Life Begins At.....
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/25630
YOUR SAY MAKING A WILL/BEQUESTS Making a Will is the start of organising your legal affairs, not the finish Why plan your estate? You may ask yourself why waste the time you have while you’re alive planning about what will happen after you die. The fact is, estate planning is essential to ensuring that the appropriate assets end up with the appropriate people at the appropriate time. It is much more than simply making a will; careful thought must be given to what you own, how you own it and your wishes must be balanced against the needs of your surviving family members and dependants. If careful thought is not given to your estate plan, not only will it be a traumatic experience for those family members left behind, the only people benefitting from your lack of thought will be the lawyers fighting over your will and your estate. The emotional cost and time delay for the surviving family of an estate that hasn’t been properly thought through is significant. Often an estate which is in dispute will be delayed by up to two years while the lawyers argue issues of capacity or adequate provision in the will through the courts. These delays and litigation are so often caused by inadequate estate planning on the part of the deceased. THE RETIREE SUMMER 151 this edition’s winning letter Unwilling For years I’ve continually put off organising my wife and I’s Will and financial affairs because I had the attitude that nothing really matters after you die. However, having recently watched a friend try and tidy up a family member’s messy state of affairs, I realised it’s an added stress that our loved ones could do without during such a distressing time. Your magazine article [Making a Will is the start of organising your affairs, not the finish – summer] raised some very important points and helpful advice regarding estate planning. It isn’t as painful as it seems and I urge everyone to sort their estate out before it’s too late. Jonathan Oldham Queenstown, SA Festive fillers Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! I loved your Christmas recipes in the past edition [Trimmings are part of the tradition – summer]. I had been looking for a yummy Christmas pudding recipe to try, and I made this one, which was delicious and I even made the brandy custard to go with it. These days it seems easier to just buy food ready-made, but I am so glad I gave this recipe a try and I received many compliments from family and friends. I can’t wait to try of more of your recipes. Kaitlyn Emmett Mortlake, VIC John Wood Write and win Express your views about issues in this edition of The Retiree magazine and you could win a Hoyts double movie pass valued at $34. Send your letters to GPO Box 1746, Adelaide, SA 5001, or email editor@aprs.com. au. Please include your full-name, suburb and state for publication. Gettin’ around Hello all. My husband and I are currently honouring our life-long dream to travel around Australia for a year. I managed to pick up your magazine on the road and enjoyed it very much. Keep up the great work! Marg Ackland Camden, NSW I am a huge John Wood fan and I absolutely loved reading about his career and life over the years [John Wood Australian TV Icon – summer]. I had no idea he wrote episodes for such fantastic television shows such as Cop Shop, The Sullivans, Prisoner and even the one he starred in – Blue Heelers. He is a really talented person and seems very down to earth in his interview. Thank you so much, I loved reading his story and look forward to reading more interviews in the future. Louise Massie East Hills, NSW THE RETIREE AUTUMN 5 CHRISTMAS FEAST CHRISTMAS PUDDING 60ml milk 100g suet 50g flour 100g raisins 100g sultanas 50g mixed peel 50g currants 5g nutmeg 5g mixed spice 100g dark brown sugar 100g breadcrumbs 25g ground almonds 2 eggs 1 lemon juice and zest 1 orange juice and zest 200ml Guinness or dark stout beer 100ml brandy pinch of salt Soak all the fruit in the alcohol overnight, or longer if you have time. Three days would be good. Mix all the other ingredients and then add the marinaded ingredients and mix together well. Leave in the refrigerator for a few hours before cooking. Boil a calico cloth. Remove it from the water and sprinkle it with flour. Lay it in a bowl with the edges overhanging. Do all this while it is still warm. Place the mix in your cloth and tie the ends to form a ball, allow about one centimetre for expansion. Place directly into boiling water and continue to gently boil for three hours. Make sure that the cloth does not touch the bottom of the pan, it must hang in the boiling pot. Maybe suspend it from a wooden spoon. SERVE WITH LASHINGS OF BRANDY CUSTARD 250ml cream 250ml milk 6 egg yolks 125 sugar 1 tsp vanilla paste or essence 3 shots of brandy, or more to your liking. Boil the milk, vanilla and sugar, pour it onto the egg and cream. Pour it back into the pan and cook gently over the heat, not allowing it to re-boil. When the consistency coats the back of the spoon it will it will be ready. Now stir in your brandy and serve. “ WHO COULD PASS UP THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING? WELL, NOT ME. THIS IS A MUST AND SOMETHING THAT MOST OF US TEND TO BUY THESE DAYS.” 120 THE RETIREE SUMMER CELEBRITY FEATURE John Wood Australian TV icon Actor and Logie award winner, John Wood, chats exclusively to The Retiree about his path to becoming one of Australia’s most recognisable television icons and his plans for the future. 6 THE RETIREE SUMMER