trains 4 times a week for a

total of 6 hours and is being asked to fit in 2 more

training sessions, which her parents are currently resisting! Recently,

Zara was instrumental in helping the club to win the Speedo League 1

South East division. They will be in the Premiership for 2005 facing clubs

all over the south of England. If you compare some of Zara’s times with

the top Under age 12 swimmers who swam in the Premiership final in

Sheffield last year she would be in the top 3. If you want to follow Zara’s

swimming achievements try typing her name into the UK web or ask

Nikki to keep you advised. As her favourite tee-shirt proudly notes

‘Watch this face.......it’s going to be famous’.

From Craig Maishment in Canada
My mother (who lives in Calgary, Alberta) just turned 82 and is in good health and still living on her own. My son (Colin) is in his second year of Theatre at the University of Victoria, and my daughter (Lisa) just started her first year of Respiratory Technology at Thompson Rivers University. My brother (Douglas) retired as a schoolteacher after many years and my other brother (Clive) is still the Director of the Yellowhead Regional Library System (near Edmonton). Last spring I was promoted to Director of Technical Services for Soyaworld Inc. All in all, a pretty good year for the Maishments in Canada. P.S. if you go to a search engine (like Yahoo) and type in "Maishment", there is an obituary for a Jean Maishment of Bristol who recently died there. (Anyone know how she might have been related to our other Maishments?)

The Wallington connection
I’m sorry if this item is of no interest to most of you, but it represents a break-through in the research of my mother’s family. A few weeks ago we were ‘discovered’ by Paul Baker who has achieved a considerable amount of progress regarding the Wallington family in a very short time. He is the Great Great Great Grandson of Henry James Wallington, descended from Henry James Wallington's (1849-1907) younger brother - George Rowland Wallington., making him my 3rd cousin once removed. The best way to see how we are related is to visit Paul’s web site at www.tribalpages.com/tribes/silusdoom.
However, you will need to ask me for the password (I cannot show it in this newsletter for obvious reasons).

From Steve Rubie in New Zealand
About three months ago, we moved from Auckland city to a lifestyle block - a piece of land to live on for the lifestyle component. In this country 15 acres is a little small to carry on farming as such, though many people do with the growing cottage industries here such as organic farming and specialist crops etc. We have the place to ourselves and it consists of six paddocks, each of about 2 acres plus a small enclosure surrounding the dam for supplying water for the stock and a couple of acres of fenced off native bush in which there are many ferns and a small waterfall. It's quite elevated here so we catch the south west winds but we have commanding views over nearby vineyards and pine plantations plus a direct view of central Auckland city about 20 miles away. We spend a lot of our time tending to our 4 alpacas, 2 donkeys, 2 highland cattle steers plus the chooks, cats and dogs and not to mention 2 Rainbow Lorikeets.
Our daughter Elisabeth is coming home for Christmas so we will be arranging for her big gelded stallion to come here with a lady horse to keep him company. So all in all a bit of a menagerie. Sarah has been to South America this year to visit Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia and hopes to return there in 2006. Next year she intends visiting her new boyfriend's family in Perth around February. Matthew changed jobs and now works for a marine sales place more central to the city. They deal predominantly in Yamaha outboards and Volvo inboards.
Edith & Carl are back now from their big trip to see Carl's family in Canada (Carl turned 69 recently) and they have another grandchild (details please, Carl) compliments of their daughter Susan. Des & Evelyn visited Scotland and Israel some weeks back. We are looking forward to a break over Christmas as this has been a hectic and stressful year for us with this shift in lifestyle.

From Syd Rubie in New Zealand
In October we went across the ditch to Sydney Australia for SPROC (South Pacific Retired Officers Convention.) for five days, then we hired a campervan to drive up to Brisbane taking eight days. It was a chance to visit some friends and relatives on the way. Left the van and met our son Peter in Brisbane and spent the next two weeks with his family before flying home. Really good to see them including Ethan our Great grandson who is now old enough to know who we are and get to know him.
(Hope you’re feeling better now, Syd.)