Australia has a proud military history, although much of it seems to be the story of their involvement in other people’s wars. This is certainly not true of World War II when the continent was under a direct threat from the Japanese. Since we arrived here, local explorers have discovered the undersea remains of HMAS Sydney, a ship that the German’s sunk off the west coast of the continent in an attack that killed just about everyone on board. When we take the ferry into the city, we pass by a point that has a sign commemorating this ill-starred vessel, and the discovery of its resting place has generated a great deal of emotion from relatives of the sailors who lost their lives. Another action that directly involved our Australian allies was a 1942 submarine attack by the Japanese on a ship in Sydney Harbor itself. The Aussies pursued the three subs involved in the attack and sunk two, one of which is on display at the War Memorial in Canberra.
The reason I mention these incidents rests in a long hike I took yesterday with Benjamin to the top of North Head to view the Artillery Fort museum. Fred, Benjamin and I went up to the area on bicycles shortly after our arrival here, but we were unfamiliar with the area and completely missed the fort itself. This time Ben and I stopped in at a visitor’s center for the nature preserve located in the gatehouse of an abandoned artillery school complex and got a good map, showing the various footpaths through the bush to the fort itself. The paths are delightful, and in many places the foliage completely covers the walkway and forms a sort of shady green tunnel to walk through. Once we gained the top of the hill we found walkways that allowed us to overlook Sydney Harbor and had a million dollar view of the metropolis.
We made it to the Artillery Fort about an hour prior to its closing and were allowed in on our own self guided tour. We saw a nifty exhibit hall showing a brief overview of the gunner’s experiences in Australian history, and displays of uniforms, equipment, and “trench art” created by the soldiers. Since much of warfare consists of boredom while waiting for something horrific to happen, “diggers” would fashion beer mugs, champagne buckets, and other items from cast off shell casings. Some were quite beautiful. After leaving the exhibit hall, we toured the grounds and saw many rusting cannons and one huge gun emplacement that, during World War II, housed a giant gun that could sweep the entire harbor. Obviously they were of no use when the Japanese submarines managed to slip into Port Jackson and down the troop ship.
After we returned home, Jayne and I prepared for a “Mexican Party” to be hosted at the Manly Yacht Club. Barb and Cindy, friends of Ronald and Jane’s, had invited us to attend this bizarre little affair where everyone wore Mexican costumes, practiced salsa dancing steps, and tried to hit a pinnata full of candy. We tried to scrape together some costumes ourselves, no small feat since we are primarily wearing shorts and t-shirts these days, and even if we were not the most authentic looking, we were probably some of the few people at the party who had ever actually
been to Mexico and actually seen a Mexican!
The reason I mention these incidents rests in a long hike I took yesterday with Benjamin to the top of North Head to view the Artillery Fort museum. Fred, Benjamin and I went up to the area on bicycles shortly after our arrival here, but we were unfamiliar with the area and completely missed the fort itself. This time Ben and I stopped in at a visitor’s center for the nature preserve located in the gatehouse of an abandoned artillery school complex and got a good map, showing the various footpaths through the bush to the fort itself. The paths are delightful, and in many places the foliage completely covers the walkway and forms a sort of shady green tunnel to walk through. Once we gained the top of the hill we found walkways that allowed us to overlook Sydney Harbor and had a million dollar view of the metropolis.
We made it to the Artillery Fort about an hour prior to its closing and were allowed in on our own self guided tour. We saw a nifty exhibit hall showing a brief overview of the gunner’s experiences in Australian history, and displays of uniforms, equipment, and “trench art” created by the soldiers. Since much of warfare consists of boredom while waiting for something horrific to happen, “diggers” would fashion beer mugs, champagne buckets, and other items from cast off shell casings. Some were quite beautiful. After leaving the exhibit hall, we toured the grounds and saw many rusting cannons and one huge gun emplacement that, during World War II, housed a giant gun that could sweep the entire harbor. Obviously they were of no use when the Japanese submarines managed to slip into Port Jackson and down the troop ship.
After we returned home, Jayne and I prepared for a “Mexican Party” to be hosted at the Manly Yacht Club. Barb and Cindy, friends of Ronald and Jane’s, had invited us to attend this bizarre little affair where everyone wore Mexican costumes, practiced salsa dancing steps, and tried to hit a pinnata full of candy. We tried to scrape together some costumes ourselves, no small feat since we are primarily wearing shorts and t-shirts these days, and even if we were not the most authentic looking, we were probably some of the few people at the party who had ever actually
been to Mexico and actually seen a Mexican!
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