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Well, given that my 12 Months Later review of my social media exodus was read as more of a 2023 Review (which it was, to be fair) I might as well do another re-view for 2024 😅  'Silver screen' rising into position. Note the storm clouds in the background. 2024 was kicked off by going out with some fellow World Youth Day pilgrims to the Westpac OpenAir Cinema on the Fleet Steps overlooking Farm Cove and the rest of Sydney Harbour. The film we’d arranged to see was One Life (2023), a biographical film about humanitarian Nicholas Winton and more broadly about the Kindertransport of Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia to Britain at the beginning of World War II. This is hardly a film for the faint of heart and as if to accentuate this point we sat, in provided ponchos, for about the last two-thirds of the film under wave after wave of rain pouring over Sydney Harbour. Watching a film outdoors on Sydney Harbour in rolling rain running off my poncho-covered head is an experience I won’t soon forget. Speaking of World Youth Day Lisbon, much of 2024 was spent finishing off a 12-month voucher for photo printing by having a selection of my photos from 2023 physically printed and then arranged by me in a photo album. To mark the 1-year anniversary of the WYD Pilgrimage in July, I organized two get-together lunches for the Over 18s Pilgrim (Italy and Portugal) cohort which many appreciated. I cannot comment about my fellow pilgrims’ experiences. But for me, a year-and-a-half on from Lisbon I’m only just coming to grips with, and processing through, what we all went through over those 22 hectic days of pilgrimage across Mediterranean Europe. But I can say that, for having done it once, I at least have more of an idea of what to expect a second time around and how to manage things and myself better than I did the first time, please God.
In comparison to 2023: 2024 was an exponential increase of train trips, train festivals and rail heritage excursions with my father. Our travels took us north to the Hunter Region around Newcastle and as far south as Goulburn and the Southern Highlands. Indeed, there were many long days with very-early morning starts. But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless, yet we were very tired by the end of those same days. September saw me travelling by airplane up to Brisbane for the IGNITE Conference 2024 organized by Emmanuel Community and its Ignite Youth ministry team. This was the real curveball of 2024 and it was my first ever experience of IGNITE.  Archbishop Mark Coleridge at the microphone. All the talks by various speakers that I went to were good and informative on different parts of the Catholic faith life. A special stand out was the Archbishop of Brisbane, Mark Coleridge’s talk on Encountering the Scriptures where he discussed how the bible “goes to the heart of hopelessness to find a hope that cannot be destroyed.” He truly enkindled in his audience a greater appreciation of “the black fire on white fire” as the Rabbis describe the Holy Scriptures.  Emmanuel Worship on stage, IGNITE Conference 2024 Brisbane. The rallies at IGNITE were experiences. There was much good in them, but by the end of the three-and-a-bit days I was ready to run back to my bunk-hole at home and not have another thousand decibels going right through my body. After attending IGNITE and commuting across Brisbane each morning and evening, it has confirmed to me that what’s needed is smaller and quieter events where good conversation can take place. There’s a place for the big events, as long as they are not the only option available.  Kodak M38 point-and-shoot camera arranged with Kodak UltraMax 400 speed film. On a less frazzled note, that same month I also started shooting 35mm film with a re-loadable plastic point-and-shoot camera. It has been a nice change of pace from taking photos with my smartphone. I don’t really know or have even an idea of what 2025 will bring, apart for the Jubilee Year of Hope that has just begun. Dear God, may this new year see an outpouring of Your love and of experiences of hopes and dreams fulfilled. Let’s see if there’ll be a 2025 Review, eh? Vincent Cavanagh 3 Jan 2025 Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account
of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. ~ 1 Peter 3:15-16, NRSV Catholic
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My father and I spent the day today travelling together along the recently opened City section of the Sydney Metro, stopping to look at the new-build architecture on our way out to visit the Australian Railway Historical Society’s Redfern bookshop. Just over a hundred metres from Waterloo Metro Station. In the Sydney suburb of Alexandria. Clear as mud ;p Our first stop on the new section was Victoria Cross Metro Station which, as far as I am aware, has already been shorted to “VicX” in text message form by my peers.  “Captain Kirk to the Bridge ...” Rail journey to Thirlmere, NSW. A selection of photographs from mine and my father's journey on Transport Heritage NSW's NSW Rail Museum Express on Easter Sunday (31 March 2024) to Thirlmere and back again behind NSW AD60 Class Garratt Steam Locomotive No.6029. Enjoy!  6029 at the head of the NSW Rail Museum Express on Central Station Platform 3, awaiting the departure of the Royal Easter Show service to Flemington for connections to Sydney Olympic Park.  On our way through Picton the sounds and sight of 6029 startled the invading bat colonies that have taken up residence among the trees surrounding the Stonequarry Creek Viaduct.  "Tin Hare" Railmotor CPH 18 and NSW 42 Class 4201 sitting under the main shed at the NSW Rail Museum, Thirlmere.  Over the fence view of 6029 before our departure from the NSW Rail Museum back to Sydney.  An interior shot of the Lounge Car that my father and I travelled in for the journey to and from Thirlmere.  If you ever want to know what it's like to be inside of an agitator, ride behind a Garratt. 6029 on the return to Picton Station.  Catching the evening sun's light glinting off the domes of the Old Rite Russian Orthodox Church as we pass by heading towards nearby Lidcombe Station.  With a piercing shriek, of what may have been it's safety valve, 6029 departed Strathfield Station for Sydney Central and we likewise departed from the express to make our own way home before the evening became to late for comfort. Vincent Cavanagh 3 Apr 2024 Trains, trams and automobiles.  1) F1 arriving into Platform 1 at Sydney Central station with car C 3426 leading. It was the leading car on the official “first train” to cross the Sydney Harbour Bridge on opening day in 1932. (Vincent Cavanagh) My father and I were in attendance on Sunday (25 February 2024) for our first Sydney Tramway Festival, which is held annually in Loftus, NSW. We had booked tickets for the Sydney Tramway Festival Express from Sydney Central to Loftus, and back, aboard the Sydney Single Deck Suburban F1, a.k.a. “the Red Lady”, which is operated under partnership between Transport Heritage NSW, Historic Electric Traction and Sydney Trains.  2) F1 readying to depart Central, Platform 1. Motor car C 7396 is on the Loftus end of the train. (Vincent Cavanagh)  3) Passing through Oatley station, where the first electric train ran from here to St James on 16 August 1926. (Vincent Cavanagh) We departed Sydney Central at 9:28am, travelling on the Eastern Suburbs Line to Redfern before continuing on down the Illawarra/South Coast Line proper towards Loftus railway station. We arrived at Loftus two minutes ahead of our scheduled arrival at 10:20am. Upon leaving F1 we were greeted on the platform and issued our tickets to the Sydney Tramway Museum by museum staff. The price of the entry tickets was included in the booking for travelling on F1.  4) Two kinds of heritage transport greeting us at the entrance to the Sydney Tramway Museum: a penny-farthing bicycle and Brisbane ‘Dropcentre’ #295. (Vincent Cavanagh)  5) 1975 Holden FC ‘Yellow Cab Co.’ taxi, Sydney Bus Museum. (Vincent Cavanagh)  6) Model A Ford in resplendent red paintwork among the line of members’ vehicles from the Model A Ford Club of NSW. (Vincent Cavanagh) We had only about an hour-and-a-half or so to look around the museum before we had to return to the station for our return journey to Sydney Central at approximately 12:05pm. Thankfully when we got to the museum gates, we found out that the museum had reserved the coupled Sydney O-Class trams (#1111 and Powerhouse Museum #805) for the passengers arrived from F1. We promptly took our seats as the tram set was about to head off on its shuttle along the rails to the Sutherland railway substation and back again, passing Loftus TAFE, University of Wollongong’s Sutherland campus and the Sutherland Army Depot.  7) 1920s P-Class #1497 ‘Toastrack’ tram returning from Sutherland railway substation, as viewed from Powerhouse Museum #805. (Vincent Cavanagh)  8) Powerhouse Museum O-Class #805 coupled behind Sydney Tramway Museum #1111 awaiting their next run up the line to the substation. (Vincent Cavanagh)
The Tramway Festival itself was not solely concerned with trams. The museum was host to classic automobile clubs, model ship builders and other modellers who were set up inside of Sutherland substation—sadly, we didn’t have any time to go in look ourselves—and the Sydney Bus Museum, which had brought along a heritage Sydney double-decker bus and Yellow Cab Co. taxi for visitors to ride in for the price of a gold coin donation—yet again, too little time.  9) Ballarat ‘Dropcentre’ #37 queued behind R1-Class #2001, both awaiting their next journeys. (Vincent Cavanagh)
After grabbing lunch from the 1st Sutherland Sea Scouts BBQ set up under the awnings of the Railway Square waiting shed (1907–1973) and a transference of monies inside the Museum Bookshop we made our way back to Loftus station to await the return of F1 from a siding in Waterfall station.
 13) State Rail Authority (SRA) map of Sydney System network, circa mid-1980s, above the doorway in C 3426. (Vincent Cavanagh)  14) F1 in Sydney Central Platform 1 at the end of the morning Sydney Tramway Festival Express shuttle. (Vincent Cavanagh)  15) F1 awaiting the start of the evening shuttle. Motor car C 7396 on the Loftus end of the train. (Vincent Cavanagh) We returned to Sydney Central at 12:55pm and made our farewells with F1. The second, and last, shuttle of the day would be leaving at 1:30pm. All in all, it was a very full day out indeed. Vincent Cavanagh 27 Feb 2024. A day out on Sydney rails.  42105 'Chumsayer' waiting to depart with the Goods Road Tour on Platform 3, Central | Vincent Cavanagh ©2024 On 28 January 2024, my father and I partook in the East Coast Heritage Rail: Goods Road* Tour from Sydney Central Station. We were on the second of the two tours for the day: 11am and 1pm AEDT, respectively. The tour departed and arrived on Central Station Platform 3. It was a heritage consist of various Department of Railways New South Wales railway carriages and hauled for the day by a 421 Class diesel locomotive, 42105 ‘Chumsayer’, owned and operated by private owner Chumrail. We were booked in an N type carriage at the front of the train next to 42105.  Interior of the N type carriage at the start of boarding the train | Vincent Cavanagh ©2024 Our train departed Central at 1pm on its balloon loop route encompassing the Inner West and Canterbury Bankstown regions. We headed out on the Western Line (T1) towards Lidcombe where we turned south briefly onto the Bankstown Line (T3) before turning back eastwards, just after Regents Park Station, onto the Sefton Goods Line. We passed through Chullora Rail Yard on the southern boundary of Rookwood Cemetery and then turned south once more heading through Enfield Marshalling Yards, one of the more major and visible reminders of the original extent of Enfield suburb before boundary redistributions by government.  Sydney Electric Train Society 8649 in State Rail Authority 'Candy' livery in Enfield Marshalling Yard | Vincent Cavanagh ©2024 After Enfield we re-joined the Bankstown Line proper at Campsie, passing through Dulwich Hill and having a gander** at the unopened Sydney Metro conversions of half of the Bankstown Line at Sydenham as part of the Metro South rail project.  Passing Dulwich Hill Tram line terminus | Vincent Cavanagh ©2024  Fleet of Sydney Metro 'Metropolis' rolling stock standing in Sydenham Yard | Vincent Cavanagh ©2024 We returned to Central Station an approximate hour-and-twenty-minutes after our departure. All in all, it was a good day out on the rails, but I think it’s only helped crystalize my preference for journeys that have set destinations more so than just “wandering about”, but that’s just me. Vincent Cavanagh 21 Feb 2024 * An unfortunate Americanization of railway terminology in the past few decades in NSW. Railways in NSW (at least from their inception) used the British railway vernacular (railway, lines, carriages). Whereas South Australia has actively used the United States vernacular (railroad, roads, cars) ever since the appointment of American William Webb as Chief Commissioner in 1922.
** Gander : to have/take a quick look. Artwork created 29 Mar 2023.  Vincent Cavanagh © 2023 Yippee! It's done.  ©VincentCavanagh 2022 That's right folks! After a month's worth of inking and going cross-eyed at various reference photographs, my 2023 Calendar: WYD Lisbon Fundraising edition is now available to buy. Contact can be made via Email or Facebook Messenger.
Pricings for the calendar are as follows:
So last fortnight I did something for the first time that I thought I would never do: I made a #MayThe4th cartoon, featuring Bishop Stumbers.
'Bishop Stumbers, May The 4th' Vincent Cavanagh © 2022
It’s been a long time since I’d last put a physical pen to paper. It was also nice that it was a fairly simply concept to draw.
For the red accent I used a Copic marker, and I think it helped to tie the whole picture together. I also adjusted the contrast of the image on my computer before it was read to share. Yesterday (17 May 2022) I finally got around to editing and uploading to my YouTube Channel the videos I took of the ride on the Puffing Billy Railway that my father and I took on our family holiday back in March 2019. It’s of the return journey from Gembrook to Belgrave in the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne. Enjoy.
So, until next time, stay safe and God Bless.
~ Vincent Cavanagh, 18 May 2022.  'Pannier Tank and Diesel Shunter' Vincent Cavanagh © 2022 I have painted in a while, but I did thankfully do a small "just for fun" painting on Good Friday (15 April 2022). It's little scene, set in either the early hours of the morning or before dusk, containing a generic-looking Great Western Railway Pannier Tank engine opposite a British Railways Class 08 Diesel shunter that appears to be having bit of trouble starting up. Note the fireworks coming out the top of it. The basis for this picture was not Thomas the Tank Engine; rather it was because of two OO gauge locomotives that we own: a GWR Pannier and a BR Green 08.
For something different I used a "earth tone" palette of colours consisting mostly of Yellow Ochre, English Red and Sepia, with a bit of Ivory Black added here and there. God bless to you all and Happy Easter. He is Risen! Alleluia! ~ Vincent Cavanagh, 20 April 2022. |
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