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News from Down-under 2003
Click on Pics to see the pictures, best viewed in Full Screen mode [F11]
use the Î key to go back a picture or the links to the next picture
or to return to this page.
2003
started in very dramatic fashion with bushfires ranging across the Australian
Capital Territory, almost surrounding Canberra. We rushed back from Christmas in Sydney to check on Carole’s
townhouse on the city edge. Fortunately the wind was a few degrees off our
property and the fires missed our suburb by a mile or so. Not so lucky were
several friends amongst the five hundred Canberra families who lost their
homes. Up at Mt Stromlo Observatory all the telescopes were lost, the admin.
building and most seriously a just finished $4m camera for a new telescope in
Chile. Luckily the building in which Carole had her office was untouched and by
March the Observatory had re-opened in a mix of surviving buildings and
port-a-cabins. Hopefully new telescopes
will be built over the next few years. In Canberra and up at Mt Stromlo it was
strange how one building would be lost whilst the next was untouched. One
weekend we took a drive through the undulating Namagi National Park that
surrounds Canberra, for almost 40 miles everything was burnt-out. Pics
Despite all the
traumas of the Canberra bush fires life went on. At the end of January we became Australian citizens at a poignant
Canberra ceremony on Australia Day. The air was still heavy with the smell of
burnt-out bush and forest; the ACT Chief Minister gave a moving speech whilst
the Governor-General shook hands and handed out our citizenship certificates.
Pics
By April our
thoughts were turning to a future in Sydney.
Carole’s contract at Stromlo was coming to an end and after 6 months of
waiting I was finally confirmed as Facilities Operations & Maintenance
Manager at Sydney Opera House. 2003 was a big year for SOH, our 30th
Birthday, our first ever blockbuster film premier (Matrix III), the finals of
Australian Idol and the first of several major refurbishments overseen by our
original architect Jorn Utzon. A secondment
to the CSIRO Astrophysics Division led to a one-year appointment for Carole as
Project Scientist and Development Manager. Pics
During May we
found time for a week’s holiday in New Zealand’s north island. We enjoyed some
fine walking, relaxing thermal baths and dropped in on my Aunt and Uncle, and
long-time friends of Carole’s parents in Auckland. By June we were actually living together under one roof, 3-years
of shuttling between Canberra and Sydney every weekend had come to a timely
end. Pics
In July, 2000
astronomers descended upon Sydney for the tri-annual International Astronomy
Union congress. For me it was an
opportunity to meet some friends from around the world and enjoy the social
program. For Carole and the
Sydney-based Astronomy community it was hard work, attending the conference by
day and welcoming friends from abroad by night. Nonetheless we both enjoyed ourselves and the splendid company of
Jasper Wall, Carole’s PhD supervisor who stayed with us for the duration. A highlight was a 3-day trip to the Parkes
Radio Telescope and a ride in the famous dish, which amongst other things
received the pictures of Neil Armstrong’s famous “one small step”. Pics
The
Rugby World Cup arrived in October. We went to the Opening Ceremony – big
disappointment, too much for the TV cameras, too little for the stadium
audience, followed by a fairly uninspiring game between Australia and
Argentina. We next saw Argentina in a
cracking game against Romania; 35,000 people proved that Australians will turn
up to any good sporting competition.
Mid-tournament we headed to England for a quick tour of friends and
relatives – thank you everyone who fed us and gave us a bed. Apologies to everyone we didn’t get to see,
we will return, it’s the only place to get a decent dark beer instead of fizzy
Australian lager. Come Rugby Cup Final day I was back at the Opera House whilst
Carole watched from Rome airport on yet another trip to Europe. Holding dual Australian and British
nationality caused us a problem as Australia and England competed for the Web
Ellis Cup. At the Opera House we set-up
a TV on the Forecourt and 4000 fans watched the game in the rain. Comedians Ray
& HG provided their traditional “spoof” commentary live on stage full of
humour, attacks on the English and showing no mercy to the referee. As everyone now knows England won in the
last seconds of extra-time; the tension at the House could have been cut with a
knife. UK Pics RWC Pics
And that about brings us up-to-date. 2004 promises to be just as eventful, Carole
already has trips to Tasmania, Berlin and Canada lined-up, whilst I have the
challenge of maintaining a 20th Century icon.
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year
Love
and Best Wishes