I am spending the week in Canberra with a very old friend, his wife and very smart dogs.
It has been great to be back in the city of my youth. Many people are critical of Canberra. I lot of criticism has been aired in the media in this, the centenary year of the foundation of the city. In the past I have been critical of the place; particularly its car dependence and the fact that it not one city of 350K people, but four or five towns (Nth,and Sth Canberra, Woden, Belconnen and Tuggeranong) each of less than &100k people. As such it loses some of the benefits of a mid-sized city.
In the last couple of days I have experienced and witnessed some of the benefits of the place.
The Weather
This time of the year is one of the best times to be in Canberra. Late summer and early autumn are glorious. The days are warm and the sky is clear. The clarity of the blue sky and light is stunning. What is really noticeable is the lack of humidity. This is great if you are doing any form of physical activity.
The Infrastructure and Facilities
As any Australian taxpayer will tell you, a shit load of money has been spent on Canberra. It is famous for its wide roads, parks, lakes, and facilities such as schools, hospitals and universities. There are also national facilities, such as the National Library, Gallery, and Museum.
For past couple of days I have been working on personal stuff at the local library, which is attached to a senior secondary college. It is great facility, with great collection of books and all the tech stuff (computers etc) needed in libraries these days. It is great to see such a facility being used so extensively. As well as the students form the college, it appears that on any one day the library is used by people of all ages: mothers with young children, older citizens and every one in between.
My rides into the city have taken me past and through the Australian Nation University (ANU) which is location adjacent to the Civic Centre. Over the years the ANU has gradually expanded both within the original campus and outside towards Civic Centre. Before the latter expansion, there was an area of ‘bad lands’, mainly car parks, between the university and the Civic Centre. This are is now largely filled in with new university and other buildings, of good quality. There is now a natural flow between the Civic Centre and the university. The difference is palpable and is huge improvement.
Sporting Activities
Yesterday I rode my bike from Civic, where it had been repaired, to my host’s place. The route took me around the lake and through the southern suburbs. The first thing I noticed was the number of fellow riders. There were heaps. I am used to riding will a lot of commuters, living in inner city Sydney and having recent spent time in London. However, for a relatively small city, it is great to see so many people riding as form of transport in Canberra.
The route took me past the Canberra Yacht Club. Wednesday must be mid-week afternoon sailing day. There were lots boats out on the lake.
Further along the lake I encountered a swarm of orienteers. I think this sport is also known as ‘running with brains’. It is hugely popular here. I have friends living here that have really got into the sport. Their son and daughter are champions of their age groups.
Still further on ,I passed an oval where a game of cricket was being played. I assume that it was a 20/twenty given then bright clothing. 20/twenty is not a form of the game I will ever take seriously; still it is great to any form of cricket being played.
I also passed people playing tennis. I will write about tennis is a later post.
Sporting Teams
Canberra not only has great sporting facilities, but also has produced some great sportsmen and women. This is function of a number of factors. Some critics of the city say that one of factors is that there is “nothing else to do”.
When I was growing up, there were no local Rugby League of Union teams in major competitions. Top players wanting to play in the ‘big time’ had to move to Sydney or beyound. The same was, for Aussie Rules, with top players having to move to Melbourne to play in the VFL. Aussie Rules players still have to move interstate to play in the nation competition.
In the case of Rugby League and Union, team shave been established in Canberra than play in the national competitions. The first was the Raiders Rugby League team. After a slow beginning, they established themselves as a competitive team in the late eighties. Then in the early nineties they became a ‘super team’. They had a couple of key imports, including the great Mal Meninga, from Queensland. However, the core of the team were local players – Ricky Stuart, Bradley Clyde and Laurie Daley. That team will go down as one of the greatest in NRL history.
A similar thing happened with the Brumbies Rugby Union team. A large number of the them were rejects from the NSW Waratahs Team. They were joined with local players, such as George Gregan, Stephen Larkham and Joe Roff, to form a formidable playing unit That team has been the most successful Australian team in the Ruby Super series to date.
The early success of both the Raiders and the Brumbies not been sustained. At the end of the day both teams have not been able to get the corporate support that the teams based in the larger cities are able to generate.
Why Dad Liked the Place
My father came to Canberra for the first time in 1946. He decided this was the place him. What a contrast it must have been from living in the NE of England. For Dad, Canberra was heaven on a stick. The city needed his work skills, installing central heating, and offered recreation in the form of sport, cricket, bush walking and particularly tennis , which he loved and in which he excelled. He also met and became great friends with a wide range of people, with common and diverse interests. He was a friend of fellow tradesmen, academics, scientists, other professionals that he met through sport and in business.
In short Dad took what Canberra had to offer and made the most of it.
billrider2013 