Newsletter February 2003 page 3

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SOCIAL GET-TOGETHER

Friday 6-12-2002 saw about sixty staff and friends of Cairns FM89.1 gather
at St. Johns hall in Redlynch. The success of the function was once again due
to the endeavours of our President Niels, Renée, Nick and their band of happy
helpers. The abundant supply of food, the generous gifts, and most importantly
the friendly atmosphere, all thanks to their combined efforts. New presenters
had a chance to meet old hands. The Radio Print-Handicapped presenters met for
the first time since their programme started. It was interesting to observe
that the RPH people don't have real names. They introduce themselves as, "I'm
Monday, so I guess you are Thursday?"

Also present were station supporters including Pam and David. Ben Marcus was
his usual generous self. He wasn't sure if the music in his Monday Morning programme
was eclectic, holistic, or both. Definitely not Hip Hop or Rap.

Three hours disappeared faster than the ball-point pens do from the studio.
Our President concluded the evening with a speech, firstly thanking Father Con
for the use of the hall, congratulating all on their contributions to the station,
and finally thanking those whose efforts made the get-together the enjoyable
social event that it was.

Don McAllister

CRETE

We spent two weeks on the island of Crete, staying no longer than three days
in the more populated areas. Most days we spent visiting remote villages, conversing
with the local people, and visiting cemeteries. At times this presented a few
problems, due to the language barrier. But the goodwill of both parties overcame
this barrier, and much interesting information was gained.

A little history. The discovery of the Minoan civilisation has tended to overshadow
every other aspect of Cretan history. And indeed it would be hard for any other
period to rival what was in effect the first truly European civilisation. It
was in Crete that the developed societies of the east met influences from the
west and north, and here that "Western culture", as synthesized in Classical
Greece and Rome, first developed. Crete's position as a meeting place of east
and west, and its strategic setting in the middle of the Mediterranean, has
thrust the island to the centre stage of world history. From Minoan times to
World War 2, there has rarely been a sustained period when Crete didn't have
some role to play in World affairs.

It is believed that St Paul brought Christianity to Crete in about 50 AD, and
at the end of the fourth century the Roman Empire was split into two with Crete
being attached to Byzantium. In 824 AD the island was invaded by an Arab Saracen
force and they controlled the island until they were driven out by the Byzantine
rulers in 961.Crete was then occupied by the Crusaders and sold to the Venetians
in 1204. The Venetians controlled the island until driven out by the Turks in
1669. In 1897 a European force of British, French, Russians, and Italians occupied
the island, driving out the Turks and declaring Crete an independent state.
After further fighting with the Turks, Crete was united with Greece in 1913.

The first World War barely touched Crete, but in 1922 Greece went to war with
Turkey, and was badly defeated. An exchange of populations was agreed on. All
Greeks living in Turkey and all Turks living in Greece swapped countries.

The civil war which wrecked mainland Greece had little impact upon Crete, and
reconstruction was ahead of the mainland. Crete slowly became one of the wealthiest
areas of Greece. This, so it is claimed, was in no small part due to its concentration
on agriculture. Everywhere you go on the Island of Crete it is intensively cultivated,
being ideally suited due to its rich soil and high water table. Intensive olive
production is its main crop and source of income, with tourism being next.

On an international scale, there's much discussion in the scientific community
about finding the ideal diet to improve the health of people. Maria and Nikos
Psilakis, writing in their book, "Cretan Cooking", p11, say "Ever since antiquity,
the traditional diet of the Cretans seems to be such a healthy one." They continue
by saying, "A comparative study among several developed countries, which began
in 1960 on behalf of seven countries, has a group of about 700 Cretan men from
the rural areas under medical observation regularly checking their health."
So far, this group has had the lowest percentage of deaths by heart attacks
and different kinds of cancer. This study has also shown the Cretan population
to be the longest-lived one. When in 1991, thirty one years after the beginning
of the study, the Social Health Sector of the University of Crete undertook
the medical check-up of the group, about 50% were found to be still alive, as
opposed to Finland where there wasn't a single survivor.

Earlier I mentioned how we had visited the cemeteries in the villages. It is
interesting to note that we found very few, if any, (no more than two or three)
who were under 90 years of age, and most were in the region of 96 or 97.

Too often we appear to place an inordinate amount of emphasis upon one aspect
of life, such as diet, fasting etc., whilst giving little credence to the other
factors, be it the mind, fresh air, and exercise etc., in the building of health.
The high standard of health of the Cretans is a direct result of their lifestyle,
their diet,exercise,enjoyment of life with company, conversation and wine. A
Cretan never drinks on his own, but in the company of family and friends. Cretans
also enjoy clean unpolluted air, pure water uncontaminated with chemicals, and
lots of sunshine from a predominantly sunny climate.

Up to the beginning of the 1960's, Cretan peasants walked an average of 13
kilometres a day, according to Professor Antonis Kafatos, University of Crete,
whereas today 70% of the population walks less than 2 km daily. Professor Kafatos
goes on to recommend a return to the traditional Cretan eating habits, but with
a noticeable decrease in the amount and frequency of meat and other animal products.
The consumption of olive oil must be continued; it has been proven through several
studies that this excellent oil plays an all-important role in warding off illnesses
and in preserving good health. Olive oil also contains a vast amount of anti-oxidative
agents which provide protection against such conditions as arteriosclerosis
and some forms of cancer. We are also told that the composition of olive oil
in fatty acids is similar to that of mother�s milk.

A Cretan consumes 34.6 litres of olive oil annually, an American 11.3 L, against
an Australian 1.2 L.

A Cretan gets nearly all his food from nature, eating an abundance of fruit
and vegetables. The only fat content in his food and salads is olive oil. Every
day, all the family, and their guests, sit around the table, and talk about
their daily problems, whilst enjoying one another�s companionship.

During our visit we found no evidence of the use of artificial fertilisers
or poisonous sprays. This does not mean to say that they were never used, but
there certainly was no evidence of them. We saw no fertiliser bags or equipment
for spreading it, nor did we see any attachments or equipment for the spraying
of plants and trees. In fact, it was conspicuous by its absence.

On Crete, in ancient times, meat was eaten as a part of rituals when sacrifices
were made. At a later period, the days of celebration were the days for the
eating of meat, and it was only much later that it became a custom for it to
be eaten every Sunday, or every other Sunday. According to the historian Paul
Faure, the peasants and the people working in the palaces had frugal vegetarian
meals. They were paid in grains (wheat or barley), dried figs, and olives in
brine. A little goat, beef or pork meat was consumed only on feast days.

Their religion also forbade certain foods for one third of the year. The orthodox
church banned the eating of meat, and in general, any food which came from animals,
for long periods of time: 40 days before Christmas, seven weeks before Easter,
15 days before the celebration of the Assumption, on the 15th August, and every
Wednesday and Friday during the year.

The Cretans eat three times more bread than the average American. In the past
this was always wholemeal, or black bread, made primarily from barley, rye or
wheat. Fish was the basis of most Sunday meals and was eaten more in the coastal
areas than in the hinterland.

The Cretans eat more fruit than anyone else, twice as much as the Americans,
and six times as much as the Dutch. Their grapes ,figs, apricots, pears, and
peaches, are renowned for their delicious flavour.

Pulses are eaten every two or three days, whilst vegetables and local greens
are a staple at every meal.One or two glasses of home-made wine are consumed
with each meal.

Along with the fruit, much of their vegetable intake was, and still is, uncooked.
This includes spinach, chicory, artichokes, and large amounts of vetchling (sweet
peas) along with purslane, tomatoes, and cucumbers. These are all eaten with
large amounts of olive oil. The Cretan stafidolia (wrinkled olive) is considered
a priceless treasure. When farmers go to harvest the olives, they merely take
a piece of bread with them.They eat some of the olives that they have collected,
still in their natural state without having been treated, with the bread they
have brought with them. These olives are a totally natural product, and need
no salt or other chemical substances to take away their bitterness, as the olives
lose their bitterness on the trees.

One of the stories we were told whilst on the island of Crete was to the effect
that many of the young people were not wishing to go away to study. They did
not wish to abandon their tradtional lifestyle, incompatible with higher education
and the resulting occupations. Moreover, many of the young people who were already
studying, or working overseas were wishing to return home to take up the traditional
way of life. We met a family where the husband was Greek, the wife American.
He had met and married her whilst living and working in America. They sold up,
and returned to Greece with their children, and were happily living in a fairly
remote area, with the children now married to locals.

We visited a very remote village by name of Milia, built right at the end of
a very winding and mostly gravel road, in the mountains, in a valley with a
small river, shaded by very old chestnut trees. Every house has a different
layout and furnishings with traditional furniture and objects, and its own amenities.There
is no electricity, but the occasional solar heater for some basic needs. The
hot water mostly comes from boilers which are heated by wood. The cuisine consists
of natural products cooked with traditional local recipes and is a real pleasure.
Finally, the people of Milia will be happy to offer you hospitality and show
you the alternative way of living, the simple one.

May you all find something of value in this short treatise on the lifestyle
of the Cretan people.

In Friendship,

John L. Fielder

Academy of Natural Living

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