Stellae Boreales is touring this year, so the girls will be going to New York in May. We were told back in September to make sure we have passports. Well, I know we have passports so I didn’t think any more about them. It turns out that our passports do not have the mandatory six months left on them so we need new ones.
Even though Stellae Boreales is made up of violinists of many nationalities it turns out that my girls are the only ones who are not Canadian citizens. That means they need extra documentation to get back in the country. And, yes, those cards have expired too. Details.
We went to get photos first. For Australian passports the photos have to be a different size to those for Canadian passports, not the usual for the photographers. Forms next, a guarantor, witness, supporting documents, details, details.
Today I took it all to the High Commission only to find that I had failed to get some signatures…the passport owners’ signatures! Also it turns out that A13’s photo was not the right size as we had measured from chin to top of head instead of chin to crown of head. Mere details.
Despite the missing details I quite enjoyed being downtown on a pleasant winter’s day. The air was not too cold, the sun was shining, preparations for Winterlude were evident and I fantasized about being part of the corporate world. I imagined myself eating lunch in the atrium that I had walked through, listening to the jazz band playing, wearing nice boots and a classy long winter coat. A job? The children at home? Details.
I found it odd that the times the buses arrived did not coincide with the times advertised on the timetables. Perhaps that’s just a minor detail. We’ll see when I wrap up the last details with another trip tomorrow…
Sentient 
Yesterday I was with the Canberra family and brother of Luke, mentioned in the previous blog. They were busily engaged in gathering documentation for a passport application for Matthew, another cousin of L15, A13, and B9. Matthew has completed year 12 and, like his brother is taking a gap year before commencing an engineering degree at Univesity of New South Wales.
Birth certificate, driver’s licence, bank account details, photo graphs and many, many questions were all part of the family focus.
Whilst Matt has commenced his gap year working as a teachers’ aid at the school where Luke worked last year, I wondered at his plans for overseas travel. Yes, it is likely that he will travel overseas later in the year, but that is not what has prompted all the urgent activity. Matt turns 18 years in 3 weeks time when he is regarded as an adult. As an adult, the fees associated with a passport application rise dramatically.
There are many factors that can prompt a sense of urgency with passport applications! That reminds me – I must check the expiry on ours. OK for now! 2012 and 2016.
ND