Etsuko Yasunaga

What remains

18/8/2019

Photo: Sue Snell

By Etsuko Yasunaga

Empty poppy pod

It was in April, near Anzac Day. I dragged out a shoebox full of seeds, and searched for the poppy pods I had saved from the previous season.

Gardening Australia once had a segment on poppies. The presenter mentioned that if I were to sow the seeds around Anzac Day in April, there should be a wonderful display of poppy flowers in my garden around Remembrance Day in November. It was easy to remember the timing because of the two significant days.

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Born to run

12/6/2019

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By Etsuko Yasunaga

ON MAY 25, I reached the milestone of my 50th parkrun. It was the day before my first anniversary of joining the amazing Inverloch parkrun community.

My beginning was serendipitous. I didn’t plan, and only registered the night before after talking to my dear friend. Back then I didn’t know that planting this tiny seed would lead to such a significant achievement.

When I was young, I loved running, especially sprints. I liked the fact that I could push myself to the limit, then it was over in the blink of an eye. I didn’t mind longer distances, but it required me to be more disciplined. I am fit and healthy but running disappeared completely from my life as I grew older. I would have been content as a strong walker for the rest of my life, until parkrun reignited the joy of running.

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Checking out

17/4/2019

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Etsuko Yasunaga came from Japan to Australia with a suitcase, a little savings and a little English. These days she is happy to call Inverloch home.

By Etsuko Yasunaga

ADVANCED technology changed many aspects of our lives in the modern world. It brought many positives of convenience and effectiveness, perceived connection with others and a culture of sharing. The world is virtually right in front of us, just a click of the finger away. We can search pretty much anything and get answers instantly.

I can’t disagree with the positives that the technology has brought to our modern lives. However, I sometimes can’t deny the feeling of detachment, disconnectedness and shallow emptiness, especially in many social media sites. I feel its instantaneous nature encourages superficiality. I have several social media accounts, although reluctantly. The introverted nature of my personality is revealed strongly in those social networking sites. My accounts are often inactive as I don’t post much on those.

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Riding a wave of goodwill

21/2/2019

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Inverloch beach, February 9 2019. Photos: Robert Kenyon

The skies were black and the wind icy as Etsuko Yasunaga joined a team of volunteers on Inverloch beach to share the joys of surfing with those who usually miss out.

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A clean break

12/12/2018

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Etsuko Yasunaga came from Japan to Australia with a suitcase, a little savings and a little English. These days she is happy to call Inverloch home.

By Etsuko Yasunaga

MY YEAR 2018 started with an accident, a very painful one. It was January 4th, day one of our bike ride trip. We were nearing our destination for the day. A friend suddenly called out “SNAKE!”. I reacted, and squeezed the handbrakes as hard as I could, on the gravel road.

I skidded, and landed heavily on my right shoulder. The dust enveloped my body in a horizontal position. One moment ago, I was riding my bike strongly, and I was enjoying the sense of freedom. Next minute, I was helplessly lying on the ground. I was still in the state of the shock, and didn’t feel much pain. As soon as I started to move; however, the pain was piercing. Even breathing hurt. My collarbone was broken.

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A sense of belonging

31/10/2018

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Etsuko Yasunaga came from Japan to Australia with a suitcase, a little savings and a little English. These days she is happy to call Inverloch home.

By Etsuko Yasunaga

ON RETURN from our recent holiday in France and Italy, I was happy to be back in the spaciousness and quiet of Inverloch. Travelling is always an eye-opener for a curious mind. Different places, different languages and different foods stimulated me immensely. I embraced the whole experience of travelling. Although not everything was rosy, I tried to stay positive. We visited many incredible places, walked hilltop paths with superb views, and tasted delectable local produce. I was delighted when local people understood my tentative French.

In one way six weeks went like in the blink of an eye, yet six weeks were quite a long time to be away from home. When I saw the lush green hills of Gippsland, and the bright colour of the water from the window of the VLine bus, the feeling of homecoming was intense.

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