The Break Ends

I must apologize for the somewhat tardy nature of this latest post. After I returned from Sydney, I had some work to take care of and I've only now managed to sit down and take in the events of the last week. It was mostly calm, but there were some surprises.

I arrived in Sydney the night of Saturday and I was picked up from the bus station at Central Station, by my hosts, Andrew Bilinsky, Sonia Mycak and Polia Bilinsky. Andrew and Sonia both work at the University of Sydney, Sonia as a professor of Canadian studies and Andrew works with her at the institute they set up for Canadian studies. Polia is their 5-year old daughter who started school the Monday after I arrived. She has so much energy but had no problems adapting to school life. Andrew and Sonia, whom I met in Canberra, are both intelligent, interesting and all-around great people.

On Sunday, I was privileged to go with the family to a rugby game in the town of Gosford, about 1 hour north of Sydney. Andrew had won the tickets in a raffle and when I called to see if it was alright for me to travel to Sydney, Sonia suggested that I come along. That day, the Sydney Roosters were playing the Newcastle Knights in a historic game. On that day, April 21st, 1908, the first game of the National Rugby League was played in Sydney. The original teams were the Roosters and the South Sydney Rabittohs, who also still play. Until the 1980s, the league was not professional and players were people who lived in the neighbourhood, hence the teams all had neighbourhood loyalties. Anyway, the Knights proved too much for the Roosters that day. After the game, we all spent a little more time in Gosford and then drove home.

On Monday I took a walk to Coogee Beach, the closest to their home, and began a walk along the coast. From Coogee I walked to the world-famous Bondi Beach, going through a cemetery, and finally to the King's Cross district. Although it might not sound like I did that much, I assure you that the distance I travelled that day was considerable.

The following day, Andrew drove me to the university to show it to me. The University of Sydney is close to the city center and it is the oldest tertiary in Australia being founded in 1850. It is one of the formeost institutions in Australia. I walked around the university before going to Chinatown for lunch. I then walked to the Sydney Fish Market, the largest such enterprise in the Southern Hemisphere. It was significantly smaller than I thought, especially when compareds to San Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf. There are many seafood restaurants and shops at the Fish Market and it smells of the sea. I'm told the more impressive area is where fishers auction off their catch, but this is closed to the public.

Tuesday was very sedate and I spent the whole day indoors. Unfortunately, it rained virtually the entirety of my time in Sydney. I learned that Sydney actually receives more rain than London, it just happens to be in a very dry country. Also, I watched an Australian classic, Muriel's Wedding, a film which stereotypes early 1990s Australian society. It starred Toni Collette and Rachel Griffiths, two actresses who have since found considerable success in the US.

On Wednesday, I was invited to host, or at least produce, the weekly Ukrainian radio program that Sonia and Andrew run. The plan was to have me talk about Canadian-Ukrainian culture intersperesed with Ukrainian-Canadian music. However, after we left the house, we realized that none of us had taken the CDs I had prepared; Andrew and Sonia thought the other had taken the CDs. All we had was one CD I had in my hand. Quickly improvizing on the way to the station, we decided that the show would be more of an interview of me describing the differences I observed between Ukrainian life, and life in general, in Australia and Canada. We then played songs from the CD I brought at certain intervals. Actually, the show turned out very well, perhaps better than the original plan, and I look forward to once more being a part of the show.

I left Sydney Thursday night after thanking my gracious hosts profusely. I hope to go to Sydney again, as it is quite close.

The morning of Friday the 25th was a very important day on the Australian calendar, ANZAC Day. This is Australia's version of Remembrance Day when Australian's gather to remember those soldiers, sailors and air personnel of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps who died during the First World War, and all falen Australian soldiers since. I particualry made a point of going to the Dawn Service, which began at 05:30. This commemorates the time that the ANZAC assaulted the beaches of Gallipoli in Turkey during World War One in an unsuccesful attempt, orchestrated by the British, to secure the Dardanelles. Much like Remembrance Day, people gather at the War Memorial, though it is much larger than the one in Ottawa and houses a museum. There are speeches, a minute of silence, bugling of Reveille and Last Post and people even place poppies on the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier. There was even reading of In Flanders Fields. The whole ceremony lasted only half an hour, but it was quite the experience nonetheless.

In a short while, school begins again and there are no further breaks until the end of semester. Although I do not celebrate the return to scholastic life, I am anxious to learn new things.

The Sights of Canberra

With a great sense of relief, the mid-semester break arrived. Having completed all my assignments and one test, I looked forward to such much needed, and deserved, respite. The exam, on torts, was open book while the assignments were not particularly challenging. However, as these are my first assessments in law school, I am anxious to know how I did. However, with 2 weeks of uninterrupted vacation, I decided that I should take the opportunity to visit some of Canberra's more famous landmarks.

On Tuesday, I went to the High Court of Australia, the court of final appeal. Its role is much like that of the Supreme Court of Canada in that it is the final judge of the law and interprets each law and statute with regards to the Australian Constitution. The High Court consists of 7 judges, 1 of whom is the Chief Justice. Until 1988 the justices wore long wigs but have since then adopted the more Canadian/American approach of plain black robes and no wigs. One of the justices, Handley, was born in Canada, so there is hope for me yet. Interestingly, unlike Canada, the government cannot override the High Court's Constitutional ruling, a la section 33 (notwithstanding clause); there is no such clause in the Australian Constitution. In the building itself, there are 3 courtrooms: #1 for major constitutional and ceremonial matters (7 judges), #2 for most matters (5 judges) and #3 for procedural matters (1 judge).

The case I saw before the High Court involved a dispute between the government and a business with regards to the 10% GST which is levied on all goods and services. Essentially, the company was offerred a service as part of a contract it entered. The contract was then abrogated (rescission was the exact word) and the company is arguing that it does not owe any GST. The government is arguing the opposite. I heard most of the government's case and the very beginning of the company's case when there was a break for lunch. It was interesting to see how the court operated. The judges interrupted the lawyers several times to take them to task on their assertions. It's a very unique event to see and I hope to one day, maybe, be sitting on the bench of the High Court.

The next day I went to Parliament House, the center of Australian democracy. Unfortunately, Parliament is not in session so I'll have to wait a little while yet to go see question period. One thing that distinguishes this Parliament from Canada's is that it was built in 1988 so everything looks newer and more modern. There is plenty more natural light which, I think, makes the building more inviting. Australia's Parliament operates in much the same way as Canada's except that the lower house is called the House of Representatives and the upper chamber, the Senate, is an elected body. Like the US, the House represents the people while the Senate represents the states. I think that it is a very well designed edifice.

Almost at the spur of a moment, I decided to travel to Sydney to visit some people I'd met in Canberra. I thought I might be able to go to Melbourne but I couldn't get a cheap enough flight and other means of transportation take too long. In fact, I'm writing this post in Sydney. I'm only here for a few days but, with any luck, my next post will contain many happy adventures of Australia's great metropolis.

Them's the Breaks

After several weeks of study, all of us at ANU now have the good fortune of two weeks of well deserved holidays. Having completed all the required assignments and tests, I'm ready to relax for the next little while, recuperating and readying myself for the 2nd half of the semester. ANU offers 2 two-week mid-semester breaks throughout the year, not to mention a break between semesters 1 and 2. I'll see if I can somehow manage to travel to either Sydney or Melbourne cheaply.

Although it is autumn here, the weather has taken a decidedly more agreeable tone. Temperatures over the last few days have been above 20C and I'm enjoying the constant sunshine. I must prepare myself for winter's onset as Canberra can get quite chilly I'm told. Canberra is at an elevation of roughly 450 meters, but it also sits on the continental side of the Great Dividing Range. This prevents the moderating effects of the ocean that enables Sydney to stay warm year round. However, it also means that Canberra receives warm dry wind from Australia's interior fairly often. While snow is very rare, I'm told that frost is the more common manifestation of winter.

Aside from the weather, only scholastic issues have taken up my time. A short time ago I had to hand in a Contracts assignment that consisted of a summary of a case. Some time later, I had to sit the Torts (civil wrongs) exam, which was open book. I also had to hand in an assignment for another class based on torts and a take home exam based on criminal procedure. All in all, I think I did well in all subjects. I shall have to wait till the end of the month to find out.

On a side note, proctors (exam supervisors) are called "invigilators". I think it's a much more forceful and colourful word. It sounds like a machine of some kind.

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

Come to think of it, I don't really know where this line or expression comes from, but it is apt. Today, daylight savings ended in Australia so we turned our clocks back by 1 hour. This means that Ottawa is 14 hours behind Canberra. I'll mention this week's activities, as well as some from previous weeks.

A few days ago, very strong winds blew through Canberra. While no damage was reported here, 130 km/h winds damaged property in Victoria. However, now that weather has turned a little sunnier and a little warmer, going a little over 20C.

I handed in my first assignment on Wednesday but it wasn't as legally taxing as you might expect. It was really a piece of comprehension and we were asked to summarize a case in 1 800 words or less. We won't get them back until the end of this month, but I think I did well. Now I just have to concentrate on my other assignments and exams.

Today, I had my first regular season game as a goal umpire and I very much enjoyed it. Though I made some technical errors, none were of the sort that would cause a blown call. It was mostly jut positioning and how to place the flags so they don't blow all over the place. If I may say so, I even made some pretty good calls. I have another one tomorrow which I'm looking forward to.

About a week ago, I did see something rather unfortunate. While I did not witness the actual accident itself, I did see a ute (think Honda Civic-pickup truck crossbreed) that had turned over and crashed into a tree. This was on my way to ANU right along Northbourne Avenue, one of the major arteries of Canberra. Somehow, the vehicle had jumped the center curb and had hit roof-first into a tree on the boulevard which separates Northbourne Avenue. Apparently, the guy driving had been racing (Aussie slang is hooning) when he lost control and flew off the road. I'm also told that he suffered only minor injuries. The car was a write-off and from the looks of the scene, the driver was lucky to escape with those injuries.

Another important event that happened recently was the discovery of the HMAS Sydney which had sunk in World War Two. The Sydney was an Australian vessel patrolling off the western coast when it caught up the Kormoran, a German warship disguised as a Dutch merchant vessel. The Sydney engaged and the Kormoran responded; it was an encounter that neither ship survived. The Sydney struck fatal blows to the Kormoran and she went down with the loss of about 80 crew, but the Kormoran had not missed her target. The sequence of events after the Kormoran sank is still unclear but it appears as though the Sydney's steering controls were damaged and she was unguidable. As well, the Kormoran had scored some direct hits and the last anyone saw of the Sydney, which were the survivors of the Kormoran, she was sailing away. At some point, over particularly deep waters, the Sydney exploded and sank with the loss of all her crew, over 650 sailors.

Recently, an underwater team has discovered the Sydney's final resting place, confirmed visually by bathyscape and there is some hope that some of the mysteries surrounding the Sydney's final hours will be solved. Of particular interest is the culpability and competence of her captain. Whatever results will come of this event, you can be sure that this ANZAC Day (April 25th), there will be special mention of the sailors of the Sydney.

In case you're wondering about photos, I do have some, though none from Canberra yet, and I will be posting them as soon as I can, but probably nor for at least another week.