Iconic cities and sporting venues

Melbourne and Sydney are the two largest conurbations in Australia. They are both striking cities, with different virtues. Our experience of them was so different that comparison would be invidious, in the one Sydney we were at a major international conference and at the other we were staying with one of Jane’s oldest friends, celebrating over 50 years of shared experiences. In one we stayed in an old club and in the other a family home, in one in the city centre and in the other a suburb, in one we worshipped in the cathedral and in the other a local, lively parish church, in one we looked at the city centre from a harbour launch and in the other from a bicycle. Both satisfy, both are superb cities with immense virtues.

We arrived in Sydney from Brisbane, buoyed up by the professional and personal aspects of our visit. We were driven to the club, a few hundred yards from the opera house and after unpacking we set off. We looked around on of the most impressive cityscapes in the world, thronging with people and with a bewildering number of weddings on attractive vantage points, all seeking the bridge and the opera house as their backdrop. We strolled round the harbour and wandered across the bridge, in the cooling early evening, then took a ferry to Darling Harbour so we could check out the conference venue. Then after a waterside supper we went to bed in the club. The next morning I jogged in the park, seeking the view of the opera house and bridge that has graced so many post cards and formed the backdrop to Saturday’s weddings. Then we went to church, I had long wanted to visit Sydney’s Anglican Cathedral and we were not disappointed, the service was fairly traditional and the message good expository preaching, the welcome afterwards was generous and warm.

Then we took off to register for Jane’s hand conference, booked on a harbour cruise and saw the harbour from the water, with a commentary which was pretty informative but contained much that was salacious and more appropriate to the columns of “Hello” magazine. Then we had the opening ceremony for the conference, in which the collection of performances were truly memorable, finger silhouettes to virtuoso trumpet playing, followed by an opportunity to network.

The following evening we went to the opera, to hear and see La Traviata. The opera house is intimate; we had excellent seats and witnessed a great performance, greatly aided by the surtitles. After this extraordinary two days anticlimax could be expected, but happily we jumped from one high point to another, a memorable supper “a deux” on the harbour, with that memorable backdrop, a stroll to the rocky headland at the entrance to Sydney harbour, a phone call to the son of my original mentor in ENT, and visiting our latest Australian Registrar and his five day old baby.

After this how could Melbourne compete? It did by being different. From the moment that we were met by Gill Austin at the airport we were surfed on a wave of love and friendship. A trip to Phillip Island, to swim, have tea, see Wallabies and picnic in a prime position before seeing the fairy penguins make their way across the shore. These little chaps are about 30 cm in height and spend the day fishing in the waters, at dusk they come crashing out of the waves, form up in small groups called rafts and wait for a safe moment to cross the beach and get home to their burrows, which are scattered throughout the sand dunes. However they complicate this simple task by imagining that there are all sorts of demons which are out to get them. As they gather, and prepare for the waddle, one will lose their nerve and retreat into the waves, they all follow. The craven is a more compelling leader than the brave. Eventually several hundred made the trip, but not after some had had several false starts and indeed one group needed the guidance of one who had made the journey already before they ventured across the sandy foreshore.

The next day started with a leisurely breakfast and then a trip into town by tram, which took us to the centre of town and we were able to go up the second highest building to look at the city from the observation deck. This view gives the orientation and the scale, but in the brown of a prolonged drought, with the widespread traces of industry peppering the landscape, it does not show the townscape to its best advantage.

After lunch I scuttled to the College of surgeons to meet with john Collins, the Dean, an affable and committed man, he has a clear idea of the educational needs of the young surgeons in Australasia. I was able to get fully up to speed, meet with Jane and Gilly scoot round the town again before John and his wife Jenny took us out to supper. They lived in an elegant city centre flat, with a uninterrupted view over the nearby park and university, interestingly showing the townscape to great advantage!

The next day it was the Yarra and bicycles. It was the way to see Melbourne and its surrounds. We were reminded that there was a great televisula event taking place that weekend with the unceasing hum of fast cars from the Grand Prix circuit at Albert Park. It is quite clear that Melbourne is committed to sporting endeavour as there are sports stadiums of world renown, within minutes of the centre of town, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Rod Laver Stadium and the Grand Prix Circuit, amongst others, being within half a mile of each other. I used to think that living within half an hour of Lords, Wembley, Twickenham, Wimbledon, Ascot and Henley put me in the centre of the sporting universe, now I am not so sure!

The thing about cycling is that you can cover enough ground to see beyond the obvious and you can stop anywhere. We used a “punt”, a small motorised flat bottomed boat, with no concessions to safety, which was hailed by waving a broken flag. If w had stumbled across it on the Zambezi we would have wondered about its safety, as it was we paid our three dollars (one way, no returns and no timetable) without a murmur. That evening we all went to a talk on service in Cambodia, for which I spent most of the time awake!

It was great to go to church with Gilly and Bill on the Sunday, a joyous service with clear preaching and a real sense of fellowship. Lunch was the traditional Barbie, steak and chicken, followed by a Koala watch in the gum trees near their home.

What a great few days, it has really helped us understand why people are so happy here. Our next move is Adelaide and other old friends, Bill and Ros Hague.

Queensland a special experience

The flight from Cairns to Brisbane is simple, picking up the car was simple and driving across town to arrive at the Blacks was uincomplicated, we arrived on the dot of four, like a Swiss train.

Professionally my time in Brisbane was relaxed but useful. I met some of the leaders in surgical education, not least my host who is the Chairman of ENT in Australia at present. I also spent a couple of half days with Rob Hodge, he and I had been senior registrars at Mary's together in 1981-3. I met with Bill Coman who has mentored many of our Oxford trainees over the years. In fact Rob H and Bill C have been responsible for the advanced training of over twenty UK consultants, we are in their debt. On the whole they have been very successful, and it is interesting that the only concerns they have had are where shared those concerns too. The head and neck clinics were well structured and well, but differently, chaired. The conclusions on the complex and challenging problems were humane, the decisions on the straightforward in line with good evidence based practice. many years ago whn I was a fellow in San Francisco, I saw similar clinics, there is much to be gained for the patient in being considered by many, amongst many.

On a personal note we had a great time. Rob B and Ann were wonderful hosts, generous and thoughtful. They put us in their "shed", an air conditioned studio, with a shower room and kitchenette, giving on to the swimming pool. A tough life for the travellers! Though we were given our own space we were not banished and ate with them and their family, ate with friends (the Hodges and Perrys, a sample of Mary's and Royal Free senior registrars from the early 80's) and ate out. Eating out with those who know, does mean you get excellent food.

We also looked at and around Brisbane. even though we had a small and very good car, the best way to see Brisbane is by public transport, a four dollar plus ticket lasts the whole day and takes you everywhere, on the train, on the buses (superb new bus lanes) and on the river. So we saw what the tourist should see, the historic buildings (not many), the botanic gardens (two), the shops (plenty), the river, the galleries and the city centre beach. We ventured out to Surfers Paradise and Tambourine mountain.

There has been much to learn, professionally and personally. But as this trip is teaching us learning is not just knowing, it is doing.

The Great Barrier Reef

One of the privileges of this trip has been the opportunity to see sights which we have longed wanted to see. It must have been in the late fifies as a small boy in Malaya that I first saw a film of the “Great Barrier Reef”, what majesty, what a thrill to be able to see something so magical.

Well fifty years on, we did. We arrived in the pleasant resort of Port Douglas and booked into our “Boutique” Hotel, this increasingly used epithet means a small hotel independently run. We had a pleasant suite overlooking the magnificent four mile beach, forgive the slight hyperbole, we could see the sea, palm trees and a small section of beach from our balcony.

We had booked in for a four day stay, half way through our unfolding odyssey. On the first afternoon we joined a small river craft and steamed up the estuary on a crocodile hunt, we saw where the crocodile was nesting but saw none, though we did see several raptors, eagles, osprey and learned about mangroves.

The next day bode stormy so we avoided the reef and set off to the rainforest habitat on bicycles. Damp but successful, we saw many indigenous birds, several crocodiles and an abundance of marsupials all set in a sympathetic and easily accessible environment. This was followed by a cycle ride on the four mile beach and a quick sortie into the large and internationally famous hotel resort just out of town. Then sitting round the pool and romantic walk on the palm girt strand in the evening seeing the beautiful sunset..

Then, the reef. We had decided to use the biggest operator; Quicksilver, as they gave the most options, and would not be a wash out if the weather was difficult. We enlisted for the adventure snorkel, a masterly move. The reef is about an hour from the shore in the massive and speedy catamaran “wave piercer”. We were ushered off through our own private exit and loaded on to an open boat, by which we were sped to the diving and snorkelling spot. We were given sound equipment, and led off to an underground coral mountain, favoured by barracuda, a “barracuda bommie” in the local argot. Then off to the reef a few yards away, this is a mesmerising kaleidoscope of colours, coral and fish of every different shade and hue, size and texture all blended into a living tapestry, beyond description. Time sped by and we were soon back on the boat, quick (but very good lunch) before an outing in the semi submersible, twenty minutes of viewing the fish with a commentary in the dry. Ths was followed by another snorkel this time just out from the platform, guided by one of our party on the morning’s expedition. Every moment was spent happily looking at fish and coral, what a delight!

The next day we planned a short outing to the rain forest, were picked up from our hotel and set off. The path was simple, the forest magnificent and well interpreted by the occasional sign, It was transformed by the swimming which we able to do in two rock pools, one small and private, and the other large and picturesque.

Then we returned to the hotel for admin, swims (sea and pool) and an attempt to see the sunset from the port, thwarted by dense clouds. However this meant we were in the right position to claim the last unbooked table at one of the best restaurants in town and have a superb meal. Meals are a problem on this type of trip, one gets a bit fed up with eating out night after night (believe me!). So for two of the nights in Port Douglas we used the excellent kitchen in our suite and prepared a salad, eaten “a deux” on our sea view balcony, after wine and cashews.

Another recurring challenge is to find a church service, theologically acceptable ( the only reason for this is that it is not helpful to come out of a church so critical of them that the point of the worship is lost), and timed to fit in with travelling and other inescapable commitments. We have been pretty successful, and were in Port Douglas. There was a church which met in the community hall, was lively and friendly. So we joined them after a walk on the beach, a swim and packing, but just before we had to leave for Cairns and our flight to Brisbane.

Then travelling, arriving at the expected time with Rob and Ann Black, old friend and colleague from the Royal Free. They have a shed in their garden, air-conditioned and with bathroom, kitchenette and internet access (what a fortunate life!). Jane and I are installed for the week.