VIC Greats 4 - John Flynn and MacFarlane Burnett & JC Eccles

John Flynn

John Flynn is a fair dinkum Aussie hero.   The Very Reverend John Flynn was the founder of the Inland Mission of the Presbyterian Church.  Through his work for the Inland Mission John Flynn established the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) - the "mantle of safety" for remote Australian communities.   

The Inland Mission established a network of bush hospitals and "boundary rider" ministers who travelled the loneliest areas of remote outback caring for the people.  Along the way to the RFDS there were of course innumerable obstacles to overcome, not least of which was a means by which people could contact the flying doctor for help.  This problem was resolved by the invention of the peddle radio by Alf Tregear in 1929. 

The story of the conception and development of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and John Flynn's part in it is very interesting and I have provided links to a couple of sites of interest, the best in the title of course and takes you to the RFDS website. Please take a look there as they can of course tell the story way better than I could. 

People interested in exploring the story of John Flynn would be well advised to visit Alice Springs.  The bush nursing home of the Inland Mission at Alice Springs is now a museum and you can explore the innovative architecture to keep patients cool in the harsh climate or the peddle radio development along with other artifacts.  John Flynn is buried near Alice and of course you can also visit the RFDS base in Alice Springs.  Also of great interest contextually is the Telegraph Station at Alice springs, where there is historical information about the founding of Alice and dealing with medical emergencies in the days before there was any available medical assistance.  A visit there is highly recommended also.

We take the RFDS for granted these days, but it is still a not-for-profit charitable endeavourand although they receive some Government funding, they relying on donations to enable the provision of a quality service.   

Sir Frank MacFarlane Burnett

(Sir) Frank Macfarlane Burnet was Director of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne 1944-66. In 1960 he (with P. Medawar) was awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of acquired immunological tolerance. His work influenced the later developments of DNA sequencing.

I would encourage readers to follow the link in the above title to an article about Sir Frank MacFarlane Burnett and all that he achieved in his distinguished career.  Definitely a Victorian to be proud of.

and heres another!!!

Sir John Carew Eccles

Well I was going to describe Sir John Eccles as a nobel prize winner, but he's way more than that.  A giant in science, he was internationally recognised for his "remarkable and outstanding impact on the neurosciences for more than six decades."   Reading his biography what can I say - wow! Please follow the link and the very least just cop a look at the list of honours bestowed in him.  Why is he not a household name?

VIC Greats 3 - Ned Kelly and Peter Lalor

Ned Kelly

Ned Kelly is an Aussie cultural icon and something of a hero. Ned was a Bushranger and a criminal who killed a number of policeman.. sounds grim for Ned's national hero status does it not.. but his criminal acts are not the whole story. Not by a long long way. Ned was a member of the Irish underclass which (it is generally considered) was victimised by both Police corruption and the injustice of the society of the time. Neds story is all tangled up with the ongoing struggle in Australia by the majority to establish a society where everyone gets a "fair go". From the time of first european settlement of Australia there was no shortage of influential and wealthy persons whose ambition was to replicate the class system of England with themselves securely at the top. Democracy was the last thing on their mind. Ned's was just one small but high profile part, perhaps a symbol, of the little people's fight for justice.

Ned and the gang, which included his mate Joe Byrne, his young brother Dan Kelly and Dan's mate Steve Hart, are famous for their armour which they made from ploughshares. Ned's armour was the most impressive and is at the the State Library of Victoria. The armour was extremely heavy and it says something about the physical stature of Ned that he could actually wear it. Ned was a stunning example of virile manhood. A champion boxer. A magnificent physical specimen. When he was finally taken at the seige of Glenrowan a petition of  somewhere between 30 - 60,000 signatures (the figure quoted varies). Imagine that in a colony the size of Victoria at that time... ie tiny.. anyway the petition pleaded for the Governor to pardon him.

Public feeling was sufficiently strong and widespread that the Government ended up holding a Royal Commission and subsequently implementing reforms to the Police force.

Like Ben Hall and his gang before them the Kelly Gang were also famous for their ability to evade police capture and make the authorities look incompetent. They were excellent horsemen and bushmen.

Old Melbourne Gaol was also the scene of Ned's execution. The most famous quote from Ned is what is alleged to be his final words "Such is life".

There are many sources of factual information about the events immediately surrounding the outlawing of The Kelly Gang, but to my surprise I found that it was Peter Carey's novelisation "A True History of the Kelly Gang" coupled with a similar fictionalisation of Ben Hall's story by Nick Bleszynski "You'll Never Take Me Alive" which really gave the best insight into the social dynamics that drove the events. Both books are highly recommended.

Ben Hall

I've run out of room in my NSW List, so Ben Hall is going to have to get at least a brief mention here in the VIC list seeing as he's so relevant to ol' Ned.

Ben Hall is another earlier victim of the system and Ben's story was clearly influential in the events surrounding Ned. The first link in the title takes you to an excellent entry on Ben Hall in the Federal Government's Culture and Recreation website. I would encourage you to have a look at the entry (and the site in general come to that).

Peter Lalor

Peter Lalor was a leader of the Eureka Stockade. The Eureka Stockade was a rebellion of diggers on the Eureka goldfields at Ballarat. Typically the short explanation of the rebellion is that the diggers objected to the license fees they were required to pay. It is seldom explained in any great detail what the implications of that license were and you have to explore to some depth about the broader context to really get a feel for the struggle that was going on at the time - on both sides. You see at the time, the land was locked up in the possession of wealthy squatters, so there was little alternative for the workers of the society to get ahead independently. And of course when the gold rush came, a huge number of men dropped everything and went to search for gold. Consequently there was a major labour shortage. The colony of Victoria was also in dire financial straights. No doubt it seemed a neat solution to both problems to jack up the licence fees on the gold fields sky high to both raise revenue and drive the diggers back to their jobs (working for the wealthier class). To cap it off, though there was an elected government, only landowners could vote, and parliamentarians weren't paid, so to stand for parliament you had to be independently wealthy. No prizes for guessing whose interests then were represented by the products of that parliament.

Well, when the license hunts on the goldfields became more frequent and more violent who could blame the diggers for being pretty cranky.

But it gets more inflammatory. The official rationale for the licence was to cover the cost of administering the gold fields, maintaining law and order, providing services. Trouble is the administration of the gold fields was manifestly corrupt and the final straw was the murder of a miner named Scobie by a cronie and business partner of the powers that be on the gold fields. The alleged murderer (Bentley) was tried by his cronies and let off. Were the miners happy? Well no I guess you could say they were not. They assembled outside Bentley's hotel (The Eureka Hotel) demanding justice. The authorities read the Riot Act* but were unable to prevent the burning of the hotel. Naturally, the authorities sought to punish the culprits for the arson and arrested a number of diggers.

Were the diggers any happier now? Well I guess you would say - hell no! They demanded not only justice for Scobie, but release of the men they felt were being scapegoated.

It may be timely to note that the gold fields had attracted people from all over the world. Educated people. People committed to principles of democracy. The Ballarat Reform League was formed.

These are the objectives of the reform league:

1. A full and fair representation.
2. Manhood suffrage.
3. No property qualification of members for the Legislative Council.
4. Payment of members.
5. Short duration of Parliament.

But democracy was far from the agenda of the powers that be. I remember reading one document from the bloke in charge of the goldfields that said that they "must crush this democractic agitation". And so they set about to do so. Far from backing off, the license hunts got worse before finally a meeting was called on Bakery Hill and the stockade was set up.

It was at this meeting on Bakery Hill, that the flag of the Southern Cross was first flown. This flag is now known as the Eureka Flag and it represents to many the fight for freedom and a fair go, and the oath that the diggers took on that night. Peter Lalor stood up that night and became leader and led the diggers in the oath:

"We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by eachother and fight to defend our rights and liberties".

Well, needless to say the authorities cracked down hard and there was a massacre at the stockade early in the morning of 3 December 1854. Peter Lalor leading the defence. Over a hundred diggers were locked up. Finally 11 were put up for trial for treason - a capital offence - but after 3 trials the rest were abandoned. Tried by jury - they couldn't find a jury that would convict them and all 3 trials resulted in not guilty verdicts. The press and the people of Melbourne were standing behind the diggers. Democratic reform was inevitable and pretty much everything the Ballarat Reform League was lobbying for was won.

Peter Lalor, who lost his arm in the Eureka bloodbath, was elected unopposed to represent one of the Ballarat seats . He eventually became speaker of the house. A worthy entrant in this list of great Victorians.

A final note about one more prominent Victorian personage: Sir Redmond Barry was the Judge in both the trials of the Eureka Stockade diggers and later Ned Kelly.

*By the way - it is important to understand what "reading the Riot Act" actually means. Today people use this phrase to mean that someone has got cranky and really had something to say about something, or laid down the law. Laying down the law is the more correct implication. There was in fact a Riot Act, and it was part of the legal requirement for exercising the powers under that Act, that the Act (or perhaps part of it) had to be read before the power was exercised. So "reading the Riot Act" describes the action, quite literally. It was due warning to people that the powers that be considered them to be rioting and in imminent mortal danger if they did not desist and disperse pretty bloody promptly.

VIC Greats 2 - Weary Dunlop and Albert Coates

Today being Anzac Day (ignore the publication date above - here in Australia it is currently 25th April)  it is only proper that the next of our installments of our "greats" concerns persons whose greatness was forged or perhaps recognised in times of conflict. 

Sir Ernest Edward (Weary) Dunlop (surgeon and war and peace time hero)

Weary was a giant of a man. Both in spirit and in body.  He stood 6'4".  He was one of those people who excels in so many areas of life. In addition to extraordinary academic success he played rubgy for the Wallabies (the national team) and was Melbourne University's  champion boxer.  Professionally, he was a surgeon with qualifications in Pharmacy and of course surgery.

According to his biography, Weary got his nickname at uni.  Following a tradition of initiation.. , newbies at Uni were made a sort of slave to the older students and as part of this the young men were given nicknames.  Well, with Dunlop for a surname the obvious connection is Dunlop tyres... tyres is a synonym for tires and then it's not much of a leap to get to "weary".  Obviously the name stuck and while most Aussies know Weary Dunlop as a hero, I wonder how many could tell you his proper name.

Weary Dunlop became a household name as a consequence of his war service and his leadership after the war.  Weary was in charge of "Dunlop Force" on the Thai-Burma railway as a prisoner of the Japanese where, like a number of other medical officers, he was noted for displaying the courage to stand up to their Japanese captors risking their lives fighting to improve conditions for the prisoners.  Weary however became a household name, apparently because he featured in Ray Parkin's books about his experiences as a prisoner.  

As a member of a younger generation I remember Weary from his interviews.  The media would seek him out for his opinion when some controversial matter was in the news, maybe the government was forging closer ties with Japan or whatever. Weary stood out for his leadership in encouraging Australians to forgive the horrifying events and atrocities of the war and to move forward as friends with nations who had been bitter enemies.  As a society I am sure many of us felt "well, Weary was there, Weary saw it first hand as he cared for the sick and dying and if he can forgive surely we can too. He's right, how can we maintain peace for the future if we do not forgive."

There is a memorial to weary in Benalla Victoria.  It is very moving and I will here repeat the picture I published on an earlier post.    

Just in case you can't read it, the words around the plinth are Friendship, Courage, Forgiveness. By the way, if you haven't noticed, you can click on the photo to open it in full size for a better look. Weary is the big bloke at the back supporting the emaciated POW.
Weary also had a very successful professional career, active internationally including leading humanitarian efforts in Asia.

I simply cannot do Weary justice here please read his biography on the Australian War Memorial website.

If you're really keen you can also read Weary's war diaries which were published. His biography is also worth a read.

Sir Albert Ernest  Coates (surgeon and war time hero)

As a young man Albert Coates enlisted as a medical orderly and served on Gallopoli.  Subsequently he transferred to the intelligence staff. After the war he completed his medical degree and established his medical career, simultaneously serving in the Army Medical Corps.   A primary means for Australia to maintain its defences has always been to have some sort of citizens militia.  Similar to todays military reserve system. 

It can be hard to appreciate today with our social welfare system and considerably greater prosperity, what was involved in achieving this sort of success in those times.  The biography linked to the title above, gives an idea of the aptitude and dedication and sheer hard work that was required.

Anyway, Albert Coates, like Weary Dunlop, served in a senior position as a prisoner of the Japanese. ITurning down a number of opportunities to avoid capture in order to stay with his patients and care for them.  Indeed he was such a person that Weary Dunlop looked upon him as an inspiration. Albert Coates has not received the widespread fame in the community that Weary knew, but he was an amazing man and I think should be better known.

VIC Greats 1 - Alfred Deakin and John Monash

This post has come about after some discussion on Trip Advisor about Aussie top 10 destinations. Having a tendency to wander off on tangents I started to muse about great Australians and determined to come up with 10 notable personages from each State. Obviously given their longer history and larger population, and also that I am born and bred Sydneysider it has been a lot easier to come up with lists of truly greats from Victoria and NSW. Clearly I am not an expert on such matters and would welcome suggestions for others that readers might admire.

Let us start our State and National lists with Victoria. If I had to pick a State from which my heros have eminated, it would be Victoria. So lets start with a couple whom I sincerely admire....

Alfred Deakin (Politician).Deakins' is a name you trip over without necessarily having much of an idea who he was. Well I suppose the easy answer is that he was Australia’s second Prime Minister, and also the 5th and the 7th and all this in the first 10 years after Federation.
Importantly he was an important person in achieving federation at all. There are others whose names are bandied about in regard to federation (not least of which is Henry Parkes) but Deakin’s biography says that he was one who moved behind the scenes oiling the wheels of consensus without which federation may not have succeeded when it did. Deakin was so well regarded that he was appointed as Minister in governments from both sides of politics. He was what we would dream of having in Parliament today. A man of conscience, intelligence and honour, coupled with great capacity.
The story of the early Federation period is a very interesting one. If Deakin could be Prime Minister 3 times in 10 years, just consider how unstable the balance of power was in the house. If memory serves there were several camps, the protectionists, the free traders and Labor. Protectionism wasn't just about coming into the nation but trade between the various States. Colonies had in the past taken extreme measures to hinder trade between colonies. The break in gauge around the nations railroads was a considered decision believe it or not... but I digress............. During the early federation period the Government was usually a minority government and so each knew they were liable to be toppled at any time and this proved absolutely the case. Over time they came to realise that something had to be done about it, people compromised in the interests of the new nation and the “two party system" was established. If memory serves, Deakin was a key player in this too (or at least his biographer claims it for him) and the two party system provided much greater stability.
Deakin was also a legendary public speaker. The website on Prime Ministers suggests that he was perhaps the finest speaker in the first 100 years of the parliament. He was intelligent, intellectual, and immensely honourable, hence his ability to win the confidence of colleagues of all political persuasions.
Deakin was instrumental in improving the conditions for workers in factories, and the establishment of compensation for injured workers, and limitations on hours of work for women and children.
He was also responsible for setting up the irrigation schemes along the Murray after a 3 month study tour on the subject following a severe drought. Irrigation which transformed the place, though some might say the whole irrigation thing really did get out of hand in the end.
Deakin University is named for him. From the Deakin University website..
As Prime Minister, Deakin was largely responsible for building the basic national government structure by recognising the need for, and fighting to establish, institutions such as the High Court, the Public Service and the Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration. Legislation relating to immigration, trade protection, defence and labour were framed by his Government, which gained an international reputation for experiments in welfare policies and reforms in working conditions.
Deakin was highly respected and regarded throughout his public life by both sides of the political spectrum. His stature and renown led to him being offered many honours and awards, including a knighthood; however his modesty led him to refuse all these.

Yes, Alfred Deakin was a very great Australian and his achievements should be better known by us all. His tireless work for his country took a large toll on his health and he died quite young at the age of 63.


Sir John Monash (Great General - but way more than that)
John Monash. A citizen soldier and an engineer in civilian life. He was also a Jew. Anti-Semitism was of course pretty much institutionalised, and yet, John Monash overcame. Perhaps it says something that it is Monash that adorns the Australian $100 bill. Our highest currency note.
Now the term citizen soldier perhaps needs some explaining. Australia did not maintain a large standing army. Instead, the ordinary citizens around the traps joined units and trained in a sort of reserve capacity. John Monash was one such and was already an officer in this capacity before the outbreak of the Great War.
Monash landed on Gallipolli as the commander of the 4th Infantry Brigade. Positioned in what became known as Monash Gully. To cut a long story short, Monash was a very able commander. The King was known to be a firm admirer of his ability. Monash progressed through the ranks. Throughout the war the Australian and New Zealand troops were elements distributed in larger formations under British commanders. Everything I’ve read suggests that the Australians were very frustrated by this situation. We’d come a step forward from the Boer War, the British did not have disciplinary power over the Australians – (thankyou Breaker Morant and others) however we still had some maturing to do. Finally the Australians were brought together into the Australian Corps under Australian leadership. Despite some active lobbying against his appointment by certain influential persons, Monash was appointed to command.
Monash is credited with being the first to really show how to successfully coordinate the modern technologies of war and win battles decisively without the massive losses that had hitherto been suffered. The first such battle was at Le Hamel which ran to time, achieved it’s objectives and suffered few casualties. Though this was a small battle (and by the way the first action of the Americans in the Great War where they took a subsidiary role to the Aussies to show them the ropes… though Pershing was apparently none too impressed about that, and the US seems to keep quite dark about it now).
Monash went on to have some stunning victories, and was knighted in the field by the King. The King travelled to France to Monash’s headquarters to do the deed. He was also honoured by the leaders of other Allied Nations who had been at the point of despair of finding a way out of the savage blood bath of the western front. French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau came to address the Australian troops in the field: "When the Australians came to France, the French people expected a great deal of you, but we did not know that from the very beginning you would astonish the whole continent".  Our battlefields guide told us that the battle of le Hamel is still taught as today as the example of "how it's done". Just have a look at the honours heaped upon Monash on the war memorial website.
Needless to say Monash was supremely popular among the troops and the Australian people at large, who were heartily sick of the wastage of lives in a war of attrition. It appears that the politicians were afraid of Monash for that reason. He was appointed to manage the repatriation of Australians, which kept him away from Australia during an election period.
What is not terribly well known among the current generations, is that there were movements afoot in the early days of the new nation where elements of the far right, including veteran commanders from the war, formed associations that seemed to have a mind to perhaps overthrow the government if they didn’t like the look of how things were going. Monash steered clear of these elements. There was more than one of these associations, but the fellow who charged in on his horse and slashed the ribbon before the Premier could at the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 1932, was a member of one such group.
Monash was very much involved in the building of the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne.
When Monash died his funeral in Melbourne was a huge event. The biggest ever to that time with 250,000 mourners turning out.
Monash University is named for him. This stirring tribute is paid to him on the Monash University website
'Adopt as your fundamental creed that you will equip yourself for life, not solely for your own benefit but for the benefit of the whole community' -- Sir John Monash.
Sir John Monash was a famous Australian who made a contribution to almost every level of Australian life. The University is named after him, not because of his fame but because of the many and important ways in which he contributed to the community.
The motto of Monash University, Ancora Imparo ('I am still learning'), captures the essence of the achievements of Sir John the man as well as the spirit of our university.

Navy - Freedom of the City March

Up again bright and early we’re off to the march and the Royal Australian Navy exercising its right of entry to Sydney. We have theatre tickets this afternoon, so we’re making a day of it!

We opt to park in the Opera House car park which is always convenient, and we head straight for The Rocks where the sailors are marshalling and the formal ceremonies are taking place. Approaching the promenade on the western side of the quay it is a sea of white uniforms.. As we arrive at George St/Hickson road there are some obviously official persons milling about, some decked out in their ceremonial swords. We’re ahead of time for the posting of the guards. One obliging fellow poses for a photo.

Soon enough, the guard forms up and we’re underway.





Down the road a bit the ceremony for presentation of the royal colours is taking place. There’s too many people between us and the ceremony for a good view but the benefit of arms raised above my head I manage a snap of what’s currently going on LOL





Lots of presenting of arms and standing at ease orders later and the Colours move out to the guard and we are treated to the formal salute with the snippet of the national anthem.






















The Governor General, Quentin Bryce, looking lovely in smiles and blue with a matching broad brimmed hat, moves past for her duties down at the ceremonial square accompanied by the official party including Sydney Lord Mayor – Clover Moore in black with gold symbols of office..



The Governor General proceeds to review the guard, stopping to speak to selected individuals as time permits. While all this is going on the band is playing. First they torture my sinuses by playing “I am Australian” and follow up with a full rendition of Waltzing Matilda – of course!! Finally the GG heads off out of the way no doubt to watch the upcoming challenge with the rest of us.

The mounted police move into position to form a barrier. The Police Commissioner and his offsider – Deputy Commissioner perhaps? – with their ceremonial decorations move across to speak to the police officers before milling around with the other participants while some reforming takes place among the guard, they need to form themselves into marching formation of course and not wanting to look like a rabble this requires a string of orders.
Finally, the Lord Mayor joins the Police Commissioner and they stand ready facing the Naval Officers preparing to make the challenge. The look like they feel a bit silly, and the Police Commissioner glances at his palm card nervously. Eventually the challenge is issued and answered. When the Police Commissioner acknowledges the right of the Navy to pass and bids them welcome on behalf of the citizens of Sydney the crowd gives a cheer.Formalities over the Police Commissioner and Lord Mayor turn away, the offsider making a formal marching turn and the parade is about to begin in earnest.

Finally the parade moves out, much to the satisfaction of the crowd. HMAS Parramatta leading because they currently hold some trophy or other. The lady next to me, whom I have been chatting to off and on, points out her son who is serving on Parramatta. Three sons, this lady had two join the Navy and one the Police!! Wow. That must be a mixture of great pride and anxiety.



On they come chests positively bristling with medals. I was aware that the Navy is pretty much continually on active deployment around the place, but so many medals everywhere really brought that home. HMAS Sydney followed not long after Parramatta, then the land based contingent, HMAS Creswell, HMAS Albatross (home of the Air Wing – of course!), HMAS Watson (located in Watson’s Bay); and HMAS Penguin (another on the shores of Sydney Harbour).
HMAS Anzac was somewhere early in the piece, but my video doesn’t say what time it was taken. It was early enough that I had not yet determined that the cheering must limit the video opportunities. LOL



Then come more from the ships with HMAS Kanimbla, it’s central line of marchers from the Army with the wonderful slouch hat and rising sun badge.




HMAS Waterhen is next. No separate ID for the cute little HMAS Bandicoot and HMAS Wallaroo. I suppose their crew must have marched in among the group…. HMAS Manoora .. looking up George St it is a river of white…




Next is HMAS Tobruk, a “landing ship heavy” built in Newcastle. I don't remember seeing her on the review tour of the harbour.. ...then HMAS

Kuttabul It’s terrible, I’m torn between the desire to photograph and video and the desire to cheer. Cheering wins! ...well mostly anyway

HMAS Success and HMAS Sirius were in there somewhere too and managed to qualify for video seeing as they involved musical accompaniment. You remember of course HMAS Sirius is the big freighter ship and HMAS Success is another “replenishment” ship.


HMAS Melbourne (sister ship to HMAS Sydney – how appropriate) is along now followed by HMAS Ballarat.(Anzac class guided missile frigate). I worry about the ergonomics of the way the young woman is carrying the .. name buoy thingy.. looks very awkward…HMAS Stuart follows then HMAS Darwin, another Adelaide class frigate – another sibling for Sydney and Melbourne).



Now HMAS Newcastle another Adelaide Class frigate…then HMAS Huon – you remember don’t you, state of the art minehunter…LOL and indeed the ship to give name to it’s class! She’s followed by sister ships HMAS Hawkesbury and HMAS Gascoyne.
My final video for the proceedings – who knows where in the parade precisely, but it was somewhere down the back – leads onto those hardiest of sailors – the submariners of HMAS Farncombe. My apologies for the jumping around of the picture I guess I must have just got overexcited and tried to clap or something :o)


Now some the awe inspiring navy clearance divers or more officially titled “Australian Clearance- Diving Team One”.
HMAS Norman follows on – another Huon class which seems out of order perhaps, but I guess we’re still talking mine warfare.. HMAS Yarra and HMAS Diamantina more Huon sisters.

And with that the parade has passed….

We wander around for a bit, walking back across to East Circular Quay we are co-opted to take some photos for a young French sounding couple. Eventually we end up back in Walsh Bay and grab a bite at the Sydney Dance Café. Very nice. A unique ambience as you listen to the music and instructions of the dance class upstairs. These old finger wharves are certainly atmospheric and we make yet another note to spend more time loitering in the dining spaces around here.

We take our time to collect the car and head on up to Belvoir street for a leisurely drink in the bar before the show. Today we are seeing “Baghdad Wedding”. Very good. Quite graphic in both sexual references and violence. Very good but emotionally a rather draining.
Dinner is a gourmet pizza and penne carbonara at .. hmm… Wood and Stone on Crown Street. (they also have an outlet in Manly). We are also rather fond of Erciyes nearby but I just couldn’t face Turkish after the subject matter of the play.. silly perhaps but there you go. We walk back to the car, parked on Elizabeth St and the sky is threatening. It’s been a very hot muggy day and as is typical a thunderstorm is about to break. Summer having a last fling ..No sooner do we close the door than down she comes and it is POURING rain. We had toyed with seeing a movie – what can I say – this is the year of hedonism – but opt for an early night.

It’s been a great couple of days. Thankyou NAVY!!

Monday morning it was good to be at work and thanks to the slaving on this blog I think I was even able to at least identify the class of various ships as they headed down the harbour and out through the heads with the harbour sparkling and blue in radiant sunshine... and I enjoy my view of Garden Island much better now I can put a name to the ships moored there....

Greeting the Fleet - 13 March 2009

I arise with much anticipation today and head off into town as per usual, but today it's not to the office I am heading, ... no... today I'm headed straight to Circular Quay and the first Greet the Fleet ferry of the day departing at 8:30 am. Daughter is unable to make it today and disappointed, has requested I take plenty of video. ...well... I did...but as you will see the quality of said videos leaves a lot to be desired. I was more intent on enjoying the day and the ships than viewing it all through the camera screen.

I'm half an hour or so early, so to I buy my ticket and head across to the Opera House to get a look at the ships from there first thing. There's almost noone about. Cleaners are sprucing up the Opera Bar area. I join the maintenance mood and take a seat to apply some sunscreen. It's a cool grey day in Sydney, which is good for wandering about but no so good for the photography and of course the cloud cover doesn't do much to prevent skin damage.

The view across the harbour to towards the East this early is also brilliant glare from the rising sun and is all gold and grey silhouettes, but there they are all anchored around out in full view as per the plan on the Navy website (naturally). I can hardly wait.

Heading back to the quay, the Lady Herron is loitering in readiness for heading in to pick us up...

The small crowd assembling to board the ferry is a mix of ages. Mainly older people, but there are some families and at least one high school student in uniform, skipping a few classes to come and greet the fleet.. good on him!! I take a seat up on the bow and get chatting with an older lady and an English gent who are both as excited as I am to be part of the day's celebrations. The English chap has nice things to say about the heritage centre at Garden Island which he visited earlier in his holiday. Another man is ex-Navy and there is sharing of info pamplets and a real spirit of community and celebration among us all.

We get underway and the first ship we pass is HMAS Sydney (guided missile frigate) who has the honour role today. She is anchored in prime position off Farm Cove where anyone wishing to watch the show from shore will get a pretty good view.

I am absolutely delighted to find that the Greet the Fleet ferry has a detailed naval commentary! My video attention and skills, not to mention technological capacity, leave something to be desired, but fortunately much of the commentary is easily heard as we pass the vessels, so some readers may be interested in that.
In the following video we move across and you get a view of Garden Island naval dockyards. Note the very large crane visible in the stilled frame.. that's the Hammer Head Crane. Built in the 1950s it is the largest crane in Australia..


Next we visit HMAS Anzac and get a run down on her role and capability...


....then HMAS Bandicoot and her sister, HMAS Wallaroo, tugs converted for duty as auxiliary mine sweepers and based out of HMAS Waterhen, which these days is a land based facility on the shores of Sydney Harbour at Waverton, and the Navy's lead facility in mine warfare.

The Navy website tells us that "Waterhen is the second commissioned unit to carry the name. The first, the 'Chook', as she was affectionately known by her Ship's Company, was one of four 'V' Class Destroyers built in England in 1918. " She sank in 1941 after being attacked while serving in the Mediterranean en route to Tobruk. Amazingly though the ship was fatally damaged, there was not a single injury!

On we go to HMAS Stuart and thence to to HMAS Manoora, the sister ship to HMAS Kanimbla. We watch the ship's company march out onto the deck as we listen to our commentary on the ships role and statistics

.. sister ships indeed later in the day Manoora moors up alongside Kanimbla the crew having to walk across Kanimbla to get to the dock.. aaahhh....
The eastern limit of our tour is HMAS Sydney (the memorial) at Bradley's head. A very important Navy memorial constructed of the mast of the HMAS Sydney I , our commentator informs us that the memorial was established by popular demand when the ship was decommissioned and all naval vessels from all countries entering Sydney Harbour salute this memorial. There is a history of HMAS Sydney I's distinguished career on the Navy website.

We start to turn to the south and loop back towards the quay, slowly passing HMAS Sirius, a supply tanker, and watch as they lower a boat with a couple of sailors aboard. There's lots of these little IRB type support boats zipping around the harbour this morning..


On to HMAS Success, an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) vessel. As we pass Success - who has my full cinematic attention - we are actually listening to commentary about the "mine hunters coastal" visible from the other side of the ferry! What can you do when you are surrounded? Aaagh!


These minehunters, Diamantina, Yarra, Gascoyne, and Norman (all named after Australian rivers) are Huon class vessels and the Navy website - where you can find a detailed run down on all the navy ships - tells us that these are the most advanced vessels of their type in the world. Australia needs a state of the art capability in mine warfare. Those who have watched the video will be aware that Australian trade is particularly vulnerable to mine warfare, there being half a dozen "choke" points around our coastline. Behind the minehunters in the next video that hulking great vessel is HMNZS Canterbury (see below).



On we go and in the foreground with HMAS Kanimbla behind moored up at Garden Island.. ......we come to HMAS Farncombe. Farncombe is usually based in Perth and it is a pleasure to have her visit us!

Our passengers give the crew of Farncombe a wave and are greeted in response by some officers, the sailors of course standing for review are not able to wave their arms around willy nilly.


















Moving on from Farncombe we get a bit of run down on HMAS Darwin, one of the sister ships of HMAS Sydney, and our distinguished guest HMNZS Canterbury. Always great to have our Kiwi brothers and sisters a part of our celebrations. The Dutch built Canterbury is an impressive vessel designed for ship to land transfer of personnel and stores when there is no port available.

We are approaching Garden Island where I plan to alight to visit the heritage centre and grounds and view the fly past and 21 gun salute when the time comes. I can't believe I've never made it to Garden Island before.

We are assembled by an authoritative fellow who informs us all that he is head of security. He gives us a detailed run down on what we will find onsite and a rough estimate of how long it will take to go through the heritage centre (how thoughtful), how to access it (buy an entry token from the cafe), ferry services to get off the site, and finally, a warning not to follow anyone through the sliding grey security gates heading down to the naval secure area.

It's now after 9am and with the fly past etc at 10 ish most people make a bee line towards the heritage centre which has been estimated at requiring 45 mins (not if you watch the videos !!). I on the other hand have another priority. Around the foreshore area are arrayed a series of memorials. One in particular I believe I already know what it is. It is a large green piece of a ship. Has to be part of HMAS Parramatta I and that is top priority for my visit.

On my way over I pause to read the memorial to AE2 a submarine that served in the Gallipoli campaign. Very interesting indeed.










The HMAS Parramatta memorial is next. HMAS Parramatta I was the first ship built for the Australian Navy. The link will give a detailed run down on her service. My interest has been piqued by my trip on the Riverboat Postman during which we saw what's left of the Parramatta lying as something of an eyesore at a pretty spot north of Milson Island called Cascade Gully. Apparently this is the bow, the stern having made a memorial at Queens Wharf Parramatta.


Nearby are a couple of trees planted in memorium of the various HMAS Parramattas of which there are three. The current HMAS Parramatta being the fourth to bear the name.

You can see in the picture that lovely gum is one of the memorial trees. HMAS Darwin behind at anchor in the harbour.

I take my time moseying around paying respects to memorials for HMAS Canberra, Shropshire, Australia, Manoora, Kanimbla, Westralia and Corvettes as a class. From there I go to check out the Salthorse Cafe. This is an atmospheric place that serves a range of light meals and snacks. Very busy today, I take the opportunity to buy my entry token. Arranged around the hall ships crests, a ships figure head and some rather sizeable and significant objects.

The first to grab your attention as you come is is a very large stone Japanese lantern. This lantern was removed from ground zero at Hiroshima after WWII. The twin of it remains in the Hiroshima peace park in Japan. Wow. Noone is going to fail to be reminded of those events with that sitting right there were you almost trip over it.

Further down towards the back of this large space is the section of the Japanese mini-sub that attacked Sydney in 1942. . there's an accompanying video that runs for about 15 mins (we were told) but there's a fellow already watching it. I plan to come back for that.

Nearby is a whaler and I read with interest about the competitions that were run for many years in these boats. The whaler is a charismatic open sailing boat made from timber, pretty much the same sort as was used in colonial days and by the explorers. They were used in training to teach the sailors seamanship. I guess the replacement for these must be the sailing boats we watched flying the Navy colours in the harbour this morning.

Also here in the hall is a boom boat, used to maintain the boom nets, one of which entangled one of the mini subs in the attack on Sydney.

Behind is a machine gun. Recognisable from photos of WWII battles. I'm sure I've seen photos of this gun in use in Tobruk... and a rare example - one of only two known in the world- of a surface fired torpedo - missing the warhead of course.

No time now to go into the heritage centre and make it out in time for the rest of the celebrations so I make my way up to the lookout. It's a steep climb with numerous stairs along the way but the views are pretty good. Would be 360 degrees around the harbour but the vegetation obstructs on most sides. The view towards the Opera House and bridge however has been lopped regularly and have a great view straight down to HMAS Sydney sitting off Farm Cove. A small but steady stream of mainly Navy personnel are arriving and taking up possies. Finally an officer nearby points out that the Governor of NSW, Marie Bashir is in the Governors Barge - Blue - and approaching HMAS Sydney from the Governors steps near the Opera House. Crowds are gathered all around Mrs Macquarie's chair and the railings of the opera house to watch. Various mainly commercial tour vessels are standing around in great position to enjoy the display. From where we are, we see a puff of white smoke then several seconds later we get the report of the gun. Lots of smoke builds up as the 21 shots are fired. The Governor proceeds around the harbour to review the fleet, followed by a flottilla of these other craft making the most of this spendid opportunity. In a way I kick myself that I didn't think of looking into one of these cruises, that would be pretty awesome, especially if they have a good commentary... but I'm happy enough where I am.

Some little while later the promised display of the national flag towed by helicopter around the harbour is realised. Followed shortly after by the flypast by the Navy air wing.



Only helicopters in the Navy Air Wing these days, the fixed wing aircraft losing out when we decommissioned the aircraft carrier, but they make a fine show flying in formation overhead and down to the bridge before banking around and making a return flight up the harbour. The flag meanwhile is continuing to do the rounds. All very entertaining.



Finally the show is pretty much done and I read the plaques informing about the view on various angles and head down to explore the grounds. Before long I come to a splendid view of Pinchgut and stop to read the explanatory sign positioned right were you can read it while admiring the view. FINALLY somewhere that acknowledges that Fort Denison is popularly known as Pinchgut! They have reason also as apparently, while troublesome convicts were deposited there for periods will little food to quiet them down, pinchgut is also a nautical term that means a narrowing of channel waters.. you learn something new every day. hmm.

I also admire a lovely view of HMAS Darwin before moving on.

Closeby along this path I come across a nice little shelter with glass walls protecting the earliest know European graffiti known from the colonial period. Carved initials in the sandstone dated 1788. There is a wonderfully informative information board that also explains how Garden Island came by the name. I'm learning plenty about my home town today!! Apparently this island is the site where the British Navy set about trying to grow fresh food when they arrived - with no water sources on the island the attempt was pretty much doomed, but right to the present day there we have it. Garden Island. It is of course still well named as there is a large expanse of pleasant grassy and shady picnic spots and gardens for our common enjoyment. Looking at the engraved initials my thoughts are drawn to the aboriginal rock engravings in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. Our modern ideas of conservation are pretty silly really. We have taken a view that if we touch the engravings they cease to be "original". If we clean or maintain a building does it cease to be original? Do we just let these things gradually cease to be. I was watching "Tales of the Palaces" the other night and they were showing a restoration of an ornate chimney at Hampton Court. They were essentially rebuilding it with handcarved individual bricks same as the originals. Should THAT not be done? Obviously what must be done to maintain these glorious buildings should surely apply to sandstone engravings whether aboriginal or some european sailor or outcast who carved their initials. These initials are partially almost indistinguishable. I really think they should maintain them as the aboriginal people did and want to continue doing in our National Parks... ... .... .... ..... rant over...

By now I am ready for the RAN Heritage Centre.... let it simply be said that this is a very interesting and well put together museum. They include a range of the formal and quirky and of course all of it is precious. Among them is a brass whatsit from the Perth - lost in battle of Sunda Straight, her survivors endied up on the Thai - Burma Railway. Among them was Ray Parkin who wrote so eloquently about his experiences in his trilogy: Out of the Smoke, Into the Smother and The Sword and the Blossom through which the heroism of Weary Dunlop first started to become widely known.

Also on display are the ceremonial drums. Their manufacture used all of the silver on the east coast of the country at the time. Presented to the Navy by the various Australian governments both Federal and State each beautiful drum adorned with the coat of arms of the Government that donated it. Beautiful.

For the quirky there is the competition to defend Esther's honour. I can't remember the name properly. A picture of the million dollar mermaid (Esther Williams) all legs and swimsuit, which became a prized and humorous trophy mounted in a life buoy sort of frame. I note that the rules of the trophy include that the winner is not allowed to lock the trophy away (presumably fellow crew still want the opportunity to admire the bathing beauty!!) and it is quite legitimate for Esther to be abducted by all sorts of dubious tactics! What a shame it would have been if these artifacts had been lost to us!

I'm about to perish for lack of sustenance by now and head down to the cafe, but it is struggling to cope with the huge demand today. I finally give up on my order and head for the wharf (a refund and compensatory banana bread cheerfully and apologetically given). I'm determined to see a movie before it's time to go home and if I miss this ferry there's a gap in service that would make that impossible. My bag equipped with binoculars, spare batteries and goodness knows what, is heavy today and I'm well pleased to have some concentrated sit down and self indulge time.

A few minutes wait and our friendly head of security calls to all that the ferry is approaching and right on schedule a jetcat pulls in and we climb on board for the 5 min trip to the quay. I have a half an hour or so so to spare and I'm still famished. I end up opting for a small meal at the Oyster bar. Prawns dusted in dukkah with pickled eggplant salsa. That sounds nice and comparatively healthy. It's a bit drizzly, but I'm fine under the umbrella. The food was pretty average. DEFINITELY not worth the $24 they charged. 3 prawns, the whole dish soaked in oil, which was totally un-necessary. Hmm we won't be going back there.

I head in to Dendy notice that they're playing Casablanca soon... during business hours ... but we'll say no more about that.. grrr. In a crowd of elderly folk I buy my ticket to Easy Virtue enjoying finally remembering to claim my STC subscriber discount.. grab a superb Dendy tramisu choc top from the snack bar and settle down to watch an outstanding movie... destined for my DVD collection that one. A bit slow and iffy to start, but after a short while it really gets going. It is both funny and serious. Brilliantly done and the acting and production values are all wonderful.

Well, after a wonderful day I head on home a little earlier than my usual, hopping the train at circular quay. I can't wait for tomorrow!

Henry Lawson

Been a bit quiet on the front of both time for interesting new trips and time to write blog entries. However I came across this website with plentiful Henry Lawson writings. Henry Lawson is considered to be one our greatest writers.

http://www.telelib.com/words/authors/L/LawsonHenry/index.html