Canberra

(This is the first of several entries that I have been accumulating. )

29 April
Canberra
Sunny and pleasantly cool

Our trip to Canberra culminates with a day tour that includes visits to the Australian Parliament House, the U.S. Embassy, and the ANZAC War Memorial and Museum.

Our tour guide for Parliament House was Irina, who sounded as though she hailed originally from Russia. She spoke about the design of the embassy and its architecture, and the government and how it works.

The building is striking n its appearance. It is dominated by a four-posted tower that swoops up to hold an enormous flagpole, visible from almost anywhere in Canberra. Most of the building itself is below ground, with grassy parkland and walkways above, a reminder that the government is there to support the people. Inside, there is a great hall in the middle with a huge tapestry depicting a eucalyptus forest. Though this is the site for state dinners and national events, the hall is available for private functions; Irina tells us the rent is pretty steep, but that it has hosted both weddings and birthday parties.

Australia's government is a mixture of the British and American models. Their seat of government lies in the House of Representatives, much like the House of Commons. The majority coalition elects a Prime Minister, who is the head of the government. In this way, it is much like Britain, with executive duties and legislative duties mixed within the same branch. But they have a Senate much like ours. And like our Congress, both houses must pass a bill, so there is a check to the government's power.

After we left Parliament House, we drove over to the U.S. Embassy, where we met with several staff members from the various sections. The Embassy was constructed during WWII, a signal to the Australians that we were going to take our relationship with them seriously -- more about that when I write about the Museum in a moment. It was built in the Colonial Williamsburg style, setting a trend that other embassies in Canberra follow. This makes a drive in the Embassy section very entertaining, as one can see many different architectural styles reflecting the cultures of the countries.

Listening to Foreign Service personnel discuss their careers is always interesting. They rotate in their assignments every 3 years, so that they do not get too attached to one country and forget that they represent the USA. SO, they travel a lot. One of the staff members was an accountant who had been posted in at least eight different countries, including Kenya, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Jamaica. Needless to say, the job does involve some danger. One of them recounted a story of being evacuated from Khinshasha during the revolution in the Congo.

After our visit to the Embassy, we had lunch, followed by a walk down one side of the ANZAC Parade, a boulevard lined with memorials to various wars and various branches of the service. There is one that is particularly striking to me. It is a memorial to the Turkish soldiers against which the Australians fought at the WWI battle of Gallipoli. This would be like the USA building a memorial to the Viet Cong on the National Mall! I do not think I would be ready to do such a thing. It shows just how big the Australian heart can be.

Canberra is laid out to keep a clear line of sight between Parliament House and the ANZAC War Memorial. The reason is simple; those in government need to keep it in mind that their decisions can cost Australian lives. After they vote to put troops in harm's nway, the lawmakers traditionally will stand atop Parliament and face the Memorial, knowing that they have just voted to, among other things, add names to the walls there. It's a way of making sure that when Australia puts troops on the line, the cause is worth it.

This year was a little different, in that I did the Checkpoints tour for the students, as there were no docents available to do it. It is of course better if an Australian does the introduction to the Museum, but I guess I did alright. I showed them the memorial itself and explained a bit of its meaning, the battle diagrams of Gallipoli, the dioramas of the European battles of WWI, the displays on the forging of the alliance between Australia and the USA in WWII, and the big submarine and airplane displays in the rear of the building. After that, they were left to explore on their own. So, I did alright, but I think that next year, we'll get a tour guide if at all possible.

Well, we came to Australia to enjoy warm weather, and it's about time we got some. Tomorrow, we head up the coast to subtropical Hervey Bay.