Post #239 31 March 2021

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes some of the things we were involved in during March 2021.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during March 2021 (including Movies and Books).

Some noteworthy events in March 2021.

International trade.

Covid-19.

Let's start with photos of some of our activities during March 2021.

My sister Angie sent this nice "Welcome to Autumn" message. This past Summer (December - January - February) was relatively cool; we only used the air-conditioner once. March, the beginning of Autumn ("Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness ...") is usually a lovely month in Canberra - many nice days this year too - but also lots of rain including massive flooding along the North Coast of NSW and elsewhere.

Our friends Angie and Howard Eakins visited from Sydney. We did a driving trip as described below.

The first day we drove from Canberra to Talbingo via Yass, Gundagai, and Tumut, a distance of close to 300km.  The next day (see map below) we drove to Yarrangobilly Caves, then through Adaminaby to Cooma and back to Canberra.

Gundagai is probably best known as the site of the "Dog on a Tuckerbox" which is actually a small statue on the highway, about 8 kms from town. Gundagai is relatively old (by Australian standards). The original settlement was on some river flats, which were prone to severe flooding - 78 drowned in 1852 (the town was later moved to higher ground, on either side of the river).  
Many Aussie towns continue to build on "flood plains" as revealed again the last week in the massive floods particularly in NSW along the coast from Penrith to Grafton (and also some inland areas). When will we ever learn???

Howard and me in front of the Prince Alfred Bridge in Gundagai. Howard recalled camping under this bridge about 60 years ago, and cars/trucks driving over the wooden slats kept him awake all night. The highway now goes around Gundagai and this old bridge hasn't been used for years.  Does it have heritage value?

Near Tumut we had a look at Blowering Dam (see photo below), part of the mighty Snowy Scheme which harnessed the waters from the alpine region to generate hydro-electricity and for irrigation.

Outside our accommodation at Talbingo, from left: me, Vera, Howard, and Angie. We were told that the population of Talbingo is about 200, but there seemed to be many more houses than that number??? There is a "county club" with a 9 hole golf course and it also houses the only (Chinese) restaurant in town, so that's where we had dinner.

Talbingo Dam near the township of Talbingo.

Tumut 3 Power Station is fed by water in Talbingo Dam; you can't really get perspective from this distance but the pipes are massive.

The hills around Talbingo showed the effects of the devastating bushfires a year ago. The fires came very close, but somehow the Township survived.

The following day we visited Yarrangabilly Caves which are located inside Kosciuszko National Park. There is a Ranger Station and a Guest House.  I last visited here about 60 years ago with my parents, and not much seems to have changed. 

It was all pretty run-down (eg this 'Welcome' sign had cobwebs all around it).

There is a Park Entry fee of $4 per car; swimming in the Thermal Pool is free; self-guided visits of caves were $17 per person.

Bushfires swept through the Yarrangobilly region a year ago - the eucalyptus trees are re-generating which seems like a miracle.

Howard and me swimming in the Thermal Pool (water temperature was about 26C). The pool was about 30 meters long and 20m wide. Depth was about 1.70m with reeds covering about a third of the bottom.

We did a self-guided tour of South Glory Cave - access was via a pleasant and scenic 1km walk along the river.

The impressive entry cavern of South Glory Cave. But, alas, the cave itself was a disappointment - perhaps because of the sub-standard lighting and signage inside??

Our next stop was Cooma, the town where I grew up, where we had lunch in the park.

This music-shell is in the park in the center of town. Cooma is promoted as "The gateway to the Snowy Mountains". It is the headquarters of the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme where my father worked for 20 years (1954 - 74).

A bronze relief-map of the Snowy Mountains area, with Cooma on the near left corner and Canberra on the near right corner (a distance of 110km).

Howard's father was manager of the Cooma Branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) in the early 1960s. It then occupied this impressive old building near the corner of Sharp and Vale Streets, with a large manager's flat upstairs.  The building is now a cafe, and the CBA has moved down Sharp Street to much smaller premises. 
By a strange coincidence, Howard's father helped me get my first job which was with the CBA in Canberra where I started work in January 1964. I met Howard 8 years later, in 1972, when I was posted to the Australian Embassy in Jakarta and he was the Indonesia manager for an Australian consulting engineering firm.

We drove past my old school, Monaro High School (1959 - 63). I was surprised to see a big construction site - budget about $40 million - the school is getting a major upgrade.

Back home in Canberra, Howard showed me how to replace the 

old netting on the screen doors to the balcony. He did a great job - looks much better now.

The annual Enlighten Festival was on during Angie and Howard's visit - several major Government buildings are lit up at night. This is the front of Old Parliament House. Impressive.

The Australia China Friendship Society held a 'goodbye & welcome' dinner for the departing Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy, Mr Yang Zhi, and for his successor Mr Song.  They are here with our President, Carol Keil.

It was marvelous to catch up with old friends Florina and Bob Vanderwaals. They visited Canberra to view the special exhibition at the National Gallery. We met them in 1986 during our posting in Beijing (Florina was there on a short-term assignment with Qantas) and have kept in touch ever since.

I am attending a U3A course titled "A House Divided: the American Civil War". The lecturer is retired historian Greg Bowen, whose knowledge of the American Civil War is extraordinary; it is such a pleasure listening to a real expert.

Sad news that Roger James had passed away.  We were colleagues in the Trade Office in the Beijing Embassy in 1985-6. Roger and Cris had two boys, Simon and Adam, similar in age to our kids and the two families spent a lot of time together and became close.
Our birthdays were only a week apart, and in 1986 we had a big joint 40th birthday party (see photo above). Roger and Cris invited us to Melbourne this August to celebrate our 75th birthdays together, but sadly that won't happen now. 
RIP Roger, now in rugby heaven!

This photo shows Roger James coming off the "oval" during the annual Ice-Cricket match between the Australian and British Embassies held on the frozen lake at the Summer Palace outside Beijing. Roger had just scored ten valuable runs.
There were few facilities in Beijing at the time, and we had to make our own fun - which we did!

I attended a talk by Margaret Reid, held in the Senate Chamber of Old Parliament House. Ms Reid was a Senator for the ACT from 1981 to 2003. She was the first female Whip of the Liberal Party and also first female President of the Senate (1996 - 2002). Now aged 85, she is still going strong!

The annual "Balloon Festival" was held in Canberra.  Unfortunately the morning we went down to the launch site the conditions were not conducive to flying.

This balloon inflated to give the public an idea of how it all happens. 

We replaced the car battery, which gave good service for almost 6 years.

To celebrate Vera's birthday we attended a concert by 43 year old Jazz Singer Emma Pask in The Playhouse. She was excellent, as were the three musicians who backed her. She sang a number of Brazilian numbers, to which we could relate.

Latin-Afro group performing at Smith's Alternative Cafe in Canberra City.

Birthday girls: Vera and Sue Tavares. 

Dinner with Donna Ledlie and John Bakker.

We joined a walking tour of historic sites in Queanbeyan (15 km from Canberra)  

organised by U3A. Queanbeyan was proclaimed a township in 1838 and had a police magistrate and pub; Canberra was established much later, in 1913.

Vera with a statue of John Gale who founded the local newspaper. Some people regard him as the "Father of Canberra" because he lobbied, successfully, for the site of the National Capital to be in this region.

There are a number of old churches in Queanbeyan dating back to around 1840 - 60, including this Presbyterian Church.

This Anglican church was designed by the Rev Alberto Soares and built in 1859-60. After 20 years in Queanbeyan, Rev Soares became the regional architect for the Anglican church based in Goulburn. He designed and built 35 churches.

This old cottage in Queanbeyan is now and Art Gallery.

I attended my first Brumbies (Rugby Union) game this season, with Paul Nicol and Peter Rayner.  The Brumbies won the Australian Championship last year, and a doing well this season - only one loss so far, last week against the Queensland Reds 40 - 38. In this game they beat the Perth Force convincingly 42 - 14 (6 tries to 2). The crowd was disappointing, only 7,000 (the Canberra Raiders rugby league team is attracting twice that number).

Australian Indonesian Families Association (AIFA) had its AGM last Sunday, followed by a picnic lunch. John Robson was elected President for the coming 12 months; and I was elected to the Committee. Vera says I am busy enough already, but it's good to support community groups like AIFA.

We attended the "Brass on the Grass" brass band concert at Hall.

I like to track the cost of petrol - it has jumped up in the last month. We buy at Costco which has the cheapest petrol in Canberra.

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Book

I read (or, rather, re-read) the Rumpole Omnibus during March. Marvellous writing, wonderful British humour.

In the book Horace Rumpole is a 67 year old Barrister in London. He is married to Hilda (aka "She who must be obeyed"); they have a son, Nick. Rumpole is eccentric: he frequently quotes poetry; smokes small cigars; loves Pommeroy's Wine Bar; wears an old hat (and wig); only defends (never plead guilty!);  may not know much law, but understands human nature and is an expert on blood and typewriters.

Some of Rumpole's interesting cases:

Divorce: Tripp v Tripp. Husband and wife communicate via written notes. Rumpole discovers that their son, Norman, is aggravating matters. They reconcile.

Rape: Ken Aspey MP is accused of rape by staffer Bridget Evans. Rumpole suggests a winning strategy, until Aspey (virtually) pleads guilty (to spite his wife).

Shop-lifting: The Rev Mordred Skinner took the blame for stealing 6 shirts, although his sister was the guilty one (she is a kleptomaniac).

Acting: Rumpole convinced the jury there was reasonable doubt and the actress was found not-guilty of murdering her husband - but was it just good acting on her part that swayed the jury?

Love: A teacher was accused of unlawful carnal knowledge for sleeping with a 15 year old student. Rumpole showed that the girl planned it all, but the jury still found him guilty.

Drugs: Kathy Trelawny of the Nirvana Commune was accused of drug dealing. Rumpole thought he could get her off, until she pleaded guilty so as to publicize the plight of her brother in a Turkish jail.

Police: Rumpole's client was convicted of committing the Dartford Post Office Robbery. But later Rumpole was able to prove that he had been 'fitted up' by D (Dirty) Dickinson and he was released.

Our children, Jennifer and Andrew, gave me this book for Xmas in 1995. I read it then, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Re-read it this month and enjoyed it just as much as the first time.  John Mortimer is a wonderful author.

Reginald "Leo" McKern starred as Rumpole in the BBC series which first aired in 1978. McKern was an inspired choice - he was a marvelous Rumpole - the series was a huge success.
McKern was born in Sydney and moved to London in 1946 to pursue a girl (whom he married) and an acting career. He died in England in 2002, aged 82.

...

Movie

We saw Nomadland during March, mainly because it received several Oscar nominations and also got a very good rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Director is  38 year old Chloe Zhao, who was born in Beijing and studied in the UK and USA. 

The movie is about Fern (Frances McDomand), a woman in her 60s  who lost her home and job in the Global Financial Crisis and is now an itinerant living out of her van.  It is unusual as there is no violence or sex; rather, the movie focuses on the people  Fern meets in her travels, predominantly 'grey-nomads' like herself.

Frances McDomand does an excellent job portraying Fern in the movie.

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Some notable events in March 2021

	Harry + Meghan (Duke & Duchess of Sussex) interview with Oprah made headlines for days. Why all the fuss???
	Mass protests against the military coup in Myanmar; dozens killed or injured every day.
	Pope’s historic visit to Iraq, 5 – 8 March.
	Dow Jones Index broke through 33,000 for the first time; fluctuated.
	Australian govt announced a subsidy scheme for apprentices (estimated cost A$1.2B). Also a scheme to promote air travel with subsidised tickets (estimated cost A$1.2B). A$90B income support program, JobKeeper, ended on 28 March after one year. According to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) an estimated 3.6 million employees were supported under this program between April and September 2020, which fell to 1.5 million between October and December 2020 as the economy recovered. There have been reports of significant rorting by some companies. Victoria announced a new A$629M jobs support package. Tens of thousands of women marched around Australia protesting against sexual assault and harassment. Australia’s population decreased slightly in 2020 as Covid stopped immigration. Lots of rain in SE Queensland and Northern NSW resulted in major flooding. It’s been a tough 18 months: drought, bushfires, Covid, and now floods.
	Former Australian Senator Mathias Cormann was elected new Director General of the OECD (based in Paris for 5 year term). Has the OECD passed its use-by date???
	Manchester City’s run of 21 successive victories ended when they lost to Manchester United.
	Cristiano Ronaldo scored 3 goals to take his total in Official Matches to770, 3 more than Pele.
	First official talks under the Biden Administration were held between USA and China in Anchorage.  Antony Blinken (Secretary of State) and Jake Sullivan (National Security Advisor) met with Yang Jie (Foreign Minister) and Wang Yi (State Counsellor). Acrimonious. Mass shootings in Atlanta Georgia and Boulder Colorado prompted a “Stop Asian Hate” campaign and a renewed discussion on tighter gun laws. President Biden doubled the vaccination target to 200m in his first 100 days; so far 30% of adults have received at least one jab. There is concern over a possible “4th wave”.
	China’s GDP rose 2.3% in 2020, its slowest increase in decades  –  but China was the only major economy to show positive growth in 2020.
	Huge ‘Ever Given’ container ship (18,000 TEUs) got stuck in the Suez Canal – traffic jam of 450 ships – refloated on 29/3, after 6 days!
	World Happiness Report based on Gallup World Poll of 149 countries found the 5 ‘happiest’ countries were: Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Switzerland, and The Netherlands. Australia rated 12th. Least happy were Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. Criteria included: GDP, life expectancy, social support, freedom, income inequality, corruption, trust in Govt.

 

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

My 30 year career as an Australian Trade Commissioner has given me an interest in matters related to international trade.  I subscribe to Bloomberg's excellent daily newsletter "Supply Lines - tracking Covid-19's impact on trade" (former title 'Trade Matters').  

The coronavirus pandemic has had a big impact on countries' economies and on international trade.  

Here are some of the more interesting graphs in the Bloomberg newsletter during March 2021; they are largely self-explanatory.

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COVID-19

As at today's date (31 March 2021) the number of cumulative cases and deaths are:

Global 129 million cumulative cases / 2.8 million cumulative deaths. Top ten countries: USA 29.2M / 564K; Brazil 12.7M / 318K; India 12.2M / 163K; France 4.6M / 95K; Russia 4.5M / 98K; UK 4.3M / 127K; Italy 3.6M / 109K; Spain 3.3M / 75K; Germany 2.8M / 77K.

Australia has 29,000 cumulative cases and 909 cumulative deaths - there have been no new deaths for several weeks now. Vaccinations began in February and almost 500,000 people have received the job. There is criticism of the slow pace of the roll-out, but the Govt says that, given our small number of cases, there is no urgency and being cautious is wise. A local company, CSL, has started to produce the AstraZeneka vaccine which should quickly ease supply shortages. 

There was a scare in Brisbane earlier this week and the State Government imposed a snap 3 day lock-down. The number of new cases is still only a handful (but we know how quickly numbers can spiral) and everyone is hoping the lock-down won't be extended. Easter travel plans have been disrupted. In our case Vera & I were supposed to leave for Brisbane today to 'house-&-dog-sit' for Tom & Jen while they were away, but we have postponed our departure until the situation in Brisbane is clearer (maybe next week??).

The Federal Govt's massive JobKeeper income support package ended on 28 March, after one year. Some commentators are worried that up to 150,000 employees could be laid off. But the economic recovery has been strong in recent months (the property market is booming!!), so it is time the extra govt support is withdrawn.

...

Well, folks, that's it for this post.

Our best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Canberra, Australia

Wednesday 31 March 2021