I've lived away from Melbourne so long now that when I come back, I'm a visitor and notice things I'd taken for granted in the 27-odd years I lived there.
For example, on St. Kilda Road is a tall monument, opposite the Shrine, dedicated to those who fell...in the Boer War. The inscription tells how far Australia has 'travelled' since the turn of the 20th century:
IN HONOUR
Erected by the people of Victoria in memory of the Australians who fell in the South African War 1899-1902.
Fighting for the unity of the Empire which is our strength and common heritage.
'Fighting for the unity of Empire'!? No-one sheds a tear for Empire now, and few even think of the Commonwealth, its successor (except for every fourth year, when some Commonwealth nation hosts the Commonwealth Games). I compare this to similar monuments in the American South, keeping alive the spirit of the Confederacy. 1902? - Australians have long since gone to the beach.
Judge Kirby, formerly of the High Court, wants to bring out a document, a charter which can be used in schools to promote Commonwealth values - a commitment to universal peace and tolerance, a commitment to democracy... (He remembers how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sponsored by Mrs Roosevelt, was handed out to him and his mates at school some 60 years ago, and the effect this had on him.) I like the idea. When you realise that the Crown couldn't get rid of primogeniture without the permission of all Commonwealth nations in Perth last year, you realise there is influence in belonging to the Commonwealth. The great majority of Commonwealth countries are parliamentary democracies. Why would you want to be ignorant of that?
Other things I noticed in Melbourne are the shopping strips that look like 'Western' towns,
distinctive Victorian terraces, quite a deal of beauty in the built landscape:
and public art that I saw all through my childhood and never noticed until now.
Of course, Melbourne doesn't have Sydney's spectacular natural beauty as I once again had the opportunity to appreciate as we flew back in over Port Jackson from the southeast.
I found myself trying to imagine what it must have been like arriving at ground level, by sea, that first day, January 26th in 1788. I admire the courage of those people coming halfway round the world back then. Most of them didn't want to be here. There were dreadful problems in the establishment of this nation, many of which continue still. It was an incursion, a usurpation of the aborigines of course. But we could be proud of some of the features of our Commonwealth.
For example, on St. Kilda Road is a tall monument, opposite the Shrine, dedicated to those who fell...in the Boer War. The inscription tells how far Australia has 'travelled' since the turn of the 20th century:
IN HONOUR
Erected by the people of Victoria in memory of the Australians who fell in the South African War 1899-1902.
Fighting for the unity of the Empire which is our strength and common heritage.
'Fighting for the unity of Empire'!? No-one sheds a tear for Empire now, and few even think of the Commonwealth, its successor (except for every fourth year, when some Commonwealth nation hosts the Commonwealth Games). I compare this to similar monuments in the American South, keeping alive the spirit of the Confederacy. 1902? - Australians have long since gone to the beach.
Judge Kirby, formerly of the High Court, wants to bring out a document, a charter which can be used in schools to promote Commonwealth values - a commitment to universal peace and tolerance, a commitment to democracy... (He remembers how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, sponsored by Mrs Roosevelt, was handed out to him and his mates at school some 60 years ago, and the effect this had on him.) I like the idea. When you realise that the Crown couldn't get rid of primogeniture without the permission of all Commonwealth nations in Perth last year, you realise there is influence in belonging to the Commonwealth. The great majority of Commonwealth countries are parliamentary democracies. Why would you want to be ignorant of that?
Other things I noticed in Melbourne are the shopping strips that look like 'Western' towns,
distinctive Victorian terraces, quite a deal of beauty in the built landscape:
and public art that I saw all through my childhood and never noticed until now.
Of course, Melbourne doesn't have Sydney's spectacular natural beauty as I once again had the opportunity to appreciate as we flew back in over Port Jackson from the southeast.
I found myself trying to imagine what it must have been like arriving at ground level, by sea, that first day, January 26th in 1788. I admire the courage of those people coming halfway round the world back then. Most of them didn't want to be here. There were dreadful problems in the establishment of this nation, many of which continue still. It was an incursion, a usurpation of the aborigines of course. But we could be proud of some of the features of our Commonwealth.
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