Post #199 19 December 2019

Gentlefolk,

This post describes our activities in the period 16 November to 19 December 2019.

At the end of our Indonesia trip we flew from Bali to Sydney and had the weekend with Andrew & Caroline and Eddie & Jay-Jay before taking the train to good old Canberra.

Lots going on during this period - the pre-Xmas rush.

Here are photos of some of the events in which we took part.

A couple of days in Sydney

K-pop festival at Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Eddie on Andrew's shoulders watching the K-pop performers.  He has become obsessed by K-Pop, has learnt a number of dance moves, and even had his hair cut in the style of some of his favorites. 

K-pop street performers competed with the programed acts. 

Andrew enrolled Eddie in a "Nippers" program at Bronte Life Saving Club. The young kids learn water skills. Eddie is still not quite sure if he likes this scene.

Bronte Surf Life Saving Club is one of the oldest in Sydney.

A tug-a-war contest always gets the kids excited.

Learning to run on soft sand.

On the way to child-care in the morning. Jay-Jay used to insist on walking, but now she likes to get a ride with her dad.

They often stop and say hello to a pet parrot called Caesar - here perched on Andrew's arm.

Back home in Canberra

I attended a talk at the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) on Australia's involvement in the 1956 Suez Crisis. When the Egyptian Government nationalised the Suez Canal, the UK and France (and Israel) sent in troops. The Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, was a strong supporter of the UK. But the Americans viewed the invasion as an act of neo-colonialism and in the end the foreign troops withdrew. Many saw it as a sign of diminished British influence.

I went to a talk at the ANU by Associate Professor Zhan Shao Hua who described "China's new land reform" (Xin Tu Gai) which was introduced in 2013 in an effort to turn rural land rights into marketable assets.

Vera with Aniko Carey, my sister. We often have dinner with Aniko and Peter Carey - they are real estate agents with Luton Properties.

Professor Hugh White interviewed Sam Rogeveen about his new book "Our very own Brexit".  I am a great fan of Professor White - a very sound thinker - he is usually the one being interviewed, so a change of role.  But he obviously had considerable respect for the 'young bull'.

Professor Judith Brett discussed her book "The Enigmatic Mr Deakin". Alfred Deakin (1856 - 1919) was Australia's second Prime Minister - a fascinating character.

Professor Brett speaking. The slide shows Alfred Deakin (right) with Edmund Barton at the 1896 Constitutional Convention. In 1901 the six colonies joined together to form the "Commonwealth of Australia". Barton became Australia's first Prime Minister with Deakin as his Attorney-General. When Barton moved to the High Court in 1903, Deakin took over as PM.

Professor Brett's lecture was in the theatre of the Australian Parliament House. This photo shows the foyer of APH, a grand building.  I worked there for 5 years after retiring from Austrade - it was an interesting experience to be at the centre of Australian Government.

Another talk at the AIIA, this time on Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil.

The AIIA talk on Pres Bolsonaro was given by Dr Deborah Barros Leal Farias, a lecturer at the University of NSW. She was  an energetic and convincing speaker.

I heard on the radio that it was the last sitting day of the ACT Legislative Assembly (the Government of the Australian Capital Territory) before the Summer break, and decided to attend. I was there for Question Time, just after the lunch break. I was the only adult in the Visitor Section (plus a group of a dozen kids from Ainslie Primary School). Most of the Questions / Answers related to the Govt's decision to cease funding the Schools Chaplains Program, on the basis that Govt schools should be secular. 

The members of the ACT Legislative Assembly. The Labor Party (ALP) has the most seats, 11, so is the Government (with support from the Greens). The Chief Minister of the ACT is the Leader of the ALP, Andrew Barr (Australia's first gay political leader - he married his partner last year). The Liberal Party led by Alistair Coe has 10 seats and is the main Opposition.

The ACT is divided into 5 multi-member seats or constituencies.  Canberra has a population of a little more than 400,000.

We went to Blues musician Shaun Kirk's concert at the German Club. 

Rory Phillips opened for Shaun Kirk. He is only 13. Quite a talent - a name to look out for.  We sat next to his grandparents who brought him from Tumut.

Shaun Kirk in performance; a veritable 'one-man band' he played non-stop for 2 hours.  

At the end Shaun Kirk stood on a chair and spoke about his life and music. A likable character.

Kangaroo sculpture.

Vera & I attended the book launch of "All of us - a history of South East Asia" at the Asia Bookroom in Jamison. It is a text book to educate schoolkids on the countries in our region. 

The two authors of "All of Us", Jackie Friend and Virginia Hooker.

Vera with Kate and Leon Norgate. They were our wonderful neighbours when we lived in Curtin; subsequently they moved up near Port Macquarie on the NSW North Coast.  Leon was a school teacher and they came for a school reunion. It was great to catch up with them again.

We went to the annual Sydney get-together of former Trade Commissioners.

The list of attendees.

Frank Walsh opened the proceedings.

Members of the Trade Commissioner "Class of '71", from left: Peter Bergman, Frank Ledwidge, Geoff Gray, lloyd Downey, and myself (sadly Colin Hook and Michael Johnson had already left when we took this photo).

Great to meet Peter Murphy again - we were colleagues at the Austrade Office of the Australian High Commission in Singapore 1994 - 5. A lovely man!

With Geoff Gray and Martin Walsh. Geoff had a distinguished career, and ended up as Deputy Consul General and Senior Trade Commissioner in New York.  Martin made his mark as a China expert; he had several postings including Taiwan and China. 

It was good to meet Richard Fletcher again. He was my direct boss in Jakarta 1972-3; a workaholic with great marketing nous. Later Dick did a PhD and became a professor of international business at the University of Western Sydney.

Loftus Harris, Michael Johnson and Barbara Higgs.  I worked for both Michael and Barbara at different times - both inspirational bosses.

Vera & I catching up with Martin Walsh and Denis Gastin.  Denis devised and ran the China Action Plan when I was stationed at the Beijing Embassy; later he was Senior Trade Commissioner in Tokyo; a very clever guy, he has run a successful consultancy business since leaving govt 25 years ago.

Xmas drinks for volunteer guides at Old Parliament House (aka Museum of Australian Democracy). I enjoy my guiding duties there; it is a grand old building.

Went to a panel discussion on China's relationship with Taiwan.

An impressive panel: Chair: Professor Nick Bisley (La Trobe Uni); Professor Brendan Taylor (ANU); Linda Jakobson (China Matters); Allan Gyngell (ANU); Emeritus Professor Hugh White (ANU). Brendan Taylor has written a book "Dangerous Decade - Taiwan's Security and Crisis Management". The general consensus was that Taiwan could become a flashpoint in the next 10 years, as the independence movement grows in Taiwan, and Beijing's patience wears thin. They felt that it was unlikely the USA would get involved in a 'hot' conflict.

Vera with Sue Tavares.  They met while having chemo, and have become good friends. Both similar hair styles now!!!

The Guys & Dolls group had its monthly lunch at Grazings Restaurant in Gundaroo, outside Canberra.  The restaurant is in the old Royal Hotel which was opened in 1865. 

Vera with Helen Moffat. Good friends Helen and Neil Moffat invited us to join the Guys & Dolls group.

Here with Paul Cooney and John Hemphill.  I replaced Paul in the Trade Office of the Australian Embassy, Jakarta in 1972.  John was a fellow Trade Commissioner in Jakarta.

I did a tour of the High Court. Our guide was Jane Bardwell. At Federation in 1901 there were 3 Justices, that increased to 5, and now 7 (four men and three women). The Chief Justice is Susan Mary Kiefer. The mandatory retirement age is 70. High Court Judges stopped wearing wigs in 1988. The pictures on the wall are of Susan Kiefer, Virginia Bell and Stephen Gageler.

Here we were in Court #1 which hears constitutional cases. Court #1 is the Appeals Court, and Court #3 is the Court of Disputed Returns.  Interestingly, the High Court doesn't have nearly as big a profile as the US Supreme Court.

Good friend Ian Loiterton died on 6 December and his funeral took place on Friday 13 December. We met at university in 1966 and became close friends. Lost touch for a few years, but reconnected when we returned to Canberra in 1996. We saw a lot of Ian and his lovely wife Sharon. Ian suddenly developed severe stomach pains, spent two weeks in hospital, they did all sorts of tests but couldn't determine the problem before he suddenly passed away.  

Vera, Sharon Loiterton, and John Scott.

There was a service at Blue Gum Chapel (big crowd attended), then the burial at Gungahlin Cemetery (photo), followed by the wake.  Ian was a lovely person: kind, generous, loyal, honest, in a word 'decent'. He was just an all-round decent guy. Taken too early. May he Rest in Peace.

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Some international events of note during the last month:

Clive James (1939 - 2019) died. Comedian, writer, critic, columnist, broadcaster, tango dancer, he was known for his wry, deadpan humor.

Footballer Lionel Messi won his 6th Ballon d'Or.

Riots in Iran following increases in the price of petrol. More than 200 killed.

Big demonstrations in France against proposed pension reforms.

Boris Johnson's Conservative Party won a big majority (80) in the General Election held in UK on 12 December.  Labour was routed. Brexit here we come.

Time Magazine's 2019 Person of the Year: 16 year old Swede, climate campaigner, Greta Thunberg.

Bougainville Islanders voted 97% for independence from PNG.

USA and China apparently agreed on 'Phase One' of a Trade Deal.

Finland's new Prime Minister: Sanna Marin - at 34 the youngest female leader ever.

An eruption on New Zealand's White Island claimed 16 dead tourists and 20 injured.

On 19 December the USA House of Representatives found that President Trump had acted unlawfully and referred impeachment charges to the Senate. The Senate will sit as a court of law and hear the charges.  But with a strong Republican majority it is most unlikely that they will find him guilty.

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Domestically the main news has been the fires. There are currently about 100 bushfires burning along the East Coast of Australia, and summer has only just begun. Millions of hectares of forest and grasslands and over 700 dwellings destroyed since October, and thick smoke haze covers huge areas (including Canberra and Sydney).  It is an awful time, we desperately need rain but nothing is forecast.

...

That's it for this post.

Jen's 3 sons flew down from Brisbane today - a chance to 'bond' before the hordes descend next week for Xmas.

My next post will cover the Xmas / New Year period.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah
Canberra, Australia
Thursday 19 December 2019.