Friday 21 July 2017

Post #146 21 July 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post covers events / activities in the first part of July 2017.

Next week we leave for six weeks in Indonesia (2 in Bali, 4 in Java). Then a week in Perth on the way home.  We haven't been to Perth for many years, and this was a good opportunity to see some friends there.  So my next post will probably be in October.

The highlight of early-July was the visit to Canberra by my ex-student Yu Zhi Chao (Charles) and his parents Yu Cheng Zeng and Niu Cai Qin. They stayed with us for 3 nights.  Visits such as this make you get out and see more of Canberra's attractions.

Other highlights in July, including international, were:


I concluded the last post wondering if Roger Federer would win Wimbledon?  Well, we now know that he beat Marin Cilic in straight sets. That was his 8th Wimbledon title, and his 19th Grand Slam. At the ripe old age of almost 36, Federer is playing superb tennis.  Amazing athlete and such a nice guy to boot. What a champion.

BBC announced that the next "Doctor" (as in Doctor Who) would be a woman, Jodie Whittaker.

The probe into possible Russian interference in the 2016 US Presidential Election intensified with the revelation that Donald Trump Jr (and others) met with Russians in June 2016. Republicans haven't been able to agree on a replacement for Obamacare. Polls show Donald Trump's approval rating as President down to 36%.

The Iraqi Govt announced the defeat of Islamic State with the re-taking of Mosul.  But ISIS still exists in countryside and in parts of Syria.

Australia's Chief Scientist, Alan Finkel, presented his report to the Government on Australia's energy crisis. But conservatives within the Liberal-National Coalition expressed concern at coal's diminishing role.  In the meantime, electricity and gas prices in many parts of Australia rose by 20% on 1 July 2017. Ouch!

The dismal regular season of Super 16 Rugby came to an end. The Brumbies topped the Australian Conference (despite suffering defeats by the Reds and Chiefs in the last two games).  All the Australian teams were woeful this year - not a single victory against a NZ team! Tonight, the first round of the play-offs, the Brumbies take on the Hurricanes ... it will take a miracle ...


Here are some photos of July 2017:


I opened an account at the Kingston Branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) way back in 1968 when I worked for the Australian Chamber of Manufactures in Barton.  This branch closed on 30 June 2017, the fate of many small bank branches around the country.  The end of an era.  RIP.

The Indonesian Families Association (AIFA) had a lunch on 2 July to celebrate the end of Ramadan, the Moslem month of fasting.  The new Indonesian Ambassador, HE Kristianto Legawa, attended.  As it happens, both the Ambassador and his wife are Christians (90% of Indonesians are Moslems), but they actively support all community activities.


Lots of delicious Indonesian food, prepared by AIFA members, was available.










Yu Zhi Chao was my student in Qingdao; he then did engineering at the University of Wollongong.  His parents, Yu Cheng Zeng and Niu Cai Qin came to Australia for his graduation.  They stayed with us for 3 nights. We showed them around Canberra, Parliament House (above) and the War Memorial.

We found some kangaroos in the bush behind Ainslie.

The view from the top of Mount Ainslie.  It was a beautiful, clear, bright winter's day.


Teaching Vera how to make dumplings (jiaozi).

Delicious home-made dumplings.

Having dinner in our apartment.


On 12 July we took the train to Sydney, to say goodbye to Jolene Liampo who has been looking after Andrew & Caroline's children in Hong Kong and here.  She is a lovely lady, kind and thoughtful, wonderful with kids.  There are three trains a day between Canberra and Sydney.  It takes 4 hours to cover the 300 km.  Comfortable enough, but a bit slow (in China the journey would take about 1.5 hours by fast train!).  We caught the 7am train which arrived at Central at 11am, and then the 6.15pm return train. The train station is only about 300m from our apartment in Kingston.

An early-morning view from the train.  Heavy frost covered the ground. 

Jolene with Baby Jay, Vera, and Andrew with Little Eddie. We will miss Jolene!


Baby Jay is now 4 months old. She is gorgeous!!!!
Vera feeding Jay-Jay.  At this age all they seem to do is eat and poo!!


My turn to feed Jay-Jay.  

Niniek (Caroline's mother), with Little Eddie.  He is developing into a great little boy; loves "The Lion King" which he insists on us reading to him 2 or 3 times a day.
My sister Angie Ulrichsen flew to Europe for a holiday.  Saying farewell at Canberra Airport, from left: me, Aniko Carey, Vera, Angie, and Peter Carey. Singapore Air now has direct flights from Canberra to Singapore. 


On 20 July we had lunch with Graham Kendall who has been teaching English at Bin Hai College in Qingdao (about 5km from our former university UPC).  He is back in Sydney for the "summer vacation" - will return to Qingdao next month, in time for the start of the new academic year. Vera and I are in Sydney for a week to look after Little Eddie and Baby Jay while Andrew and Caroline participate in a trade display in Melbourne.   In a few days we fly to Bali for the start of our 6 week tour around Indonesia.

Here are some photos taken around Sydney.  The first three show the "Welcome Wall" - names of immigrants  - at the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour.  Twenty years ago Vera & I had the following subscription put on the Wall "Akos Olah and Edeltraut Goerner and family".







The entrance to the Chinese Garden, near Darling Harbour.



Interesting architecture at the University of Technology Sydney.  Good to see something out of the ordinary.



The facade of the building in Surry Hills where Andrew and Caroline live in their apartment. It was an old church hall, and the developer had to keep the facade when they converted it into apartments.  Very convenient, about 300m from the South Concourse of Central Station.  They are adjacent to Prince Alfred Park.




Surry Hills is an old part of Sydney.  Many "workers cottages", as shown in the next three photos. By Australian standards it is "crowded", but nothing like Hong Kong or China.












A photo of St Mary's Cathedral, the main Catholic church near the centre of Sydney, taken from Hyde Park.  About 25% of Australians call themselves Catholics.





...

When I started this post I wondered if there was enough material to make it meaningful, but I needn't have worried.  We actually live fairly busy lives.  An advantage of keeping a blog - makes you look back and reflect on the things that took place.

Three other events are worth mentioning.

The first was an "author's talk" at the Asia Bookroom by Madeleine O'Dea. She spoke about her book published last year "Art, resistance and the making of modern China".  Madeleine went to Beijing in 1986 as a stringer for the Australian Financial Review.  We lived in Beijing at that time, and many of her comments about China in the 1980s resonated with us.

On 13 July I had dinner with a group of teachers from ANU College (Margie, Fiona, Kelsey, and Jasmin).  They asked if I was going to apply to teach another Access Intensive English course in November / December / January?   I dunno; just can't get too enthused.  Will have to decide soon.

The third event was my talk to U3A on "Some aspects of Chinese Culture", 10am - 12 noon on Tuesday 4 July 2017.  I focused on rather esoteric questions, such as: "Why does one see so few old people in China?";  "Why doesn't the game Chinese Whispers work in China?"; "Are there left-handed Chinese?"; "Why do many young Chinese admire Jews?" 35 U3A members attended and we had a lively and interesting discussion.

...

That's all for this post.

Next week we are off to Indonesia.  It is unlikely that I'll have time for any posts during our trip, so the next post will probably be in October 2017.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Sydney, Australia
Friday 21 July 2017


































































Sunday 16 July 2017

Post #145 16 July 2017

Gentlefolk,

I complied the following article for the newsletter of the Alumni Association of the House of Representatives (HoR).

Quote


HoR Alumni Newsletter,  “Where are they now?”  Alex Olah

I hadn’t seen Jim Pender for some years, but ran across him recently when we were fellow students at a U3A course on “Unusual Borders”. 

Jim said that he was helping to edit the HoR Alumni Newsletter, and asked me for a contribution.  I protested that I’d only worked at Parliament House for a few short years.  But Jim was persuasive, so here goes.

In April 2001 I took early retirement from the Australian Trade Commission (AUSTRADE).  While I had thoroughly enjoyed my career, including several overseas postings, after 30 years it was time to move on.  I wanted to do something different and interesting, but wasn’t sure what.

A few days later Margaret Swieringa, Secretary of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade contacted me.  She explained that the Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee was finalising an inquiry into “Australia’s relations with the Middle East”.  A staff member had resigned unexpectedly which left them short; she asked if I could draft the chapter on trade? 

I ended up spending, on and off, about five years at APH, working for various Committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. I loved working in that grand building; and found the whole place fascinating and stimulating.

The Chair of the Foreign Affairs Sub-committee was Hon David Jull, MP and the Secretary was Cliff Lawson.  I ended up drafting two chapters: Chapter 6 on Trade (50 pages) and Chapter 8 on Social and Cultural Links (25 pages). It was a scramble getting it done; the report on the Middle East was tabled in August 2001. 

I was then assigned to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (Chair: Petro Georgiou, AO MP and Secretary: Trevor Rowe) which was holding an inquiry into the conduct of the 2001 Federal Election.

I had been comfortable dealing with trade-related matters but this was a completely new area for me.  It quickly became apparent that on this Committee the Members were more knowledgeable than the staff, and Mr Georgiou, especially, was an expert.  I really admired Trevor for the way he handled a challenging work situation. That report was tabled in June 2003.

I then moved to the HoR Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (Chair: Kay Elson, MP, Secretary: Ian Dundas) which was holding and inquiry into future water supplies for Australia’s rural industries and communities. We were in a prolonged drought, the Murray River was in dire straits, and access to water was of great concern to irrigators and environmentalists alike.  Another fascinating subject.  The report was tabled in June 2004.

My time at the Senate included two particularly interesting inquiries.  The first was for the Economics References Committee (Chair: Ursula Stephens, Secretary: Peter Hallahan) which was looking at the links between Australia’s current account deficit, the demand for imports, and household debt. I had to dust off my old economics text books. The report was tabled in October 2005.

The second was for the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Crime Commission (Chair: Hon Ian Macdonald, Secretary: Jonathan Curtis) which was inquiring into the manufacture, importation and use of amphetamines and other synthetic drugs in Australia.  Wow! Heavy stuff. That report was tabled in February 2007.

I enjoyed my time at APH very much. Such diverse, interesting subjects (steep learning curves!); stimulating environment; seeing the political process at close quarters; and working with so many great people. 

Then my wife and I decided to do something completely different: to teach English overseas. We did TESOL courses and in September 2009 started work at the China University of Petroleum (www.upc.edu.cn).  Altogether we had six years at UPC, first at the Dongying campus, and later at the new Qingdao campus. 

We finished teaching in China in July 2016.  It had been a wonderful experience, but I was about to turn 70 and we thought it would be a good time to return home. For those with an interest in China, have a look at my blog (alexolah.blogspot.com) which describes our life there (see posts before July 2016, when we returned to Australia).

Readjusting to life in Canberra has had its moments, but we are now feeling fairly settled.  I taught a 10-week intensive English course for foreign students at the ANU earlier this year.  All 18 students were from China, so I felt quite at home! 

What's next for this Little Black Duck?  I’m hoping to do more courses at U3A, and to play a bit of golf, but other things keep getting in the way (eg grandkids in Brisbane and Sydney).  We will spend the next few weeks travelling around Indonesia.

I feel blessed to have had three interesting and rewarding careers: one major, two minor, all good: AUSTRADE, Committees at APH, and teaching in China.  Won the trifecta!

I’m hoping to get to the Alumni end-of-year function this year, if we are here.

Best wishes, alex olah

Canberra, Sunday 16 July 2017

Unquote

Compiling this article made me think back to the time I spent working at Parliament House - what a great experience that was!

We are off to Indonesia soon.  Don't think there will be much time for blog posts, so I'm hoping to do one soon (tomorrow?) on events in the first half of July.  Then it will probably be October before I post again.

As I complete this post, Wimbledon Mens Single Final is about to start.  Can evergreen Federer beat Cilic?  Hope so, he is amazing!

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Sunday 16 July 2017




Friday 30 June 2017

Post #144 30 June 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post covers events / activities in which we were involved during June 2017.

Winter definitely arrived, with night temperatures consistently below zero; unpleasant fog sometimes spoil mornings, but afternoons are usually nice.

Luckily the apartment has a northerly orientation, so is normally comfortable during the day; at night the temperature drops and we need heating.  But overall it's been quite manageable.

It's been another busy month. We bought display cabinets and finally unpacked our Chinese blue & white porcelain. Hung photos and awards on study walls; still a few photos to go, but almost there.

It has taken about 9 months to properly 'settle in' to the apartment and our new lifestyle; friends who cautioned that it takes time, "don't rush, be patient", were right.

We are just back from six days in Brisbane - caught up with Jen & Tom & boys - the weather is much warmer up there, that's for sure.

We went to several classical music concerts, free, in the foyer of the High Court of Australia building on Sunday afternoons. A very pleasant way to spend an hour or so.

Attended various talks, at the National Library of Australia (Hugh Mackay; Karen Middleton), at the China Centre at the Australian National University (launch of 2017 China Story Yearbook), and at the Australian Institute of International Affairs (Dr Peter McCawley on the Asia Development Bank).

On 8 June I gave a presentation at the University of the Third Age (U3A) titled "The nuts & bolts of teaching English in China". Another talk on Chinese Culture is scheduled for 4 July.

Notable events in June 2017 included:

The UK general election resulted in a hung Parliament.
The terrible Grenfell Tower fire in London (80+ died).
Australian TV Channel 10 went into receivership.
Testimony by James Comey, ex-FBI Director, to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 to win the NBA; Kevin Durant MVP.
10th anniversary of the Apple iPhone; 1.3 billion have been sold for an estimated $800 billion.
10th anniversary of the start of the Global Financial Crisis (Bear Stearns in trouble).
20th anniversary of the start of the Asian Financial Crisis (floating of the Thai baht).
20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana.
and coming up on 1 July: 20th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to China.


Here are some photos taken during June 2017.



On 5 June 2017 I went to the China Centre at the ANU for the launch of the 2017 China Story Yearbook.  This was the fifth Yearbook.  There is a theme each year. Previous themes have been: Red rising; Civilising China; Shared destiny; Pollution; and Control in 2017. The proposed theme for next year is Prosperity.  The 2017 Yearbook comprises 7 chapters, contributed by different scholars. Subjects covered include: Population control (loosening of the one-child policy); Anti-corruption drive; Various govt bans (such as the banning of April Fools Day which is seen as appropriate only to Western societies).  The full Contents are shown on the following two photos.  An electronic copy can be found on the ANU website.







Alex Sloan interviewed Hugh Mackay on the publication of his satirical novel "Selling the dream" about the advertising industry. Hugh is better known in Australia as a writer and commentator on society and social issues, but he also writes fiction.  Clever guy.  They recently moved from Sydney to Canberra (his wife is at the ANU's School of Medicine). 


Three of the attendees to my U3A talk on "The nuts & bolts of teaching English in China", based on our six years teaching at the China University of Petroleum (www.upc.edu.cn). The Q & A session after the talk was very lively!  I will do another presentation, on Aspects of Chinese Culture, next week.

John Bakker and I were having a coffee at "Deeks Cafe & Healthfoods" in Pearce, Canberra and we met Robert (Deek) de Castella. He shot to fame in 1981 when he won the Fukuoka Marathon in (then) world record time of 2 hours 8 min 18 sec (his best time was 2.07.51 when he won the 1986 Boston Marathon). In the photo Deek is between John and me - we look like "3 Amigos"  - go to the same barber - Deek is 60, I am 70 and John is a sprightly 80.

Photo of Deek in full stride. He was world marathon champion 1981-4. Now a businessman, married, 4 kids.


A typical clear, bright winter's day in Canberra. Vera at Regatta Point lookout.

I had my first game of golf in a long time.  Good to get out on a course again, even though I lost 3 balls in 9 holes ... have now signed up for golf lessons!


The 'trophy wall' in my study featuring photos and awards from the China University of Petroleum.  Good memories.


The Canberra Glassworks sponsored a "Winter Glass Market" on 17 June. Interesting to see the artists at work.  The Glassworks are located about 200 metres from our apartment in Kingston.

One of the unusual glass art objects on display.

Victor Isaacs runs a U3A course titled "Unusual Borders" 2 - 4pm on Monday afternoons.  We've covered countries such as India / Pakistan; Belgium / Germany; Hungary after WW1; Some USA States; NSW / Queensland; etc.  Fascinating. We are fortunate in Canberra to have many well-qualified retired people who are willing and able to run a great variety of interesting courses.


We had 6 days in Brisbane to see Jen & Tom and the boys.  We went to a Japanese restaurant; here is Nate (10 years old) demonstrating his skills with chopsticks as we wait for the food.
Tom and Ketut (their Rhodesian Ridgeback) watching TV while Nate is on his iPad.

Ketut keeping Jen company while she is reading in the sun on the verandah.

Kurt (12 years old) made the District Team in a big rugby tournament. His team, the Maroons, did well; they got into the Finals but lost in extra time.  Unfortunately Kurt injured his ankle and is now in a 'moon boot'.


Tom watching Kurt receive medical help for his injured ankle.


Nate and Sid at a skate & scooter park. Many kids are very skillful, impressive.
Their swimming pool is covered for the winter months.  The weather was great during our visit: down to about 12C at night, and beautiful warm days (low 20s). We were wearing T-shirts and shorts in day time, sweaters at night.

It might be winter (never gets very cold in Brisbane), but this plant had an abundance of flowers.


Jen serving dinner. Yes, she has a bright blue streak in her hair! Nate pulled a face when he saw me take the picture.  It was great to see the 3 boys thriving.

...

Andrew and Caroline with Eddie and Jay have relocated from Hong Kong back to Sydney.  They were away for 9 years, in New York, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong. We're delighted to have them much closer to home.  

Their online furniture business, reddie.com.au, had a stand at the Denfair Exhibition in Melbourne in early June and attracted strong interest. 

We haven't seen Vera's brothers and sisters for a few years, so will soon visit Indonesia; two weeks in Bali and four weeks exploring Java.   Looking forward to that trip.

...

That's all for this post.

The next two days will range from +13 to minus 7C. That's cold,  brrrrr.

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Friday, 30 June 2017














Sunday 4 June 2017

Post #143 4 June 2017

Gentlefolk,

This post covers events we experienced during May 2017.

Boy, where did May go?  Time sure flies when you are having fun ...

I managed to read two books during May.  I thought that I would do a lot of reading now that I am fully retired, but there never seems to be enough time.  This month was different - I actually finished two books! The first was "I stand corrected" by Eden Collinsworth.  She spent some time teaching English in China and I was able to identify with many of her experiences.

The second book was "Comrade Ambassador" by Stephen FitzGerald.  In 1973, at the age of 34, he was appointed Australia's first Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. An interesting autobiography. On completing university Stephen joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in Canberra. He was taken aback when assigned to learn Chinese, as he had no interest in Asia, but that turn of events changed his life: he became fascinated by the language and culture, and became, in turn: diplomat, university lecturer, Ambassador, business consultant, govt adviser.

Dr FitzGerald recently gave the 2017 "Whitlam Oration" at the University of Western Sydney - to listen or read click HERE.

A quick word about the weather.  The last 2 months have seen perfect autumn weather in Canberra: cool nights, but lovely sunny days with maximums from 15 to 20C. Last week saw the first snow in the mountains (about 150 km south-west of Canberra) which heralded the real start of winter.  The nights are colder (last night's minimum was -4C) but the days are still pleasant with maximums of 10 - 14C ... long may it last!

President Donald Trump continues to dominate the news virtually every day. Were there any headlines BT (Before Trump)?  In May he undertook his first overseas trip: to Saudi Arabia, Israel, The Vatican, and NATO in Belgium - to me, a strange mix of (religious) destinations.

A few days ago President Trump announced the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Accord, a decision which has been widely criticised by many Americans and others. The irony is that the Accord is basically voluntary, but the symbolism of  the US withdrawal is very damaging.

Another big event in May was the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' fabulous album "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" featuring songs such as With a little help from my friends, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, and When I'm 64. Timeless classics.

Here are some photos taken in May:



Lunch with ex-AUSTRADE colleagues, from left: John Bush, Jim Enright, me, Peter Kane, Geoff McKie, and Dick Wilson.

We attended Brian Tink's funeral - sad day.  We met Brian and Jan in the Canberra Old Time Dance Club. Brian was also a keen member of the Triumph Car Club and loved baseball.  A man of many talents, he suffered for years from a rare form of cancer which got him in the end.

At the Asia Book Room we attended an author's talk by Jenevieve Chang.  The family moved from Taiwan to Sydney when she was 4 years old.  Her father couldn't handle the huge cultural change and returned to Taiwan, but her mother and kids stayed on. At 20 Jenevieve ran away to London where she studied dance.  Later she and her husband opened a dance studio in Shanghai, where she also performed in a burlesque show.  Wow!  It took the authorities a few months to realise how risque Burlesque is, and then they shut it down.

Jenevieve Chang addressing the crowd at the Asia Bookroom in Jamison, Canberra.  What an interesting life; she was quite a rebel.  She parted ways with her husband in Shanghai and returned to Australia.  She is still dancing professionally and has just published her first book "The good girl of Chinatown" (could easily have been titled "The bad girl ...").


We attended a concert by the Brindabella Orchestra held in a church in Queanbeyan.

Our friends June and Craig Pearson gave us tickets to a concert by Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt.  Mainly Bach and Beethoven.  She was wonderful, world-class.  

Angela Hewitt performing at the Llewellyn Hall.


After the concert Angela signed CDs and then participated in and interview for the audience.  



We finally figured out how to display our collection of Chinese Blue & White porcelain - which we acquired during our posting to the Australian Embassy Beijing 1984-86.  Most were said to be100 - 200 years old (Qing Dynasty).   Many of the pieces had been in storage for years - it was a thrill opening the boxes and finding this treasure trove again,   We bought two large display cabinets, and installed lights.  Came up very well.

Our best pieces are displayed in the living room. The craftsmanship is just amazing.






We oiled the wooden statues and krises from Bali.  Several are cracking in Canberra's dry atmosphere.

We have hung the scrolls presented to us on our departure from Qingdao in July 2016.  The Chinese character is Fu, meaning good luck or good fortune. It was given to us by Professor Shan Hong Hong, President of  China University of Petroleum.


This scroll was presented to us by Mr Jiang Da Sen, Deputy Director of the International Affairs Office of UPC.

This is a scroll we bought back in 1986 when we lived in Beijing.




Our living room is pretty well set up now.  After a disheartening start, when we thought we would never adjust to this apartment, we are now much more settled.  The living room windows (and balcony) face East and North - the room is full of light and warmth during the day.


We have been going to lectures and movies at the ANU's China Centre.


We saw this Chinese movie, about the impact on residents of the huge rise in the water level caused by the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River. Over 2 million people had to be relocated. It was a lovely, quiet, humane film.  In the discussion afterwards it transpired that one of the audience grew up in the town of Feng Jie which featured in the movie.



Luminescence Choir gave a performance in the National Portrait Gallery. The Gallery provided drawing materials for any budding artists in the audience who were inspired by the music.The harmony of the vocals was just incredible.



Well, that's it for May highlights.

Can't conclude without mentioning the unexpected election of 39 year old Emmanuel Macron as President of France.  Obviously a remarkable man (and his wife who is 24 years his senior!).

...

Best wishes, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Alex & Vera Olah
Canberra, Australia
Sunday 4 June 2017