Melbourne Memories

Reading through my posts brought on nostalgia! So, here's what I will remember -

First of all, reconnecting with my cousin Penny who is still the delightful presence that I remember from childhood – the only cousin whom I have really known. And her husband, Ian, is a darling too.  I am all of 64 years old and he calls me ‘Kiddo!’ What’s not to love?  I got to catch up with her sons and their wives: the elder is the baby I carried - he is now a grown man with teenage sons and a person of eminence.  The younger son, who was a little fellow when I first encountered him, still retains his shy smile and happy demeanour.  He’s also ace at choosing fabulous places to eat!! 

I got to catch up with other cousins, too, some of whom I had met years ago and one who I was meeting for the very first time!!  David is still the big and burly giant to my slight frame but definitely closer in image to Santa than the teenage lad who used to take me piggy-back.  His wife, Jackie, was all affection and super-efficiency.  And I was the pampered ‘little cousin’!  I loved meeting their children and extended family – most of all I loved Tim’s renovated caravans.  A home on wheels is a beckoning adventure!  

Catching up with Eslyn and his lovely wife, Christina, brought back happy memories of Uncle Dudley, my Mum’s older brother.  And the ‘tea party’ in Melbourne city with Penelope Jane rounded off the encounters of the relative kind.  

From the original family of ten that my mother belonged to, this may seem like a small number but quite a few of her siblings did not marry, some (as I) are only children and one cousin has, sadly, passed on.  My visit did achieve what it aimed to do – catch up with family!

And then there was the road-trip to Sydney and Canberra with the Anglo Indian Association. Boy oh boy, that was a family trip of a very different kind.  A joyful, exuberant, friendly busload of people who were glad to share their memories of an India that would be totally unrecognizable to them today.  They also shared an amazing variety of food (reminded me of our train journeys when I was still a child and the picnic hampers we carried from destination to destination), the songs of yesteryears and Bingo!!  Yes, the memories are plenty and nostalgic!!!

Of Melbourne itself (in preference, Sydney and Canberra come a distant second and third) I will remember the tree lined suburbs with houses boasting the prettiest gardens – the freshest air, the cleanest water (I did not need to carry my bottle – we drank straight from the tap), the well-kept surroundings, the fantastic food.

Of Australia, as a country, I will remember the really huge open spaces, the miles and miles of road that made up the longest distances, the outsize servings that are characteristic of every meal and the rejoinder ‘no worries, mate’ to my sometimes necessary ‘sorry’!  But what made the greatest impact is that here one sees that good governance really works – it is visible in every aspect of daily living: the efficiency, the courtesy, the observance of rules, the honesty and accountability.  I never heard a car honk and the consideration observed on the road by every driver is to be seen to be believed. It is perhaps significant that on the only occasion when I was almost ripped off, it was by someone of Asian origin!! 

And all this is just the ‘outline’!  

Yes, it was a good trip – a fantastic trip - and as memories grow distant, my heart will still carry the happiness of a month much enjoyed, the anticipation of living as family certainly achieved.