28.7.2026 Tuesday - the kitchen door

This was in the thick photo album which I made with leftover card and black sugar paper bought from the 'triangle' stationery shop in Kuching. It is a photo of Sam in our kitchen at 222 Moorabool Street; it is a scene repeated many times. This time, it was captured on film, and printed. It was probably 6pm or later, as it is dark outside in the narrow alley way that led to our front door (our only door to the flat where we lived for about 5 years). The window can be lifted to unlock the door from the outside - years later, we would meet former residents of this flat who tell us about this. From the way she is dressed, it is likely that she did not have class that day. She is wearing my jumper, one of the first things I bought when I arrived in Australia, from an army disposals store on Flinders Street. 

24.10.2025 Friday - taking the V-Line

 

27th November 2023 Monday. Brief encounter

 Two brief meetings today, one with Teck who wants only to look at the projects going on site in the coming months. The others - later as they are not approved yet, he is happy and a bit down at the same time. One of our projects was not tabled for the planning meeting, we will have wait some more. Later he gives us a beachside house to design, more to think about and explore.

Geelong Art Gallery 1987

Later that day, another quick meeting with a client who seems unconcerned about the requirements from the authorities, a 5.5m drain reserve cutting into our site. We have a solution, and show him. He leaves, and we get back to work. I go to the tennis courts. 

I have decided to lift heavier weights in the gym. 

18th August 2023 Friday - Geelong (day 7) seeing everything and everyone (almost)

Ryrie Street, the glass blocks in the floor allow light into the basement floor, where we once rented a studio to do a group project in Year 5.

Today, we begin our Geelong adventure - to retrace our steps through this little country town that was our home for close to 6 years in the 80's. I had a route in mind, which would take us through the landmarks from our past, stop and look into the windows, try and remember names of shops and people long gone.  

Moorabool Street, we never noticed the individual and articulate elevations of these shops before, that's what 30 years away does to your appreciation of the mundane. 

Our former home, now taken over by the heating store. Pauline has a records store downstairs, we lived in the 3 rooms upstairs with a kitchen and living room downstairs and at the back of this shop. 

Our main entrance which is actually a back alley (off Cullen's Place) through the chain-link gate

There used to be another brick structure in front of the blue wall, with a toilet in it. Our former home is now the office for the maintenance people at the hospital, we were told by one of the staff whom we met here. 

Walking past the hospital onto Gheringhap Street down towards the Library and Town Hall.

This is a prominent corner though I don't remember what was here before, it is a coffee shop now so Sam and I did what we promised ourselves we would do - have a drink or meal whenever we felt like it, we are on holiday.

Marge, I would like to be alone with the sandwich for a moment. @Toasty Cafe

The Arts Centre appears to be designed in two halves; one by Hassell and the other tacky half by ARM

I dislike this intensely, I don't think it would pass Year 2 studio

We used to walk pass these buildings to get home from the train station

The new Geelong Library is by ARM as well, I forgive the 'eroded sphere jammed into the existing building' design, because books have a calming effect on me, especially when I am able to buy some second magazines. 

(I tried to pay for them at the counter only to find out that it is a view window from the cafe adjoining the library's reading room, the lady I mistook for a cashier is someone enjoying her morning coffee)

The staircase and lift core are located outside the floors containing the gathering place, the reading nest, inspiration, the vault, staff admin. and the high ground (outlook and viewing balcony)

Gordon Tech, City campus

The train station seems unchanged from all those years ago, new stations have been added; Waurn Ponds, Avalon, etc

One summer, I took the 6am train to Melbourne to work at the Ministry of Housing; sometimes I would sneak into the first class carriage, lean back the seat and have a good nap.

West Park - during my stay here, I have only gone into the park once, when the lady from the milk bar knocked on our door early one morning and told us that Debbie was in the park, and 'she is kissing the statues'. 

220 Pakington Street - my address in Year 1, above a fish-n-chips shop; three rooms in a row facing the street one window each, mine was the middle room.

Geelong West Town Hall - with a forecourt and a library; quite quaint yet modern.

A modern building with a forecourt, to set the entrance away from the street. I wonder why we did not wonder into the building, perhaps because we were op-shop hunting, and also because Dezi was on his way to find us, to take us for lunch.

This is the new Convention Centre at the top of hill behind the campus - this is a nice corner of the Centre overlooking a river/stream

These two have a conscience and decided that we should attend the tour since we had signed up for it. There are no photos of the tour because it was quite badly organised, and because we left half way through to pick up Kathy and to have a beer with her. 

Ann, and Greg Carden (Cardie) greyer but otherwise unchanged. I forgot to ask where he worked. 

The very nice architecture school.

After the networking night at the campus, we got into the Davidson (a bit of clever wrangling from Dicko) and enjoyed a nice evening with old and new friends. After the dinner, the locals decided to go elsewhere for more drinks, while the two Asians declined and walked home hand in hand. A bit of deja vu as I am sure that was what happened when we went the Davidson with Di and Brenda all those years ago. 

Although we were here for two whole days only, it made think about how fortunate we are. Not many people are able to return after 33 years and still share a personal history; many have separated, or divorced or simply lost touch. 

 

7 March 2022 Monday 220 Pakington Street

 

In Memory of Iain

Our friend Iain passed away on this day three years ago - this is a re-posting of my journal entry at that time.

Our good friend, Iain Heggen passed away on the 11th of April in Geelong. Sam and I have known him since 1986 - we met during the Second Year of Architecture School in Deakin University.

He was one of the few that kept in touch after our return to Malaysia - which makes it hard to bear and harder to believe. There will be no more funny emails from Iain with photographs of Geelong.

His funeral was on the 20th of April - several of our close friends attended. Dianne who was unable to attend shared a touching story about how she first met Iain. She writes - 

"If I was to be there I would recall that I first met Iain when I responded to a notice he'd pinned up around the architecture studio. It offered free accommodation at My Buller during the week of the DU ski club trip.  The free accommodation turned out to be an igloo which we would build ourselves."

While I am glad that some of my friends were able to attend Iain's funeral. I regret not being there. I regret not telling Iain when I had a chance that in many ways he represented the Australia that Sam and I remember fondly to this day - the warm friendship, the irreverent wit and generosity.

Years after I returned to Malaysia, he would surprise me with phone calls - "because it is Easter
over here" or because it is my birthday (or his). Once I told him that I watched a televised
bike race through Geelong - he replied "Oh, I was there, did you see me waving?"

I took this photo of Iain and Wendy in our porta-cabin studio during Year 5; as an engagement present to the both of them. 

Iain Heggen; an all round good egg with long strides and a chipper outlook - as Cardie so aptly puts it. 

Taking a turn around the room

This antiquated phase gave me the idea for this photo-montage; a panorama of faces collected almost 30 years ago. Judging from the number of people, it must have quite a big occasion; were we on our way to a concert, was it the Bach recital in the old church near our house? No one remembers, we can't even recall the year.

Dez and Freddo reckon it must have been1988, though Cardie thinks it's closer to 1989 on account of Rosa being there. She left for Europe after graduation and worked for Forster’s; I think we were all a little in love with Rosa.

Next to her with long curly hair is Simon who is now in politics (and without his curls), I remember his deep voice and slow drawl-y way of speaking. Marcus was from a year our junior; a very good student and photographer, I don't know him very well and can't remember his friend's name. Sitting next to Sam is Iain who left us two years ago – I like his sense of humour and generosity, and I remember that Sam had a soft spot for him.

Annette who is talking to Sam was studying to be a journalist and once interviewed me for a school assignment. I think it was about the relationship of one's cultural background and eventual personality or character. In it she said that I had a propensity to tell a good story. (I had to look up 'propensity'.)

Next to her is Nicola (?) - a good pastry cook, her specialty is Florentines which she secretly calls "vomits" on account of their splattered shapes, I think and certainly not their taste because they were heavenly. I tasted them once when she made them for a garden party at Dianne’s, during which I met her and Annette.

Cardie is an unusual combination of cool and edginess – perhaps a precursor of grunge? I remember him as being half asleep most of the time yet able to come up with wonderful design schemes. He and I were workshop partners for the Silver Medallion Award. Min (real name Marie) nearly got us beaten up once when she re-wrote the menu of working-men’s pub; changing ‘fried lamb brains’ to ‘shit-for-brains’; ‘calamari and chips’ to ‘calamari and foreskins’, etc. At the time, I think she was going out (to use another old fashioned term) with Freddo who once said ‘..no man, don’t call him a cunt – cunts are nice things’. In Australia, Freddo is the name of a chocolate treat in the shape of frog. Tim next to him is more restrained and last seen converting an old church in Geelong into centre for restoring old timbers – I wonder if he is still doing that (I should write to him).

Dianne is precious, she unknowing perhaps taught to me to put myself in another person’s shoes and see the other point of view – something that I am still learning to do well. She visited us when we got married in Kuching and came along for our honeymoon in Penang.

So, this was my circle of friends and acquaintances in Geelong who have in some way shaped my thinking and my attitude towards people, life and work, or at the very least given me stories to tell -  even if they are 30 years too late.

One question though – Dez, where were you?