Carrick Hill

In Asia, ‘village’ is synonymous with poverty and dilapidation. Here in the West, it carries connotations of quaint olde worlde rustic charm. It is in fact fashionable to add ‘village’ to names of shopping centers and local places.

So 5 mins away we have trendy Burnside Village, a shopping center frequented by the fashionable and well heeled. On our doorsteps, we have a small shopping precinct called Norwood Village. Way up North, we have Golden Grove Village.

A short walk up the road on The Parade, there used to stand an old building with a very dated 1970s facade which housed Centrelink, dept of social welfare. It has since been completely revamped and is now home to a glitzy ritzy spanking new medical center, aptly named Norwood Village medical and dental center.

This morning, taking Christopher to the GP, I had my first glimpse of the new medical center just 5 mins walk from home. My, was I impressed! It was better than walking into a 5 star hotel lobby hehehe. It is just two weeks old and a stunner. I tell ya, compared to other doctors’ waiting rooms, this blew me away. Have a lookee…..

Awww, ok, so maybe I was exaggerating. But this is one doctor’s rooms with a difference because

• it is open 365 days a year
• it bulk bills (that means it is FREE…..the ONLY medical center to do so in this part of town)
• it has LOOOONNGG opening hours 7am – 10pm weekdays and 8am-10pm weekends (unheard of in Oz)
• 5 star service from reception staff
• no waiting times for GP cos we were the only patients this morning at 9.30 am
• X ray is FREE, within the same medical centre, and no waiting for this either
• the 6 GPs there have an average experience of some 29 years, the minimum had 10 years of practice and listen to this, two of them have FRACP in Pediatrics, no less !!!

OMG, what else can one ask for? This is one medical centre that fell out of Heaven !

I awoke this morning to a Norwood gaily decked out in Christmas cheer and festivity as Pageant Day dawned.

Adelaide Highland Band

As Scottish bagpipe music floated into our windows, we came out and enjoyed the colourful scene.

A village atmosphere was in the air as everyone recognized and cheered on friends and famiy in the pageant floats of local schools, community clubs and village shops.

I waved and smiled at a couple of friends, Wendy and Mei, in the Falun Gong float dressed in spectacular Chinese costumes.

The kids recognized kids they knew in the Rose Park Primary float and their former school Pembroke. All around us, people were waving and smiling and greetings of Merry Christmas filled the air. Traditionally, the Pageant Princess float preceded Santa’s float, and in it were seated four beautiful, regal little Princesses all in row.

A big cheer erupted amongst the crowd with the biggest and grandest of all the floats, the Father Christmas float with a very merry Santa seated on top. In all that gear he must be very thankful we have a very mild and cool Summer day today.

Our pageant is nowhere as grand as the Credit Union Christmas Pageant in the city. Our floats are modest buggies, utes and trucks dressed up by Mums and Dads and the kids chipping in.

But we do not have to brave thick crowds 5 heads deep for just a glimpse and peep at majestically fitted out floats. We do not have to wake at dawn to stake out a precious spot and wait under the sun for hours for the pageant to begin.

What we have is our very own home grown pageant, a magnificent show made possible with home made efforts from our own people. It is that personal touch that adds to the family village feel that even the grandeur of the city pageant cannot emulate.