Day 207 Friday, February 25th Australia

A big, beautiful, country with lots of space and happy people all trying to keep Australia a secret. I tease people by saying I am going to pass the word and invite several million to come here. They are mindful of their racist immigration background but not necessarily over it. I have a street corner conversation with a pleasant enough fellow (a local farmer) who tells me that he would prefer a whites only immigration policy.
Australians are all trying not to be English (“the Wingeing Poms”) but they are in so many ways….They love Cricket and Rugby and beer to go with it; Fish and Chips; Meat Pies and Cream Teas; Corner shops.
Australia is an odd mixture of modern (some house architectures) and old fashioned culture (other houses; fashions (20 yr. olds in printed frocks); TV- they are still running the 1960’s UK program “Benny Hill” on TV here).
Of course they are blessed with this climate and endless “Oh look, there’s another bloody marvelous beach”. The beach culture doesn’t mean that everyone is tanned and fit and we see a fair amount of obesity and smoking and it sometimes seems as though 50% of the people have tattoos.
The Government is more visible than in the US and there are lots of Government messages: TV: unattractive to be tanned; “look at this lovely day, isn’t it perfect conditions for Melanoma?”; quit smoking; anti-racist messaging. Cinema: “let’s accept boat people” (An Amnesty International ad.)- some in the audience groan.
But they seem to me to be a happy, friendly and generous people.

Australia seems pretty safe but we are told a story of lady looking after a friend’s dog. The dog keels over and dies while it is being looked after by the owner’s friend. The dog minder catches a bus and then a train to the vet for dog disposal and a man offered to help her with her bag and asked what was in it—she said (caught off-guard and not wanting to say “A Dead Dog”) “Oh, My Computer”. A few minutes later the man had run off with her bag…and the dead dog.