Ozward!

December 1, 2001-It’s Alive!

Some days are more interesting than others. Some turn into adventures leading us down paths we never expected to travel. Today was such a day. We went to a Gold Coast chapter PFLAG (Parents, Families, & Friends of Lesbians & Gays) meeting at 12:30pm & didn’t get back to our apartment until 7pm.

It was a small group of nine people who gathered at QAC (Queensland AIDS Council). We’d spoken to the leaders, a married couple (Susan & Roger), a few times & were warmly greeted by the others. The usual tales were told, tears were shed, & questions answered. We learned that the state of New South Wales, where Sydney is located, has had a liaison to the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgendered) community as part of the police force for years. Queensland has just implemented the same program for its police. The order for the plan & training came right from the prime minister & was signed off on by everyone down the line. Since Queensland, despite its name, is one of the more homophobic states, this was quite a coup. Be that as it may, there was nothing memorable about any of that. As the meeting went on, a movement caught my eye. There was a basket with some blankets in it next to David. The blankets began to move & I saw what looked like the ear of a cat. I wasn’t able to hold back so I went over to investigate. As I approached, a long, naked, un-catlike tale appeared. I looked into the tangled heap and made out a snout & two huge black eyes. Was it a baby Chihuahua? But the paws were strange. Susan settled the question by announcing, “That’s a baby wallaby.” I was lost to the meeting after that.

The PFLAG couple who leads the group are animal rescuers & Blossom was their most recent project. They’ve been saving wild babies for years & then releasing them back into the wild. I not only got to pet Blossom, but I got to rock her & feed her a bottle. She lives in a flannel pouch that’s her home until she’s old enough to venture out. She’s so young that she doesn’t have any hair. That will come in a couple of weeks. After the meeting we went for lunch (everyone but us brought theirs to the meeting) & coffee. Blossom came along in her basket. Her care is a full time job. Someone has to be there to feed & clean her constantly. Kangaroos & other marsupials live in the pouch & are always feeding. I asked about the sanitation facilities in the pouch & learned that even as newborns, they hang their bottoms over the edge so the pouch stays clean. I also learned that when there are babies of different ages who are still nursing, they always go to the same nipple. Each nipple provides a different formula depending on the age of the nursing baby. Susan said that they’d call for a date when we can come to their home to see the opossum & older wallaby they’re working with now. This was the best Australian experience I’ve had to date. Can it get more Oz-like?

Pottering and Pilfering

Since we were at the mall, we went to the Cinemas to check the time for the next Harry Potter showing. We were in luck & only had a 20-minute wait. The movie is playing hourly at every theater here & it wasn’t crowded. We thoroughly enjoyed it & I thought that the child actors were excellent. I was afraid that seeing on screen what I’d only imagined while reading the books would be disappointing. We didn’t find that to be true at all. We wound up getting home at 7PM & fell upon the leftovers from last night’s dinner.

Some not so good news is that our neighbor was burglarized. He was asleep on his couch when a man came in through his open balcony window. He startled the burglar who then jumped from the balcony & broke his ankle. The neighbor then realized his money, credit cards, & briefcase were missing. The conversation came up because we were about to report a suspected attempt to break into our apartment. There was a recent gouge to the door near the latch that looked as if someone had pried it with a screwdriver. We did call the desk & they sent the maintenance man up. He agreed it looked suspicious & would paint it. There was no mention of adding a deadbolt or chain. I may ask them to do that on Monday.

December 2, 2001-Sunday Stuff

There’s a strict boat licensing law here. I don’t know what age you have to be, but there is a written & practical test. I know this because Syd Bruce told us that when he took his test he made a right turn into a waterway & went up the American side. I guess the rules of the road apply to navigation as well. On the open sea, when an Australian ship & an American ship pass, which side do they go to? It’s probably standardized like for airplanes.

A major article in the Sunday paper this morning was about Ian Roberts, an out, gay former rugby league international player. He & his partner of six years want to become parents. When was the last time news like this about a male sports figure broke in America?

The social club is having a real Aussie BBQ tonight at the temple. We’re all supposed to bring damper. It’s a bread made from flour, water, salt, & baking powder. It’s cooked over a campfire, as is Billy tea. I cooked my damper in the oven, but I’ll get to swing Billy tea this evening. Tealeaves are put in a teapot with boiled water. The teapot is then swung around until it’s tea. I hope to avoid being scalded by first making iced Billy tea.

Toby