April is a special month in our family. Birthdays for a son, a grand-daughter, me, a father, a boyfriend (not mine), two wedding anniversaries, numerous friends birthdays. This year, it is my 69th birthday and my 50th wedding anniversary, nearly as special as it can get. We don’t make a big fuss. In fact, birthdays this week will be celebrated over Easter when we have a family camping trip. It is Autumn in the southern hemisphere and our nights have chilled down after a brutal summer, months of drought and now, torrential rain. A quiet time of fishing and cooking on a campfire by the river, telling jokes around the campfire in the evening, teaching the next generation to see, value and care for our beautiful environment. We may even shake our fists at any noisy boaters who pass our campsite at too high a speed.
So why did I use the Sydney Harbor Bridge New Years Eve Fireworks display to illustrate this theme?
The answer is that I believe it is kinder to the planet if we celebrate our everyday, small personal successes or wins, or anniversaries, in a quiet, personal manner. The pleasure of four generations of family is, for me, hard to beat. A gathering of family, with the simple enjoyment of our special, and spectacular, environment. And we run a very mean fishing competition with some great prizes for the winners.
I have loved fireworks since I was a little girl. I come from the generation that grew up celebrating Guy Fawkes Night. Nothing at all to do with Australia, much about some plotters who tried to kill an English King back in 1605 by packing the Houses of Parliament basement with gunpowder. The plot failed, the plotters met their end, and we got to have Bonfires and crackers and fireworks. The crackers were banned in 1974 and bonfires phased out by the early 1980s. Something to do with too many children losing fingers and eyes when the crackers exploded.
So, if you want to see a spectacular fireworks display these days and you don’t live in Sydney, you just switch on the TV and watch Sydney light up the Coat Hanger on New Years Eve. It goes for 12 minutes, they send up 9 tonnes of the best Chinese fireworks at a cost of nearly AUS$7 million, the TV camera’s have the best view and we all count down and go to bed happy. One mess to clean up, no bushfires started by fireworks and all the little children keep their fingers on their hands. Win, Win and a great way to celebrate.
Completed: March 2026
Dimensions: 1000mm H X 1100mm W
Materials: Commercial printed cottons; vintage cotton fabrics; vintage brocade; commercial threads.
Techniques: Pieced background, bonded applique fireworks.
Bromwyn, its such good news that some countries have banned fireworks and bonfires, I didnt know about.
In 2006 , we were three generations on Sydney Harbour Bridge waiting for the fireworks to begin. While in New Zealand the week before we had taken a Star Walk with an Astromoner near Lake Tekapo. As well as many stars in the crystal clear sky, she pointed out to us the ISS which happened to pass by.
She also told us, if we happened to be on Sydney Harbour Bridge on New Years Eve at a certain time before midnight, we would catch sight of the ISS again. We attracted a group of people around as, after someone asked us “What are you looking for?”!!
Its a happy memory of that night to see your quilt and interpretation of New Years eve in Sydney
Happiest of birthdays and anniversaries to you! Camping is a lovely way to celebrate, and I can imagine how scenic fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge must be. I took my daughter to the east coast of Australia to celebrate her college graduation last June and our hotel overlooked this bridge. I had heard of the term “Guy Fawkes Night” but newver knew what it meant – thank you for that explanation. You’ve really captured the interplay of multiple fireworks going off at the same time! Have a fun and safe trip!