Monday, January 26. 2009Australia Day - Meaningless To Today's 'Australians'?John Linton We will have a family lunch at home later today which will be a token 'nod' to the meaning of the public holiday bestowed to mark the foundation of modern Australia. I will be the only migrant at that 'event' my father in law being a multi-generation Australian making my wife and our children even more multi-generational and my eldest son's girlfriend is of a similar background. I was fortunate enough, though I'm not sure that was the way I saw it at the time, to arrive in this country with the equivalent of a few hundred dollars in 'my pocket' a few months short of my 18th birthday knowing no-one at all in this huge country and not even having any contacts to give some basic direction. I didn't see anything particularly wrong with that then and I'm certainly not complaining about it now (though I now, with children of my own, realise how very wrong it was). I found myself a job (via the ads in the SMH) it was for a "Retail Executive Trainee" which actually meant sweeping the floors, cleaning the windows and moving boxes at Coles (it may have been Woolworths) at Maroubra Junction and after some weeks at the then equivalent of a back packer's hostel (but with much older people) moved in to share with three other males at a unit a hundred meters away from Maroubra Beach (also close to the bus stop that took me to my job) and again via the SMH ads. So within a couple of weeks of arriving in Australia I had found PARADISE. I lived next to a great surf beach, I had three good new friends, I had a job, I was learning to surf and apart from teaching me to surf and drink endless middies at the Maroubra Bay Hotel my new friends introduced me to an endless stream of aspiring 'Gidgets' all of whom seemed to be blonde, tanned and to wear practically nothing (for those days) on and off the beach. What more could any 17 year old immature male ask for? Of course it couldn't last - and it didn't. Having to walk past the beach every week day morning to get a bus to go floor sweeping was too often interrupted by one or more of my new found friends waving to me saying there were better things to do on sunny summer's days - which of course was inarguable - and so after repeated warnings for non-attendance I was fired from my floor sweeping job as unreliable and inept (and who could argue with that assessment?). And so I found myself without a job, without any money and pretty soon, as I couldn't pay my share of the rent, without a roof over my head. So my first, very painful lesson learned, I went on over the next few years learning ever more lessons, some even more painful, but also I saw more of my adopted country and fell ever more deeply in love with it - particularly in those days the towns and properties of the NSW Central West and its many, many very kind people who took pity on the skinny young boy with the odd accent who was so far from his family. Early on in my second job (which I managed to hold onto for much longer than my first job) I regularly visited Cooma then in the last days of the construction of the Snowy Mountains Scheme and due to hotel/motel accommodation shortages spent many nights in one or other of the dormitories built to house the workers on the scheme. Not a lot to do in those days at night in the SM so I sat around listening to the many, many stories of the backgrounds and hopes and dreams of the Yugoslavs, Poles, Hungarians, Italians, Greeks, Germans and almost every other European nationality that were working there. In their different ways they all had a similar/same view of Australia as I did and I still remember some of the people I met on those freezing nights where I learned to drink Slivovitz and its many variations (some of which may actually have been made in a commercial distillery somewhere where someone checked the alcohol content). It went on from there - magical experiences with more than a leavening of 'disasters' but always more opportunities to help recover from the 'bad times'. And above everything else; always really great people everywhere I have ever been in Australia who give so much of themselves to others without considering that there would be any other way of living. So my "love" of Australia increased each year I have lived here - not in the sentimental/sloppy ways of "bringing a tear to my eye" when I hear the national anthem (the words of Advance Australia Fair actually make me cringe) nor do I get "a thrill" when I see the "red roofs of Sydney from the air" or even the harbour bridge and opera house when returning from overseas. I certainly don't share the xenophobic hysteria which ruins (for me) watching most international sporting events in Australia (and which might well explain my passion for AFL since the VFL days?). After living in Australia for over 40 years I do love the country in a deep and unshakable way and am very happy to do whatever I can (with my very limited abilities) to give something back to a country that has given me everything. So, I will raise a glass later today, privately so as not to embarrass my family, to Australia and will continue to be grateful that I was lucky enough to 'find' such an extraordinarily wonderful place so early in my life. So......To Australia - a truly great place to live and grow. Trackbacks
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Great story but if finished rather abruptly, there must be more. Maybe more of it next Australia Day eh?
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nI'm sorry - it wasn't meant to be a "life's history' just some background to make a point.
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That was a nice heart felt trip down memory lane and why you love Australia, did I miss something though, how did the readers comments get onto the subject of HSPA???
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They were great days ..the early 70's. I am of a similar age to you - and about that time I was part-time uni (UNSW)..... and surfing at Maroubra at lunch time ...
I lived in Harbord, just a few blocks from Freshwater beach.... and spent a lot of my time there too! But, as you say.... things moved on .... and like you, I have had many learning experiences since then..... work, marriage, kids and so on. I (semi-?)retired in 2000 and since then my wife and I have been exploring countries o'seas........ and I have developed an even greater appreciation for our lifestyle in Australia. Hopefully, my children and their children will be able to enjoy it as much as most of our generation have! Regards, Harry. Comment (1)
John,
I seriously believe you are the mesiah for Australian Broadband- I cant be clearer than that, But- You say HSPA is the way but whilst an economical 10GB plan over HSPA seems the holy grail why should we change. I know you say many 256/64 users just check their emails ( Im sure they are in the 60 to 80 year range ) and you say they are very happy with that - but surely you cant really believe that the average user doesnt need alot more than 1GB for total monthly usage -- remember your counting upload and download here. 5Gb for a family is still way under the amount required per month. What does an average family consist of -- Father - Mother - and **TWO** children -- that equals four people on a shared Wireless Broadband conection. YES 4 PEOPLE -- average usage per person on an Exetel 5GB per month plan only 1250MB per person per month before rediculous excess charges kick in. The families of today need at least 10GB per month usage and most likely 20GB to have a comfortable buffer. John, Do you really want HSPA to become part of a normal family environment for it to succeed ?? Yes HSPA is worthy -- but without decent monthly usage limits it is just not going to succeed in a family environment.. [*You need 10GB per month usage for less than $60 per month or you are just kidding yourself.*] Yes HSPA is the future but whilst all the ISPs see it as an easy cashcow it will never penetrate the market to the degree you would like it. Offer Decent HSPA plans and watch the customers flock in.. This requires guts and a vision for the future -- the one that sees it first will benefit the most .. John - you say HSPA is the way ------- do you really believe it or are these just words.. cheers Bill. Comments (2)
Yes I do.
When mobie telephony was introduced it was expensive, poor coverage and the hand sets cost a fortune. As soon as there was a competitor prices fell and coverage increased. All new technologies need competition (true competition not Telstra in different 'flavours'). The price of HSPA has fallen 50% in the last 12 months and the actual coverage has more than doubled - amost certainly quadrupled. HSPA speeds will continue to increase, coverage will continue to grow and the cost of data will continue to fall. HSPA will provide 20 mbps speeds at realistic download allowances long before any other 'universal' coverage solution in Australia. Comments (3)
you know why i like you John -- you actually take the time to answer the hard questions as well as the " Dorothey Dicks ones" -
One day I hope to return to Exetel after being with you from the first months of creation, Im already a 3 time Churner too Exetel -- When i get back from my ADSL2+ sojourn with Pacnet , I cant see that many people would have choosen Exetel 4 times. ADSL2+ / Medowie exchange / -- no I wont inflict that on you again. - well *&%$$%$.... - hey maybe you dont want me back -- i wouldn't blame you. Im ready to try a HSPA 20GB plan which decade do you think its possible. cheers Bill Comments (2)
It's nice to know I'm appreciated - thank you.
We regret losing our good customers, like you, and do everything possible to avoid that happening. Right now we can't offer what you, and I imagine many other people in regional areas want (ADSL2 speeds with significant down loads). I have no firm time frame for the sort of download you are asking for over HSPA. Right now none of the available mobile networks can support that sort of download at an affordable price. I would expect the price of HSPA to fall by 50% over the coming twelve months (at the level and volumes that an Exetel can buy at) but that would only allow a 10 gb traffic volume at around $A55 a month. Comments (3)
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