Gentlefolk,
This post describes some of our activities during the month of June 2024.
The contents of this post are in the following sequence:
Photos of our activities during June 2024.
News items which caught my eye in June 2024.
Covid Pandemic - final figures.
Lowy Institute: result of 2024 survey of Australian attitiudes.
Herewith photos of some of our activities in June:
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| Great mate, Pat O'Hara, died after a long battle with cancer. We met in 1964 (60 years ago!!!), when both part time students at the Australian National University, connected and kept in touch ever since. He was a terrific guy, full of fun and energy. Married Kaye, and they had 3 lovely daughters. Rest in Peace, Pat. You made a difference! It was an honour knowing you, |
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| Cremation service booklet. |
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| That top left photo was taken during the 500km NSW Big Ride we did in 2006. |
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| Pat & Kaye's grandkids performed songs & poetry in his memory at the Wake. |
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| Christine, David and Noel came for dinner and to watch the first NRL State of Origin. Qld won the first game, and NSW won the second. The deciding 3rd game will be played in Brisbane in about 2 weeks. State of Origin is a brutal physical contest, always exciting. |
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| The Canberra Old Time Dance Club held its annual Ball over the June "King's Birthday" long weekend. Dancing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights plus lessons and a final dance on Sunday afternoon. We were danced out! Farewell dinner at the Hotel Kingston on Sunday night. A fun weekend! |
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| The COTDC annual Ball weekend this year included an "Eighties" fancy dress night - I went as a Rod Stewart look-alike! |
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| It was "Black Tie" for the actual Ball on Saturday night. |
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| The Indonesian Embassy hosted a NTT cultural event for the Women's International Club. Vera played ukulele. |
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| Heath McMichael, President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), moderated a panel discussion by 3 Ambassadors: Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. |
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| Geoff McKie arranged a lunch of former AUSTRADE colleagues: Peter, me, Ian, John, & Geoff. |
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| The Canberra Brumbies were beaten by the Auckland Blues in the semi-final of the Pacific Super Rugby competition. In the Grand Final, the Blues beat the Chiefs to be 2024 Champions. The Brumbies were the best Australian side again. We actually won some games in New Zealand, which suggested that the gap had narrowed - but not so!!! |
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| My last meeting of the Committee of the Australia China Friendship Society: from left, Amanda, Neil, Robert, me, Brian, Carol, Tanja, and Jean (missing: John and Corrine). The ACFS works to develop cultural understanding between Australia and China, a worthwhile endeavour. Carol Keil is the President and key motivator - she is amazing! |
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| In Brisbane we had lunch with good friend Michael Tjoeng. |
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| Went to Halcyon Nirimba to see progress on our house which is looking good. Completion expected in Sept/Oct. The Village (240 homes) is in its final stage of construction. It is part of Stockland's huge AURA Development; still lots of construction going on, including a big Town Centre which is 2+ years away. |
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| Watched Kurt play for a GPS Rugby side. His height and build means he plays second row. Here he is jumping for the ball in a line-out. He played well, competitive! They beat UQ 26-24, tight game. |
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| Walked along South Bank in Brisbane - the new pedestrian bridge will be open soon. |
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| How do you like this name??? |
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| Saying goodbye to Jen & Tom in their home in The Gap, Brisbane. Also Kurt & Nate (see below). Sid was away. |
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| Kurt. He is in the first year of an electrical apprenticeship. |
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| Nate. He is in the final year at Marist Ashgrove. He is an excellent rugby player, and is in the school's First 15 for rugby union and also the First 13 for rugby league. |
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| We flew from Brisbane to Sdyney, to spend the weekend with Caz, Andrew Eddie and Jay. |
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| Caroline's parents, Niniek & Paul, have just sold their house at Westleigh and are looking to buy in Breakfast Point, near Concord. We lookd at an apartment in this building. |
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| We had a look at 312/38 Peninsula Drive, Breakfast Point The apartment is 2 beds, 2 baths (106 sq m internal), one car space. Nice water view from the balcony (Parramatta River / top of Harbour). Asking price A$1.6M (it is tenated until June 2025 at A$900 per week). |
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| We got the last tickets for this show of Tina Turner songs. |
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| Caroline Borole was "Tina". She is originally from South Africa, has a great voice and did a very good impersonation of Tina Turner.. |
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| Photo with Caroline Borolo and the two dancers. |
I read two books in June: 'Gweilo' by Martin Booth, and 'The Year of Living Dangerously' by CJ Koch.
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| The author's father was posted to Hong Kong (1952-4) as a naval supply manager. This book describes the family's three year posting in HK (he was 9 years old when they arrived). I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author has a very engaging style and good cultural sensitivity. We know HK fairly well, and I could relate to many of the places and activities. Highly recommended. |
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| This book is set in 1965, a tumultuous year in recent Indonesian history. The main characters are Guy Hamilton an Australian journalist based in Jakarta and his cameraman Billy Kwan an Australian (Chinese father / Aussie mother) who is also a dwarf. Other characters are: Jill Bryant and Ralph Henderson secretary and Military Attache in the British Embassy; journalist members of the "Wayang Club" Wally O'Sullivan, Peter Curtis, Kevin Condon, and "Cookie" (the narrator); Kumar (Guy's assistant); President Sukarno. I read this book years ago, when I was based at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, and it was good to read it again. Also highly recommended. |
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News items which caught my eye in June 2024.
($ are US
dollars unless otherwise shown)
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Global
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South Africa: ANC lost ground in
general election (won 159/400 seats), but PM Cyril Ramaposa was able to form
a coalition govt. Rupert Murdoch (93) married
Russian academic Elena Zhukova (67); his 5th marriage. UK: new blood test can pick up
likely return of breast cancer. British doctor and TV personality Michael
Mosley (67) died holidaying on Symi island. UK’s richest family (Hinduja)
convicted in Switzerland of exploiting servants. Soccer: Real Madrid beat Borussia
Dortmund 2-0 to win the European Cup (their 15th!); Euro ’24
started. Kylian Mbappe (25) will move from PSG to Real Madrid (E150M signing
fee plus E15M per season). Cricket: T20 World Cup started, in
USA and West Indies. Mexico: Claudia Sheinbaum (61)
elected President: first female, she was mayor of Mexico City (She is a
climate scientist). India: PM Modi’s govt returned,
but with reduced numbers. WW2: commemorated 80th
anniversary of D Day landing in Normandy, UN: Sec Gen Antionio Guterres
advocated bans on advertising by fossil fuels. Tennis French Open: Iga Swiateck
(Poland) beat Jasmin Paolini (Italy) to win the Women’s Singles; Carlos
Alcaraz (Spain) beat Alexander Zverev (Germany) to win the Men’s Singles. European Parliament: swing to the
far-right in France and Germany, but to the left in Scandinavia. Macron
called a snap election in France. EU: decided to increase tariffs
(up to 38%) on imports of EVs from China. Israel strike in Lebanon killed
Hezbollah commander Tal el Sami; 375 killed in Lebanon, 28 in Israel. Argentina: big demonstrations
against policies of President Milei. Pacific Super Rugby: Auckland
Blues beat Chiefs in the final (the Blues beat the Brumbies 34-20 in the
Semi-Final). New Caledonia: Noumea Airport was
closed for 4 weeks after violent demonstrations. Saudi Arabia: Over 1,000 pilgrims
died in Mecca during the Haj, most from extreme heat. Thailand legalized same sex
marriage, first SE Asian country to do so. Russia: terrorist attacks in
Dagestan killed dozens. Bolivia: General Zuniga arrested after failed coup attempt.
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Israel – Hamas (Gaza) |
US pushing for 3 stage agreement:
(1) a 6 week ceasefire during which IDF will withdraw from Gaza; (2) release
of all hostages; (3) a permanent cessation of hostilities. Un Sec Council
supported 14-0 with one abstention(Russia). IDF attacked central Gaza,
including a school run by UNRWA where 6,000 were sheltering: many dead and
injured. The UN added Israel and Hamas to
the list of Militaries which have committed crimes against children. The IDF rescued 4 Israeli hostages
in Nuseirat, Central Gaza, but 274 Palestinians were killed and 700 injured
in the rescue mission. Benny Gantz resigned from the
Israel War Cabinet – dissolved by Netanyahu. Israel signed contract worth $18B
to buy arms from USA (including 50 F15 fighters). Israel’s military exports totaled
$13B last year, doubled in 5 years. Israel’s Supreme Court ordered the
Govt to draft Ultra Orthodox men for mandatory military service.
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Russian invasion of Ukraine |
Ukrainian drones destroyed a SU-57
stealth fighter 600kms inside Russia. 90 countries attended the ‘Peace
Summit’ held in Switzerland, but Russia not invited and China didn’t go. 10
countries did not support the communique (India, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico,
South Africa, Saudi Arabia, etc). G7 approved $75B loan to Ukraine,
interest to be paid by frozen Russian assets. USA and Ukraine signed a ten-year
Security Treaty. President Putin visited North
Korea.
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USA
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Former President Trump found
guilty of falsifying documents to hide payment to Stormy Daniels (Hush Money
trial); first President to be convicted of a crime; he will appeal verdict; in
response, supporters donated more than $54M in contributions to his election
campaign. Trump celebrated his 78th birthday in June. The Georgia
Court of Appeals paused the election-subversion case against Trump until a
panel of Judges rules on continuation of DA Fani Williams. Mass shooting in Akron Ohio, 1
dead 25+ wounded. President Biden introduced asylum
restrictions by Executive Order (Republicans rejected a bipartisan deal); it
bars migrants who cross the border illegally from seeking asylum, once a
daily threshold is reached. Boeing Starliner spacecraft
successfully docked with the International Space Station, transferred two
astronauts. A review of govt spending during
Covid found that a total of $4.3Trillion was disbursed; $128B was wasted or
misspent with another $280B stolen by fraudsters. The USA recorded 112M cases
during Covid and 1.2M deaths. Revealed that the USA ran a covert campaign to
discredit China’s Sinovac covid vaccine. Hunter Biden was found guilty of lying
on a gun application in October 2018. US Supreme Court struck down (6-3) a federal ban on ‘bump stocks’ which can upgrade semi-auto firearms. USSC permitted the continued sale of Mifepristone (an estimated 65% of US abortions use this medication). The Court rejected a deal which would have protected the Sakler Family in the Purdue Opiod case. NBA: Boston Celtics beat Dallas
Mavericks to be crowned 2024 basketball champions. Tesla shareholders approved a
remuneration package for founder Elon Musk worth an estimated $56B. Elon has
187M followers on X. AI company Nvidia briefly valued
at $3.3T, passed Microsoft as most valuable, but then shares fell. Apple is 3rd
at $3.2T. Louisiana – all public schools must display a poster featuring the 10 Commandments. Oklahoma - Superintend of Schools has made teaching Bible and 10 Commandments mandatory. Actor Donald Sutherland (88) died;
he was in over 200 films and TV series. US Govt banned Kaspersky Software
as based in Russia. Biden - Trump debate hosted by CNN was held on 28 June (AEST). Most commentators were disappointed by Biden's performance, and there were calls for him not to proceed as the candidate of the Democratic Party in the Novemeber 2024 Presidential election.
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Australia |
Of 14 Australian Heads of Mission
in SE ASIA, 10 are women, 4 are men. Bruce Lehrmann said he will appeal Justice Lee’s dismissal of his defamation case. Federal Clurt ordered Lehrmann to pay A$2M for Network 10's costs. Chief Counsel for the Dept of
Human Services, Annette Musolini, resigned for working for a consultant while
on leave. Brisbane house prices passed
Melbourne to be the 2nd highest after Sydney. Fair Work Commission increased the
minimum wage to A$24.10 per hour (A$915 per week). Australian Defence Force will
accept applicants from other countries. NRL State of Origin #1 Qld beat
NSW 38-10. Second game NSW won 38-18. The P&O brand name will cease,
rolled into Carnival Cruises. The Australian National University
banned two students for supporting Hamas. Extensive culling after bird flu
detected in 5 Victorian poultry farms. Telstra Tower in Canberra will
reopen to visitors, operated by ACT Govt. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton
said the Coalition would not respect Labor’s 2030 43% emission reduction
target, as unattainable. Newspoll of 3-7 June found Labor & Coalition 50/50 on a two party preferred. Premier of China, Li Qiang,
visited Australia for 4 days. Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange (52),
arrived Australia following 7 years in the Ecuadorian Embassy and 5 years in prison
in London; Aust Govt arranged deal with USA under which Assange pleaded guilty to just one count of espionage, with time already served. Australian Tax Office said in
2022-23 foreigners (mainly Chinese and Indians) bought 5,360 residential
properties valued at A$4.9B.
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China |
Chang’e 6 landed successfully on
the far side of the moon, collected surface samples, and returned safely. 13.4M students were registered to
sit the Gaokao University Entrance Exam.
Former Defence Miniter Li Shang Fu was expelled from the Chinese Communist Party for corruption.
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Covid-19 pandemic 29 January 2020 – 13 April 2024, final statistics
Note 1 Worldometers stopped recording statistics on 13 April
2024, as many governments had ceased providing statistics on Covid.
Note 2: Top 10 countries ranked by number of Covid-19 cases recorded.
Source: www.worldometers.info
(accessed 20 June 2024)
|
Country |
Total
Cases (million) |
Total
Deaths (thousands) |
Cases per
1M population (thousands) |
Deaths per
1M population |
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World |
705 |
7M |
90 |
899 |
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1 USA |
112 |
1.2M |
334 |
3,642 |
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2 India |
45 |
534 |
32 |
379 |
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3 France |
40 |
168 |
612 |
2,556 |
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4 Germany |
39 |
183 |
463 |
2,182 |
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5 Brazil |
39 |
711 |
180 |
3,303 |
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6 S Korea |
35 |
36 |
674 |
700 |
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7 Japan |
34 |
75 |
269 |
595 |
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8 Italy |
27 |
196 |
444 |
3,261 |
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9 UK |
25 |
232 |
364 |
3,389 |
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10 Russia |
24 |
403 |
166 |
2,762 |
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13 Australia |
12 |
24 |
455 |
937 |
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92 China |
0.5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
2024 Lowy
Institute poll of Australian attitudes
Respected think tank Lowy Institute conducts an annual survey
of attitudes. The 2024 Survey, just published, was conducted 4-17 March 2024. Sample: 2028
adults randomly selected; primarily online survey. Margin of error 2.2%.
|
Country / Theme |
Survey Response |
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China |
53% said bad
relationship with Australia; 44% good. 53% see China
as a security threat; 44% as an economic partner. 71% see China
a likely military threat to Australia in next 20 years. |
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USA |
68% prefer
Biden; 29% Trump 83% said USA
important for Australia’s security; 63% safer with US while 75% think we
could be dragged into a war. |
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India |
Most
important issue: 42% nominated economic ties; 32% human rights; 20% national security. |
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Pacific
Islands |
Most
influential: 34% said China had most influence; 31% Australia; 25% USA. 67% thought Pacifc
Islanders should get preferential visas. |
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Safety &
Threats |
62% of
Australians feel safe (it was 92% in 2020). Major threats:
70% cyberattacks; 57% Taiwan; 57% South China Sea. |
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Security
& Defence |
65% positive about AUKUS (nuclear submarines). Ukraine: 85%
sympathetic; 74% support military aid. . |
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Economy &
Trade |
Economy: 58%
were optimistic over next 5 years. Free trade:
80% supported. |
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Climate
Change |
57% see
climate change as a pressing issue. 87% want more
renewables. 72% want a
higher 2030 emissions target. 60% want no
new coal mines and to limit coal exports 58% support
more gas. 55% support an
Emissions Trading Scheme. |
|
Energy Policy |
48% cost of
energy top priority. 66% think the
renewable target for 2030 is “about right”. 61% believe
nuclear should be considered/debated. |
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Democracy |
72% think
democracy is the best system of government. |
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Immigration |
50% think the
current figures are “about right”; 48% too high. 90% positive
on cultural diversity. |
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Foreign
policy |
56% Albanese
Govt’s foreign policy is good; 41% poor. 66% support security
alliance with the USA. 42% support
the Govt’s policy on Gaza. |
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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').
......
Vera & Alex Olah
