John (Archie) Page provides the following regarding life for an ON in Australia.

 

 

 

 

Australia is a big country geographically but small in population.  These characteristics have had a great influence on its makeup.  The train journey from Sydney to Perth, virtually the width of the country, takes 3 nights and 4 days.  The immense distances, in addition to spawning the Indian Pacific train, have also led to the recent opening of the Ghan rail journey, which runs from Adelaide to Darwin, basically the North-South ‘height’ of the continent.  Of these great train journeys the former features the longest straight stretch of track in the world, 478 kilometres, and the latter follows the route of the old camel traders, whose ‘vehicles’ now run wild in the Australian outback and are becoming a worry.  A significant domestic network of flights operates but only between fairly major centres: there are still many isolated settlements and stations whose access is only by charter or rather bad, long dirt roads.

 

Despite its relatively small population of 20 million Australia is a wealthy country with inflation of 3%, unemployment of 5% and interest rates of 5%.  There are many wealthy people but also many on government welfare and the gap between them is enlarging.  As the population ages the work force will decrease and the welfare bill will increase leading to some strain on the national budget as time goes on.  For the present though Australia is a pleasant and comfortable place to live with a good infrastructure and a clean and healthy environment.

 

The population was originally a “White Australia”, being from Great Britain predominantly with a European mix added.  The Aborigines formed a small part of the mix and were found in certain areas mostly.  The Aborigines, although now more numerous, are still a minority group found generally in the more Northern and warmer parts of the country.  They have become more prominent politically with grants of land ownership to certain tribes and more consideration being given to their primacy of occupation in many areas, such as special allocations of places at Institutions of Learning and housing and other grants and welfare.

 

There has been a significant influx of Asian people who have filled niches in small business, especially catering and food outlets.  It amuses me to see almost all our “French Hot Bread Shops” run by Asians.  Most of the restaurants in the numerous clubs are also run by Asians and their representation now in the Private School System is proportionally quite high.  Other groups, such as Middle Eastern and Indian populations have tended to remain quite insular in language, food and culture and have not assimilated well.  In my opinion Australian citizenship has been handed out willy nilly without requiring any serious commitment on the part of the recipients many of whom do not speak our language nor subscribe to our values.  Some of these immigrants wanted desperately to come to Australia and then when they get here they want to change its customs, religion and laws to resemble the country they have run away from.  Anyway enough of my hobby horses and on to more positive matters.

 

Demographically most of the people are distributed around the edges with a sea view being the desirable real estate feature such that properties with water frontage are now fetching high prices, even those some distance from major centres.  House prices in general have now risen to such an extent as to be out of the reach of many young couples starting out.

 

Another significant feature of Australia is that its government is divided between State and Federal entities with many grey areas of dispute between them involving either avoidance of responsibility or unjust claiming of influence.  Federally there is a Parliamentary System in Canberra, the Nation’s capital, but each state also has its own Parliament and members thereof.  Each state has a Premier and a set of Ministers and these all go to Canberra and argue with the Federal Prime Minister and Ministers over funding to receive and to provide. It is confusing indeed to sort out what is a Federal responsibility and what is a State matter, each for example has a Police Force and a Commissioner of Police and some of the laws are different as are daylight saving times.

 

Sport looms large on the scene and in NSW, where I live, the game of Rugby League is endemic.  The “League Clubs” own many entities especially the “clubs”, which are large entertainment and restaurant emporia catering for the playing of banks of serried poker machines and glorious bars and eating venues.  The Panthers Rugby League club, for example owns and operates half a dozen large and magnificent “clubs” around the state.  The subsidies operating at these clubs, largely thanks to “pokie” revenue, make them very attractive over the pubs and hotels where the beer and food cost more.  Membership is a nominal amount per year but non-members can enter merely by “signing in” at the door and paying a small surcharge on items purchased.

 

Australian Rules Football is the popular pick in South Australia and Victoria and originates from a mixture of football games like Gaelic Football.  Cricket is a universal passion and basketball is popular.  Australia has some high mountain territory inland which offers a ski season; water sports of all types are pursued with enthusiasm in the hot summer weather.  Temperatures of 40 degree centigrade are common in summer and drought is with us in many areas of the country for much of the year: 60 % of New South Wales is drought declared at this moment and yet areas of Queensland are flooded.  Some outback stations have received no rain for several years.

 

I was a settled chap on a Management Training course at Players cigarettes until National Service came along and unsettled me to the extent that I followed 2 years in the RAF with 1 year in the Royal Navy and 2 years in the Northern Rhodesia Police.  Two years in an American College, 2 years in an English Technical College took me to Medical School in Leeds and then into a National Health System where I felt I was losing my skills in a mound of referrals and paper work.  I answered a plaintive call from a remote New Zealand township for a Doctor and spent 5 years there learning their English Language before I crossed the Tasman and found my haven in Australia where I have been very happy ever since.  There is obviously a story behind every move and all 25 jobs I have had but that all remains in an, as yet, unpublished 450 page autobiography.

 

 

I am intending to contact those ON’s resident in Australia and arrange a grand meeting to start our own branch over here.  I am hoping, amongst other things, that perhaps ON influence both sides may be able to negotiate aviation deals to enable members to travel the UK – Australia route at a cheaper rate.  There may well be other contact matters that crop up as our branch gets going – I will keep you informed as to how we get ON.

 

 

 

John A Page M.B. Ch.B., B.D., B.Mus. (3^rd yr), A.CertCM., Dip.I.T. O.N.