Barramundi Dinner

I attach below an article from today's Australian Financial Review because it's about a bloke I really admire. Age 15, he was a refugee from Europe detained on Cyprus by the British trying to make his way to Palestine and last week he was knighted by the Queen at Windsor Castle. In between, he reached Australia, became one of the nation's leading businessmen, played a major role in the rise of Australian soccer (and we're headed to the World Cup in Russia next year), and is widely admired.

And I'll never forget the day when he bought me a barramundi dinner at Sydney's Hakoah Club shortly after my arrival in Australia back in the 1970s. I was taken there by Howard Lowe, another Australian businessman who was a good friend of my Uncle Henry - they'd grown up together in Germany before fleeing that nation in the 1930s.
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From detention to the highest distinction, arise Sir Frank

Jill Margo

Frank Lowy with the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh after presenting the Australian State Coach, a gift from the people of Australia, May 1988.

Long journey: Sir Frank Lowy, AC, during his investiture by the Queen at Windsor Castle last week.

At 15, Frank Lowy was behind barbed wire in a British detention camp in Cyprus. He had been arrested trying to make his illegal way from war-torn Europe to British Mandate Palestine. On Friday, at 87, he was at Windsor Castle awaiting his investiture as a knight by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. As he sat quietly in the castle’s splendid Waterloo Chamber, he thought of the distance travelled. ‘‘I couldn’t quite add two and two together and work out how I got here. But, of course, it was a wonderful feeling to be honoured in this way,’’ he told The Australian Financial Review.

When The Queen entered the room attended by the Yeomen of the Guard – the oldest British military corps still in existence – and the orchestra played the national anthem, Sir Frank stood in incredulity and appreciation. Among the roomful of candidates for awards, three were to receive a knighthood. When his turn came, he kneeled on an investiture stool as The Queen placed her sword on one shoulder then the next; he bowed to receive his decoration and congratulations. They chatted a little and he mentioned an event in May 1988 when he had presented the Monarch with the Australian State Coach, a gift from the people of Australia. The Queen remembered and also thanked him for the good he’d done in London.

Sir Frank Lowy AC, chairman of Westfield Corporation, had been appointed a Knight Bachelor in the Birthday Honours List announced in June. According to his citation, he was recommended for his contribution to the UK economy through Westfield and its major investments in the UK. The group opened Europe’s two largest urban shopping centres, Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City, and had submitted an application for a new £1 billion plus retail development in Croydon. In the UK, the Cabinet Office War Rooms, the Imperial War Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum have all benefited from Sir Frank’s philanthropy. He chose the museum and the war rooms because of his fondness for Churchill and for the way the British treated him in detention.

In that internment camp he’d observed his captors closely. When he looked into their faces, he saw decency. ‘‘We didn’t fear them. They were just doing their job and were not cruel like the Nazis or the Russians. There was no hatred and we were never afraid they would shoot at us. ‘‘And when there was an outbreak of impetigo [a contagious skin infection], they treated us and did so with kindness.’’ After three months, he was on the first boatload of children to be sent to Palestine. On Australia Day in 1952, he arrived in Sydney, to be reunited with the surviving members of his family who had since moved there.

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That's quite a story.

AS

Charge! Part 2

And so we headed to the dry wadi outside of Beersheba where the original charge took place and where the re-enactment was to be fulfilled.

Security was, not surprisingly, pervasive and we could see soldiers and mounted police guarding the site where the event was to be staged.

The centrepiece of the re-enactment viewed from the stand where we were seated. The alfresco stand probably seated 3,000 or 4,000 people. We got there fairly early to select a good vantage point and to avoid having to view the event standing. Alas for late arrivals the seats were all taken and maybe several thousand on-lookers had to stand.

To keep us happy while we awaited the (very late) arrival of the pollies, a band arrived and started playing a long series of WW1 tunes. They were very accomplished and much appreciated by the crowd.

After a seemingly very long delay, the 100 or so horsemen ... and horsewomen ... arrived at the site and began to form into a line abreast. As you can see from these photos, the landscape is fairly arid and devoid of trees and grass. Nor did the wadi have any water in it, although I believe it fills with water over the winter months when rain mostly falls.

At last the cavalcade of Priministerial cars arrives - the Prime Ministers of Australia, New Zealand and Israel were in attendance, along with Australia's leader of the opposition. And they made their way to the official table.

Once that happened, the 'charge' began. The disappointing thing was that they terrified no-one. They progressed far slower than I could walk, but I gather that some of the participants were rather elderly and possibly less than proficient riders!

At last the 'charge' halted and four select horsemen advanced on the Prime Ministers.

Turning around, each in turn advanced to the official table to receive awards from the applauding pollies.

And suddenly a small posse of the horsemen went back to the start and duly charged ourselves and the official party. However small and late, we did in a sense witness a 'charge'!

And so we made our way back to Tel Aviv amidst the gathering gloom.

AS

Centenary Re-enactment: Australian Light Horse (Part 1)

The primary destination of my recent overseas travel was Israel. And my trip there resulted from an invitation to attend the centenary re-enactment of the charge of the Australian Light Horse at Beersheba on 31 October 1917. This was probably one of the greatest military successes of the first World War, for on that day a desperate last-minute (towards dusk) charge of the mounted troops towards the Turkish Lines had extraordinary success. Turkish positions were over-run with limited casualties on the attacking side, the then village of Beersheba surrendered to the allied forces, and this triggered a string of successive losses for the Turks - including shortly afterwards the capture of Jerusalem by the allies.

That, in turn, gave Britain the post-war mandate over Palestine ... and the rest is history. By the way, the Light Horse troops were, in effect, mounted soldiers rather than traditional cavalry and they came from both Australia and New Zealand. Although nominally under the British general Allenby, they were on this occasion led by an Australian general, Chauvel, from the north coast of NSW, nearby to where I live. Moreover, most of the Light Horse were rural Australians, many from the Northern Tablelands where I live. And the horses they rode were called Whalers ... from New South Wales. I suspect that this rural background with associated horsey-culture greatly helped in the victory.

So, on the 31st October, I and my Israeli host with whom I was staying in Tel Aviv, took the train from there to Beersheba to view the re-enactment. This first section deals with our getting to Beersheba and our walk around the city, while the blog-post on the re-enactment follows later. We start with the arrival of our train.

Beersheba looms on the horizon. It's now a city of 200,000 people, a far cry from the small population in 1917.

A round-about in the city centre with what look like two stylised horses fighting each other!

The remains of the Turkish railway station built in 1915 with German support. The line was supposed to connect Damascus with Cairo, but was never completed. It's now a museum with a locomotive shown here and railway carriages.

The celebrations also included events to remember Turkish troops who died in combat,

The entrance to the railway museum sporting Israeli, Australian and New Zealand flags.

Beersheba is a modern city albeit the gateway to Israel's southern deserts - the Negev.

Do you recognise the dude on the left? It's me! And I posed for this with an elderly bloke dressed in Aussie uniform.

A plaque commemorating the 'charge' back in 1917, and another expressing Israel's gratitude for the event.

In commemoration, the Israelis have even established an ANZAC Trail tracking the movements of the Light Horse leading to Beersheba.

The crowds begin to assemble for the parade through the city of the Light Horse troops prior to the re-enactment. Judging by the large numbers witnessing the event, this was a major occasion for our hosts.

Leading the parade was a sizeable band of musicians.

They were followed by a large number of mounted troops, many from Australia or New Zealand, and one of whom was a female geographer from, I think, La Trobe University in Victoria ... who actually also stayed with my host in Tel Aviv on my last night there!

The flags of the three nations.

Large crowds of welcomers.

As you can see, there was an enthusiastic response by the locals! By the way, I took the last few photos standing on a wall surrounding Allenby Park ... named after the British General who headed the successful campaign.

AS

Party in the Mall

The new Armidale Regional Council held a party in the Mall last night to herald the arrival of Christmas and bring all ages in the community together. Fortunately, a looming storm by-passed the Mall area and didn't spoil the occasion. I was amazed at the high turn-out of people and the Mall was jam-packed with excited kids ... and indeed people of all ages. Indeed, there something for everyone.

There were lots of street stalls selling anything from cacti to bars of soap and clothing. There was a band playing. The City Council held a free raffle, which I entered, with the prize being a flight to Brisbane. Numerous ethnic food-stalls did a roaring trade and Council thoughtfully provided tables and chairs for people to sit and eat. The various shops in the main Mall stayed open late and the pub did a roaring trade.

The new mayor, Simon Murray and colleagues were in attendance and he drew the raffle - which I didn't unfortunately win - and turned on the lights of the Christmas 'tree' accompanied by pipers in kilts who seemed to be playing highland laments (apart from Waltzing Matilda). Let my pictures tell the story - and as you'll see, the event started in daylight and finished as night fell.

The Christmas tree was an artistic rendition, not the real thing.

All in all, a lovely night out. It's a pity Dot missed it, but then she was driving home from Tamworth with a friend.

AS