The photo above is myself and Ag at the Melbourne Uni Club of the Year dinner in 2007. The Underwater Club won the annual prize which I accepted as President, while feeling that the bunch of the work done to earn it had been other people’s. In particular Ag’s contribution and leadership over several years of enthusiasm and co-ordination got hundreds of people into the water for weekends and club dive trips.

Today is the third anniversary of Agnes passing away in Tank Cave. We’re now beyond the point where she had plans that I knew about. The conferences she intended to speak at or attend have been and gone. The trip reports have been published for the big trip she had started fitness training for, but wasn’t here to go on.

If she had been here I wonder what new cave entrances and passages would have been added to the map by now. I wonder which trips she would have talked her way on to, and which trips she would have created and led. I wonder which new camera she would have invested in, and if she would have managed to keep it dry for long enough to get great shots. And I wonder about the photos and footage she might have starred in, which I and others never got to take.

I wonder the best way to mark this anniversary each year. To say “not forgotten, still missed”. 2007 is a long time ago now. 2011 is getting further away by the day. And Ag lives on, but only in our memories.

Neil Armstrong was part of a three man team that flew to the moon in 1969, and was the first person to step onto the lunar surface. In the 43 years since, he’s given very few interviews and avoided the public eye. In an interesting twist, he recently agreed to talk to the CPA. The CPA is the professional body for accountants in Australia, and as their CEO explains, Armstrong’s dad was an auditor. With that inside knowledge and a little persuasion, they managed to convince the elusive hero to speak to them, and the camera.

With my interest in exploration, extremes and risk taking, I found the four-part interview fascinating viewing. Watching the archival footage and hearing Armstrong describe the scenarios that had led to each point gives real insight into the challenges that were overcome to put Apollo 11 on the moon. If you’ve got an hour to spare, sit back, relax and enjoy.