Post #242 30 June 2021

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes some of our activities during the month of June 2021.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

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

Some news items which caught my eye in June 2021.

International trade.

Covid-19 pandemic.

To start, herewith photos of June 2021.

We had 3 days in Sydney to baby-sit while Caroline and Andrew had a weekend away.  Here we are in Reddie furniture shop, 322 Crown St, Surry Hills, before their departure, with valuable staff member Aish.

Young Eddie, 7 years old.

Vera with JJ.

After being off for a few weeks with broken arm, Eddie was back at soccer.

After soccer, we had a look at the house in Queens Park - good progress!

 

Eddie and JJ after their evening bath.

One morning we took the tram down to Circular Quay and spent time around the Opera House, always interesting.

Sydney Opera House.

A street performer.

Andrew brought the kids to Central Station to say goodbye as we caught the train back to Canberra.

Annual Ball weekend for our dance club, the Canberra Old Time Dance Club. We were supposed to celebrate the 40th anniversary last year, but that Ball was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic; so this year's event was called "40+1".

President Duncan Souter welcoming those present.

Significant dates of COTDC. We joined the club in 1996 when we moved to Canberra, and have enjoyed participating on Thursday nights. Old Time (aka Sequence) Dancing is fun. We form a large circle and all do the same steps (eg Pride of Erin, Swing Waltz, Gypsy Tap).
 

A view of the dance floor at St Benedict's School hall. Ian Stewart provided the music.

Your truly at the 4-+1 Ball. Club President, Duncan Souter, is on stage as the MC.

A little excursion with friends Angie & Howard Eakins; we spent two nights in each of Albury and Wagga Wagga. Albury is 3420km south of Canberra, about half-way to Melbourne.

First stop was near Gundagai, on the way to Albury.

The statue of "The dog on the Tuckerbox" which is the subject of a well-known poem.

The original poem, modified in later versions. When Bill went looking for help to fix the broken axel of his wagon, his dog sat (shat?) on the tuckerbox to protect his food.

For $1,900 you can buy this 'statue' of infamous bushranger Ned Kelly.

Then we got to Albury, a city of about 56,000. It is on the NSW side of the NSW-Victoria border (Wodonga is on the Victorian side, across the Murray River).

We stayed 2 nights in the Manor House Motel, built in 1987. Very comfortable.

A suit-of-armour in the foyer of the motel.

Howard and Angie were upgraded to the Elizabeth Suite.

The War Memorial on a hill overlooking Albury.

It was chilly (winter) so we rugged up.

An interesting walk along the banks of the Murray River.




A view of the Murray River. At 2,508km it is Australia's longest river. It starts in the Australian Alps, forms most of the boundary between NSW and Victoria, and flows through the State of South Australia.

A sculpture on the walk (not many sculptures actually). This sculpture (black/white) was quite interesting.

We visited Hume Dam 11km east of Albury. It was built 1919 - 36 (took 17 years!) and expanded in 1961.  In its day it was one of the largest infrastructure projects in Australia, and required cooperation of 3 States, NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

A view of Hume Dam.

The ornate Albury Railway Station was opened in 1881.

The covered platform of Albury Station was 455 metres in length. Victoria had a different rail gauge (all the colonies had different gauges to emphasis their independence) so passengers and freight had to change trains at this platform. A standard gauge line was finally opened in 1962 which meant trains could run all the way from Sydney to Melbourne.

A freight train came through while we were at the Station. It was very long, carrying steel coil to Melbourne. Today there are only two passenger services a day between Sydney and Melbourne (more between Albury/Wodonga and Melbourne), and several freight trains.

Dean Street, the main shopping street in Albury. We were impressed by the "Old Town" - many attractive, well-maintained buildings. Wide streets and lots of round-abouts. Nice parks. 

The old Albury Post Office on Dean Street.

St Matthews Anglican Church in Albury. It dates back to the 1850s,

The alter of St Matthews Anglican Church.

We had dinner with Deb and Peter Love who were on the tour of India with us last year. They chose an Indian restaurant, Dalchini - delicious food! From left: Angie, Peter, Vera, me, Deb, and Howard. It was good to catch up with them and to reminisce about our trip to India.

From Albury we drove to Wagga Wagga (130km due north), via the villages of Culcairn, Henty, and The Rock.

The Doodle Cooma Hotel in Henty.  Strange name - apparently the village was called Doodle Cooma until the name was changed to Henty in 1889.  I grew up in Cooma NSW - wonder about the similar names?

The opening of the Doodle Cooma Arms Hotel in 1888. It was renovated, and a second floor added, in 1918.

Another great name "The Rock". We drove to the rock formation it was named after (about 6km from town) but ran out of time so didn't climb it.

Next stop was Wagga Wagga where we stayed for 2 nights at the International Hotel. Wagga has a population around 68,000. It has Army and Airforce Bases and Charles Sturt University has a major campus. The main shopping street is Baylis Street (over 1km long) which then becomes Fitzmaurice Street.

Howard lived in Wagga from 1944 - 48 (his father was transferred there by the Commonwealth Bank). They rented a house at 5 Fox Street. When we went there the current owner, Tony, happened to be at the front gate. He invited us in to look at the house, and even made coffee - a lovely, friendly gesture!

We had a look at South Wagga Primary School which Howard attended, still going strong. 

The motto and shield of South Wagga Primary School.

We visited the Museum of the Riverina in the old Council chambers. I was intrigued by this old map of Wagga which showed the name spelt differently. For many years it was believed that "Wagga" was the word for crow in the local aboriginal Wiradjuri language, so Wagga Wagga was the Place of Many Crows.  But recently research has found that it actually means dance in that language, so now it is the Place of Many Dances!

This Department Store was the biggest for many years.

The Chico Roll was concieved in Wagga!

We had a look at the Glass Gallery.

This piece was by a Chinese class artist, Zhang Xiao Wei.

No visit to Wagga is complete without seeing the "Wagga Beach". It is located on a big bend in the Murrumbidgee River (they claim it is the 9th best beach in Australia - no way???).

Wagga Beach - nice grassy picnic area and sandy. The river was flowing strongly when we were there.
We drove back to Canberra via Junee (Laurie Daley's home town) and Cootamundra (Ian Loiterton's home town). Played 9 holes of golf with Howard. The following day, Sunday 20 June, Angie and Howard returned to Sydney. It was an enjoyable little excursion.

My sister Aniko and her husband Peter visited Brisbane and caught up with Jen & Tom and the boys Kurt, Nate and Sid.

We attended a Yum Cha lunch organised by the Australia China Friendship Society. Here the Cultural Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy (Mr Song Yan Qun) is responding to Carol Keil's welcome (she is sitting on his left).

Book launch of "The Kindness Revolution" at Muse.
 

Author and social commentator Hugh Mackay responding to a question about his book. He would like to see Australia become "The Loving Country" based on increased kindness and humanity. Good luck!



Another book launch, this time "Farmers or Hunter Gatherers?".

Very interesting discussion by Professor Peter Sutton (left) and Dr Keryn Walshe (right). Their book is an analysis of Bruce Pascoe's 2014 book "Dark Emu". They questioned his scholarship and methodology and argued that the evidence for his conclusions is 'thin' (that Aboriginals practiced European-style farming, built houses and lived in villages, etc). 
I read Pascoe's book just last month, and was unconvinced by his arguments.  Pascoe became a bit of a cult figure, an icon, and this is the first real critique of his work. Will be fascinating to see how it all plays out.

Yet another book launch. The book tries to explain the change in Australia - Sino relations since 2014 when Xi Jin Ping undertook an official visit of Australia, was welcomed with open arms and feted everywhere. Since then, and particularly in the last 3 or 4 years, the relationship has changed dramatically - why??? 
'Panic' in the title refers to Australian Govt's alleged bewilderment as the relationship with our major trading partner continues its downward spiral.

The panel which discussed the new book "China Panic", from left: Richard Rigby, David Brophy (author), Yun Jiang, and Iain Henry.
Possible explanations as to why the bilateral relationship has soured: China's rise means there are more areas of potential conflict; growing authoritarian (eg Xinjiang, Hong Kong); the 'hawks' have taken over in Australia embolden by Trump's aggressive stance on China. 
Another theory is that, with the waning of Terrorism and withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, the Military-Industrial Complex in the USA needed a new enemy to justify its continuing funding (the US military budget is around $750 billion a year, the equivalent of the next 9 largest military countries combined). 

The book launch was held in the Finkel Theatre of the ANU's John Curtin School of Medical Research. Jackie Chan, famous film star, spent a year in Canberra (his parents were working here); he has made an endowment to the ANU for medical research.

Books

I read two books this month: The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre and Inspector Singh Investigates by Shamini Flint.

This is the third book I've read by Ben Macintyre, Philby, Agent Sonya, and now The Spy and the Traitor.  He is a marvelous author. His characters and events are based on true stories, but they read like works of fiction.
This book is about Oleg Gordievsky ('The Spy'), a KGB officer who became disillusioned with Communism and passed secrets to MI6 for 10 years (1975 - 85). He was 'exposed' by Aldrich Ames ('The Traitor') a CIA officer who sold secrets to the KGB from 1985 - 94. British Embassy staff in Moscow managed to smuggle Gordievsky out to Finland in the boot of a car with diplomatic plates. He was awarded CMG in the Queens Birthday Honours in 2007.

Inspector Singh is a Singaporean policeman sent to Kuala Lumpur to help with a murder inquiry. 

It was a fun read for a "who-done-it?"  Being familiar with both Singapore and KL, I was able to relate to many aspects of this story. Published in 2009, this was her first book.

Shamini Flint at 2012 Ubud Writer's Festival. She was born in Malaysia in 1969 and lives in Singapore with her British husband and two children. She has published 7 books in the Inspector Singh series, and numerous children's books.

MOVIE

We saw the documentary on David Gulpilil's life.

A look at the fascinating life of Australia's most famous Aboringinal actor. He has been diagnosed with lung cancer (was a heavy smoker, and drinker). Said he would prefer to spend his last days in Arnham Land, but that he has to stay in Murray Bridge as he needs access to modern medicine to fight the cancer. He obviously relies on, and is close to, his carer Mary Hood. Gulpilil doesn't say much about his personal life, except that he misses his two daughters. 
 

Gulpilil was born in 1953 in Arnham Land, Northern Territory.  He was discovered as a teenager and participated in his first film, Walkabout, in 1971. Other major films included 1976 Storm Boy, 2002 The Tracker , 2006 Ten Canoes, 2013 Charlie's Country (for which he won a Best Actor Award at Cannes). Gulpilil said "Acting came naturally to me. Piece of piss. I know how to walk across the land in front of a camera because I belong there."

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Some news reports which caught my eye in June 2021.

($ = US dollars)

Global	WHO renamed Covid variants: UK = Alpha; South Africa = Beta; India = Delta; Brazil = Gamma. President Biden suspended oil & gas drilling in the Artic. Pres Biden commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre in which hundreds of African-Americans were killed. Both the American and Chinese space ships sent back images of Mars. G7 met in Britain with Australia, South Africa and South Korea invited as observers. G7 agreed to a minimum corporate tax rate of 15%, and that multinationals should pay more tax in countries where it is earned (to be confirmed by the G20 in October). The Economist’s Global Liveability Index ranked 140 cities; top eleven: Auckland, Osaka, Adelaide, Wellington, Tokyo, Perth, Zurich, Geneva, Melbourne, Sydney. Least liveable were Damascus, Lagos and Port Moresby. According to UNCTAD, in 2020 China attracted $163B in Foreign Direct Investment while the USA attracted $134B. Bitcoin now about $30K, down from peak of $65K in April. UNESCO considers listing the Great Barrier Reef as “endangered”.
USA	JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, was hit by a cyber-attack. Allegedly paid $11M ransom (the US was able to recover most of the ransom paid by Colonial Pipelines last month). The House of Representatives passed a motion to establish a Commission to investigate the January 6 2021 attack on the Capitol, but the Senate did not support (got 54 votes but needed 60). First anti-dementia drug (Aducanumab by Biogen) was approved. Pres Biden watered-down Pres Trump’s Executive Order placing restrictions on China-based apps Tik Tok and WeChat. Pres Biden signed the Juneteeth Act, making 19 June a Federal holiday to commemorate the end of slavery. Spaniard Jon Rahm won the US Golf Open, his first Major. Former policeman Derek Chauvin sentenced to 22 years for murder of George Floyd in May 2020. Collapse of 40 year old building near Miami 12 dead, 140 missing. Elon Musk announced that his Starlink Internet Service has 70,000 subscribers, and is aiming for 500,000 by mid-2022. Starlink has launched1,800 low-earth orbit satellites.
Australia	64 year old rugby League legend, Steve Mortimer, announced that he had dementia, possibly due to head knocks during his playing career (he played 13 seasons for Canterbury-Bankstown, and for Australia). The National Capital Authority approved the proposed $500M expansion of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. Melbourne ended a two-week Covid lock-down on 10 June; Greater Sydney went into lock-down on 27 June due to growth of “the Bondi cluster” (now 180 cases). Other States closed their borders.  New Zealand has suspended the “Trans-Tasman Travel Bubble”. Australia exported 445 million tonnes (valued $40B) of iron ore to China in the first 5 months of 2021. Several dozen 40 Afghans (plus dependents) who worked for Australian military will get special visas for Australia. NSW Blues won the Rugby League 2021 State of Origin competition against Queensland Maroons by winning the first two games 50-6 and 26-0. While getting the anti-Covid vaccine is voluntary, the Govt has decreed that all aged care workers must be vaccinated.
France	Ranked world #1 tennis player Naomi Osaka pulled out of the French Open due to mental health issues. Djokovic beat Tsitsipas in the Men’s Final 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. It was Novak’s 19th Grand Slam (he is now only one behind Federer and Nadal).  In the Women’s Final Krejcikova beat Pavlyucherkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.
China	The Govt announced new “3 Child” policy. China’s trade surplus with the USA in April was $28 billion. Three Chinese astronauts are building a Space Station 380km above earth. Big celebrations planned on 1 July for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Israel	After 12 years as PM, Benjamin Netanyahu was replaced by Naftali Bennett.
Iran	Ebrahim Raisi was elected President of Iran, on a low turnout rate of only 49%; he is said to be close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

 

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

My 30 year career as an Australian Trade Commissioner gave 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 had a big impact on countries' economies and on international trade, which is now rebounding.  

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

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Covid-19

Despite good progress with vaccination, Covid-19 still spreading and claiming lives. New variants are much more infectious.

Global and Top Ten countries as at 30 June 2021 are:

Global cumulative cases 183 million and cumulative deaths 4 million. USA 35M / 4M; India 30M / 620K; Brazil 19M / 399K; France 5.8M / 111K; Russia 5.5M / 135K; Turkey 5.4M / 50k; UK 4.8M / 128K; Argentina 4.5M / 94K; Italy 4.3M / 128K; Colombia 4.2M / 106K.

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That's it for this post.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Canberra Australia

Wednesday 30 June 2021