At 1.30am on Saturday morning April 6, 1929, Percy was woken from the briefest of naps by the clock from the post office in Cameron Street, the bell from the United Fire Brigade in Brisbane Street, and his frantic yet purposeful parents telling them that they had to leave.
They had gone to bed in their clothes, their warmest clothes, just in case.
Read MoreWinter has arrived.
Like an unwelcome knock on an old door my mood dials to tense.
I have come to dislike winter. A chill in my bones that no fleece can thaw. My legs, my toes, my joints, my nose - reacting anxiously to the enveloping dark and the gradual decrease in temperature.
Cold. Colder. Coldest.
Read MoreHow much do you know about Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War?
If I asked you a similar question about the World Wars including the Gallipoli Campaign, the Western Front, the Kokoda Track, and Hellfire Pass, would you be able to answer in more detail? Could you tell me about posthumous Victoria Cross Winner, forever 18-year-old Tasmanian Ordinary Seaman Edward "Teddy" Sheehan VC who, wounded and on the brink of death, strapped himself to an Oerlikon cannon on the sinking HMAS Armidaleto protect his mates.
My hypothesis is - you could.
Read MoreAs I cast an eye across our back deck a couple of Wednesdays ago, it appeared the Easter Bunny had returned to Tasmania with pitter-patter paw prints transforming the boards into a winter wonderland.
On closer inspection the prints were far larger than expected, resembling the heavy footed and rarely sighted Easter hare in gumboots who appeared to have trampled through settled snow.
Read MoreOne airport, one runway operating and winds reaching 70 km/h cancelled my flight from Sydney on Friday afternoon. Collectively, travellers appeared calm and understanding, many having viewed the aborted landing of QF12 from Los Angeles.
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