Canberra

Days in Canberra

billrider2013Leave a comment

28309788219_936cb9fb72_m

I took the train from Sydney to Canberra.

I spent much of the journey sitting next to a bloke who was very interested in trams and trains. He told me that he was a retired lawyer and one of his retirement jobs was being a member of the board of the Sydney Tram Museum. I have visited the museum. It is worth a visit.

I thought that I had been on a few trains in my time. This bloke and his wife have only a few major train trips, e.g. the Blue Train in South Africa, to complete before they have done all the ‘great train journeys’ in the world.

It was good to see that the train to Canberra was full.

Prime Minister’s XI

One of the reasons I was heading to Canberra at this time was so I could attend the Prime Minister’s XI Cricket Match. These matches are played between and invitational XI select by, or on behalf of, the Prime Minister and the oversea side who are touring the country at the time. This year the match was against England who had been soundly beaten in the ‘Ashes’ Test series.

The PM’s Matches were started by Bob Menzies who was a huge cricket fan. After his retirement the matches were replaced by contests between local ACT and Southern Districts rep sides and the touring teams. Bob Hawke resurrected the PM’s XI Matches when he became Prime Minister in 1983.

An old friend and fellow Highlander’s CC team mate had organised tickets for me and his family to attend the match.

Prior to going to Canberra, I spoke to another former Highlander’s CC team mate about the match. He said he wasn’t going because “it was a T20 game and it was at night”. He then went on to recall the match between the PM’s IX and the West Indies in 1984. He recalled the details of that match in ‘unnatural’ detail. I was at that match with him, but to not have such vivid recollections of it.

My mate pointed out that Bob Hawke personally picked his team. It included that then Australian captain, Greg Chappell and a young David Boon who was then starting his first-class career. The team also included two great Australian fast bowlers, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson. This was to be the last time that they bowled together.

The West Indies fielded close to a full strength team. Checkout the link below. That was a serious good team.
The PM’s IX Matches are a great event. One that most notable matches was in 1963. This match featured Don Bradman. I was taken to the match by my parents. Unfortunately, I have a very vague recollection of the match.

The ground where that matches of played is Manuka Oval. It is a great cricket ground. As my mate’s brother noted, it has that same surface area as the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
As it turned out, the Englishmen flogged the PM’s team. Nathan Lyon, the captain of the PM’s team was once a groundsman at Manuka. His ‘local’ knowledge was no use as he was hit for 5 sixes and a 4 in one over.

Lunch other Meals

The next day I had lunch with some ex Highlands, their wives and other friends.
On other days I also caught up with other old friends including fellow ex Canberra High students.

Rally Against the Adani Mine

On Monday, I attended a demonstration at Parliament House against that Adani Mine with an old mate and his wife. This a questionable project in Queensland. It is difficult to see the rationale for the project on any measure. I suspect that the mine will not go ahead because it is simply a dud ‘business proposition. The banks will not support it.

Old Parliament House

After the demonstration, we walked down the hill to the ‘Old Parliament House’. It is interesting to walk around the building, including the House of Representatives chamber and the Prime Minister’s Office.

I had a picture taken on the steps leading into King’s Hall. This is where Gough Whitlam made his famous “My God Save the Queen” speech on the 11th of November 1975.

Garema Place

One last comment: The buildings in Garema Place need to be demolished and whole area needs to turned into a European style ‘city square’.

Flickr Link
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmcMvCMH

Sydney Tram Museum

Sunday 25th February 2024 – Sydney Vintage Tramway Festival

PM’s IX Match 1984
http://static.espncricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1983-84/OTHERS+ICC/WI_IN_AUS/WI_PM-XI_24JAN1984.html

PM’s IX Matches including Bradman in 1963
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister%27s_XI

 

Byron Bay, Brisbane, Noosa and more

billrider2013Leave a comment

Brisbane Byron Noosa

This post fills in some gaps.

I spent most of the summer in Australia. There was a lot of bouncing around. I have already posted about being in Melbourne for the tennis and taking a trip to Phillip Island

Sydney

I arrived back in Australia on the 7th of December, landing in Sydney. It was good to be back.

I caught up with my daughter for dinner. This was great. Lunch with an old friend from my school days was also great.

I also caught up with some of my Friday Night drinking mates at the GPO Bar. It is good to see that this is still a tradition.

Byron Bay

Next stop was Byron Bay. I flew to Ballina and caught the shuttle bus to Byron Bay

I like Byron Bay and have often thought what it would be like to live there. There is a lot going for it. The beaches and hinterland are beautiful. There is always something going on – threatre music etc. It is also relatively easy to get to Brisbane if you need the ‘big city’ thing.

The local council have been very strict on development in the town. Of course it has changed a lot over the past 30 years or so, but not nearly as much as other coastal towns.

In many respects the ‘fabric’ of the CBD streets is much the same. It is just that the use being made of the shops has changed.

There are heaps of cafes and restaurants.

The Beach Hotel hasn’t changed since it was built. They have a very recruitment policy. It was particularly good in 2009. It is unlikely that that standard will ever achieved again.

One of my Bath hosts will attest to that standard.

Friday through Sunday in the place is amazing. There are people everywhere. There are tourists (seeming mainly from Germany, the UK and Scandinavia), young Australians (many from Brisbane), hippies, oldies like me and a few bogans. I don’t know where they all stay.

While I was in town, I caught up with an old school friend who owns and operates a blueberry farmer with her husband in the hinterland. I was great to catch up with her. We not only went to school together, but we lived opposite each other in the same street after we were born. I moved a short distance way went I was one.

Xmas in Brisbane

I headed to from Byron Bay to Brisbane for Xmas.

On the way I stopped off in Tweed Heads for lunch with my Canberra hosts. They were in Tweeds Heads to see their daughter and grandson.

I have a thing a seeing friends in places other than their home town. It is really good to do this in exotic places oversees, but it also good to do it in Australia.

Xmas was at one of my cousins places. It was a great day.
A couple of days after Xmas I went out to the northern beach suburbs for lunch with one of my cousins. She took me to Redcliff. One of the suburb’s claim to fame is that it is where the Bee Gees started their musical career. To commemorate that fact, the local council has built the Bee Gees Alley. Check out the Flickr Link. It was opened by the sole surviving brother, Barry. My cousin was at the opening.

New Year In Noosa

I headed to Noosa after Xmas. I stayed Halse Lodge which is on the hill overlooking Hastings street. It is an old time quest house that was built from the 1880’s to the 1920’s.

It was put on the ‘Heritage’ list in 1997.
It is a classic ‘Queenslander’ timber building.

Noosa was the location of numerous family holidays from 1994 to 2008. I call them the ‘ground hog’ holidays. They all seemed to be much the same. They were still fun though.

I headed back to Brisbane for a couple for a couple days. It was great to catch up the ‘girl with the funny name from Cooma’.

Back in Sydney

I left Noosa and headed back Brisbane and on to Byron and then to Sydney for a couple of days. . I also had lunch with some friends at the Oaks Pub in Neutral Bay. I really like that pub. We ate under the Oak Tree. It was a great lunch with great company.

I also had dinner with my Journalist mate that I went to pre-school with, and his wife. We ate at the Willoughby Hotel. There was a really annoying bloke who was trying to talk to all in sundry. He was the classic ‘village idiot’. My mate’s wife is Croatian. To put the ‘idiot off talking to us, she started speaking Croatian.

It worked, he left us alone.

To Melbourne

I took the train to Melbourne. As I noted above, I have already posted about the tennis and Phillip Island.

Canberra

I took the train from Melbourne to Canberra.

It was great to be back in Canberra. I caught up with some old school friends and their wives for lunch.

We have had a number on these lunches over the years. This was typical of such a lunch. It started at 12.00 p.m. and finished at 11.00 p.m. As people with close friends know, you may not see the close friends for ages, but the conversations start as if you saw them yesterday.

Before the lunch I had a coffee with the journalist who I have posted about writing a Quarterly Essay. She had some very interesting things to say, including some comments on Tony Abbott.

While in Canberra I saw a number of other friends.
There is a real possibility that when I finally stop travelling for a while, I will stay in Canberra. There is a lot going for the place.

Sydney

I took the train back to Sydney. The train is slow, but it is so much more comfortable than a bus.

Back in Sydney, then was another Friday night drink. There are constants arguments as to the venue. I suspect things will never change.
I was great to catch up with my daughter. She always likes to have dinner with me at the same place. It is becoming a bit of a tradition. I like that.

Byron Bay Again

I caught the train to Casino and on to Byron Bay yet again.
Brisbane

After Byron I headed back to Brisbane again. The main purpose was to see my Aunt. She is inexorable heading to the age that she get the ‘telegram’. Let’s hope she does.
I also caught up with a school friend who teach English as a Second Language. She reminded me that I have been promising to do the TESOL or similar course for ages. It will happened. I told that my London host had between me to it.

Gold Coast

My flight to Singapore was leaving from the Gold Coast. I stayed that night in Coolangatta. That gave me the chance to catch up with the aunt of my god daughter. It was good to hear that her father is doing Ok.

Flight

The Scoot flight to Singapore was really good. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is really good aeroplane.

Flickr Links

Byron Bay

https://www.flickr.com/gp/twwilko_photos/486625

Noosa

https://flic.kr/s/aHskozYZX5

Brisbane – Bee Gees Ally
https://flic.kr/s/aHskrgpYfo

Surfers Paradise
https://flic.kr/s/aHskuWi8Yo