Perth

Greetings from Perth, Australia!

            Sorry for the delay. I have been so busy with activities, I haven’t had a chance to write nor have I had the internet since the first message I sent out. I have a little window of opportunity to send this at the CWA office, so will write what I can. This may not be well edited or complete as I don’t have the internet to check spellings or facts.

            I arrived in Perth after 24 loooong hours of airplane flight from Peoria to Dallas, Dallas to Sydney, and then Sydney to Perth. I had heard the flight was going to be grueling, but I was lucky enough to have an empty seat next to me, which helped immensely. I watched three or four movies to pass the time but got very little sleep.

            As I have said previously, I am being hosted by the Country Women’s Association of Western Australia, so was greeted at the airport by its general secretary, Jackie. She whisked me off to her charming house for a much-needed shower, a cup of tea and a little rest. Quickly, I reorganized my possessions, which were a jumbled mess by that point and played with her two dogs, who seemed intrigued by a new person in their life. I had enough time to enjoy the original Aboriginal art she had collected, as well as artwork from her talented relatives.

            Soon, I was whisked off to my hosts for my first night, Kerry and Gary, who live in “The Hills.” These low-lying hills skirt the city and have become a coveted place for people to live in. My hosts made me feel welcome immediately. Their home, which they had designed themselves, was in the middle of “the bush.” I have to admit, before I researched Australia one of my stereotypes about the country was that the entire country was the Outback---desert with not a hint of green anywhere. Was I wrong! There is green everywhere in the Perth area. 

           

  Many trees, bushes and flowers surrounded the house, but many had been planted by the couple over the decades. There was no lawn as we think of it, nor have I seen many patches of lawn anywhere. I was startled to see an avocado tree that must have had 100 avocados on it. They explained that avocados do not ripen on the tree, that one must pick them and then allow them to ripen for a week or two before they can be used. If you look closely at this photo, you can spot an avocado. The couple had many fruit trees that were covered with netting as the local birds (parrots, I think) will potentially destroy each piece of fruit.

            Some of the trees Gary pointed out were the jarrah tree and the red gum tree. The jarrah tree, as the early explorers found, produces a very hard wood which is good for shipbuilding. The red gum tree produces the honky nuts, a very distinctive-looking nut. These can dent a car if they fall on it or can cause problems for people trying to walk with them underfoot.

            Many species of birds visit the couple daily. I spotted a black and white bird out the window and heard a very distinctive call. They told me the bird was a magpie, which I’d always heard of but had never seen. Soon, I was startled by a movement outside the patio door. What was THAT creature? They explained that they had two bandicoots that stayed around the property. This one had lost its tail, but the rest of him looked like a cute large rat, I thought. Each time I tried to take a picture of him, he scooted back into the shrubbery.

            The next morning, we had toast for breakfast. Not only did I have two homemade jams (yum!) to choose from to spread on my toast, I was offered Vegemite. This is the iconic Australian yeast paste/spread I’d heard about my whole life. Did I try it? Well, of course! I had read to just spread a thin coating on a small piece of toast. I dipped my knife in the dark thick paste, spread it as thin as I could get it, and then took a bite. Hm, wasn’t great; wasn’t terrible. This started a conversation about peanut butter, which many in the world hate. I found out that Australians do eat peanut butter but call it peanut paste.

            Kerry took me for a drive around the neighborhood. The area is prone to fire, so I was able to see some of the aftermath of a fire from a few years ago. The houses that had been lost had been rebuilt, but many of the trees still carried the burned scars from the event. Fire is a big concern in The Hills, as one would guess, as evidenced by the sign that stated the current fire danger rating.

            I had just said to Kerry to beware because if I happened to see a kangaroo, I’d probably scream in excitement and startle her. It was no more than a few minutes later that I heard her say, “There is your kangaroo!” I looked out the window and there was my first kangaroo, a small one. No, I didn’t scream, but I was beyond thrilled. Conveniently, the little guy posed for a few snapshots before we went on our way.

           Many CWA branches have freestanding buildings. These small but efficient buildings are the sites of many happy meetings and activities. Kerry gave me a tour of her branch’s building and we later drove by the brightly painted meeting place of another group.

            Soon, we were on the way to Mundaring Weir. When I asked what a weir was, Kerry told me it was a dam. When gold was discovered in Kalgoorlie in the 1890s and the Outback town was flooded with people but not water. A plan was hatched to pipe water to them from Perth. A brilliant man named C. Y. O’Connor designed the system, which was very controversial. When it was turned on and the water did not appear in Kalgoorlie, Mr. O’Connor killed himself. The man had needed to have been more patient. The water eventually made its way to the town and has been successful since. Kerry and I visited the dam in the pouring rain.

            Rain? Yes, rain. Apparently, in the past three months it had seldom rained, but that day was the day for the skies to let loose! We donned our raincoats and opened the brooly. What is a brooly (pronounced braw-ly)? An umbrella!

            In Australia, they drive on the left side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. I knew I would have trouble adjusting to this. So far, I have embarrassed myself by heading to get into the wrong side of the car many times. I gasp or flinch frequently as my brain anticipates someone hitting us. I also keep trying to walk on the right side of the sidewalk and don’t wake up until I nearly walk into someone.

            Kerry finished up my little local tour and headed back to her house. Another CWA member arrived to visit. It was a good experience learning about the activities of the state and local groups. Many of the sewing projects and activities are similar those done by the Illinois Association of Home and Community Education (IAHCE) units. CWA is a very altruistic organization. Recently, for example, they have been able to collect donations, and then give grants to farm families who are victims of ongoing droughts. What a difference it must make to those families!

            Mid-morning Sara Kenny arrived to pick me up. For those of you reading this who are IAHCE members, you’ll remember that she was the cultural exchange person who visited Illinois a year ago. She was as charming and enthusiastic as ever. I regretfully bid goodbye to my new friends, Kerry and Gary, and we headed down the road.

            She drove us to King’s Park, the largest park in Perth, which is bigger than New York’s Central Park. It is on a big hill and overlooks the Swan River. Trees line the entrance; each of those trees and many more are each dedicated to one or two fallen soldiers. There is a plaque at the base of each tree with the name of each individual.

            We first ate lunch in hopes that the rain would stop. As I ate my salt and pepper fried squid and chips (French fries), our hopes were dashed. We walked to the war memorial, past the sculptures, over the treetop bridge and through the gardens with a gentle rain accompanying us. Nothing could dampen our spirits.

            We made a quick stop at the apartment Sara’s family keeps in Perth. Several of her grandchildren attend high school or college in Perth. Several were

at the apartment getting ready for an evening party. I met two of Sara’s children and their spouses.

            Since Sara knew I was a retired art teacher, the next stop was a temporary sculpture exhibit on the edge of the Indian Ocean. The plan was that we’d later eat supper watching the sun set over the Indian Ocean, but those plans were dashed by the rain. Ah, well. So, we enjoyed walking past the numerous sculptures sitting on the beach and sidewalks. Traditional materials like stone or metals were included, but there were many other materials used in many of the sculptures. One artist had used bamboo to create a sculpture that was entwined in a tree. Another had made a car out of logs and bark. There was one earthworks sculpture presented that suggested we stand in the middle of it, look up to the stars and just experience the experience. Hm.

            We went down to the beach so I could wade in the Indian Ocean. The waves of gratitude (that I was actually in Australia touching the Indian Ocean) washed over me just as the cold waves washed over my feet. Unbelievable!

            We headed toward a restaurant as the light faded. What was that on the horizon? Could it be? Pink clouds were appearing in the west! Were we going to get a sunset over the Indian Ocean in the end? We were soon seated at a west window of the restaurant just as a misty salmon-colored sunset appeared. We lept up to take pictures through the damp window before the spectacular scene disappeared.