We came over roads we'd only seen on maps, and camped in towns with romantic names like Khancoban and Tumbarumba. We had never visited Albury-Wodonga before; the hospitality and enthusiasm of the locals added an extra fun dimension to the weekend.

The Art Gallery was a delight and the cultural buzz overall was something to be envied.

We basically chose that gig on the Oil’s tour for the support bands and the size of the venue, so all the added features were a huge bonus.

I love that we supported regional businesses along the way, if only to a small degree as we stopped for refreshments.

Well done to all involved in bringing great events further than the capital cities, and well done Albury-Wodonga for making us feel so welcome.

Years from now your children may be going through your belongings after your passing and throw away a great deal of what you have created and collected over a lifetime. They consider it junk.

Too late for the grandchildren whose precious memories of their grandparents were founded on being surrounded by these now lost treasures. A little bit later these same grandchildren discover that their wonderful grandparents and possibly their parents were either complicit with or were just not interested in what became the conversion of the remaining pristine hills around Wodonga into concrete and bitumen junk yards.

The death of fauna and their habitats as well as destruction of the unique flora was of little or no concern in their preconceived narrow mindedness. How will these devastating experiences play on the minds of these children? Will it just be another lasting scar on their landscape of experience? Who cares?

Tuesday (7/11/17) was Melbourne Cup Day and 50 years ago it was Melbourne Cup Day (7/11/67).

I remember it well because my baby (due 5/11/67) showed signs of arriving from noon on that Melbourne Cup Day.

In the labour ward at Mercy Hospital at 1.30pm I was sorry to be missing all the fanfare of Cup Day and, with nothing much happening labour wise I told Dr Bill Grant and his assisting nurse that they should take a coffee break and just leave me for a while. He seemed surprised and said to his nurse “I think she means it” to which the nurse replied, “well she has a transistor radio under her pillow and I think she wants to hear the Melbourne Cup call”.

The hundreds of locals who remember Dr Bill Grant will know it was hard to get a smile, but when I said  “everything stops for the Melbourne Cup – even my contractions”, he did manage a grin.

After making sure I had the call button close they left, the Cup was run, the Doctor and nurse returned and one hour later Scott Alexander Brady was born.

Dr Grant, with a wry smile, said “you're not going to call him Redhanded are you?”

He told me 7/11 was very lucky. I'm not sure why but I still try and include those numbers when playing Lotto or having a bet.