After reading Frances Vidakovic's column in this paper the other month, where she wrote about growing up Cro, I've been thinking how different my formative years were. Yes, there's a kind of envy I have for Frances, her life seemingly richer with culture, heritage, reloes and a celebration of things Cro. I didn't start celebrating being a Cro until later in life.

I've started the slow process of responding to the Christmas cards from Cro 'reloes' where they requested updates about my life, extended family and Australia in general. I'm a writer so a one-page letter isn't my style. Minimum three pages for a short letter and we're talking typed on an A4 page.

I was interested to read your story in 'The New Gen' section titled ''What Croats in Croatia think of us'' (April 8, Vol. 24, No. 1155). I don't always buy the Croatian Herald but I have to admit my Croatian is always improving when I do buy the paper - and dropping when I don't read it. It provides interesting insights into the day to day livelihood of Croats in Croatia.

I would like to share with you my observations from the water polo matches I attended recently in Melbourne, as part of the FINA World Championships.

In philosophy, including the philosophy of religion, there is a term, dead knowledge - living knowledge. Dead knowledge is what we find in wise books, and in the retelling of ancient texts.