We’re back from New Zealand without falling into a pool of seething volcanic mud, suffering inverted intestines from bungee jumping, or being eaten by orcs. Leaving Australia for the first time since I arrived four years ago provided no great insights, though it is remarkable how differently the two countries turned out. One could possibly make some remarks about the quality of the gene pool of the original settlers, but one won’t.
I was glad that when we flew back into Coffs Harbour, after a week travelling around the splendours of the North Island, I still thought it was a beautiful place and Sandy Beach looked even better. It makes coming home much easier.
What did give me pause for thought was breaking my thongs (trans: flip-flops) on the way back from the beach the other day. I’d bought them when I first came out here and they were nicely worn into the shape of my feet. They’re ideal for going back and fore to the beach and are a ubiquitous article of footware. Throwing them out and buying a new pair seemed like a rite of passage, like condemning our first barbecue, which we also did recently.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
Cutting Costs
We’re off to New Zealand tomorrow for a holiday on the North Island. It dawned on me that it will be the first time I’ve been outside Australia since I arrived here four years ago. Luckily, I’ve remembered I need my passport – as you can spend hours in planes here without leaving the country, I’ve got used to travelling without one.
I went for a pre-holiday haircut at my usual down-to-earth barber shop to find that Mike, who used to ply his trade in the basement of the BBC’s Bush House in London, had installed an innovation – surfing films on a flat-screen television – to counter the competition from a new “sports hairdresser” (what does that mean?) who has set up in the shopping centre.
I don’t think he needs to do anything else as there were four of us in the queue ooh-ing and ah-ing. There’s a man who knows his market.
I went for a pre-holiday haircut at my usual down-to-earth barber shop to find that Mike, who used to ply his trade in the basement of the BBC’s Bush House in London, had installed an innovation – surfing films on a flat-screen television – to counter the competition from a new “sports hairdresser” (what does that mean?) who has set up in the shopping centre.
I don’t think he needs to do anything else as there were four of us in the queue ooh-ing and ah-ing. There’s a man who knows his market.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Apology Text
Here's the text of the apology to the Stolen Generations delivered by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, this morning and his full speech to the House of Representatives.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Stolen By History
Thousands of Indigenous people are gathering in Canberra for tomorrow’s apology in Parliament to the Stolen Generations, those Aboriginal children, usually illigitimate and of mixed race, who were taken from their homes and sent to missions, orphanages or to live with white families. The practice continued for decades, only ending in the 1970s (Stolen or Saved?).
There is, of course, the debate about what such an apology signifies and whether it is of any worth without compensation, and also about exactly what the apology is for. Once again, Cape York Indigenous leader Noel Pearson says it all. Here’s an extract:
"The truth is the removal of Aboriginal children and the breaking up of Aboriginal families is a history of complexity and great variety. People were stolen, people were rescued; people were brought in chains, people were brought by their parents; mixed-blood children were in danger from their tribal stepfathers, while others were loved and treated as their own; people were in danger from whites, and people were protected by whites. The motivations and actions of those whites involved in this history -- governments and missions -- ranged from cruel to caring, malign to loving, well-intentioned to evil………my view is that Aboriginal people's lives were stolen by history."
It’s worth noting that while many Indigenous people will be in the public gallery tomorrow, there are no Indigenous members of the House of Representatives and therefore there will be no Indigenous voice in the chamber debate. In fact, I know of only one Indigenous person even working in the building and he lost his job after the election.
There is, of course, the debate about what such an apology signifies and whether it is of any worth without compensation, and also about exactly what the apology is for. Once again, Cape York Indigenous leader Noel Pearson says it all. Here’s an extract:
"The truth is the removal of Aboriginal children and the breaking up of Aboriginal families is a history of complexity and great variety. People were stolen, people were rescued; people were brought in chains, people were brought by their parents; mixed-blood children were in danger from their tribal stepfathers, while others were loved and treated as their own; people were in danger from whites, and people were protected by whites. The motivations and actions of those whites involved in this history -- governments and missions -- ranged from cruel to caring, malign to loving, well-intentioned to evil………my view is that Aboriginal people's lives were stolen by history."
It’s worth noting that while many Indigenous people will be in the public gallery tomorrow, there are no Indigenous members of the House of Representatives and therefore there will be no Indigenous voice in the chamber debate. In fact, I know of only one Indigenous person even working in the building and he lost his job after the election.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sign of The Times
Aussie eyes have turned across the Tasman to observe the State
funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary. He was very much the kind of Kiwi they like – rugged, irreverent and successful in what he did without beating any Australians in the process.
More to the point, though, the absence of any member of the royal family has not gone unnoticed. In New Zealand, the Herald pointed out they didn’t expect an 80-year-old to hop on a plane and travel across the world but one of her sons could surely have made an effort, though Prince Charles did have something on to do with British mutton on the day itself. While mutton is close to Kiwi hearts, this was not a sufficient excuse.
The Herald’s readers clearly took a different view - they couldn’t give a damn whether any royals turned up or not and many felt it was better if they didn’t.
The message, from both Buckingham Palace and Auckland, seems clear. Next time the issue of a republic raises its head here, expect Sir Ed’s funeral to play a part in the debate.
funeral of Sir Edmund Hillary. He was very much the kind of Kiwi they like – rugged, irreverent and successful in what he did without beating any Australians in the process.
More to the point, though, the absence of any member of the royal family has not gone unnoticed. In New Zealand, the Herald pointed out they didn’t expect an 80-year-old to hop on a plane and travel across the world but one of her sons could surely have made an effort, though Prince Charles did have something on to do with British mutton on the day itself. While mutton is close to Kiwi hearts, this was not a sufficient excuse.
The Herald’s readers clearly took a different view - they couldn’t give a damn whether any royals turned up or not and many felt it was better if they didn’t.
The message, from both Buckingham Palace and Auckland, seems clear. Next time the issue of a republic raises its head here, expect Sir Ed’s funeral to play a part in the debate.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Australia Day
It's Australia Day on January 28 and we all get a day off to celebrate....well, what exactly?
This year, for those in doubt, the Australian Government has helpfully commissioned ads, enjoing us to "celebrate what's great" and provides a checklist for the day. It includes "overcook a variety of meats on semi-hygienic BBQs" and "make a disparaging remark about English cricket." You could then "fill your togs (swimming costume) with sand" and "exercise your democratic right to give dead-arms."
Even Australians are baffled about why they've done it. It's mildly amusing, if predictable, but hardly worth bothering with on that score. The best explanation seems to be to prove that the country, under Labor, is now run by a bunch of ordinary blokes and sheilas, and not by those effete Liberal toffs.
By the way, one of those sheilas, the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, lived in Newport, South Wales, until she was eight and her parents emigrated.
This year, for those in doubt, the Australian Government has helpfully commissioned ads, enjoing us to "celebrate what's great" and provides a checklist for the day. It includes "overcook a variety of meats on semi-hygienic BBQs" and "make a disparaging remark about English cricket." You could then "fill your togs (swimming costume) with sand" and "exercise your democratic right to give dead-arms."
Even Australians are baffled about why they've done it. It's mildly amusing, if predictable, but hardly worth bothering with on that score. The best explanation seems to be to prove that the country, under Labor, is now run by a bunch of ordinary blokes and sheilas, and not by those effete Liberal toffs.
By the way, one of those sheilas, the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, lived in Newport, South Wales, until she was eight and her parents emigrated.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
On The Road
Iwan's visiting and this is him on the road to Bourke. Bourke is where the real outback really starts and you can see the bustling main street below. I can confirm that the outback and the roads to it are every bit as empty as they are reputed to be and the main point about going there seems to be to hoist this point on board. Once you've done that, there seems to be little point in staying but it's always good to see another world.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Stolen or Saved - more
More on the Queensland rape case:
the prosecuter is suspended and
a view from the Indigenous community.
the prosecuter is suspended and
a view from the Indigenous community.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Stolen or Saved?
More horrors emerge of life in the indigenous communities of the Northern Territories and Queensland with the court case resulting from the gang rape of a ten-year-old girl. It’s raising questions about the quality of public administration and about guilt.
The issue of whether the Australian Government should “say sorry” (and that it is the phrase used) for past treatment of the indigenous people and its consequences surfaced again in the recent election. One of the more recent policies for which an apology is sought is that of taking young aboriginal children from their homes to rehouse them with white families to encourage assimilation, creating the “stolen generation.”
The victim of the rape had been living with, by all accounts, caring and conscientious white foster parents but she was returned to her community where the rape occurred because social workers felt her situation was reminiscent of that of the stolen generation.
It seems guilt is not a good basis for taking decisions about other people’s lives. In this case, was the girl stolen or saved when she was fostered?
The issue of whether the Australian Government should “say sorry” (and that it is the phrase used) for past treatment of the indigenous people and its consequences surfaced again in the recent election. One of the more recent policies for which an apology is sought is that of taking young aboriginal children from their homes to rehouse them with white families to encourage assimilation, creating the “stolen generation.”
The victim of the rape had been living with, by all accounts, caring and conscientious white foster parents but she was returned to her community where the rape occurred because social workers felt her situation was reminiscent of that of the stolen generation.
It seems guilt is not a good basis for taking decisions about other people’s lives. In this case, was the girl stolen or saved when she was fostered?
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Counting, Counting...
The dust is finally settling on Saturday's election. Our seat of Cowper was too close to call on Saturday night and it's only now that Luke, the sitting member and my employer, has been able to claim the seat. With 88pc of the votes counted, he's got a majority of 2,212 or 2.82pc, down from 6.5pc. The Australian Electoral Commission has the details.
It's just like the UK in 1997, with the Liberals and The Nationals being turfed out after nearly 12 years and a modernised Labor (that's how it's spelt) taking power, although they don't seem as modernised as UK Labour were back then. We'll see. We're now in the middle of leadership contests and, no doubt, a continuing inquest.
I spent much of polling day standing outside the local school, handing out leaflets while being watched by a wallaby in the banana plantation opposite. It was hot. The last three days have been spent in a church hall in Kempsey scrutineering votes. Voting is compulsory here so, as well as voting on the day, you have pre-polling, absentee votes and postal votes, all of which take time to collate and so the seat might not be actually declared for another two weeks.
We've also got preferential voting. If you have six candidates, as we did, you have to number them all in order of preference for your vote to be valid. That means that those people who put 7 or 8, instead of 6, against their least-preferred candidate, presumably as an insult, didn't cast a valid vote. Neither did all those who just wrote on the papaer that it was all in the hands of Jehovah. But that's democracy for you.
It's just like the UK in 1997, with the Liberals and The Nationals being turfed out after nearly 12 years and a modernised Labor (that's how it's spelt) taking power, although they don't seem as modernised as UK Labour were back then. We'll see. We're now in the middle of leadership contests and, no doubt, a continuing inquest.
I spent much of polling day standing outside the local school, handing out leaflets while being watched by a wallaby in the banana plantation opposite. It was hot. The last three days have been spent in a church hall in Kempsey scrutineering votes. Voting is compulsory here so, as well as voting on the day, you have pre-polling, absentee votes and postal votes, all of which take time to collate and so the seat might not be actually declared for another two weeks.
We've also got preferential voting. If you have six candidates, as we did, you have to number them all in order of preference for your vote to be valid. That means that those people who put 7 or 8, instead of 6, against their least-preferred candidate, presumably as an insult, didn't cast a valid vote. Neither did all those who just wrote on the papaer that it was all in the hands of Jehovah. But that's democracy for you.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Election Bulletin 2
That substance that caused the evacuation of our office wasn't harmless at all. It was MSG. No word yet on the culprit.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Election Bulletin
We're in the middle of an election campaign so we shouldn't have been surprised to find some white power in an envelope sent to our office with a postal vote application form.
The police were called and the envelope put to one side. A short time later, Doug, from the local fire station (it's only 50m away) rang to say he wanted us all to leave the building with our hands in the air. I made the last bit up, but we did feel rather like a bunch of failed hostage takers when we stepped out into a blitz of flashing lights on fire and police vehicles and a maze of haz mat tapes, sealing us off from the rest of humanity. A woman stuck her head out of the legal aid centre next door to see what was going on, only to be promptly taped off as well, along with several parked cars.
Doug addressed us reassuringly from a safe distance, while we were photographed by the local paper and a fireman zipped himself into one of those all-enveloping suits, donned an oxygen mask and waddled off to retrieve the envelope. Early indications are that the substance was harmless.
No doubt there are more fun and games to come though Family First have undoubtedly had the best story of the campaign so far and they're welcome to it.
The police were called and the envelope put to one side. A short time later, Doug, from the local fire station (it's only 50m away) rang to say he wanted us all to leave the building with our hands in the air. I made the last bit up, but we did feel rather like a bunch of failed hostage takers when we stepped out into a blitz of flashing lights on fire and police vehicles and a maze of haz mat tapes, sealing us off from the rest of humanity. A woman stuck her head out of the legal aid centre next door to see what was going on, only to be promptly taped off as well, along with several parked cars.
Doug addressed us reassuringly from a safe distance, while we were photographed by the local paper and a fireman zipped himself into one of those all-enveloping suits, donned an oxygen mask and waddled off to retrieve the envelope. Early indications are that the substance was harmless.
No doubt there are more fun and games to come though Family First have undoubtedly had the best story of the campaign so far and they're welcome to it.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Rugby Roller-Coaster
It’s been a funny old World Cup for the Aussies. First they make it into the “easy” quarter-final with their old foe, England. Confidence abounds. Then they lose. Despair abounds.
The next day, they cheer up, when New Zealand lose their quarter-final and go out of the tournament. Frankly, this is almost as good as beating England.
Then they brace themselves to support the Springboks against England in the final, which requires a huge effort. The ‘Boks win and, as a bonus, an Australian plays a big part in the English defeat (he was, of course, right - no way was it a try). Short of winning, it couldn’t have worked out any better.
By the way, was I the only one to notice the churlish treatment of Thabo Mbeki by several English players, including Johnny Wilkinson, when the medals were handed out? Mbeki was standing at the end of the line-up with Sarkozy and Brown but they could barely bring themselves to even shake hands with him.
The next day, they cheer up, when New Zealand lose their quarter-final and go out of the tournament. Frankly, this is almost as good as beating England.
Then they brace themselves to support the Springboks against England in the final, which requires a huge effort. The ‘Boks win and, as a bonus, an Australian plays a big part in the English defeat (he was, of course, right - no way was it a try). Short of winning, it couldn’t have worked out any better.
By the way, was I the only one to notice the churlish treatment of Thabo Mbeki by several English players, including Johnny Wilkinson, when the medals were handed out? Mbeki was standing at the end of the line-up with Sarkozy and Brown but they could barely bring themselves to even shake hands with him.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
More Shark Stuff!
Go on, you know you love it, and it's summer here so more people are in the water. For the first tale of the season, I offer you this account of how a woman on a surf ski beat off a white pointer with her paddle.
I should add I spent a lot of time in the water last week and all I saw was a humpback whale breaching way off-shore.
I should add I spent a lot of time in the water last week and all I saw was a humpback whale breaching way off-shore.
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Holiday Weather
Llyw's arrived on holiday. Unfortunately, the local sun and surf seem to have gone on holiday too.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Cycle of Obsession
To the cinema in Sawtell last night to see The Flying Scotsman, about the cyclist, Graeme Obree. Cycling is really taking off in Coffs Harbour at present, I’m glad to say, with twice-weekly community rides attracting up to 80 people, as well as the group training runs for the racing fraternity.
So one of the cycling shops sponsored the showing and handed out free tickets to all those who habitually spend their pocket money on lycra and exotic bits of metal. It was very strange watching the goings-on in a gloomy Glasgow and stepping out afterwards into an evening of Mediterranean warmth to have coffee in a street café surrounded by palms and fig trees.
Stranger still was the story told to me about buying a tandem on eBay and travelling to Vilnius to collect it. And yes, that was Vilnius in Lithuania and not some other Vilnius in Queensland or Tasmania. Cyclists are the same the world over.
So one of the cycling shops sponsored the showing and handed out free tickets to all those who habitually spend their pocket money on lycra and exotic bits of metal. It was very strange watching the goings-on in a gloomy Glasgow and stepping out afterwards into an evening of Mediterranean warmth to have coffee in a street café surrounded by palms and fig trees.
Stranger still was the story told to me about buying a tandem on eBay and travelling to Vilnius to collect it. And yes, that was Vilnius in Lithuania and not some other Vilnius in Queensland or Tasmania. Cyclists are the same the world over.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Old Conflict
The drive to end child abuse and generally improve life in the Aboriginal communities of the Northern Territory took a step forward with
this agreement by the traditional owners to lease their land to the Government. To an outsider, it seems strange that this post-colonial conflict is still being worked at the beginning of the 21st century.
This story about the near-death of an Indigenous language shows the difference between the two societies.
this agreement by the traditional owners to lease their land to the Government. To an outsider, it seems strange that this post-colonial conflict is still being worked at the beginning of the 21st century.
This story about the near-death of an Indigenous language shows the difference between the two societies.
Monday, September 10, 2007
New Frontier
Neighbour John has run away to join the circus - or, at least, the modern equivalent. He's sold his fine foods wholesale business and gone to work on the set of Spielberg's new television series The Pacific in far-away Queensland. It all comes about because Henry, the brother of John's partner, Liz, does logistics for film companies, and not so long ago did a long stint in China for Mission Impossible 3 (or was it 4?). Anyway, it's rather sad for us but he will be back, no doubt with many tales, and it just shows golden opportunities are just waiting to be grasped out here in the colonies.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Still Foreign
Even after a few years here, things still happen that make you say: "That would never have happened at home."
For Sara recently, it was leaving the office to walk to the car and watching three blokes trying to wrestle a goat out of the back of a ute and into the vet's surgery. For me, it was a visit to local masseuse, Glenda ,who lives round the corner. Glenda used to work on prawn trawlers in the Gulf of Carpentaria and regaled me with fishy tales as I lay on the couch. I tottered home afterwards, listening to the surf, under a sky full of stars, and thinking about the sweet smelling sea slugs which had sparked a violent allergy that made her swell up like a balloon.
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