The Greatest Journey -- Surfing

After a very comfortable night spent indoors, Isabella and I made our way north to Brisbane. Thankfully the journey wasn't that long, 4 hours if we went straight through, so we could afford to take our time getting to Brisbane. There were a few places to stop along the way, though not many but we got to see some interesting places, and some that could use a little work.

Cape Byron sits next to the town of Byron Bay, a sort of free-thinking miniature San Francisco. During the 1960s and 1970s many hippies settled in the town and it has become known as the sort of place that welcomes counter-culture and alternative lifestyles. Driving down the main street we saw all sorts of stores selling herbal medicines, healing crystals, beads and other assorted similar products. There was quite a bit of traffic, I think because it was a Friday and the end of the New Year's holiday period so people were trying to get as much sun and surf as they could.

From Byron Bay we continued north until we hit the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise. I wanted to show Isabella this particularly famous bit of commercialized Australia, if for no other reason that the kitsch value. The Gold Coast is the name of the area that runs south of Brisbane to the Queensland-NSW border. For the last 60 years it, and particularly its main center (Surfers Paradise), has been in the process of being completely commercialized in the sense of having highrise towers everywhere catering to the vacation crowd. Think of it as the east coast of Florida, sort of like Miami, Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale. It's incredibly gaudy but worth a look. We parked along the main street and every building seemed to be either a hotel or a designer clothing store. We made our way to the beach where Isabella had a chance to play in the surf but we didn't stay particularly long. There really was no point and after spending about an hour in the Gold Coast, you've seen all there is to see, really, so we continued our journey north.

Before coming to Australia, Isabella had convinced me to register with CouchSurfing, an online community of people that give up a couch or bed to others who have registered. It's free, although your are supposed to give your hosts something in return. I remember my mother telling me about it years ago but I'd never really given it much thought until this trip. I was still a bit sceptical but I registered and in Brisbane we would have our first couchsurfing experience. Isabella and I were both a little nervous as to what to expect but we soldiered on.

Our hosts gave us directions to their house and we were pleasantly surprised that it was in a very nice neighbourhood and our hosts greeted us warmly. They were Panche, a Croatian (I think) who has been living in Australia for decades, and Leanne a born and bred Aussie. They led us to our accommodation and it was not just some beat-up couch but a proper room.

Isabella and I didn't have any plans for the evening so our hosts invited us to a soccer game. As it turned out, the local team, the Brisbane Roar, was playing against my favourite team, the Perth Glory. I knew this was going to make for an interesting evening as Panche and Leanne were Roar fans and Isabella decided to join them. Anyway, we were driven to the game, took our seats and enjoyed a good contest. The game ended 1-1 so no one could gloat. Afterwards, we were invited to a square in central Brisbane for some dancing.

Isabella is an avid dancer, especially the Latin variety, so she enthusiastically took up the offer. I'm no dancer so I decided to just sit back and watch. Apparently, this group plays music in this square at night and many people turn up to dance. There were many dozen people there. The night was warm and the music added to the ambiance. It really was quite interesting to see a salsa in the middle of the city in the sort of way I imagine Havana must be like. After such a long day, everyone was exhausted so a good night's rest was welcome. The next day would be exciting too but would involve a difficult choice.

The Greatest Journey -- First Steps

All journeys, great and small, begin the same way --- with a single step. Since arriving in Australia more than 3 years ago, I had planned to one day rent a car or van and drive around Australia. As the months flew by, I decided that I would do such a trip in the summer after I had graduated; a little present to myself. Once I started working, I began saving up for this trip so that once it came around I was in a very healthy financial state. I had assumed that I would do this trip alone but as it turned out, this great journey involved not only myself but one of my greatest friends and I'm very glad it did. The best adventures are those you share.

The great journey began almost as soon as camp ended. I gave myself on day's grace between the end of one and the beginning of another as I did need to shower and unpack. The next day, I picked up the car and headed off for Sydney where I met up with my great friend, Isabella. We'd known each other from Ottawa and she'd planned to come down to Australia when the chance arose. It turned out that this particular January suited us both and so she flew down from Calgary. Isabella stayed in Sydney a few days while I was away at camp. We met on the 5th of January and wandered around Sydney for a bit. This was Isabella's first time in Australia and I took great pleasure in showing her around Sydney's Circular Quay. After nightfall, we each returned to our separate accommodations --- Isabella in the north and me in the inner south. I drove to the place she was staying and picked her up the next morning.

We had a little to discuss before we could proceed. The floodwaters in Queensland were still high and we had to decide wether or not to stick to our original route or perhaps go the opposite way. In the end, we decided to go north as planned, so we set off for Grafton, a small city on New South Wales' north coast. We got on the highway and headed out of Sydney, and here is where we had our first misadventure.

As we passed Newcastle there was a confusing highway junction and instead of taking the coastal Pacific Highway, I turned onto the inland New England Highway. It wasn't very long before I realized the mistake but by the time I did notice, it wouldn't have saved us any time to backtrack and go back up the Pacific Highway, so we stayed on the New England. The countryside was green, but not very; sort of a mix between forest and grassland. We drove through picturesque small towns until we arrived at Tamworth, the home of country music in Australia. We stayed only briefly; just long enough to take some pictures on the giant guitar.

The next big center was Armidale, a university town. Not much can be said for Armidale and we didn't stop in it. From there we turned onto a mountain highway that wound its way northeast of Armidale through the Great Dividing Range. The sun was setting quickly and we soon found ourselves in fading light on a twisting forest road. Along the way Isabella spotted a SUV that had gone off the road. We stopped and she got out to check but there was no one in the vehicle so we can only assume that they made it out safely. We continued on but it became clear that it would be dark by the time we hit Grafton. Also, it had begun to rain.

We drove onward and soon the mountain road gave way to the coastal plains. Along the way a tree had fallen across part of the road and only 100 meters away was a sign that said "Beware Fallen Trees". Later on there was a cow beside the road and only 100 meters away was a sign that said "Beware Cattle On Road". Isabella and I both thought that these signs were useless given they only warned of the danger after you'd passed it.

At any rate, we soldiered on until we reached Grafton. Isabella had brought a tent and our original plan had been to pitch it for some camping. However, with the rain beating down neither of us wanted to do that so we found a combination hotel-pub-bottle shop-restaurant of which Australia has in spades and spent the night there. In fact, for the price we paid, a total of $65, the room was quite nice.

That was only the first day, and there were many more to come. Indeed the next few days involved some difficult choices, but some wonderful company as well.

The Cool Dale: Part 3

The last 3 days of camp were filled with excitement and Christmas beetles. These largish beetles, about the same as Canadian June bugs, emerge around Christmas (hence the name) and go about their activities at night. Around the camp, there appeared to be millions of them. They had to be cleared from the entrance to the activities building with a broom. It was impossible to go to the toilet at night without being hit by them. They were interesting though a minor annoyance.

The first activity of the new year was the camp Olympics. The scouts were divided into several teams, each one representing a decade: the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The games were all collaborative efforts and involved various teamwork exercises. I was in charge of a challenge that required the scouts to disassemble and reassemble a tent as fast as possible. The Olympics started with a procession through the camp and then the games were underway. I could only see my portion of the games but I imagine that fun was had by all under the blazing sun. In the end, it was the 1980s that took home the gold.

The last full day of camp involved a short hike around the Penrose area but first, I learned about another Australian tradition, the nutbush. This is a dance, something like the macarena but done to Tina Turner's Nutbush City Limits. It seems to be a very popular children's dance and is even taught in school. Even the adults recognized the dance. It's a bit curious as Nutbush City Limits is a well-known song outside Australia but it seems that Australians are the only ones to have this particular dance. I'd certainly never heard of it before.

At any event, in the afternoon we got underway. The weather had taken a turn and before long the temperature was dropping and we could hear distant thunder. We marched through wooded areas and along logging roads. Eventually we reached the outskirts of the town of Penrose and turned towards camp. By this time, a thick fog had rolled in and you could see the mist swirl above the trees. I was at the rear and I remember talking to Julia Manchester, one of the scouts, about the finer points of the Harry Potter series. In my opinion, she knew everything there was to know.

The final day was pretty miserable and it seems that the camp ended much like it had started --- with rain. After breaking camp and packing up the gear, we made our way to the meeting building and had the closing ceremony. There were the usual speeches and awards conferred but the treat was at the end. After the camp was officially closed, the scouts got together and performed the nutbush outside; I even have it on video.

I was very happy to have participated in this year's camp and I look forward to next December when the national jamboree will be held in Canberra. I wonder if I'll be asked to fill any particular roles.

Well, that was my camping adventure but I didn't have time for rest. After returning to Canberra I had 1 day to prepare myself as I was about to embark on a truly great adventure, perhaps my greatest to date. If you promise to keep coming back, I promise to tell you that story of adventure and misadventure.

The Cool Dale: Part 2

The highlight of any camp should be the hike, I think. It's a chance for everyone to get to know each other and get some exercise. It's also nice to really get out into the wild. For this camp, the trek would be a canoe trip starting at Tallowa Dam and heading up the Shoalhaven River near Kangaroo Valley.

The weather in our region finally turned in our favour and we were greeted with a sunny and warm day with temperatures climbing nearly to 30C. We set off from camp in a bus towing our canoes behind us in a trailer. We rode through some very mountainous terrain before descending into the Kangaroo Valley and on to Tallowa Dam. There wasn't much time for rest as we unloaded our canoes, split and packed up the gear and set off down the river. I was paired up with a young scout named Luis who had a similar love of knowledge as myself. We had a great time talking about a great many things along the way.

Canoeing to our campsite took a few hours but we reached it without much trouble. Along the way we passed under some wonderfully sheer cliffs. Our campsite was a good spot up a small, but reasonably steep and sandy hill. Luckily there was no one else around and there was enough room for all of us. We settled in and set up a fire pit for the night. We'd brought food but Luis decided to do some fishing anyway. He was about to surprise us all.

Luis had grown up in the area and was very knowledgeable about local flora and fauna, particularly fish. He'd fished often with his father and knew what he was doing. He said he'd catch something but none of us really believed him so we were all dumbfounded when he ran up the embankment carrying a rather large carp in his hands. He showed it to us and then, without blinking an eye or skipping a beat, he drew his knife, killed the fish and immediately started scaling and gutting it. He managed to cook it but found it rather tasteless. By the end of dinner he'd caught 3 fish in total, although some he threw them back. He definitely showed us up.

As this was only an overnight hike, we started back the next morning. The hills were shrouded in fog but that eventually cleared to another fine day. Going back, Luis decided to trail a line behind our canoe and manage to snag another 4 fish, although he also put them back. At least one of them was an Australian Bass, which he said was his first native fish. Many fish species in the river are foreign and once caught, like the carp, cannot be returned to the river even if dead. Returning to camp was fairly uneventful although we did go across the wonderful stone bridge at Kangaroo Valley.

New Year's Eve proved especially hot. Daytime temperatures approached 40C and although we were glad of the change, it did make things interesting. The order of the day was mostly teaching and the scouts were given instruction on bush cooking --- an important skill, surely, for anyone. However, as the temperature rose through the day it became clear that some outdoor activities would have to be cancelled. Australians have experience in this type of thing and always have a backup plan. In this case, the scouts sat down to watch a film about the American food industry. They sat mesmerized as the facts and figures were rolled out and many said it would make them think about where there food comes from and what they're actually eating. It wasn't all serious though as the scouts were taken to nearby Bundanoon for some swimming. It's a good way to cool down and let the kids have fun at the same time.

The last activities of the day, of the year, and of the decade for that matter were a camp-wide bonfire and a New Year's Eve party. At the bonfire the scouts and the cubs each presented skits, some of which were groaners, other which were hilarious. There was even one skit where some of the scouts got dressed like ABBA and got people dancing around the campfire to Mamma Mia. It was after the bonfire that the party started. As the scouts made merry, the new year rolled in and the scouts then retired to their beds contented, exhausted and ready for the Olympics.

The Cool Dale: Part 1

My summer was very frenetic and over all too quickly. It seemed as though I lurched from one adventure straight into another. While all my adventures will be chronicled in good time, I feel I should start at the beginning. The great adventure was yet to come but the first adventure is also worth telling.

As in past years, I volunteered to be a counsellor at the Ukrainian scout camp. This year it was Sydney's turn again and the camp was held at Kirrikee, a property outside Penrose, NSW held by an Anglican school in Sydney. Penrose is about halfway between Canberra and Sydney making travel there fairly easy. I was kindly taken by the Liszczynsksys, a local scouting family.

It was good to see everyone on the first day again, many people whom I hadn't seen for 2 years. Certainly many of the scouts had grown up since that time but I remembered most of them. There were some new faces too from the younger ranks. As people arrived we quickly set up the camp and the scouts were separated into groups and each group had an army tent. There were 4 male tents and 1 long tent for the females. I should also point out that this year there were, at one point, 26 scouts which is a lot for any Australian camp.

The first day started inauspiciously enough with a great downpour, such that it was difficult to hear the opening ceremony inside the metal structure. The raindrops made a colossal cacophony on the metal roof. The camp staff and leadership were introduced as was the theme of the camp. This year it was honouring past scout camps and it turns out that in the 1960s-1980s, the Sydney organization had a property called Kholodnyy Yar, the "Cool Dale" just outside Sydney. It had to sell it once the city encroached on the property but it was an important place for many years. The theme of the camp would, therefore, be scouting as it once was.

Not much was done the first day and once the rain lifted, the whole area was blanketed in a thick fog. The next day was even worse. It rained constantly and there was a biting wind. It was difficult to believe that this was an Australian summer. There was a scout from Canada visiting her sister who was at camp for a few days and I was worried that this would give her a false impression of what an Australian summer looks like.

However, the second day did see some productive work. The scouts put up a wooden archway leading into the camp and learned how to filer water using their neckerchiefs. To waterproof their tents, the scouts also dug ditches around them to catch any water. One part of on particular ditch was at least 1 meter deep. The scouts also got some time to come up with ideas for some music to be played at a later camp fire.

The third finally saw the weather clearing and warming up, allowing for some funner activities. The highlight was, without question, a ropes course where you climb and otherwise traverse obstacles while suspended several meters in the air. Following a safety talk, one-by-one the scouts proceeded to try their luck at the course. Finally, I dared to go and made a pretty good go of it until the final obstacle, which was a jump out to a set of hanging crossbars. I made the mistake of pushing out with only one leg rather than both at the same time which meant I didn't quite make the distance. It was a little embarrassing but I was happy to have completed the course.

This was all a lead up to the next days' task which was a canoe hike, but that story comes in Part 2.

Silly Season

I was told in Sydney by a family friend that this time of the year in Australia is known as "silly season". It's an unforeseen consequence of Christmas being a summer holiday Down Under. It goes a little something like this. In the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas is a winter holiday so we get a few weeks off in winter. Once summer rolls around we get an extra, longer, holiday break. In Australia, and I imagine too in New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and most of Brazil, the summer holidays and Christmas are bundled into 1 period. This means that all gift-buying and vacationing is done at one time creating a mad rush, hence the name "silly season". There has been some experimentation in Australia to have some sort of Christmasesque celebration in July (winter) but it hasn't caught on yet.

It's a bit of a silly season for me as well. Although Christmas Day was fantastic (30C and sunny), I have had a few things to get ready. I've finalized the rental for my trip around Australia. Rather than take a camper van, it turned out to be cheaper and just as effective to rent a car and camp where necessary. I bought an atlas that shows cheap places to camp near Australia's highways. This is going to be a fairly whirlwind event, the eastern half of Australia in a little under 4 weeks and some of the driving will be long but I do love to drive and can do it almost endlessly.

However, a more immediate trip is my annual attendance at a Plast scout camp. This year, in keeping with my alternating rotation, is Sydney's turn again. This year, the camp is being held near Penrose, a small town about halfway between Canberra and Sydney. I have been given certain tasks, including a trivia night, and I look forward to everything. I'll be incommunicado for a while but that's what camping is all about.

After a Long Quiet

If anyone is still reading, it's been about 5 weeks since my last post. I hadn't intended such a long period of tranquillity but events move rapidly and I was unable to continue blogging. My intention was to do a sort of live travel blog but due to the intermittency of internet access over the last month, I had to abandon that idea. However, even though much has passed since the last missive, I shall endeavour to give a comprehensive synopsis, if such a thing is not a contradiction in terms, of my goings on.

Just before my exams ended, my parents arrived in the country via a wonderful stay in New Zealand. They travelled many thousands of kilometers and then found themselves on a tour of the North Island. Form what they described, it seemed a perfectly pleasant outing. Unfortunately, they didn't spend as much time in Napier as I think they should have but perhaps it was enough. At the end of their Kiwi adventure, my parents flew to Australia to visit me. Although I was glad to be finished my exams, I wa snow caught in the unenviable era between the end of exams and the release of results. Even though I was fairly certain I had done well enough to pass, I slept uneasily for the 11 or so days before the results were released. This was made especially trying as this was to be my last semester and my parents, and indeed my brother, had travelled so far to see me graduate that I did not wish to disappoint them. All I wanted was to be done with this.

In the interim, my parents, or more accurately, my mother, had planned a very detailed excursion of southeastern Australia. The first stop was Tasmania; the only state I had not yet visited. As my brother, for logistical reasons would be joining us later, this was just a trip for myself and my parents. Our first port of call was the venerable metropolis of Hobart. It is quite a pleasant little city, and although a state capital, it is considerably less populated even than Canberra. We took in the sights, including the IXL Jam Factory, now a series of shops and condominia on the waterfront, that particularly impressed my mother. I think what impressed my father the most was Hobart's imposing bridge. I will also mention that as the resident Australian, I was the one given the all important task of vehicle conveyance (driving) for the entire duration of our Australian adventure. What I particularly remember, though, is having high tea in a Hobart hotel. We were wandering the city and every eatery seemed shut until we happened upon a bustling hotel restaurant. We were informed that high tea was being served but that if we were patient, we would be seated. We were served by a very likable waiter who explained the logistics of high tea to us. It's not just a matter of drinking tea and eating cakes. There were scones, cakes and something like apple crumbles all served on a series of stacked plates. I had hot chocolate ut my parents had tea and possibly cappuccino later. It was my first high tea and quite the experience.

On our second day in Tasmania, we visited the old penal settlement of Port Arthur and although it was probably not as welcoming as it now seems, in the sun it looked rather pleasant. It is actually a fascinating open air museum that must be visited. From Hobart, we drove up the Tasmanian east coast on the one truly sunny and warm day we had on that trip. I had chosen the route because of the supposed beauty to that part of Tasmania and I don't think we were disappointed. The one drawback is the constant presence of lumber trucks who must travel uphill very slowly, and there are many hills in Tasmania along this 2 lane highway. More than once we got stuck behind a truck, unable to pass for many kilometers. But we did see some pleasant little towns like Orford, where we had wonderful sandwiches, St. Marys where we had fish and chips and Bicheno where we stopped for gas. Along the way, my mother even found a vineyard she enjoyed. We eventually arrived in Launceston but only spent a short time there as the next day we drove past Devonport to Burnie where we stayed a few nights at a fabulous Best Western. The hotel restaurant served generous portions and the wireless internet was free; life can't get much better than that. We did have a short side trip to Stanley, a small town to the west where my father and I went to the top of a rocky outcrop called The Nut. I went off exploring for a bit and found an echidna (spiny anteater). It is a relative of the platypus in that it is a mammal that lays eggs. I can't imagine how it got up the sheer sides.

On our way back to Launceston, we stopped in the little town of Deloraine, home to a sort of hippie counter-culture movement. It's sort of like San Francisco but 1/1000th the size. We stopped for some lunch there and it seemed pleasant enough. Back in Launceston, we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum, a museum built on an old rail yard. It has science, art and history components and was quite good for being in such a small place. Returning to Hobart via central Tasmania, we stopped in Richmond, a small town with much Georgian architecture to use the internet and get some ice cream. Around that time we stopped at the Palmara Wine Estate where my parents sampled the products and had a very pleasant and wide-ranging discussion with the owner. It turns out that the white flowers you see all along the highways are specially bred poppies, opium poppies to be precise. They are harvested and sold to drug companies to make morphine and whatever else. For such a small island, Tasmania has quite a lot to see and I think my parents and I enjoyed the trip immensely.

From tiny Tasmania to metropolitan Melbourne. This is where my brother joined the trip and we all went down to St. Kilda and Acland Street to have a feed. I remember this day being quite cool with a strong sea breeze. I remember it because that was almost the exact same condition I last visited St. Kilda in. We walked along Acland Street admiring the many cakes and pastries before finally having some. They were no doubt fattening beyond belief but the taste was divine.

The next day we set out for Ballarat, a town founded when gold was discovered nearby. Along the way we pulled into a McDonald's where I accessed the wireless internet to obtain my final results. I held my breath but when I found the courage to look at my marks I breathed a sigh of relief and the weight of the world was lifted from my chest --- I had passed all my courses. It was over. I had finally achieved what I had set out do to so long ago. Every day had seemed like an eternity and those 3 years were now a to be a memory. All those tense moments in exams, all those times I worried about my assignments were now I think I could look back on and either laugh or cry. My mother made me send an e-mail to my aunt and my grandmother to pass on the good news. The best part for me was that I cold now enjoy a good night's sleep knowing that my family's trip had not been in vain and I would be graduating.

In Ballarat we stayed at the Sovereign Park Motor Inn, a reasonable hotel except parking was difficult in the confined space. We wandered a bit of Ballarat before returning to the hotel to celebrate my impending graduation. The Red Lion Restaurant, adjacent to the hotel, served an excellent meal. The next day we spent at Sovereign Hill Park, an open air museum that recreates the atmosphere of Gold Rush Era Ballarat. The most interesting thing, though, was the school program that takes place over several days. Students and their teachers stay on site and dress in period costume. I think it is a remarkable idea. Sovereign Hill has many fascinating demonstrations such as gold pouring, wheelrighting and musketry. I even peeked in on a school group doing something in the reconstructed school house. That night, we returned to see the story of the Eureka Stockade, a sort of rebellion where gold miners, in 1854, set up a stockade on Bakery Hill to protest the heavy-handed tactics of the local police, who were often corrupt former criminals themselves, and the licence system. The "rebellion" was crushed when a few days after the stockade went up, the army and the police stormed it, however reforms did follow and the licence system was abolished. The Eureka Stockade has become ingrained in the Australian psyche as the start of the labour movement and the heart of Australia's fighting spirit. It's actual importance is debatable but if an event is to be judged by its consequences, then the Eureka Stockade is seen now as a watershed moment in Australian history, if nothing else. I will also mention that the leaders of the stockade included a Canadian who was killed when it was stormed, an African-American and Peter Lalor, who lost his left arm in the fight. All were acquitted of treason.

The next little trip we had planned was a quick drive up to Bendigo, a town to the north of Ballarat whose fortunes also turned on gold. However, it seems that unlike Ballarat, Bendigo is still producing appreciable quantities of that metal. Along the way we stopped in the little town of Castlemaine to visit Buda, a large property with a garden built by a Hungarian immigrant in the 19th Century. The family lived there for about a century and it's now a public trust and museum. In Bendigo we went to the Chinese Museum where my mother got a detailed history from the very pleasant curator.

Before returning to Melbourne, we stopped into the cities of Geelong and Queenscliff. Geelong is Victoria's second largest city and I took my family there to show them but also so that they could sample the ice cream at Lic, an ice cream parlour with excellent ice cream. We wandered the foreshore in very fine weather. Queenscliff, a little to the east, is Geelong's coastal getaway town. It sits almost at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay and we just sort of stopped in to see the town. We returned to Melbourne and spent the next day wandering the city before meeting up with an acquaintance of ours on Lygon Street, the home of Italian Melbourne. We had an excellent pizza meal at one of the finer establishments. From Melbourne, we took off to Adelaide.

Upon arriving in Adelaide, we were greeted by sunny skies and scorching temperatures. Australia was playing England in the Ashes Tournament at the time so it was something of a miracle my mother found accommodation. It was very easy to get to and surprisingly close to Glenelg, Adelaide's fashionable beach district. We spent a good portion of the day walking in the area. The next day, we drove out to McLaren Vale, one of the area's many wine producing regions. After sampling some local wines, we stopped in a vineyard restaurant where we had an excellent lunch. The final course of my parents' meal was pork belly glazed with some sauce. It was absolutely delicious. My mother asked me what pork belly was and she would not believe me that it was exactly what it said until I went on Wikipedia and proved it. This particular cut took all the meat but only a small layer of the fat. Whatever they did, it worked and my mother has been raving about it since. Not content with just one wine region, the next day we travelled to the Barossa Valley to sample some wines there. First, we stopped in the little town of Hahndorf, founded by Germans in the 1830s, that still retains some Germanic feel. I had an excellent sausage there. On our final day, we visited Port Adelaide and had a quick look at a local gallery before catching our flight --- and that's when the fun began.

At first, our plane was late coming in from Brisbane due to storms up north. And now there was a line of storm cells approaching Adelaide. After quite a long wait we were put on the plane and then had to wait another long time for the storms to pass before it was safe to takeoff. On getting closer to Canberra, we were told that there had been a fire alarm and the terminal had been evacuated, however, it was cleared by the time we landed. After all that we were about 2 hours late and quite tired. I remember getting back and sleeping well.

The next few days were spent getting ready for my graduation although we did find time to go to the National Film and Sound Archive which so greatly impressed my mother that she went back not once, but twice. I had to pick up my gown, hood and motorboard as well as finalize a few other things. On the 9th of December, at 17:30, the graduation ceremony started. There were a few short speeches but soon enough it was my turn. The ceremony took place in the very imposing Llewelyn Hall in the School of Music and even though I knew I was graduating, I was still nervous. Finally, as I stood on the stage, the Dean of the Law School called my name and I walked towards the Pro-Vice-Chancellor who was handing out the diplomas. If it ever comes up, I will say that I was the first person to be given a Juris Doctor from the ANU. Following the ceremony, we had dinner at Charcoal, an old Canberra restaurant. I was so relieved to be done and pretty proud of myself. 2 days later, our final leg was a trip to Sydney.

In Sydney, we stayed at the Hyde Park Inn. With the euphoria of graduation still clinging slightly in the air, we walked around Circular Quay. The next day we wandered the city center some more before taking in Handel's "Messiah" at the Opera House. Oprah Winfrey was in town at the time and I suggested that they rename that famous structure the Sydney Oprah House. The next day we travelled to Katoomba to see the famous 3 Sisters rock formation and later that evening my brother and I took a night time bridge climb of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Although you're fastened in you're very high up and you go to the very top. It's something that has to be experienced firsthand. The next day we went to Manly Beach by ferry with the Motykas, our good friends from Newcastle who graciously hosted us for the day. The following day, my family and I parted company as they returned to Canada and had a few aerial adventures of their own. I returned to Canberra. I hope my family had a pleasant time in Australia and I am so glad they could come down for my graduation. I found the vacation most enjoyable and I hope they did too.

But there is no rest for the weary. The day after I returned I took part in an overnight hike in the southern reaches of Namadgi National Park. The Canberra Troop of Plast had a hike planned and I helped with supervision. The day started out ominously with thunderstorms but it cleared up to a beautiful sunny day and off we went trekking. We saw much native bush along the way including long abandoned homesteads. We camped just off the trail and although the day had been quite pleasant the night was almost bitterly cold. The next morning we were picked up and returned to our various abodes. From what I've heard the scouts enjoyed the experience and apart from nearly freezing, so did I.

So that's what's occurred in the last 5 weeks. Now that my degree is done, I'm feeling a bit lost. I have my diploma to do but that's a little while away yet. I have to apply for a further visa, which I hope I will get but it's just something else to be nervous about. At any rate, after an exciting 5 weeks, it's good to be back. I wonder what new adventures await me just beyond the horizon.

Evidentiary Burden

On Monday, I had the penultimate of my law exams --- Evidence. I remember my father telling me that he, somewhat surprisingly, received a very good grade in evidence given the difficulty of the course. The exam and the course were not difficult in the sense that they were confusing, in fact, I found both quite reasonable. The trick with the exam was that there were 11 questions which meant that you could only skim through them and there wasn't enough time to go into any depth. You sort of had to trust your first instincts and go with them. There was no way you could cover all the issues other than superficially. I think I covered everything and my confidence is due in large part to my study partners. We spent considerable time going over previous exams and quizzing each other, not to mention that our collective summary was very good. I think I went rather well.

The only other bit of news to report is that I found out what caused the system crash just before the Melbourne Cup. ACTTAB is not an independent betting agency in that we are tied in with Supertab, the Victorian betting agency, and we pool with them. According to one of ACTTAB's tech support guys, what happened was something like a 1-in-trillion event. The results, pools and dividends are sent from Supertab in Victoria in data packets of various descriptions. Just before the Melbourne Cup jumped, for some reason the data packet that was sent was encoded in binary. Now, binary code is recognized by the computer system only as a command, not as information, meaning our host computer thought it was being told to do something. The computer then decided that it had to deal first with this "order" and then it would deal with other things. This resulted in the computer system sort of sequestering itself while it tried to figure out what to do. This resulted in the betting system going down for the period it did. I was also informed that South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania were similarly affected as they also run on Supertab. So all in all, I imagine there were a great many unhappy people throughout Australia. As well, I learned that ACTTAB's estimated earnings loss figure caused by that system crash is $1-1.5 million!

Also, my parents are coming in a few days. Yay!

Through a Prism Darkly

The great Australian race was held last Tuesday --- the Melbourne Cup. With its $6 million purse, it is Australia's richest horserace and the championship handicap race. Run every year since about 1861, it has become known as the Race that Stops the Nation. In Victoria, it is a public holiday, as it used to be in Canberra as well until this year which means I don't get paid double. It really does stop Australia in its tracks as everyone watches to see who'll take the Cup. It is estimated that 80% of the Australian adult public has a bet on the Melbourne Cup.

Needless to say, this is one of the busiest days of the year for ACTTAB and it was most assuredly all hands on deck. I would be pulling a double shift that day that started at the racecourse. I was stationed with a friend of mine, Thamizh (ta-MEER), in the Hut, a wooden structure used only once a year and not redecorated since it was built sometime 40 years ago. There are actually old betting slips there from the time before ACTTAB employed electronic betting. Well, when we arrived we endeavoured to make our station available for betting only to find that the computers would not cooperate. After intense investigation, the opinion of our technician was that the problem was with the uplink with ACTTAB's racecourse server and although only the Hut was affected, to correct the problem would necessitate taking every ACTTAB station in the racecourse offline for at least 5 minutes. Deciding that this was too high a price to pay for this one station, we were told to close the Hut and I went to the Auditorium (a small club and bar area) and Thamizh went elsewhere.

At the Auditorium, I was stationed with Scott, someone I'd never worked with before. We got along fine and everything was going smoothly until 5 minutes before the Melbourne Cup was to run. Our computer screens began flashing "Alfa Queue Full" and we were unable to place any more bets. Unsure of the situation we told people to wait and see if the system would come back up. Things went from bad to worse when our computers kept telling us that the host server was down. Not only was our station down but so were all stations in the racecourse all outlets and branches throughout the ACT; this was a total system failure. All we could do was wait for the system to reboot. In the meantime, the race ran and it was taken out by Americain, who even though racing at nearly 11:1, was still one of the favourites. The favourite, So You Think (3.90:1) finished 3rd. Because so many of the favourites won, the trifecta was a pittance as compared to recent years, only a little over $300; last year it was about $9 500 and the year before about $22 000. Nevertheless, the system failure at that particular time means that ACTTAB lost probably several hundred thousand dollars.

There's still no word as to what caused the crash, although the consensus seems to be a system overload from too many bets but we haven't had this problem before. One of my floormates suggested a denial of service hack but I don't think that's likely. The new system that is to be in place in the next few months should prevent this from happening again and I look forward to reading the explanation in the next ACTTAB newsletter.

The system came back online about 5-10 minutes after the Melbourne Cup ran and even though people could still bet, the main even had finished. On a typical Melbourne Cup, ACTTAB sells over 10 million individual bets (though that may be tied in with Victoria) by sometime around Cup time but this year we didn't even reach that number. We'll see if there's any fallout from this.

My day wasn't over and as soon as I was finished at the racecourse I biked to the Garema Place outlet to assist them there. When I arrived there were still plenty of people in the outlet but that faded over time. I stayed until closing by which time there were only 2 people left. Another Melbourne Cup done and another one for the books. I'll remember this one for a long time I should think.

I did get some good news recently in that I had been selected as one of 2 bus drivers for Fenner Hall next year. The term "bus" is a little misleading and what it really is is a large van that seats about a dozen, maybe a few more. I'd actually been shown how to operate it last summer but as I didn't become an office holder subsequently, I wasn't allowed to continue in that role. It's a fairly easy job involving driving students to Fenner-sponsored events and the occasional shopping trip. It also means I get a 50% rent subsidy for the coming year, which is also quite handy. I think it will fit well with my ACTTAB job and the work load of the GDLP.

With my Equity exam coming up, I had a rather scary moment in that I actually had a dream about equity. I don't exactly remember what happened in my dream only that equity was involved. It must have been a sign that I was letting it prey on my mind too much. The next day, though, was my Equity exam.

The Equity exam was held in the large Melville Hall and as I took my seat I wasn't quite sure what to expect. As I read through the exam I was slightly reassured to find no questions on resulting trusts or the presumption of advancement; if you know what they are, you hope that you never have to deal with them. I walked out of the exam feeling confident although I didn't get to finish the essay question, but I think I got the main points across. I spoke with a friend afterwards and we both discovered virtually all of the same issues so I'm pretty sure I've at least passed the exam. In any case, it's out of my hands now. If I ever hear the words "resulting", "constructive", "trust" or "equity" again, it will be 20 billion years too soon. Although I enjoy the law, I'm just so tired of this degree and I want it finished. I also want to graduate with my parents and my brother here. As much as I will enjoy having them here and us travelling around together, the enjoyment will be significantly diminished if I do not graduate. And everyone keeps saying things like "You'll be fine" or "You'll pass" but nothing is certain. It is in my nature to feel anxious and nervous about these things until the end.

In one more bit of happy news, I found out that one of my favourite artists, Amanda Marshall, has reappeared after years in "hiding". On November 5th, she gave a concert at Casino Rama in Orillia, Ontario. From an online Toronto Star article, I learned the shocking truth of her unintended exile. While still popular in Canada and by no means over the hill of her career, in 2002 Amanda Marshall had a disagreement with her record label and management team and fired them. This set off a series of unfortunate events that turned what was supposed to be a short break into a long one. Her record label/management team (or at least I assume it was them) instituted litigation against her for what I assume is a breach of contract or something vaguely similar. However, for some reason, the matter still hasn't been settled and information cannot be gotten from Amanda Marshall or the other parties since the matter is still ongoing, which prevents anyone from disclosing anything but the bare fact of litigation. It also means that Amanda Marshall is prevented from working for another record label or releasing any new songs because the other party probably obtained a prohibitory injunction (something I learned in Equity) against Amanda Marshall. In essence, a prohibitory injunction prevents the subject from breaching a negative term (a term requiring that something NOT happen) in a contract. An example of such a term would be "Amanda Marshall agrees to only write and music for X", the implied negative term being that Amanda Marshall will not write and release music for anyone else. These injunctions are pretty easy to get, especially if they are meant to be temporary (subject to a final court case/decision), although subject to some other technical conditions and considerations. Whatever the case, I'm happy to hear that Amanda's back and maybe my sudden interest in her a little while ago was a premonition of this return. I wish her well, look forward to hearing from her and offer her my legal services should they be required.

Ultimatum

I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet, but I've had what are hopefully my final classes in my law degree. All that's left now is to tackle the exams and hope that I do well enough to pass and, consequently, graduate. It's unusual to think that this JD is my final degree and that I will shortly have to start looking for employment in the legal sector. After the completion of the GDLP, I will be out in the real world, which is a scary thought. Like most prisoners I've become institutionalized and I wonder if I'll make it out there.

I finally completed the long essay I had due for my internship and I was quite glad to be rid of it. After a while, it just turned into a series of tortuous disappointments. The thing never really came together as I wanted it to. The problem is that it was based on an almost entirely theoretical/philosophical argument for which there is very little empirical evidence. I was arguing that Australia should follow the Canadian example and allow the intention to temporarily deprive to be theft, as opposed to permanently deprive as it now stands. The supervisor assessed it at a Pass level and at this point, I'm perfectly satisfied with that. Obviously, it's a bit disheartening as I would have like the mark to have been higher, especially as this was a topic I was particularly keen about, but I'll take the Pass.

On Friday, I went to Fenner Hall's annual Valete Ball, a function which honours graduating residents, of which I hope to be one shortly. Valete was held in the Great Hall of University House and consisted of a buffet dinner followed by speeches and a few awards. Each graduating student was gifted a metal mug with the residence's crest engraved in it. From now on, my constant endeavour will be to earn that mug.

At another even earlier in the week, I received a Fenner Hall Spartos Award, which are given out for various deeds in sports and arts. I was given the award for my contribution to Fenner Hall's win at the Interhall Trivia Night earlier this year.

I also followed Ottawa's mayoral race with some keeness and see that Jim Watson is the new mayor, which, I'm sure, displeased my father. I was particularly interested in the fact that Jim's campaign headquarters was in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Byron Avenue, a venue I know well. I wonder why he chose that particular venue? All I hope is that this won't derail the plans for the underground LRT tunnel or the planned refurbishment of Landsdowne Park, which looks very promising.

Penultimatum

Since returning from the break, I've taken stock of the very frightening fact that my degree is coming to an end. 3 years ago, this date was longed for but seemed an eternity away. Now that I'm approaching the final week of instruction, I am very nervous. My parents will soon be down and I must pass all of my courses if I am to graduate in December with them here. It would be a shame if they travelled 20 000 km only to have me have to sit some supplementary exams, which means I wouldn't be eligible to graduate. After my exams, I will be on tenterhooks until the final results are published. I really do hope I graduate as I don't want to have to go through this again.

Anyway, 2 Fridays ago was the annual ACTAFL Umpires' Association dinner. Like last year, it was held at the Southern Cross Club in Woden. It was great fun with many hilarious moments and awards being given out. Some of the more serious awards were Best Umpire and dedication awards while some of the ones with more levity were Bachelor of the Year and the Send Off awards. I didn't win anything this year but we'll see how I go next year. With my GDLP keeping me in Canberra for another year, I look forward to another chance at stardom.

Spring Carnival horse racing is the current obessession of the nation and there have been 2 important races in the last few weeks, all in Melbourne. The first was the Caulfield Cup run at Caulfield race course. This is a Group 1 handicap run over 2 400 m and is second only to the Melbourne Cup in terms of importance for handicap races in Australia. The price money is AUS$2.5 million. The next important race was last Saturday and that was the Cox Plate run at Moonee Ponds, a Group 1 weight-for-age race that is considered the championship for that type of race in Australia. The prize for that race is AUS$3 million. It's hard to convey how important horse racing is to Australians unless you're immersed in it, like I was as I worked at ACTTAB those days. The next big race is the Melbourne Cup on Nov. 2nd and its AUS$6 million prize. I will be working at the racecourse and I anticipate quite a day if the weather holds.

I also took advantage of an opportunity with Legal Aid to follow a practitioner around for a few hours on a Monday morning. I and a GDLP student followed the practitioner around as he talked to clients being held in the cells below the Magistrates Court. We then followed him into court to hear his submissions. I was very enlightening especially when you consider that this lawyer sometimes has only a few minutes to formulate some sort of plea for his clients. He also challenged me on my thesis in my research essay that Australian jurisdictions should adopt the intent to temporarily deprive, and not permanently deprive, as the basis for theft. I am thankful and I worked some of his suggestions into the second draft which I've submitted for commentary. I think I've done all I can with that, given the word limit, and I think I've structured it logically.

I did get some other good news and that was that I received a High Distinction for my moot court presentation assessment in Evidence Law. I reported on this assignment earlier and it turns out my partner and I both did extremely well. Apparently my argument "demonstrated command of the material, facility with the facts, and ability to think strategically." Needless to say, I was very pleased with this outcome. I remember in school aboslutely despising, with every fiber of my being, public speaking assignments but now I've found a sort of comfortable ease with them. I don't understand why so many people simply read off their notes in a prepared speech for assignments when a more natural apporach "feels better." Anyway, I'm happy with this now and all I have to look forward to now is the utter joy of the exam.

There is one more thing I've learned and that is that the drough has officially broken, at least in NSW. The long period of low rain, called the "Big Dry" or the "Long Dry" came to an end last week when the last parts of the state were declared drought free. This is thanks to the La Niña event that has brought well above average rainfall to Australia. All I can say then is thank heaven for little girls. While some people are rejoicing many in the environmental camp are wary and are warning that this may only be a temporary reprieve and that more punishing aridity may follow. We'll just have to wait and see but since Australians get so few moments of unalloyed pleasure from the weather, I say celebrate for now. And I've added photographs from my trip to Melbourne.

Melbourne: The Second Half

On the 3rd of October, Katia and Maria gave me a very special treat --- a trip to Mt. Macedon. Not too far from Melbourne, Mt. Macedon is a fairly high mountain with a cross on top of it. The cross was built after the First World War at the expense of one person so that Melburnians would always remember the soldiers who fought. It was built on the southern flank of that mountain and illuminated at night so that it could be seen from all points of Melbourne. The cross, following years of weathering, a lightning strike and a devastating bushfire, was repaired in the 1990s. However, in all that time it has been a popular destination for a picnic and some light walking.

We headed out in the afternoon and were quickly at the mountain's base. As we drove up I noticed that many people built mansions on the mountain's lower slopes. These were clearly the homes of the very wealthy. As we drove further up, I noticed at a junction a sign pointing to Hanging Rock, a place of importance to Australians. That place is the setting for the surreal thriller Picnic at Hanging Rock. First a book, then a movie it is the story of a group of schoolgirls who have a picnic at Hanging Rock and then disappear, only to reappear again. Once back, though, they have no memory of what happened. I haven't seen the movie myself but I guess I should and the book is considered an Australian classic.

Anyway, we made it to the top of the mountain where there was a parking lot. We got out and walked to the cross. The landscaping is very neat and the view was quite spectacular. Melbourne was clearly visible on the horizon. After a reasonable amount of time, we walked back to the car and drove home.

On my last full day in Melbourne in Melbourne, I decided to visit the Melbourne Aquarium. It was a little smaller than I expected but it was good nonetheless. There were many native species but also exotic things like sawfish, sharks, rays, blind cavefish and a Giant Octopus. There were even some axolotls, a sort of salamander from Mexico that the Aztec once used as currency. Some of the shark eggs were very interesting and one was even in a sort of corkscrew shape. However, I spent the most time at the penguin pen. The Aquarium has two types of penguins, the small Gentoo and the slightly larger King. They frolicked about and swam as is there custom and you couldn't help but stare. There were even a few eggs that were being cared for by the penguins. I spent almost the entire day at the aquarium and I would recommend it to anyone.

I flew out the next morning after thanking my hosts for their incredible hospitality. I always enjoy going down to Melbourne and I think this was a break I truly needed. Unfortunately, I only had a few days before university started back up again and now it's back to the grindstone. Happily, there's only short time until the semester is over.

Melbourne: The First Half

I have recently returned from an almost week-long trip to Melbourne, Australia's other great metropolis. I will relay my adventures there in 2 parts, this being the first. I did have a wonderful time in Melbourne, made all the more hospitable by the hospitality of Katia and Maria Soc, who allowed me to stay with them during my time. It was quite therapeutic for me, I think, to get out of Canberra, stretch my legs and do a bit of exploring. I'll also give the answer to the joke from the last post at the end.

I flew into Melbourne on an early flight as it was the cheapest I could get. There was a delay as Virgin Blue had been having problems with their automated check-in service for a few days. Luckily, I had checked-in on the web the night before. Upon arriving in Melbourne I took the bus to the city centre as I was unable to go to the Socs right away. I took the opportunity to wander around in the warm sunlight. I found myself at the Treasury Gardens and being quite exhausted, I had a nap on the park grass. Once I awoke, I made my way to the train station and caught a train to Broadmeadows in the city's northern reaches. I spent the rest of the day around the Socs home preparing for the next day's outing.

The following morning I decided to visit the Fitzroy Gardens and the State Library of Victoria, both fascinating places. The Fitzroy Gardens are an old city park just next to the Treasury Gardens in the heart of the city. Throughout there are various interesting buildings and artworks. For example, there is the cottage that James Cook grew up in in Yorkshire. It was taken apart brick by brick and reassembled in Melbourne. Having been built in the mid 18th Century, Cook's Cottage claims to be the oldest building in Australia. There is also the impressive River God Fountain and the playful Dolphin Fountain. Then there's the whimsical Fairies' Tree which consists of fairies and native Australian animals carved and painted into an old stump. Beside it it my favourite place, the Model Tudor Village. Gifted to the people of Melbourne by the English for supplying food after World War 2, the Model Tudor Village is a miniature representation of a village in the 16th Century. One can clearly discern a church, a mill and the thoughtful artisans even included Shakespeare's and Ann Hathaway's cottages. If it had been like that, I imagine William and Ann first meeting each other on the village path, then courting and finally marrying. The little village is something to behold.

After the gardens, I went to the State Library of Victoria, an imposing building near La Trobe Street. I originally intended to see if I could obtain some documents for my internship essay but it turned out they were unavailable. I decided to explore the library and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. On the upper floors there was an exhibit dedicated to Australia's most famous scoundrel, Ned Kelly. A troublesome son of a convict settler, Ned and his gang of reprobates became bushrangers, robbing what they could, when they could in the 1870s. In doing so, they endeared themselves to the citizens of the Colony of Victoria as they were seen to be fighting the establishment and the corrupt Victorian police. Matters came to a head in 1878 when Ned and his gang burned mortgage deeds, the only copies of that bank's debtors and Crown property. The gang also ambushed 4 police constables, killing 3 of them while the 4th escaped. They were declared outlaws and were finally cornered at an inn in Glenrowan in northern Victoria. The police encircled the inn and a gunfight ensued wherein Kelly's 3 accomplices were killed and Kelly himself captured. In one unbelievable act that ensured their immortality in the Australian psyche, the Kelly Gang made suits of armour out of ploughs and in these they faced the police. Ned Kelly was tried in Melbourne and hanged in 1880, his last words supposedly being, "Such is life."

In the State Library I found that Ned Kelly's armour was on display, or as near as could be figured. It has been restored although it still bears the indentations of the bullet strikes. It also has an apron which Ned Kelly probably did not wear but was worn by one of the other gang members. A little further on was a cast of Ned Kelly's death mask. They are amazing pieces of Australian history that I was glad to find. It is also a little ironic since the library and the vast reading room adjacent to the exhibit was largely the work of Redmond Barry, the judge who presided over the Ned Kelly trial and sentenced him to death. In fact, the library was built in the very same year.

On another floor there was an exhibit about books through the ages. I found myself pulled towards a book about mathematics, printed in the late 15th Century, by Caxton, the father of English printing. I was pleasantly surprised that with only minimal effort I was able to read and understand the English of so long ago.

I made my way to Federation Square where I found a radio show, MTR (Melbourne Talk Radio), broadcasting. And here, I had a chance to win 2 tickets to the Grand Final replay and I completely blew it. I was among 4 people asked to commentate on a fictitious final 30 seconds of the Grand Final and the winner would win the tickets. I was among 4 people and though I slightly rehearsed beforehand when it came my turn (I was 2nd), I completely messed up as I could only remember 1 player's name. Anyway, it was an unmitigated disaster but I did get 2 tickets to a Toni Childs concert the next day and a copy of Ben-Hur which I gifted to Katia and Maria. Slightly depressed, I returned to Broadmeadows intellectually satisfied though shattered in spirit.

The next day I went to the Melbourne Museum and the Royal Exhibition Hall. 1880 seems to have been an eventful year for Victoria as Melbourne hosted the World Exhibition. For that occasion an enormous hall was built, like London's Crystal Palace, although this one is the only original such structure on its original site. It was also where Australia's Parliament met until Parliament House was completed in Canberra in 1927. I couldn't go in as it was closed but from what I could see, it was an impressive building and I could only imagine what it had been like when it had first opened.

The Melbourne Museum is a much more modern structure to which, I was happy to learn, student admission is free. There were a myriad of interesting exhibits dealing with natural history, the human body, dreams and the struggle for Aboriginal rights. I even got to see an IMAX 3-D movie about the Hubble Telescope. At the time there was also a very popular Titanic exhibit but it has been sold out for ages and I didn't really have a desire to see it. Still, the rest of the museum was absolutely fascinating and I hope to go back again. Although I was there most of the day, I still missed a portion of it and I hope to complete my tour of the museum soon.

The evenings entertainment consisted of me going to a club to see Toni Childs, whom I had never heard of but was apparently very big in the 1980s. Later research revealed that although she was an American, she was most popular in Australia. The band that opened for Toni Childs was very good and I enjoyed listening to their bluesy rhythms. One thing I noticed was that much of the crowd was made of of people in their 40s and beyond, who I can only assume have been Toni Childs fans since the beginning. Toni Childs came on after a while and although here music was good, it wasn't really my cup of tea so I left after about half an hour. The club itself was in the very posh suburb of Toorak so it took me a while to make it back to Broadmeadows by train. If there are any Toni Childs fans out there, I hope you're not too mad at me for leaving.

The next day was Saturday the 2nd, the replay of the Grand Final. I managed to get myself invited to a small Grand Final party (just 5 of us) at a friend of a friend's house. We eagerly watched the game which the Collingwood Magpies easily won. It was great fun to watch it with other people over a few pizzas. Later we were invited to a 30th birthday party at a bar in the city called Troika, which had a sort of Soviet theme, much like Kremlin Bar in Canberra. I met many fascinating people at that shindig and I now have new friends to visit in Melbourne.

And at some point during this first half, I ran into someone I hadn't seen in about 10 years and then only in Ottawa, Zirka Reshitnyk. She was just walking down a Melbourne street when I happened to notice her and called out. It turns out that her boyfriend is an Australian who works for a dramatic production company and they live, at least for the moment, in Melbourne. I thought how unbelievable it is to meet someone I hadn't seen in such a long time and from nearly half the world away! What a strange and wonderful continent this is.

Anyway, that's the end of Part 1 and here's the answer to last post's riddle: Why was the dolphin allowed in adduce hearsay evidence against the credibility of a witness? Because he offered the evidence for a non-hearsay porpoise (as opposed to non-hearsay purpose). I welcome your groans.

Moot Points

I had a rather exciting day in court last Wednesday. As part of the assessment in Evidence, one of the activities was a mock argument in court, effectively a mooting exercise. My partner and I, who played the role of Crown prosecutors, had to make submissions asking for certain evidence to be included and excluded. There was also a 1-person defence team comprised of the magnificent and near-invincible Kate Maloney (the nominal student head of the JD program) who stepped in at the last minute as we would otherwise have had no defence team against us.

I made my arguments first, submitting that the victim's criminal record and tattoos should be excluded. Then Kate made her counterarguments and then submitted that the accused's statements should be excluded. My partner, Roland, then made his submissions that the accused's statements should be admitted. All the while our professor-assessor, Molly, interjected with questions challenging our positions. At then end, she said she was very impressed with our performances, in particular that we had good presence and were able to effectively address the judge on a personal level. I remember her saying that there was no question that she could ask that would phase us, which I take as high praise indeed. I had also made a particular argument that admitting the victim's criminal record and tattoos would render the trial unfair for the accused which is a violation of their rights under the ACT Human Rights Act. S. 21 of that act states, paraphrasing it, that everyone has the right to a fair trial, the operative word being "everyone" not "every accused". I submitted that in this case "everyone" includes the victim. I had actually gotten the argument from my Criminal Justice class but it seemed appropriate. I was told it was a very good and creative argument and that if I'd been able to find some sort of supporting precedent, it would have been "killer". At all odds anyway, my partner and I left the moot in high spirits as it seems we did very well.

After 10 weeks of back-breaking labour we have entered the 2-week break. This will be the last 2-week break after 10 weeks as ANU is switching to a new system next year following mounds of unfavourable feedback from students and staff. I am taking this opportunity to visit friends in Melbourne from next Wednesday to the following Tuesday, so there won't be a post next Saturday. I haven't been out of Canberra for quite some time and I think I should take my leave for a little bit.

While in Melbourne I may get a chance to see Game 2 of the AFL Grand Final. They played Game 1 today and it ended in a tie. In AFL, for some ungodly reason, if the Grand Final ends in a tie, they play another full game the next week. I much prefer the ACTAFL's approach involving extra time. I was working at ACTTAB today and I watched the game when I could. The St. Kilda Saints were playing the Collingwood Magpies in front of 100 016 people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was an exciting game with St. Kilda pulling out in front just minutes before the game ended but Collingwood managed to tie it up although they blew a few chances to put the game away. At full time the final score was 68-68 and it's only the 3rd time in history that this has happened. Each team is trying to win their first premiership in many years; Collingwood last won in 1990 and St. Kilda last won (its only win) in 1966. If there are any tickets available I'll definitely try to go down for the game. This doesn't happen very often and if I can I want to see the thrilling conclusion.

To end off, here's a joke for the lawyers. I'll post the answer the next time I blog. See if you can guess the answer.

Why was the dolphin allowed in adduce hearsay evidence against the credibility of a witness?

A Day at the Footy

Saturday was a very long but fun day filled with aussie rules football. It was the last day of the season and as such the U-18, Division 2 and Division 1 Grand Finals were all played on that day. Although I wasn't officiating in any match I headed down to Manuka Oval for 2 reasons: to support my fellow umpires and entry is free for officials. Every year the umpires present a cohort for the final day and we sit as a group.

The games were of high quality though without the added excitement of a close result. The matches were handily won by the victors. I did have something of a small victory myself. During one of the intermissions I received detailed feedback on my performance in the latter part of the year. Because of manpower issues, the umpire coaches cannot see everyone throughout the year and only do these detailed assessments towards the end when deciding who will get a finals appointment. According to the assessor, I had progressed "in leaps and bounds" this year and of 20 or 30 assessment points, there were only 2 "mistakes", if you can call them that. The first was that I was wearing a gray shirt underneath my orange uniform when it should be black or skin-coloured; I think I mentioned this previously. The second was that for one decision I may have straddled the line a little late, but the assessor wasn't sure. In other words, it was not clearly a mistake on my part. As it is almost certain that I will be in Canberra for another year, this bodes very well for me. The assessor informed me that my progress had impressed the coaching staff and if I continue to perform very well, there may be good things indeed in store for me.

After the games, the lot of us proceeded to the nearby Kingston Hotel for a repast. We watched part of the St. Kilda Saints-Western Bulldogs Preliminary Final and toasted another successful year. The Umpires' Association Annual Dinner will be held in mid-October but until then, we're free of obligations.

Free of obligations is perhaps being a tad generous as fitness has no off-season. Although there will be no games until February or March, it is still necessary to maintain a certain level of fitness so I've resumed running 4km every few days. I may increase that to 8km later on but for now, I have to ease into it. I want to be as fit as is humanly possible for me when next season rolls around.

The weather has turned quite pleasant with spring in the air. The days are warming up to 20C which means t-shirts and shorts. Temperatures will hover around this mark for a month before rising again.

One final bit of good news, I received a Distinction for my Equity and Trusts take-home exam. This is not an easy course and I am very happy that I have grasped at least the basic concepts. We'll see how I do when the final exam rolls around but this has given me a much needed boost of confidence. Now let's hope my other courses follow suit.

Finales

It's been a fairly eventful week. There have been some extraordinary occurrences in Australia and the world throughout. Some are more mundane than others, but each have there own characteristics of interest.

In Canberra last weekend there were some damaging winds, accompanied by some rain. With the reservoirs now at 75% and looking to reach 80% soon, Canberrans are eagerly awaiting the easing of certain water use restrictions. The winds, however, knocked down several trees including some along the boulevard of Northbourne Avenue. Luckily, the damage wasn't too significant and there was no disruption to general city life.

Less can be said for Christchurch. New Zealand's South Island's largest city (sometimes mistakenly referred to as New Zealand's second largest city) was shaken by a powerful earthquake that measured 7.1 on the Moment Magnitude Scale (MMS). I'll spare you the boring details but the MMS is what scientists use although it is more commonly called the Richter Scale. It seems that there was significant damage to the city, although no deaths. The South Island is considerably less tectonically vibrant than its northern neighbour but is clearly not immune. The earthquake building code probably prevented more significant damage although at a certain point there's nothing that can be done. It will take some time to clean up after the quake but New Zealand has experience with this type of thing so I wouldn't be too worried.

And keeping with the disaster stream, it seems northern Victoria is in the midst of floods. The Australian Defence Force has been called out to assist. While this will go some way to relieving the drought, especially considering the low levels the Murray River has suffered recently, it's still a great inconvenience.

On another topic, Australia finally has a government. After some political trading, the final 2 independent members, Windsor and Oakeshott, sided with the Labor Party. This gives them the 76 seats required for a majority and Julia Gillard remains PM. I understand that Kevin Rudd, the former PM, will be Minister of Foreign Affairs which is where he made a name for himself before. I had a chance to watch Windsor and Oakeshott announce their decision in a press conference. Windsor was fairly brief but Oakeshott took forever to announce his decision. He droned on and on and listed the reasons for the decision. I think the consensus is that this was his moment in the sun and he wanted to get as much out of it as he could. This new government, technically a minority one, will be interesting if not only to see how long it lasts. All parties, though, are talking as though the government will be allowed to complete its full 3-year mandate barring anything surprising.

I had a great opportunity yesterday to be a goal umpire for the ACTAFL Division 4 Grand Final at Manuka Oval between Goulburn and ANU, and what a game it turned out to be. The day was sunny and warm with only a hint of wind. The game was close throughout and when full time came around, it was a tie. This necessitated the use of a special procedure for tie-breaking wherein 2 additional 5-minute periods are played and at the end, whoever is in front wins. In the end, the result was 1 point in favour of ANU; final score Goulburn-84, ANU-85. I think that not only was this the best game I've officiated this season, I think it was the best game I've ever officiated. I haven't seen that full game assessment from the umpire assessor but the half-time report was quite positive. It's always an honour to be asked to officiate a grand final, it means you are one of the better umpires throughout the year. Barring anything unusual happening, though, or being asked to be an emergency on-call replacement, I think this is the end of my season. Next week the Under-18s, the Division 2 and the Division 1 grand finals will be played and that will end of the season officially. I think I've ended on a very positive note and I can't wait for next year.

La Niña

Australia has come under the influence of the little girl, the La Niña event that affects the Pacific every so often. And I must say that it's not a moment too soon. La Niña almost always brings with her above average rainfall and Australia could certainly use as much as it could given the dryness of the last 15 years. Lately, though, there has been a period of prolonged wet weather which has elevated the levels of the all-important reservoirs and changed the red interior a healthy shade of green. However, this chica loca is a wild girl.

Let's take today as an example. A large and powerful low pressure system has moved over southeastern Australia bringing several centimeters worth of rain to Adelaide and Canberra with additional appreciable amounts to most other capital cities. In Adelaide the rain was accompanied by wind gusts up to 100km/hr while Canberra will tomorrow face a slightly drier day but gusts approaching 75 km/hr, although it's howling outside right now. Unfortunately as it is the playoff season for the local Australian rules football league, I have to umpire in these conditions tomorrow. Actually I dodged a bullet as I was originally scheduled for today but was made to switch with someone when their unavailability unexpectedly changed. Today's rain was fierce and persistent but it is supposed to ease up tomorrow so these clouds do have silver linings.

I also had the opportunity to participate in an interesting exercise in evidence class --- a trivia contest dealing with hearsay. The game was spread out over the two days we would have had lectures and was designed to familiarize us with relevant provisions of the Evidence Act relating to hearsay evidence. I was with a team of some old friends and some new ones. For those who aren't familiar with the intricacies of evidence, hearsay is (roughly) non-first-hand evidence and there are rules about when you can and can't use it. I, and others including the lecturer, think this is the hardest concepts in evidence law. The problem I find is that while I can usually recognize admissible and inadmissible hearsay evidence the Evidence Act is not a well-drafted bit of legislation which makes hearsay rather tricky. One of my dad's stories from law school was that he, rather unexpectedly, received a very good mark for evidence. I'm hoping that history repeats itself.

I'll close by saying that recently I've rediscovered one of my favourite Canadian singers --- Amanda Marshall. She was very active in the blues/adult contemporary genre from the mid-90s until about 2001, when she suddenly went quiet. Apparently she has continued to sing at concerts and the like and has an album planned for this year, which will be her 4th (excluding "best of" compilations) and her first since 2001. She had some of the most memorable songs in that period and I'm sorry she sequestered herself. The thing about her is that while she might not have the vocal range of some singers, her voice has more power behind it. In my opinion, one of the most underrated and overlooked singers of the period even though she was quite well-known and successful during her time. Let's hope she receives the recognition she deserves.