Australia Day

This is the joy-inspiring day
That gave these blessings to our lot
Then let us share the social rites
Join hands, all malice be forgot!
This little star, once marked by none
Now shines a bright - a BLAZING SUN!

-- by Charles Tompson, reputed to be Australia’s first native-born poet and the son of a transportee (prisoner brought here from England). Composed for “Foundation Day” (later renamed Australia Day) January 26, 1824

The enthusiasm I found lacking in Perth at Christmas time was more than made up for this past Tuesday, January 26th. That’s Australia Day, which marks the date on which the first ship carrying English settlers landed on this country’s shores. On that day in 1788 Captain Arthur Phillip arrived and claimed the Colony of New South Wales on behalf of England. These first settlers were mostly prisoners, sent here for everything from murder to disagreeing with the King, to do jail time and remain in exile. It seems that the bondage, far from breaking their spirit, caused them to become strong and fiercely proud. Not surprising really – conditions were so harsh that only the toughest ones survived, and when their prison sentences were over they stayed here, worked the land and thrived. By the way, if you’ve ever heard an Australian refer to an English person as a “Pom” or “Pommy Bastard”, they’re using the acronym for Prisoner Of his Majesty or Prisoner Of Mother England.

I’m pretty sure the average Australian was not thinking about this last week. It was a perfect summer day, with bright sunshine and cooling afternoon breezes. In the morning, there was a swearing-in ceremony for Perth residents who are becoming Australian citizens this year. Afterward, the park opened up for Family Day, with the usual moonwalk, ballo0ns, sausages on a stick, etc. The city of Perth sponsored a “Skyworks” extravaganza beginning with various airborne messages towed by airplanes, followed by acrobatic stunt flying. After sunset we were treated to a spectacular fireworks performance. Because our flat directly overlooks the Swan River and hence the fireworks site, everyone who knows where we live wanted to be invited to spend the day with us. Building management had a strict limit of only 8 guests per unit, so we were forced to be selective with our invitations. My apologies to those we could not include… We watched the sky performances from the shaded comfort of our 8th storey balcony. About 250,000 people attended the fireworks show this year, and at least half of them seemed to be on the grass in front of our apartment building. Our strategy was to serve dinner al fresco after the fireworks, and enjoy a meal while the traffic cleared.

In the southern hemisphere, schoolchildren have been enjoying their summer holidays but they will return to school next week. I’ve been seeing back-to-school signs everywhere lately. Interestingly, although the average Australian does not worship in a church or even profess any kind of faith, about half of the children attend religious schools because of the superior standard of education. There is a cross-town rivalry between several crew teams, and we have been watching them practice on the river for about a week now.
Only 8 more weeks until we are in Houston. Looking forward to seeing everyone again. Let us know how all y’all are doing!

Meanwhile, here are some pictures from Australia Day.

We took a walk around the park to check out the preparations and take photos

Showing patriotism by hanging flags from the balcony

Earlybirds arrive about 8:00am to claim the best spots for viewing the air show and fireworks display.

We took our morning walk a bit later so we could check out all the festivities at the park. Here's the family section, called "Kidzone."

Family zone. Love the signs.

You always spruce things up when company is coming. They planted fresh flowers here the day before! Note: Sir James Mitchell is a former Governer of Western Australia. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mitchell_(Australian_politician)

Picnicking in the park, with a few univited guests ;-D

Preparing for the Naturalization Ceremony

Vince takes time out for a call to Greg

Still quiet, and essentials in place. Newspaper, hat, bug spray, Esky (ice chest), shelter...

Enjoying some sailing before the show begins

More folks arrive to claim good spots for the fireworks show.

There has been trouble in years past with drunk people becoming nuisances and hurting themselves and others. This year there was a strict ban on alcohol. A team of police patrolled the river bank to enforce the ban. There was plenty of controversy surrounding this, but it was a peaceful evening without any problems.   

This is a joke waiting to be told. Care to submit a caption?

The fun begins with a jetski parade on the Swan River, near The Narrows bridge.

A helicpopter pulls an enormous flag across the city, amid shouts of "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oy! Oy! Oy!" (I think Australian babies must learn this in the womb.)

Boats queue up at the river boundary for premium views of the fireworks display.

What everyone was waiting for!

The camera can't do these sparkling beauties justice.

A spectacular end to a wonderful day!

Perth: Backwoods Outpost or Cultural Mecca?

I have heard Perthians proudly describe their home as a large country town with the benefits of a city. That's about right. There are positives and negatives to both, and here are a few.

Positives:
--> Fresh and delicious, preservative-free produce that is reasonably priced
--> Great weather 75% of the year
--> Friendly people
--> Terrific coffee, lunch cafés, and wines
--> Reliable and low cost public transportation
--> Negligeable traffic on streets and freeways

Negatives:
--> Beautiful beaches and nature/wildlife
--> Preservative-free produce means shopping every other day
--> It's the only "city" for 2,000 miles around
--> The cost of living is very high
--> Variable quality in medical care, manufactured goods (especially clothing), infrastructure. It's great in some places, not so great in others.
--> Restaurants tend to be outrageously expensive

Depends on who you ask:
--> Laid back culture, slower pace of life, drinking culture (alcohol is a great social lubricant)
--> Lots of time off work due to more vacation time
--> Multicultural population; 1 in 4 Australian citizens come from somewhere else
--> Only two freeways
--> Mostly outdoor activities; sports is just the beginning.

Verdict: it's not like America, where everything is available almost all the time, but we like it here anyway. For example, the movie "Avator" arrived a week ago, and Sherlock Holmes got here just after Christmas. Not sure when "Extraordinary Measures" will get here, but it takes 2 to 3 months for new releases to make it over here. An exception is "The Lovely Bones" which has been here for some time. On the other hand, Perth is in the middle of a 3 month long Arts festival, and we have seen a number of interesting foreign films that either don't make it to Houston or don't stay very long. There is no national theatre to speak of in Perth, but there are a series of smaller theaters producing varied works. Haven't been too impressed so far, but it does exist. Most Australian TV is awful in my opinion, but I think that about most American TV (except HGTV of course!).

There are some interesting sculptures in town which show off the talent of the designers as well as their sense of humor. For example, check out these kangaroos in the city's business district.

And this sculpture of a diver, meant to commemorate the public baths that once stood on the spot. She's now something of a life sized Betsy McCall (the over 50 crowd will get that joke). Every time I drive down Stirling Highway she is dressed in a new outfit. (If you're curious about Betsy, follow this link) http://www.thebleudoor.com/betsymccallhome.htm

Here's a link to a story about this sculpture.

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/eliza-statue-gets-set-to-have-babies-20090224-8gir.html

A public message for a loved one :-)

It's hard to see (I took this from a moving car) but the diver is dressed as Santa Claus.

His Majesty's Theater in the city centre hosts ballet, opera, plays, some concerts, touring musicals when they come to town (Chicago will be here in a couple of weeks) and performances from the likes of David Sedaris (will be here next month). This is possible because there are fewer performances of each genre. They compensate for this by holding events in interesting venues, like ballet at the quarry (yes, it really is a quarry, with terraced rows of stone seating) and movies in the park. Next month the city will sponsor "movies on the Swan." They will project a movie onto the screen erected in the middle of the river. You bring a picnic (they're big on picnics here), lawn chairs and some wine, have a nice dinner and enjoy a movie in the outdoors. Remember the bug spray.

Last week Al Green came to town (remember him?) for one night. The concert was held at Perth Zoo, of all places. The zoo has a very large green area, suitable for, you guessed it, picnics with lawn chairs, wine and sandwiches. The concert was phenomenal. Al has still got "it" -- that blend of charisma, charm and sex appeal -- at age 63. And since the zoo is walking distance from our apartment, we were home before most people got to the parking lot. Next month Diana Krall will be here, as well as the Beach Boys. But Australia is still a far off island and it costs a lot to get here, which is reflected in ticket prices. Tickets are $100+ for BB and $200+ for Ms. Krall. And the concerts are sold out.

So... "kulcha" is alive and well here if you can afford it and you're willing to seek it out. It isn't cheap, but sometimes it's just worth it. How long will we have the ability to walk to the zoo, eat the world's best strawberries or watch movies on the river from our balcony?

A Morning Walk

It was so cold in Houston last week that a water pipe burst at the house. During that same week in Perth we sweltered in piercing sun and 104F weather for 3 days running. I hope today's blog and pictures will help our friends in cold climates feel a bit warmer.

We generally take our daily walk early (5:30am) to beat the heat and the flies. The peninsula of South Perth is surrounded by the Swan River to the north, east and west, providing plenty of scenery and close-up views of the water. We are bordered by two bridges: the Narrows Bridge to the west (so called because it crosses the narrowest part of the Swan River) and The Causeway bridge to the east. It is possible to walk from south Perth to the Central Business District (CBD), and we know some some people who do. The scenic route attracts a lot of bicyclists, which will be evident from the photos. While the more sporting folks do the whole circle route, we usually confine ourselves to the south bank, and go from our flat to the Causeway and back, about 7.5  kilometers ( 4.5 miles). I've kept the file sizes of these pictures small since there are so many. Let me know if they're too small to see clearly and I'll upload higher res versions. Here's what we see on any given day.

First, a map.

The light blue path on the south bank is our regular route. With a little imagination, you can see that this part of the river is shaped something like a swan, hence the name. I find all the highway number signs amusing -- I have experienced one or two actual traffic jams since arriving here, and both cleared within minutes, even though it was the height of rush hour. FYI, the red star next to the word "Perth" is the location of Vince's office, and the one to the south is our flat. The red line bisecting the river shows the route of the ferry which we often take across the river when we don't feel like driving into town. This revier flows an additional 10 miles west before joining The Indian Ocean.  Interestingly, water from the ocean flows inward to feed the river instead of the usual river flowing to the sea. This phenomenon makes for problems with water. It is salt water like the ocean, but generally calm and slow moving, like a lake.

The building in the background is a café which borders the ferry landing. The dock is also host to a party boat which provides dinner, concert and party cruises on the river. On Friday nights we hear a lot of dance music when the boat takes off and docks again. This playground is a favorite for the children of the hundreds of visitors who come here each day to shop, dine, picnic, etc. .

I took most of these pictures during an actual walk, between 5:30 and 6:00am, and it really is this bright at this early hour. We are not the only people up and walking at this hour. We'll soon be joined by other walkers, joggers, runners, folks with their dogs, and of course the cyclists.

Boot camp exercise classes are popular in Perth, especially since the start of the New Year (all those resolutions!) We can watch this one from our window, but usually it inspires us to get moving ourselves. The surroundings make working out a little more pleasant and the breeze keeps them cool.

They don't know it, but these girls are an inspiration for me. They are the reason I get out there and walk even when I don't feel like it. They are out there every single morning, they start earlier than we do, and not only do they cover about twice the distance, but they run instead of walk.  Behind them is the north bank and city skyline. The long building with the curved roof is the Perth Convention Center.

Until now, the only cockatiel I ever saw up close was in a cage at my sister's house. They're wild and plentiful here, and very noisy early in the morning! In fact there are all kinds of birds around - a birder's paradise. I find them adorable and enjoy their chatter. Vince does not share my opinion :)

It isn't usually THIS crowded with cyclists, but there are enough that they get their own side of the walking path. Cycling is extremely popular here, and cyclists frequently outnumber walkers at this time of day. Helmets are mandatory.

The WACA (pronounced whack-a) Oval, home of the Western Australia Cricket Association. They play a lot of important test matches here, with a big one coming up at the end of the month (Australia vs. Pakistan, I think). I would tell you more, but I just don't understand this sport...

They don't call it the Swan River for nothing :-)  These fellows are probably looking for breakfast.

The birds are accustomed to sharing the river bank with humans, but you can only get so close without scaring them away. That's when the camera's zoom feature comes in handy.

The Causeway Bridge, which separates East Perth from the city center. To the far left is part of a small island which sits in the middle of the river. This is only about half of the bridge. The island is home to kangaroos and other animals.

This is where we turn around and head for home. Note the separate cyclist trail which runs underneath the bridge, and the sign indicating distance (in kilometers) to the city and other points.

Aussies love their dogs as much we we do. They love walking the river bank too!

Weekends are filled with water sport enthusiasts, although swimming in the river is forbidden. The ocean is about 10 miles away, making for an interesting ride. Sailing is extremely popular, and Perth is home to at least 2 yacht clubs. Lately the jetskis have begun to appear, although they tend to be confined to the other side of the Narrows bridge to avoid potential clashes with the ferry.

 

If you don't own your own boat, or if you don't really know how to sail, you can rent one of these mini catamarans and learn/sail in the relative safety of a small part of the river. If you get stuck, a bigger boat will come and tug you home. 

To the far left is the Narrows Bridge, which connects South Perth to the city on the west side. To the west of the bridge are the tony neighborhoods of Subiaco, Crawley and Cottesloe.

 

This is a view from the Narrows Bridge looking toward our flat, which is not visible, but is at the far back of the photo.

This side of the river is less trafficked, and the seagulls seem to like it better.

Peaceful.

Drying off after a swim.

I was trying for seven swans-a-swimming, but could only get five :-)

The older trees are beautiful and provide wonderful shade for picnics and parties. It is not uncommon to see people having dinner or a glass of wine under the trees after dark.

A lovely sunrise to usher us back home. Enjoy your day wherever you are! 

Connections

We have met “heaps” of new people in the past couple of weeks. Being 10,000 + miles from Houston hasn’t stopped us from running into old friends and work colleagues, and anyone who has met Vince knows that he has “never met a stranger.” Still, I find this incredible! You can hum “It’s A Small World After All” as you read the next paragraph.

While perusing the produce section of our local Coles grocery store, my cell phone rang. On the other end of the line was Jim, my college buddy and these days a commercial pilot, spending a couple of weeks in Perth. A couple of days later, the receptionist in Vince’s office informed him that a gentleman from Texas was in the lobby and would to meet with him. Turned out to be a guy he worked with 15 years ago, now dividing his time between Australia and Singapore. On several occasions Vince has been approached by friends and work colleagues as we’re eating dinner in a local restaurant. Amazing. They come from all over: Italy, England, USA, South Africa… and more.

Even cooler, these wonderful people have introduced us to friends and experiences that would normally take years to occur. For example, one fellow invited us to a dinner party the very next day. We met several native Perthians there, including a quarter horse racing enthusiast (owns 4 of his own), an artist, and a guy who supplies shrimp to literally half the world’s restaurants. Vetter family shrimp lovers, feel free to drool! These social events keep us from feeling lonely, and the people we’ve met are helping us find ways to get the most enjoyment from this city. Our new artist friend told us about a ballroom and social dancing classes, which we promptly visited. It’s perfect for us – just the right experience level, and very good exercise. Our downstairs neighbour introduced us to the Perth Arts Festival, going on from January through March. And we spent Thanksgiving night sailing on the Swan River. We might have missed these opportunities if not for the hospitality and friendliness of the “locals.”

Tomorrow night we’re headed to Joondalup, a suburb of Perth about 20 minutes north of town. Our mission – to see a film called “Bride Flight,” the story of 3 young Dutch women who leave their homeland to escape the devastation of post-war Holland and make a fresh start in New Zealand. It’s part of the Perth Film Festival, and we’ll bring a picnic and watch it under the stars at an outdoor theatre (there’s a lot of that here).

At last, we have Internet access at the house, so I am no longer dependent on the Internet café. Woo-hoo!

More Photos on PicasaWeb

Happy New Year to you! I've posted photos from Christmas and some local flavor. Here's a preview. To see larger images, you can go directly to Google's "PicasaWeb" website.
To View All Albums
http://picasaweb.google.com/Vetteroo  

Morning Walk in South Perth
http://picasaweb.google.com/Vetteroo/MorningWalkInSouthPerth?feat=directlink

Christmas at Cottesloe Beach
http://picasaweb.google.com/Vetteroo/ChristmasInCottesloe?feat=directlink

More Christmas 2009
http://picasaweb.google.com/Vetteroo/MoreChristmas2009?feat=directlink

I have compressed photos to save space and make loading easier. If you want a higher resolution copy of any photo, email me at vetteroo@gmail.com and I will send them to you.

Morning Walk in South Perth

More Christmas 2009

Christmas at Cottesloe Beach

Not Quite Perfect

Christmas was definitely "different" this year. We did not celebrate the traditional Australian way, which is to have a grand seafood dinner on Christmas eve (yup, shrimp on the barbie), but we did follow another Aussie tradition, which was to go to the beach on Christmas day. We took a 20-minute drive to beautiful Cottesloe Beach and arrived about 7:00am, in time to find a good picnic spot. Within an hour the beach was nearly full. We breakfasted on mango yogurt, watermelon and bananas, then caught some rays until about 9:00am. We stayed a bit too long on the beach and didn't have time to change before going to Christmas church services. Fortunately everyone was dressed casually, but we felt a bit conspicuous in our shorts and t-shirts. Note: it sounds odd, going to the beach at a time when most people are barely out of bed. There a couple of reasons for this practice: (1) the sun is up very early (5am) and it gets hot very quickly! (2) The "Fremantle Doctor" breezes start blowing inland about midday, and at the water's edge the winds are so strong that they blow sand all over the sunbathers. Not such a good time!

Without children or grandchildren close by, we sought alternative ways to celebrate. Many expats had visitors (children, parents, friends) during this season. Robbie, a fellow Mahjong player, and her husband invited us over for a Christmas eve buffet which included turkey, dressing, green bean casserole (made with french fried shallots), ham, rolls, and lots of wonderful desserts too decadent to mention :)  There was a group of 9 of us, including a couple from England and 3 rig workers originally from various southern US states.

A particularly entertaining guest I'll call Bubba regaled us with hilarious stories and experiences from his three years here.  The story I'm about to tell had us all laughing so hard we nearly fell off of our chairs. All the elements are present which illuminate the frustrations Americans frequently experience when dealing with Aussies in the hospitality and service industries. Bubba, I hope I got this close to accurate :)

Jimmy Forgot to Cook the Chicken

It was a busy day for Bubba and his co-workers. They'd started at sunup, and by noon the wind and hot sun had taken their toll on the guys, and they headed toward a local café for a quick lunch. They walked across the street and into the local eatery, and sat down at a table.  Several other diners were there, chatting and laughing, but no one was eating. After several minutes had passed and no one had come to take their order, Bubba moseyed over to the waitress/cashier I'll call Sasha, who was busy checking her hairstyle in her compact mirror. Their conversation went something like this:

Bubba: "Howdy."

Sasha (smiling): How yer goin"?

Bubba: "I was just wondering what's on the menu today?"

Sasha: Well, we've got a sandwich or two left, and some salad, and the special of the day.

Bubba: Great. I'll just take three of the specials.

Sasha: Okay, that's three specials. It'll be about 45 minutes.

Bubba: 45 minutes?

Sasha (smiling sweetly): That's right.

Bubba: What's taking so long?

Sasha: Well, you see it's Jimmy.

Bubba: Jimmy? Who's Jimmy?

Sasha: Jimmy's the cook.

Bubba: Okay, what's the problem?

Sasha: Not a problem, but he's just been a bit busy.

Bubba: Busy cooking?

Sasha: Well, no, but he's working on the stove right now.

Bubba: What the heck's been keeping him so busy?

Sasha: Well, it's his pahtnah (partner). They've been having problems, and... well, she rang him at work this morning and he's been talking to her. That got him worked up, and then a couple of his mates stopped by to say g'day. And they got to talking, and Jimmy didn't turn on the stove.

Bubba: Jimmy didn't turn on the stove?

Sasha: Yeaahhr, but he's got it turned on now and it's heating up.

Bubba: So you're saying Jimmy hasn't actually cooked anything yet?

Sasha: Nooaahr (no), but he's about to.

Bubba: And those 20 people over there...

Sasha: They're waiting for the lunch special.

Bubba: How long have they been waiting?

Sasha: Oh, about thuhdy (30) minutes. 

Bubba: Don't they have to go back to work?

Sasha: Oh, their boss will understand. They'll just say that Jimmy forgot to cook the chicken and it will be all right.

Bubba: You're serious? They just tell the boss that Jimmy forgot to cook the chicken and everything's just fine?

Sasha: Right. Jimmy's a union man, and everyone knows these things happen from time to time. Would you like a drink with your specials?

Bubba: Look, honey, we're 3 fellas who've been workin' all mornin' and we're hungry. Have you got anything else to eat?

Sasha (smiling): Sure! There's garden salad, tahmattah and feta salad, oh and some cheese sandwiches.  

Bubba: Nothin' personal, but does this happen very often?

Sasha: Well noah, not all the time, but Jimmy's been having problems with his pahtnah and sometimes he gets in a bit late.

Bubba: Okay, let me make sure I got this straight. Jimmy's having personal problems, his buddies came to work and distracted him, so instead of heating the oven Jimmy starts talking to his mates, and he forgot to cook the chicken... and that's okay?

Sasha (smiling sweetly): Yeahr, that's right.

Bubba: Have you got anything with meat in it?

Sasha: Ah, we'll have chicken in just about, let me see, about half an hour.

Bubba: As soon as Jimmy cooks it.

Sasha: Right you are!

Bubba: We gotta find somethin' to eat and get back to work, and we've already been here 20 minutes. I'm sorry, but we just can't wait that long. I'll have to cancel our order.

Sasha (big smile): No worries!

Bubba and his co-workers leave the café to the gentle buzzing of lunch patrons laughing and slurping their second beer. He shakes his head and repeats "No Worries? What does she mean, no worries! I got worries!  I'm about to starve to death!" They cross the street and enter another lunch spot. Bubba walks directly to the counter and says: Hi there! Got a question for ya. Did Jimmy remember to cook the chicken today?"

THE END

P.S. This may not translate well to American culture, but it sure is funny over here.
--> Unions are strong, and workers have protection from being fired unless it's for a dire transgression. Work ethic here is superseded by what folks call the work/life balance, which is extremely important to folks. From my protestant/American/puritanical perspective it seems like most people don't work very hard, and they get an awful lot of time off. Productivity is reduced accordingly. Of course there are exceptions, but the expats seem to work much longer and harder than the locals.
--> It is common for Australians to refer to their significant other as their "partner," even if they are married. The usual practice seems to be for a couple to date and then move in together. There doesn't seem to be a desire to marry, unless children enter the picture. Couples frequently marry shortly before or after the birth of a child.
--> There is no tipping here, and therefore no incentive to provide good customer service, and typically no apologies or explanations are provided when food doesn't arrive promptly, etc. However, Australians are generally friendly and cheerful, which can sometimes make these situations easier. Salaries here are above average (and so are the taxes!), and service personnel are paid wages that compare to what US waitstaff make including tips.

-->  The initials WA stand for Western Australia. The more common definition here is "Wait Awhile."

Have a great day!