Hello everyone, it's Jo Frankland here

Hello folks,

What a good thing this is! I'm looking forward to meeting old mates again. Since Bottoms, DDYT...

Did DDIAE theatre course for a year and left the whole thing disillusioned with professional acting. Partly because of the stats that there are 10 times as many male roles than female roles, but women trying to get into acting out number men 10 to 1. And partly because I was an immature lazy student who wanted to hang out with the boyfriend and my mates rather than turn up for lectures.

Went to Adelaide in 1981 and worked the desk for a local bands music program for volunteer radio station 5MMM.FM (now something else). Was the 'token het' in a household of lesbian punks and gay men.

Got pregnant and moved back to Toowoomba with boyfriend/husband. Stephen studied and became a kindy teacher, Sarah got herself born, and I became a stay at home mother, reading books, singing to Sarah (often against her will) and playing gendar xylophone-thing in the DD Balinese Gamelan.

Next up got involved with Amnesty International at state & national levels, broke up with Stephen, and studied and became a registered nurse. Got given a mandolin as a birthday present 15 years ago and became obsessed with playing Irish tunes in sessions. Was in a few singing groups such as 'Jam Tarts' & 'Rowdy Girls' which were an excuse to gather with mates around a kitchen table & sing, and sometimes sing in public for nothing or free food.

I moved to Brissie 8 years ago and moved in with Jeffrey. We have been in a few bands together and are the cheesy sort of folkie couple who play tunes and sing songs together at home in the evenings. I now pay mostly banjo. My daughter has a pathological hatred of banjos. She lives about 1km away. Just out of earshot. I am still lazy and work at the PA Hospital as little as I can get away with.

See youse next month,
Love Josephine xxx