Post #257 30 September 2022

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes some of our activities in September 2022.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during September 2022.

Some news items which caught my eye in September 2022.

Covid: is the end in sight?

Footy Fever in Australia.

International Trade.

Closure of Capital Public Golf Course.

Highlight of September 2022

Our highlight of the month was a trip to Brisbane to watch Nate play in the "Emerging Reds" rugby union trials (under 15s).

The best players in Queensland were in four teams: Brisbane North, Brisbane South, SE Qld, and Qld Country. The teams played each other, and the Selectors chose the most promising 30 players as a development squad for the future.

Nate was selected as one of two half-backs for Brisbane North. They lost a close game to Brisbane South, but easily beat the other two teams. Unfortuately Nate was not selected for the Emerging Reds squad. He is a very good rugby player, but the Selectors obviously felt others were better. Pity. 

But by our reckoning Nate did extremely well to be included in the trials which featured the best 8 half backs in Queensland.

We drove from Canberra to Nambucca (Siri & Bob Morrison), then quick stops in Ocean Shores (Shana and Greg Mills) and Tweed Heads (Irene and Dennis Smith). Two nights in Burleigh Heads, then on to Brisbane (Jen & Tom Roberts). On the way back we stopped at Nambucca and Sydney (Niniek & Paul Milton). The car went well (the odometer passed 100,000 kms on the trip); we did 2,531 kms, used 153 litres of diesel for a cost of A$311. 

Herewith photos of some of our activities in September 2022.

I joined Kevin Vassarotti's U3A course titled "Let's talk history". Rather than look at a person or period in history, Kevin chooses topics such as "The History of Climate change"; Artificial Intellegence; The impact of railways on history; Why NZ didn't join the Australian Federation in 1901; etc. Interesting approach - It certainly gets one thinking.

We saw "My Fair Lady" with friends Sue and Frank Tavares. Fabulous production. This was one of my parent's favorite musicals, and brought back many memories. The songs are masterpieces.

We went to Lucy Wise's concert at Smiths Cafe. The Wise Family (her parents and 3 daughters) were regulars at the National Folk Festival and we watched her grow up. Such a talented musician!

Lucy Wise in performance.

Queen Elizabeth 2nd (1926-2022) died on 8 September 2022 aged 96. She had been on the throne for 70 years. There was blanket media coverage of her life over the next 10 days. It was extraordinary. All the Networks sent teams to the UK to cover the period of mourning and finally the funeral on 19 September. For example, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) had 27 staff assigned.
It was non-stop coverage, day and night, on all the TV channels.  The Queen dedicated her life to "public service" and did it very well. But was all this adulation justified? She was, after all, born to the position, was incredibly wealthy and lived a very privileged life. 

Elizabeth became Queen when her father, King George 6th, died in 1952. She was much admired and loved. My mother was a great fan.

Prince Charles (74) was proclaimed King Charles 3rd. I sometimes wondered why his mother didn't pass the reins to him earlier?
Some commentators speculated that the Queen's passing would reignite the Republican debate in Australia. The British Monarch is the Head of State of 15 countries; most are small island nations, but the list also includes Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
My personal belief is that if the British want a Monarchy, that's fine, but I can't see the relevance to Australia in the 21st century. It just seems archaic, even weird, that someone who lives 20,000 kms away is our Head of State.  If the role is purely ceremonial, and it is, then why not select our own Head of State? But recent opinion polls suggest that a majority of Australians still support our current system. Time will tell. 

We had two days at Burleigh Heads, our favourite beach in the Gold Coast.

It was school holidays and Burleigh Beach was buzzing.

We looked at a couple of apartments while we were in Burleigh. It would be nice to have somewhere warmer to spend the winter months. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms and one car space for over A$1M??? Australian property prices went nuts during Covid (so much cheap money sloshing about), but are now starting to come down as interest rates rise.

Nice view from this apartment at "The Village". Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, one car space asking A$950K??? Crazy!

Proud grandparents with Nate Roberts who was trying out for the Emerging Reds Queensland rugby union squad.

That's Nate closest in the photo. He plays half-back (#9), a critical position in rugby union. 

Nate with his friend Taavi (who was injured during the trials).

With the Roberts mob in Brisbane. From left: Kurt, me, Vera, Tom, and Jen (missing were Nate and Sid).

Tom filleting a nice mackerel he caught that morning.

We caught up with Michael Tjoeng. We were Trade Commissioners at the Aussie Embassy Beijing in 1985-6. Michael is a real foodie and knows all the best restaurants in Brisbane. Yummy!

Popped in to see old friend Hugo Hofgartner at his place at Gaven. Hugo has had health issues, but is now recovering well.

Hugo loves feeding birds (and they love him too!).

Stayed with Bob & Siri Morrison in Nambucca. We were at the Australian Embassy Jakarta together half a century ago. Wonderful friends. 

Caroline and Andrew are enjoying their new house in Sydney. Caroline did a marvellous job project managing this build.

 

Andrew and Vera in Sydney yesterday.

Cost of fuel at Costco Canberra yesterday when we arrived back in Canberra. The average price we paid for diesel on our trip to Brisbane was A$2.03 per liter. But the Aussie dollar is depreciating (A$1 = US$0,65) and the Govt will increase its excise on fuel, so prices are expected to increase next month.

...

Books read this month

This is a biography of German author Thomas Mann (1875-1955). A complex, fascinating character, Thomas was a German nationalist during the First World War, but strongly anti-Nazi during the 1930s and WW2. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1929.
The author is Irish, a Professor at Columbia University in New York. I found the first 100 pages or so hard going, but then it got better. 

This book covers a brief period in Coelho's 20s, during his hippie phase. He skips through his travels in South America, then meets a girl in Amsterdam who convinces him to join her on a bus trip to Nepal. But when they get to Isatnbul he decides to stay and study Sufism (he is fascinated by their Dervish dancing).

A young Paulo Coelho. He was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1947 and travelled extensively in South America and Europe. He started writing at the age of 37; he has written 30 books which have been translated into 80 languages, and sold 320 million copies.

Movie

We love French movies, but I found this one quite confronting. The main character is Julie, a divorcee with two young kids and a full time job. Life becomes even more hectic, if that's possible, when train drivers strike upsetting her carefully constructed routines. It was physically painful to see Julie's life imploding. Brilliant acting and directing, but all too real. 

...

News items which caught my eye during September 2022.

 

Global	UK Conservative Party members voted Liz Truss 81,326 Rishi Sunak 60,399 so Truss became leader and UK’s Prime Minister, replacing Boris Johnson. Queen Elizabeth 2nd died aged 96. She was on the throne 70 years. Funeral held 19 Sept with great pomp. Her son became King Charles 3rd. Bank of England raised interest rates by 0.5% (to 2.25%, highest in 14 years).  The British pound has depreciated 21% this year and is now near parity with the US$. USA life expectancy now 76 years (down from 79 in 2019, due to Covid). Other countries life expectancy: HK 85 years, Japan 85, Singapore 83, Switzerland 84, Germany 81, UK 81. Murdoch Media sued Crikey for defamation. Germany announced Euro 65B package to fight rising energy costs. Two Sanderson brothers killed 10, injured 18 by stabbing in Saskatchewan, Canada. In subsequent manhunt both died. Chile held referendum on a new constitution: No 62%, Yes 38%. EU inflation rate 9.1% in august; European Central Bank raised interest rates 0.75%. EU proposed a windfall profits tax on energy companies. Europe had its hottest summer on record: 40.3C in England, 47C in Portugal. Many wildfires, drought. New Leader of Canada’s Conservative Party is Pierre Poilievre (43). Huge falls on world stock markets on 14 Sept on concerns of continuing high rates of inflation. Further large falls in September. Renewed border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Elections in Sweden gave right-wing coalition a slim majority. Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Presidents Xi and Putin attended. Swiss tennis great Roger Federer (41) announced his retirement at the end of this year; he turned professional in 2003, was ranked world #1 for 237 consecutive weeks, won 20 Grand Slam titles. A champion! Widespread protests (over 70 deaths) in Iran following death of 22 year old Masha Amini who was arrested (and beaten) by ‘Morality Police’ for not wearing hijab correctly. Berlin Marathon won by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in 2h1m9s, female winner Ethiopian Tigist Atsefa in 2h15m37s. Giorgia Meloni (45) will lead a new right-wing anti-immigrant Govt in Italy. School shooting in Izhevsk, Russia: 6 adults and 7 children killed, many injured. Over 4000 foreign leaders attended the state funeral for Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. New Apple iPhone 14 is being made in India (and China).
Russian invasion of Ukraine	Ukraine army successful counter-offensive. Russian Gazprom closed Nord Stream 1 pipeline indefinitely ‘for maintenance’. IAEA inspectors at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station. US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, visited Kyiv. Pledged continuing American support in the war against Russia. President Putin announced ‘partial mobilisation’ of 300,000 reservists; reports of many Russians fleeing to neighbouring countries to avoid the draft.  Referendums were held in Russian controlled areas of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson with, allegedly, overwhelming support to join the Russian Federation. Western govts and media called them 'sham referendums', but that will not stop Putin from annexing those areas. Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden granted Russian citizenship (he fled to Moscow in 2013 after releasing confidential Govt documents). Toyota has announced it will close its factory in Russia.
USA	Trump’s Truth social media platform banned from Google Play Store. Trump called President Biden “enemy of the people” for Biden’s speech warning of MAGA extremism. New York’s Attorney General filed a civil lawsuit against Trump and his three children for fraudulent property valuations. A ‘Special Master’ will review the documents taken by the FBI from Trump’s home. After 28 months, NYC dropped Covid mask mandate on public transport.   Steve Bannon was charged with fraud by NYC. US Tennis Open in NYC: Women’s Singles Iga Swiatek (Pol) beat Ons Jabeur (Tun) 6-2, 7-6. Men’s Singles Carlos Alcaraz (Spa) beat Casper Ruud (Nor). With the win Alcaraz became World #1, youngest ever at 19 years of age. The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 0.75% (to 3.75%). Obama won an Emmy Award for narrating doco “Our great national parks”. Aussie Cameron Smith won the LIV Chicago tournament ($6M). Hurrican Ian caused widespread damage in Florida.
Australia	Reserve Bank of Australia raised interest rates by 0.5% to 2.35%. Govt cut Covid isolation period from 7 to 5 days. Covid reporting changed from daily to weekly. Further relaxation in mid-October. Govt held “Jobs & Skills summit” in Canberra; 150 prominent attendees. Chris Dawson found guilty of murdering his wife Lynette in 1982; 2018 podcast “The Teacher’s Pet” by journalist Hedley Thomas reopened the case. Welfare payments adjusted for inflation. Pensions singles $1,026 pf, couples $1,547 pf; job seekers $677 pf. Newspoll (sample 1505) Preferred Prime Minister: Albanese 61%, Dutton 22%, unsure 17%. Two-Party preferred: Labor 57%, LNP 43%. AFL signed new broadcast deal with 7 & Foxtel A$643M pa for 7 years (total A$4.5B), Report released alleging racism at AFL club Hawthorn. Rachelle Miller, former staffer of Ministers Tudge and Cash, awarded A$650K for mistreatment. “Uncle Jack” Charles, indigenous actor and activist, died aged 79. On 22/9 Australia held a “Day of Mourning” Public Holiday for QE2. Optus, Australia’s 2nd largest telecom, was subject of a major hack of customers details. With the appointment of Jayne Jagot (57) to the High Court of Australia, the seven-member High Court will have a female majority for the first time. Justices of the HC have a mandatory retirement age of 70 (in contrast to the USA where Supreme Court Justices are appointed “for life”).
China	Lockdown of Chengdu, Sichuan (pop 20 m) due to 157 Covid cases. Earthquake in Sichuan, China 65+ dead. China approved CanSino’s first inhaled Covid vaccine. UN report on China’s mistreatment of Uighurs. Actor Li Yi Feng (60M followers on Sina Weibo) accused of immoral behaviour. The Yuan fell below 7 per US$. World Bank predicted China’s GDP will grow by only 2.8% this year.

 

 ... 

Covid 19: is the end in sight?

The Director General of WHO, Tedros, said that “the end of Covid is in sight”, as the number of weekly deaths is the lowest since March 2020 and down 22% from the previous week. But he cautioned that countries must continue to fight the coronavirus to the end. President Biden also said that Covid was beaten (new case numbers well down, but still an average of 400 deaths per day in the USA).

Let’s hope they are correct and the worst is behind us; it has been a hugely stressful time for the world since the lockdowns started in March 2020.

China has been criticized by Western media for its “Zero Covid” approach, but the statistics show that it has been remarkably successful in restricting the number of cases, and the number of deaths. Where would you rather be: America with over 1 million Covid deaths, or China with just 5,000 Covid deaths???

Some commentators question the Chinese figures (I suspect all countries are under-reported), but even if you multiply them by 10, I know where I would rather be!

Statistics from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ accessed 13 September 2022.

Figures have been rounded

Table: Covid cumulative cases and cumulative deaths as at 13 Sept 2022

Rank	Country	Cumulative Cases (million)	Cumulative Deaths
	World / Global	614	6.5M
1	USA	97	1.1M
2	India	45	528K
3	France	35	155K
4	Brazil	35	685K
5	South Korea	24	28K
6	United Kingdom	24	189K
14	Australia	10	14K
109	China	247K	5K

 

 ...

Footy Fever

There are 4 major football codes in Australia: Australian Rules (AFL), Rugby League (NRL), Rugby Union (RA), and Soccer.  The first three are played over winter months, with the finals in September / October. Soccer is played over summer months (all eyes will be on the World Cup in Qatar 20 Nov – 18 Dec 2022; Australia is in Group D with France, Denmark and Tunisia) .

Aussie Rules. The AFL Grand Final was played on Saturday 24 September 2022. The Geelong Cats 133 beat Sydney Swans 52. Huge win. The quarter time scores were: Q1 41-6, Half time 62-26, Q3 101-27, Full time 133-52. The MCG was full with 100,000 fans.

Rugby Union: The Rugby Pacific Championships were played between teams from four southern hemisphere countries: Australia (the Wallabies), New Zealand (the All Blacks), South Africa (the Springboks), and Argentina (the Pumas). The final games were played on the weekend of 24 and 25 September. NZ were the winners, followed by SA, Australia was 3^rd, and Argentina 4^th. The Wallabies were up & down like a yo yo – need to be much better if we are to be competitive at the Rugby World Cup next year.

Rugby League: the NRL semi-finals were held on the weekend of 23/24 September. Paramatta Eels beat North Queensland Cowboys 24-20, and Penrith Panthers beat South Sydney Rabbitohs 32-12. The NRL Grand Final will be played next Sunday 2 October, between Paramatta and Penrith. Should be a great game!

...

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').  

Here are some of the more interesting graphs in the Bloomberg newsletter during September 2022; they are largely self-explanatory.

August 2022 US exports $180B, imports $267B, for a deficit in Mercahndise or Goods trade of $89B. The US normally has a large surplus in Services, so the overall trade deficit of Goods + Services would be smaller.

...

Closure of Capital Golf Course: End of an Era!

 

I have enjoyed playing golf at Capital Public Golf Course and was shocked at the sudden news that the Course would close on 30 September 2022.

Email received on 7 September 2022 from Peter Kohlsdorf, operator of Capital Public Golf Course, Canberra.

Quote

Member Notification : Capital Public Golf Course End of Lease 30 September 2022 (Dated 6 September 2022).

 Dear Members,

We regret to advise that the owner (Liangis Investments Pty Ltd) of Capital Public Golf Course has chosen to conclude our lease on 30 September 2022. 

We have sought confirmation whether another tenant will continue operations from 1 October 2022 but have been advised there is no confirmed operator.

We will be refunding the balance of membership fees pro-rata from 1 October 2022.

We ask all members to use their Prize Accounts to collect prizes and ball credits. These can also be collected before 30 November 2022 at Pete’s Golf Connection at Canberra International Golf Centre. 

Options for refund of Membership Pro-rata Fees as follows:

•         Direct deposit – please provide bank details (Full Name, Name of Bank, BSB & Account number) via email to capital@canberragolf.com.au 

•         Cheque (to be collected from Capital Pro Shop) for those who do not utilise online banking.

Golf NSW has advised they will honour all golf link and affiliation up to 31 December 2022 to allow members to join new clubs.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all members who have supported us over the past 10 years.

If you require any further information please contact Liangis Investments Pty Ltd directly.

 Yours sincerely, Peter Kohlsdorf , PGA Professional , Director, Capital Public Golf Course.

Unquote

 

Email I sent to three ACT Govt Ministers on 11 September 2022.

Quote

Dear Mr Barr, Mr Rattenbury, and Ms Vassarotti,

 As Members for Kurrajong (and Ministers in the ACT Govt) I imagine that you are concerned by the sudden news that the Capital Public Golf Course (CPGC) will close.

 I have been a member of CPGC for 3 years. On 7 September 2022 I received an email from the operator of the Course, Peter Kohlsdorf, advising that his lease was being terminated on 30 September 2022 and that memberships would be reimbursed on a pro-rata basis. Please see attached email.  There are about 170 'members' (we pay an annual subscription) but many more people use the Course. 

 From reports in the Canberra Times (7 September) and Riotact (9 September) the CPGC was bought by Liangis Investments Pty Ltd (Mrs Sotiria Liangis) from the Vikings Club in 2011. 

 Mrs Liangis in turn has an agreement with Peter Kohlsdorf to operate the Course.

 Apparently Mrs Liangis also owns the International Golf Centre (Driving range and Pitch & Putt) across Jerrabomberra Ave from the CPGC, which is also operated by Peter Kohlsdorf (under a 10 year Agreement, I have heard).

What will happen to the CPGC 30 hectare site now? 

 If the Course is not maintained (greens, fairways, etc) it will quickly become neglected and an eyesore. I imagine it is very difficult and expensive to rehabilitate a golf course once it has been let go. Do you think it is her strategy to then try to force the ACT Government to amend the zoning and make this  site available for property development? 

The CPGC is an important recreational facility for scores of Canberrans and visitors every week (ready access to golf at a reasonable cost) which, it seems, will now be lost.

 I would be very interested to hear your views on the imminent closure of CPGC, and what it may mean for the future of that wonderful green-space recreational site.

 Kind regards, Alex Olah, Kingston ACT

Unquote

 

I doubted my appeal would generate anything positive, and that is what happened.

The office of the ACT Chief Minister, Labor’s Andrew Barr, advised that my email query was forwarded to the Planning Minister. I have not heard from him to date.

 Yesterday I finally received a reply from the office of Mr Rattenbury, Leader of the ACT Greens and Attorney General in the ACT Govt. Basically, he said that the Golf Course is privately owned and they cannot intervene.

So that’s the end of Capital Public Golf Course which provided fun and recreation for many thousands of Canberrans over 53 years. RIP!

This morning I played 9 holes at Capital – for the last time – with Brian Edwards. Herewith some photos.

 

Brian and I had a last game at Capital Golf Course this morning. It wasn't a great golf course, but suited us as it was affordable and less than 10 minutes from our apartments,

The Pro Shop at Capital Golf Course. Facilities were basic.

Brian hitting out of a bunker on the 4th hole.

 

Brian putting on the 8th hole.

Me hitting off at the 2nd hole.

Bye bye Capital, it's been fun knowing you. 

End of an era.

Mrs Liangis is the richest woman in Canberra and has a reputation as a tough, shrewd, successful businesswoman and property developer. What's the betting she will get her way and this Golf Course will be full of residential developments within the next 5 years???

...

 

That's it for this post.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Canberra Australia

Friday 30 September 2022