Old Ways, New Country

Back in Canberra after a brief weekend in Sandy Beach and, just after 6am, joined the multitudes out on the running and cycling trails. Just past the Greek Orthodox church, and on the shores of the vast Lake Burley Griffin, I saw an elderly Chinese gentleman, in a black, loose shirt and trousers, with a conical bamboo hat and fishing rod, silhouetted against the water. It was an utterly foreign sight.

There are many immigrants in Canberra. A bewildering racial array of cab drivers ply their trade at the airport and Eastern Europe and the Balkans are well-represented on the Parliament House staff. Perhaps it's because Canberra is considered an unpleasant place to live - too cold in winter and too hot in summer - and there are more opportunities for those starting afresh. I'm sure it's a sign of tolerance that the old man was clearly comfortable sitting by the lake.