Post #277 30 April 2024

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes our main activities during the month of April 2024.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during April 2024.

News items which caught my eye in April 2024.

International Trade.

Herewith photos of our activities in April:

The National Folk Festival (NFF) is held in Canberra every Easter: this year from Thursday 28 March to Monday 1 April 2024. We have attended often - it is a wonderful event of music and dance. This year we went two days: Good Friday and Easter Sunday (Barb Roberts joined us on Sunday). We were there from 10am to 10pm. The weather was great this year. More international acts were on display, after a hiatus due to Covid. 

The NFF venues at Canberra's Exhibition Park.

This shows Friday's schedule (there was also another page of workshops etc) - lots going on!!!

Sample page of the schedule - a good range of performers. This year there were more international performers (like before Covid), which gave the Festival more depth.

Our overall favourite was Canadian Harry Manx - marvellous performer.

Lively Melisandre band from Quebec Canada got everyone up and dancing.

Indian dancers from Apsaras Arts Performance Group were terrific.

Hungarian musicians and dancers from Kangogru Group in Sydney were fun.

Paul Tilley's book launch (The History of Tax Reform in Australia) at the ANU. But the star performer on the night was Ken Henry (right), former Secretary of the Treasury.

Dinner with Maria and John Boland, who visited Canberra from Bribie Island (60km north of Brisbane). We knew the Boland family well while growing up in Cooma: Mary, Peter, Michael, John and Elizabeth.
John is battling cancer at present; our thoughts are with him and Maria.

We saw "Billie Elliot" at the Q Theatre in Queanbeyan. Impressive production by an amateur cast. 

Billie was forbidden to dance ballet by his father and elder brother (both coal miners, they thought ballet was for sissies), but he persisted and finally realised his dream.

We had dinner with Sandy Daly (Peter is too ill to travel) when she visited from Melbourne: Geoff, Sandy, Vera & Michael. Sandy is feisty despite many issues - a special lady!

Moritz Mueller von Saalfeld visited from Melbourne. He is Oda's grandson; I like to call him my nephew, although that is not strictly correct. He moved from Germany to Australia about 5 years ago. He is now the Service Manager for Tesla in Richmond, Melbourne with a staff of 20 (and he's only 26!!!). In his spare time he does Iron Man Triathlons (180km cycle, 40km run, 4 km swim).
What a champion!

We had lunch at the Yacht Club.

We took Moritz for a drive to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and then back to Canberra via the Cotter dam which is the principal source of Canberra's fresh water supply. The height of the dam wall was increased in 2011 to increase storage capacity. Canberra's population has grown tremendously, from 84K in 1965 (when I came to Canberra) to 478K in 2024. 

I dragged Moritz along to this author's talk at the Asia Bookroom. His book is about the erosion of the status of Princes (Maharajahs) in India after Independence in 1947; PM Indira Gandhi finally ended their govt stipends in 1971. It was not the most scintillating presentation and I'm afraid Moritz found it a bit boring.

I did a "Torchlight tour of St John's Graveyard". St John's is the oldest church in Canberra. This is how the church looks now, in daylight. 

Construction of St John's Anglican Church, Reid started in 1841; the church was consecrated in 1845. It was the first church built in what is now Canberra. The main benefactor was Robert Campbell who was the largest farmer in this region, based at Duntroon.

The front of St John's church, at night.

Our tour guide was June Penny from the ACT Family History Association.

The graveyard contains the graves of many of the early settlers of this region, including the Shumack Family whose farm was in what is now the suburbs of Weetangara & Hawker in Belconnen. 

The old schoolhouse next to the church is now a Museum. 

Dinner at Mustang Nepalese Restaurant with Paul Gray and Geoff Banbury.

We hadn't been at the South Coast for a while; stopped for fish & chips in Batemans Bay, then stayed a night with Barbara in Broulee.

Stopped at the Bodalla Hotel (built 1877).  Drove around Tuross - nice town. 

Stayed with Angie in Narooma for a night. Sasha and Bonnie visited from Sydney.

We stopped to see our friend Noel and family who were camping at Mimosa Rocks National Park near Bermagui.

At the campsite: Thuy, Noel, Vera & me. We brought Thuy and Tien back to Canberra, Noel stayed for a few more days. We drove back through Tathra, Bega, Nimmitabel and Cooma. In Cooma, I showed them the houses where I grew up, and my High School.

The Monaro: poplar trees looked great in their autumn gold; these near Bredbo. I had itchy throat, so did RAT test when we got home - it was positive: Covid finally got me after all this time!!!. 

Two-up gambling is a favourite pasttime on ANZAC Day.  I had planned to attend the Dawn Service at the War Memorial (apparently 30K were there), but couldn't go when I tested positive for Covid. 

I attended the Brumbies v Hurricanes Rugby match on 27 April, with Paul, Andrew & Noel. We had a good win 27-19, a big relief after being thrashed by the Auckland Blues last weekend. 

I enjoyed reading this book. It is very well researched and written. It is really about rowing, and what a difficult, but rewarding, sport it is.
The book was made into a movie, which we saw about 3 months ago.  The movie is good, but the book is better!

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News items which caught my eye in April 2024.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	Turkey: Opposition parties won Mayoral elections in Istanbul and Ankara. Taiwan: 7.4 earthquake hit east coast of Taiwan. Israel: Anti-Netanyahu demonstrations in Israel – they want him to do more to free the remaining hostages. Missiles (believed to be Israeli) struck the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, Syria, killing eight Iranian military officers. Iran retaliated by launching 300 missiles and drones at Israel – 99% were shot down. It was the first direct Iranian attack on Israel (provoked). Israel responded with a drone attack on Isfahan. Stockmarkets have been volatile following increased tension in the Middle East. USA-Japan-Philippines-Australia conducted naval trials in the South China Sea. Ecuadorean police raided the Mexico Embassy and arrested former Vice President Jorge Glas who is wanted on corruption charges; Mexico severed diplomatic ties. Briton Russ Cook (27) completed his “length of Africa” run: crossed 16 countries, travelled 16,000 km, in 352 days. Raised $1M for charity. EU: tightened migration and asylum rules (380K illegal arrivals in 2023). Bloomberg Economics forecast 2024 global GDP growth of 2.9% (down from 3.1% in 2023). The Netherlands: Amsterdam closed the cruise terminal and stopped construction of new hotels, to limit tourism. Dubai, UAE: major flooding after 14cm of rain fell in 24 hours (average annual rainfall is about 10cm). Argentina: continuing big demonstrations against austerity cuts (including to university funding) by libertarian President Milei.  Italy: Venice started charging a tourist access fee of 5 Euro per day.
Israel – Hamas (Gaza)	Estimated 35K Gazans have been killed since Oct 2023 (70% women & children); about 80K injured (many will die from lack of medical care). Seven foreigners (including Aussie Zomi Frankcom) working for World Central Kitchen charity were killed by IDF – strong condemnation.  A memorial service was held in Washington Cathedral on 28 April. 196 aid workers have been killed in Gaza, and over 200 journalists. Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital in ruins after a 2 week assault by IDF. Israel banned Al Jazeera from broadcasting in country. The UN Human Rights Council voted 28-6 (+13 abstentions) to encourage countries not to sell arms to Israel. UNRWA review found little evidence of anti-Israel bias amongst its 13K staff (Israel alleged widespread bias but provided no evidence). Most countries have renewed funding to UNRWA. Mass graves uncovered near hospital at Khan Younis, Gaza. US Navy started building a floating pier off Gaza for aid shipments.
Russian invasion of Ukraine	Ukrainian drones attacked targets in Yelabuga, 1300 km inside Russia. Ukraine lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. IAEA expressed concern when drones (presumably Ukrainian) hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. US started supplying long-range (250km) ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. On signing the $95B Foreign Aid Bill, President Biden said shipments of military equipment to Ukraine will start immediately. The Australian Govt pledged another A$100M in military aid to Ukraine.
USA	Congress (HoR 311-112, Senate 79-18) passed a Foreign Aid Bill totaling $95B (Ukraine $61B, Israel $26B, Taiwan $8B). The same Bill says TikTok will be banned unless the owner ByteDance cuts ties with China within 9 months (TikTok has 170M regular users in the US). The Senate voted 51-49 to terminate the impeachment trial of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Frantic efforts to reopen shipping channel following bridge collapse in Baltimore – successful by end of April; but bridge repair will take much longer. Avian Flu H5N1 found in dairy herds in Texas; first worker tested positive. Rick Slayman got a genetically modified pig kidney – so far so good. An estimated 30+ million in North America watched the solar eclipse. Arizona Supreme Court reinstated a near-total abortion ban, based on a 1864 law, but the Arizona HoR voted to repeal the law. The NYC trial of former President Trump started following jury selection; he is accused of falsiying documents to cover up payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels. It is the first criminal trial of a former President. Trump rejects the charges, says they are politically motivated. Trump has managed to delay the other three  criminal trials he is facing. Thge Supreme Court is hearing arguments re limits of Presidential immunity (Trump claims he had absolute immunity while President). Women’s College Basketball: Despite Caitlin Clark’s efforts, South Carolina beat Iowa 87-75. Attracted record viewership (more than Men’s final). O.J. Simpson died of cancer aged 76. In 1995 a LA jury acquitted him of murdering his former wife Nicole Brown Smith and her friend Ronald Goldman. Later he served 9 years for armed robbery and kidnapping. 2023 US trade with China goods exports to China $148B, imports $427B giving a bilateral trade deficit of $279B. In view of weakening EV sales, Elon Musk said that Tesla would reduce its global workforce of 140K by 10% and bring forward new low-cost models. Growing Pro-Palestine demonstrations on many university campuses (Columbia, Yale, Harvard, MIT, Texas, NYU, USC, etc); some arrests by police. Israeli PM Netanyahu labelled the campus demonstrations as anti-semitic and said they should be banned. He earned a rebuke from Senator Bernie Sanders who accussed Netanyahu "of using antisemitism to distract attention from the policies of his extremist and racist government." Google fired 50 employees for protesting the Google cloud contract with Israel. The Dept of Justice agreed to pay $139M to 100+ gymnast victims of Lawrence Nassar, for FBI failures in its abuse investigation. Boeing will pay $443M compensation to several airlines for the grounding of their Max 9 planes following the Alaska Air equipment problems in January. The New York Appeals Court overturned (4-3) Harvey Weinstein's 2020 conviction for sex crimes (said allegations of prior offences should not have been admitted); ordered a re-trial. MeToo Movement angry.
Australia	Dr Samantha Mostyn (59) will be Australia’s 28th Governor General (from 1 July 2024). She is a businesswoman and humanitarian campaigner. NBL: The Tasmanian Jack Jumpers beat Melbourne United to win the NBL basketball championship. Joel Cauchi (40) fatally stabbed 6 people and wounded 9 in Westfield Plaza, Bondi Junction, Sydney. He was shot dead by Police Inspector Amy Scott. A couple of days after the Bondi Junction stabbings, a 16 year old youth stabbed the Bishop of an Assyrian Church during a church service in Sydney. A crowd gathered and attacked police and para-medicals. The youth was charged with a terrorist attack; instigators of the riot were arrested. Following the church stabbing, in a counter-terrorism sweep by Sydney police, AFP and ASIO raided 13 homes and arrested 6 teenagers. Bruce Lehrmann lost his defamation case against Chanel 10 and Lisa Wilkinson; Judge Michael Lee concluded that “on the balance of probability, Lehrmann raped Brittney Higgins”. The Judge criticized the behavior of all the parties in this action. Australian actress Nicole Kidman was with an AFI Life Achievement Award. Demonstrations in several cities calling for greater action to counter violence against women.
China	Estimated 65% of new car sales in 2023 were Electric Vehicles. Mobile phone company Xiaomi announced it will make EV; $30K for SU7 model. Took 90K orders in the first 24 hours – 6 month wait for delivery. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited China 3-9 April. A third property giant, Shimao, facing bankruptcy owing $202M; joins Evergrande (debts $300M) and Country Garden.  US Sec of State Blinken visited China, met the President and Minister for Foreign Affairs.

 

 

 

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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" (former title 'Trade Matters').  

Here are some of the more interesting graphs in the Bloomberg newsletter during April 2024; they are largely self-explanatory.

In 2022 the EU represented 13.7% of global exports, while China was 18.2%, USA about 10%. 

Baltimore was able to partially open the shipping channel again by the end of April 2024; it will take much longer to fix the bridge and reopen the highway.

Tesla had revenue of $21B in Q1 2024, with profit of $1.1B (substanially down). 

President Biden has added more Chinese companies and individuals to the US Export Black List than previous Administrations. 

.......

We will visit Taiwan in the second half of May. A 7.4 earthquake hit Taiwan on 3 April and  caused extensive damage along the East Coast (see below). Fortunately our tour will proceed, although the itinerary has been changed to avoid Hualien City.

......

On 22 April I tested positive for Covid - it finally got me!!!  Covid was first detected in Australia in January 2020. I had few symptoms, and I feel OK, so probably a mild case. The doctor prescribed a course of anti-virals (Lagevrio molnupiravir) which I am taking. I paid A$6,70 for the 40 tablets - the prescription showed "actual cost $1,100". Thank god for Australia's subsidised medical scheme!

I did another RAT test on 28 April, which was negative. So everything is back to normal.

...... 

Daylight saving finished in early April. Sunrise now is around 6.30am, sunset at 5.30pm. 

Traditionally Canberrans turn on heating around ANZAC Day (25 April), and that's what we did this month. It's been a very pleasant autumn, but temperatures, especially at night, are falling. For example, for the ANZAC Day dawn service it was just below zero C at 5.30am, with a hint of frost. 

......

Conbstruction of our house near Caloundra (100km north of Brisbane) is coming along nicely; the prospect of no more winters is appealing!

......

That's it for this post.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Canberra, Australia

Tuesday 30 April 2024

 

Post #276 31 March 2024

 Gentlefolk,

This post describes some of our activities during the month of March 2024.

The contents of this post are in the following sequence:

Photos of our activities during March 2024.

News items which caught my eye in March 2024.

International Trade.

March turned out to be a busy month, with trips to Adelaide (by air), Sydney (by train) and Broken Hill (by car, with Robin and Tieke).

We've been blessed with really nice autumn weather during March: warm days (and not much wind) and cool nights. 

Herewith photos of our activities in March:

ADELAIDE, South Australia

We flew to Adelaide, the capital of the State of South Australia, to see our friends Karen and Llew and also Mena and Gary. The distance is 970km, and the flight takes about two hours.

I last visited Adelaide about 30 years ago, and Vera had never been there. Karen and Llew kindly put us up for 4 nights - they have a nice townhouse in North Adelaide, a super convenient location close to the City.

Karen and Llew showed us around Adelaide - they are justifiably proud of their city. We also went to the McLaren Vale wine area and then back along the southern beaches. As a special treat they took us to a Fringe Festival show - 'Whitney' - which was great fun.

We also spent a day with Mena and Gary. They took us to Hahndorf, a historical German settlement in the Adelaide Hills and then showed us some of the beaches close to the City, including Glenelg. 

Vera & I were impressed by Adelaide - a really liveable city, not too big (1.3M) and well planned.

We saw and did a lot in a short time - thanks guys, we really appreciated all your hospitality!!! 

The statue of Colonel William Light (1786-1839), South Australia's first Surveyor General on Montefiore Hill, North Adelaide.  In 1836 he chose the site for Adelaide and laid out the basic plan. The City layout is based on a practical grid pattern, with a band of parkland which goes right around the City and separates it from the suburbs,
Wish other Aussie cities were as well planned!  

Vera in front of Karen & Llew's townhouse in North Adelaide.

Magnificent French Gothic style St Peter's Cathedral in North Adelaide. Construction started in 1869 and took 9 years. 

We had lunch at the Mount Lofty Lookout (700m above sea level), with extensive views across Adelaide.

Karen & Llew took us to a "Whitney" concert during the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

Lunch at Fox Creek Winery in McLaren Vale, about 45 minute drive south of Adelaide. McLaren Vale is a major wine region with over 60 wineries.

d'Arenberg Winery, with Dali sculpture and "Cube" in the background.

From McLaren Vale we drove back to Adelaide along the nice southern beaches, such as Maslin, Noarlunga and Christies. We were impressed that beaches, wineries, national parks are so readily accessible from Adelaide. Here you can live near a beach and within 30 mins of the City, for less than A$1 million!

Adelaide has many fine museums, but I only had time to visit one, The David Roche Foundation museum in North Adelaide. It houses the marvellous collection of David Roche (1930-2013).  The son of a weathy property developer, David was an avid collector of 18th and 19th century furniture, paintings, clocks and ceramics. His house is a veritable "Aladdine's cave" of beautiful objects.

One of the rooms in David Roche's home which is now the museum.

The David Roche Museum had a special exhibition related to Quilts with a military connection - fascinating. Often army tailors would make quilts of old or discarded clothing.

Gary and Mena took us up to Hahndorf, a German settlement in the Adelaide Hills about 30kms from the City. The King of Prussia forced Protestant churches to amalgamate but "Old Lutherans" resisted and some fled to South Australia, arriving early 1839; they established a village which they called Hahndorf after Dirk Hahn, the Danish captain of the ship, who helped them get settled.

Many nice old buildings in Hahndorf. We had lunch (a huge meat platter) in The German Inn.

On our last day in Adelaide, Saturday 2 March, we had lunch at Henley Beach Surf Club with Karen & Llew, and Karen's son Nathan and his family.  We had not seen Nathan for several years and it was good to catch up with him and meet his family.
We flew back to Canberra that afternoon, the end of a most enjoyable few days in Adelaide.

CANBERRA

My niece, Britt, is a self-taught artist. She decided to exhibit her artwork at the Hall Markets and we visited to give her moral support. Here is Vera with Britt and her son Tui.
Good initiative, Britt, and good luck!

QUEANBEYAN (near Canberra)

Our friends Niken & John had a stall "Indo Noodles" at the Queanbeyan Multicultural Festival. Good luck with your new venture!

The performance stage at the Queanbeyan Multicultural Festival. 

CANBERRA

We attended The Chief Minister's annual concert at the Albert Hall.

A Puccini opera in the Albert Hall. Tragic story: a young unmarried woman gives birth. Her baby is given away and she is sent to a convent. When she learns, 10 years later, that he son died she commits suicide to join him.

SYDNEY Quick trip for the kids' birthdays (Jay 7, Eddie 10).

Friday evening, after Jay's Little Athletics, we had pizza in Surry Hills.

This frozen yogurt shop on Crown Street was very popular.

Bondi Beach on Saturday morning,

Three girls and a boy came around to celebrate Jay and Eddie's birthdays.

Caroline preparing Jay's birthday cake.

We took the kids to school on Monday morning, before returning to Canberra.

CANBERRA

We went to this exhibition at the National Gallery.

This volunteer guide introduced the exhibition to us. In 1977 batik making was introduced to the indigenous women living at Utopia (a remote indigenous settlement in the Northern Territory). Some beautiful examples of their batik was on display. About 10 years later painting on canvas was introduced. They quickly adopted the new art because it was much less onerous than batik. 

Examples of painting from Utopia. 

An exhibition of paintings by Vincent (born 1983), great grandson of Albert Namatjra, was in an adjoining room. They have very different styles. 

Vincent has a sense of humour.

Our U3A Australian History group made an excursion to Mt Stromlo Observatory (an agency of the ANU), near Canberra. Our excellent guide was Dr Brad Tucker. Did you knoww that the first telescope was built in 1911, which made it the first structure built be the Federal Govt in the ACT?

Walter Duffield was the first Director of the Observatory. He (and family)  moved into this residence in 1928. Most other buildings here were badly damaged in the big fires of 1952 and 2003 (500 homes were destroyed in Canberra in the 2003 fire). The house has been partially rebuilt so that visitors can inspect it.  

The Observatory is part of the ANU's Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

Inside the Instrumentation a& Technology Centre.

Ice creams after dinner: David & Christine, Vera, Noel, Thuy and Tien and me.

Monthly Old Time Dance social at Belconnen Seniors organised by Audrey & Rob.

MILDURA, VICTORIA

We did a road trip to Broken Hill in far west of NSW, 17 - 22 March 2024. Our first overnight stop was Mildura, the next day we drove to Broken Hill (3 nights), then returned via Dubbo and Cowra (see below descriptions).

Robin and Tieke were going to a family reunion in Broken Hill, and kindly invited Vera & me to travel with them. First day we drove 800km from Canberra to Mildura. Thankfully Robin loves driving; the whole trip was 2,400km and he drove all the way - a champion!
Mildura, about 500km north west of Melbourne, is a huge fruit growing region (grapes, citrus etc).

The Grand Hotel dates back to 1891. Refurbished, but retains old charm. Famous restaurant Stefanos is in the basement. It is colsed on Sundays so we ate in the restaurant upstairs.

The mighty Murray River at Mildura.

WENTWORTH NSW

Wentworth is 35km north of Mildura, in NSW, at the confluence of the Murray and Darling rivers.  Then we drove on to Broken Hill (260km). Robin thought we could get petrol on the way, but that service station had closed. We just made it to Broken Hill with only about a litre left!

BROKEN Hill, NSW

A German boundary rider Charles Rasp  (1847 Stuttgart - 1907 Adelaide) found silver here in 1883 and formed the BHP Company.  Three years later, with growing wealth, he moved to Adelaide, married Agnes Klevesah (they honeymooned in Broken Hill) and basically retired.
BHP grew to become Australia's largest company. 

We did a "walking tour" of BH. Our guide, Ross, was a retired miner, very knowledgeable. The streets are all named after minerals/metals. Having made a fortune, BHP pulled out in 1939 to go on to bigger and better things (it became Australia's biggest company). There are two mines still operating, but at much-reduced rates.  Much of the actual mining has been mechanised.
An odd thing about BH is that they use South Australian time, although the town is in NSW. They feel much more aligned with Adelaide (about 500km) than with Sydney (about 1,500km).

 

On 1 January 1915 two men of Turkish affiliation fired on a train filled with holiday-makers, killing two and injuring several (two more died subsequently). They were hunted down and killed. An angry mob burnt down the German Club that night.

Construction of the Trades Hall started in 1898. Unions were very strong in BH. Early conditions were awful and an estimated 900 miners lost their lives. 

l

The Palace Hotel dates back to 1889. Some of the scenes of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert were filmed here. The walls are covered with landscape murals painted in the 1970s by indigenous artist Gordon Waye. At its height BH had a population of about 35,000 and 62 pubs. The population now is around 16,000 (about 10% indigenous), with some ten pubs still operating.

The ceiling mural in the Palace Hotel.

This sign is a common sight on many streets in BH city centre; drinking and drunkenness are, presumably, continuing problems.

View from Line-of-Lode Hill (created by mine residue or mullock) which overshadows Broken Hill.
Apart from being a town dominated by a slag heap, other notable things about BH: wide streets; angle parking; quiet; many empty/closed shops and hotels; nice old architecture; 

it uses South Australian time (although located in NSW); two Chinese restaurants; the High School has mold which requires major renovation.
I found BH interesting, Vera less so.

The Miners' Memorial on top of the residue hill overlooking BH. About 900 men died in the mines. 

We visited the Sculptures in the Living Desert State Park 12km outside BH.

SILVERTON (about 25km from Broken Hill)

A "silver-rush" brought a population of 3,000 here in 1883, but within five years the silver was gone and miners departed, many to Broken Hill which turned out to be a much bigger mineral deposit.
The guide on our tour, Milton Hawke, actually grew up in Silverton before moving to Broken Hill to work in the mines. He showed us the reservoir which supplied Broken Hill with water (now there is a pipeline from Wentworth); we visited the Old Goal Museum, the Mad Max Museum, an art gallery, the Silverton Hotel, and had a pie in the Bakery (delicious!).

The Silverton Goal had 14 prisoner cells. It has been converted into a really interesting little museum. Highly recommended.

Interesting museum of Mad Max 2. Also highly recommended.

With Mel Gibson in the Mad Max Museum. These movies kicked off his acting career.

Back in Broken Hill

Five painters were known as the "Brushmen of the Bush".  We visited the galleries of Pro Hart and Jack Absalom.

We visited Pro Hart's Gallery, he is the best known local artist.

Kevin Charles ('Pro') Hart 1928 - 2006. He grew up on the family sheep farm near Menindee.  He worked in the mines for 20 years before being discovered as a painter in the late 1960s.
He was a man of many talents: miner, painter, sculptor, collector, body builder, father. He married Raylee Tonkin in 1960 - they had 5 children. He had a collection of Rolls Royce cars and motor bikes. He was "Australian of the Year" in 1983.
A remarkable person.

Reclining nude.

The home brew party, 1976.

Self portrait 1982.

Part of his collection of Rolls Royce cars.

Back to Canberra, via DUBBO and COWRA

Sunrise on the drive from Broken Hill to Wilcannia, lots of wild goats grazing along the road. The landscape was dead-flat. Then on to Cobar, and Dubbo where we overnighted.  Stopped in Cowra to see the Japanese War Cemetery and the Japanese Garden.
The round-trip from Canberra to Broken Hill and back was 2,400km. 

We drove through Willcania (a sad little town), then Cobar, Nyngan, Narromine, and overnighted in bustling Dubbo.  The following day Wellington, Molong, Canowindra and Cowra where we visited the Japanese War Graves and the impressive Japanese Garden.

A wonderful Japanese Garden commemorates Cowra's connection with Japanese POWs (although there is no mention of WW2 or the break-out). The attached cultural centre is interesting too. Highly recommended.
In August 1944 some 1,000 Japanese Prisoners of War (of a total of about 2,000) attempted a break-out; 231 were killed, as well as 4 Australian guards.
There were also about 1,200 Indonesian political prisoners (advocates of Indonesian independence) interned in Cowra. They were transported to Australia by the fleeing Dutch when the Japanese invaded Indonesia in 1942 and the Australian government agreed to 'house' them until they could be returned to prisons in Indonesia.

CANBERRA

Back in Canberra just in time for the Brumbies v Moana Pasifica rugby union game at Canberra Stadium. We had a big win 60 - 21.

We called on old friend Geoff George. He had a fascinating life - from merchant marine captain to academic (Japan specialist) to painter. I'm looking forward to his autobiography later this year. 

One of Geoff's paintings. He took up painting late in life; had a studio in Bali.

Three book launches in March

I attended this book launch. ANU Vice Chancellor Genevieve Bell interviewed the author, Andrew Leigh. Andrew was an Economics Professor at the ANU before being elected as the ALP Member for Canberra in the Federal Parliament (he wanted "to make a difference"!). In the Albanese Govt he is the Assistant Treasurer. Impressive intellect.
A man of many talents: runs marathons, has a family of 3 boys,  a responsible and busy job but still finds time to write books - amazing!

Andrew Leigh signing copies of his book. 

Kathy Lette is well known author. Her first book was Puberty Blues. This is her 20th book. 

Kathy is funny and quick-witted (like her books); the audience at the book launch loved hearing her stories.

I'm sure Jen can relate to Kathy, so bought the book.

Another book launch, this time by Julia Baird, ABC TV journalist.

Julia Baird signing books.

Cost of fuel at Costco, end March 2024.

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News items which caught my eye in March 2024.

($ are US dollars unless otherwise shown)

Global	France: Parliament voted 780-72 to amend the Constitution to allow abortion; it was the 25th amendment to the 1958 Constitution. UK: Tata, owner of Jaguar Land Rover, announced construction of a $5B electric battery plant in Somerset. Vaughan Gething, first black leader of Wales. Palace announced that Princess Kate has cancer. High Court postponed decision on extradition of Julian Assange to USA Canada reinstated visa requirements for Mexicans as the number of asylum applications soars. Bitcoin hit $69K, a new record. Sweden joined NATO, its 32nd member. Saudi Aramco profit 2023 $121B (down 25% 0n 2022). Haiti: Gang violence disrupted govt and society. Russia: Putin easily won the election, Pres for another 6 years; ISIS claimed responsibility for attack on concert hall in Moscow 140+ dead, many injured. F1: Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were first and second in the Australian GP in Melbourne (Max Verstappen stopped mechanical prob).
Israel – Hamas (Gaza)	117+ Palestinians killed by IDF at a food distribution site; more when the IDF attacked al-Shifa Hospital. By the end of March an estimated 32,000 Gazans had been killed (70% women and children); and 75,000 injured (many of whom will die due to lack of medical supplies and care). The govt of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank resigned. WHO said people are starving in Gaza; USA started air drops of food for Gaza but admit limited effectiveness. Sweden and Canada resumed payments to UNRWA. Pres Biden told Israel that attacking Rafah would cross a “red line”. Senator Chuck Shumer called PM Netanyahu an obstacle to peace. US Navy ship built a temporary wharf to supply Gaza with humanitarian aid. Sec of State Blinken visited Saudi, Egypt and Israel to discuss post-war Gaza. UN Sec Gen Antonio Guterres visited Rafah, he called for an immediate ceasefire and better access for humanitarian aid. UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire (USA abstained, so motion passed). Israel angry, postponed visit by key officials to Washington DC). The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Palestine accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Russian invasion of Ukraine	US govt found savings of $300M which enabled replenishment of military supplies to Ukraine (major aid package still stuck in Congress). Ukrainian drones hit 4 oil refineries inside Russia; Ukrainian missiles hit two Russian landing craft in Crimean port of Sevastopol.
USA	President Biden (81) delivered the “State of the Union” address to Congress; GOP reply by Senator Katie Britt (42, Alabama). The “Super Tuesday” primaries were swept by Biden and Trump. Nikki Haley dropped out of the GOP primaries race. It looks as if the Nov 2024 election will be a Biden-Trump rematch. The US Supreme Court ruled to keep Trump on the Colorado ballot; said that States can not remove a candidate for a federal election. US Congress is investigating the possible threat of Chinese “connected EVs”. HoR passed Bill (352-65) to ban TikTok unless it ‘divested”; Trump said it would benefit Face Book which he called “enemy of the people”. Ruth Gottesman donated $1B to the Albert Einstein Medical College in the Bronx, which will enable students to study without tuition fees; Mackenzie Scott (former wife of Jeff Bezos) is donating $640M to not-for-profit organizations this year. Macys announced the gradual closure of 350 stores by 2026; Family Dollar company announced closure of 1,000 shops. Blizzards hit California and Nevada. LeBron James (39) became the first NBA player to pass 40,000 points in regular season (Kareem Abdul Jabbar held the record with 38,387). US budget $7.3T; Biden wants to increase taxes on large companies and billionaires. Congress passed last-minute govt funding package which averted a shut-down (good until September 2024). 2024 Oscars: Oppenheimer got 7 Awards; Poor Things got 4. US National Association of Realtors changes rules to cut 6% commissions. City of Minneapolis decreed that ride-share drivers should make at least the minimum wage of $15.57 per hour; Uber opposing. A jury found James Crumbley (47) father of school shooter Ethan, guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Reuters reported that in 2019 the CIA created a special unit to spread negative narratives related to China. Also that the US Office of National Reconnaissance paid Elon Musk $1.9B to have access to Starlink’s low-orbit satellites to monitor developments around the world. Scottie Scheffer won PGA Sawgrass by one stroke; his final round of 64 was bogie-free. Trump’s social media platform, Truth Social, went public (which could net him over $3B). Trump’s bond in NY fraud case was reduced from $464M to $175M; he has 10 days to arrange. A container ship hit major Baltimore Bridge which collapsed; 7 missing.
Australia	ALP retained the seat of Dunkley (Vic) despite a swing of almost 4% to the Coalition. New member Jodie Beylea. Australia-ASEAN Summit held in Melbourne; Govt announced new $2B fund to promote Australian trade and investment in SE Asia. ASIO’s annual threat assessment by DG Mike Burgess; he said that a former politician (no name) joined a foreign spy ring. Commentators noted that only one arrest since the stronger Foreign Interference Act was passed in 2018. Senate inquiry into Fire Ants held hearings in Brisbane, Newcastle and Canberra. Judge Stephen Kaye found that Walter Sofranoff had a probable bias against former ACT DPP Shane Drumgold, which negated some of his negative findings (Sofranoff was investigating the DPP’s handling of the Bruce Lehrmann case and had a too-close relationship with Janet Albrechtson of The Australian newspaper). The ACT Govt paid $90K to former Minister Linda Reynolds who was suing  former DPP Shane Drumgold for defamation. NRL played two games in Las Vegas to start the 2024 rugby league season. The Roosters beat Broncos; Manly beat Souths. Rooster’s player Spencer Leniu was suspended for 8 games for a racial slur on Ezra Mam (called him a “black monkey”). Sam Kerr, captain of the Matildas, charged in London for calling a policeman “a stupid white bastard” in January 2023.  Sydney’s annual Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras festival. Govt changed Stage 3 tax cuts for wider benefit; an average wage earner on $73K will pay $1,504 less tax. Analysis by Property Exchange Australia found that almost 30% of residential purchases are for cash (ie no mortgage). Uber agreed to pay A$272M compensation for market disruption to 8,000 Aussie taxi owners. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made official visit to Australia.
China	2023 GDP growth of 5.2% (Defence spending up 7%); Govt set 5% target for GDP growth in 2024. 2023 trade in goods surplus $608B. China’s preliminary trade statistics for January & February (the first two months of the year are normally joined to allow for CNY): Exports up 7.1%, Imports up 3.5% giving a record surplus of $125B. 7.7M marriages recorded in 2023; 2.6M uncontested divorces. Tim Cook visited China to boost flagging Apple iPhone sales (market leaders are Vivo, Huawei and Honor). China approved 6.4M copyright applications in 2023 (up 42%) mainly for works of art, computer programs etc. The 508th Long March rocket launched 11 satellites into orbit.

 

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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').  

Here are some of the more interesting graphs in the Bloomberg newsletter during March 2024; they are largely self-explanatory.

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That's it for this post.

We've been blessed with wonderful autumn weather in March (and into April): warm days, cool nights, little wind.  Days are getting shorter, and the sun is lower in the sky; leaves are turning. 

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Vera & Alex Olah

Canberra, Australia

Sunday 31 March 2024