Saturday January 30 – On the More Serious Side

A quiet day spent around Hunter’s Hill enjoying the local area and making enquiries about our trip south and west.

Slowing down also offers opportunity to observe and contemplate the cultural and environmental differences  around us. A visit to Australia is rated by some travel companies as “low” on the “cultural difference” scale, so what peaked this line of thought with me is that both Canada and Australia were territories of the former British Empire and thus share some of the same heritage. Yet, though there are many similarities, for example, the adherence to democracy and the rule of law, on a cursory glance at least, there are fundamental differences. I’ll share three of our very generalized observations on what we see as some “cultural” differences.

First, most obvious to us as visitors, is the love of “fun” and “community”.  For example: the local bars and restaurants hum with the sounds of contagious laughter and animated chatter which seem to me to exceed all standard decibel ratings. Australians flock to the beaches for outdoor activities such as surfing, jet skiing, boating, beach volley ball, and family and friend gatherings complete with barbecues, beer and wine!  I think the difference is that for Australians having fun is a way of life, whereas for Canadians it is something we do to relax from the daily pressures of life. So with all this celebrating, I thought I would check out the WHO report on consumption of alcohol:  the 2014 report, which is based on results from 2010 lists Australians consumption as 12.2 litres per capita (19^th out of surveyed countries) and Canadians as 10.2 litres per capita (40^th on the list). For use as reference points, the highest consumer is Belarus at 17.5 litres, and the lowest is Turkey at 1.6. Not a significant difference between Australians and Canadians…. I’d say.

Second without a doubt is the country’s “Britishness” compared to the stronger American influences in Canada. I know that the country is making real strides to deflect it’s Britishness and become more nurturing to multiculturalism, but nonetheless, on the surface its British heritage is still apparent to me. Food offered for sale in the average restaurant is often more British fare. For example, a bacon and egg roll, sausage rolls, lamb, and a rump steak would be more common than a blt, or a New York strip steak, and people use vegemite on their toast and even know what marmite is!! The streets and buildings take me back to my up-bringing  in Britain. There are a lot of really attractive and different architectural styles which are inspired by developments in England, for example, Gothic Revival, Georgian, Queen Anne, the Old English styled residences, and the mid Victorian architecture with verandahs of wrought iron lace. The final asphalt top coat on the roads is different too, it seems like a larger gravel is used making the road surface more grainy and noisy; and the lanes are narrower just like the road lanes in Britain.

Finally, the third thing has to be their lack of concern about “political correctness” compared to the careful editing we appreciate in Canada. Listen to this: “Look at me! Look at me! they scream. The once-a-year bloody idiot jet ski riders who make life miserable for everyone else during the holiday period.”….and this  about intrusive early morning runners…“Bugger off!” I mutter in a fit of self-righteous pique, albeit slightly out-of-breath one, to all their chirpy Good Mornings and cheery What a Lovely Day. Where have these people come from and how dare they encroach upon my daily custom?” A lovely piece of open and expressive language. frustrated writing that appeared in the Editor’s Column of “Afloat Magazine”, February 2016 No. 316 and written by Robin Copeland.  Canadians may think using this language, but generally speaking you wouldn’t find it in publications!

So, that is it. Those are three of the main cultural differences we have identified so far….based on our scant observation, and generalization. Feel free to set me straight. These are just the things that have hit us in our first few weeks in this amazing country.