February 2012
Saturday the 11th
I’m finally back in Brisbane, although my two weeks in Sydney went by too quickly! I had a great time meeting new Rotarians and friends while touring a different part of Australia and will do my best to describe the highlights for you.
Before I detail my travels, I want to remark on airport security for domestic travel in Australia. I was first surprised that there is no restriction on the amount of fluids that flyers can take in their carry-on baggage. In contrast, the fluid allowances for carry-on baggage for domestic flights in the U.S. are much more stringent; I think you can only take a small bag of fluids with each bottle containing no more than 100 mL. Second, I did not have to take off my shoes whilst moving through security nor did I have to show an identification card or even my boarding pass. To board the plane, I simply scanned my boarding pass without presenting an identification card!
Anyway, I arrived in Sydney on 22 January and was met at the airport by Craig and Karyn, Rotarians who live just outside of the city. Our first stop was Circular Quay (pronounced "key") and the Opera House. This area is a lovely place to relax, eat, and drink while watching ships sail and absorbing vistas of the Harbour Bridge and surrounding localities. The Bridge alone is impressive and holds several records for its massive size. Just below the Opera House and beside the water, there are multiple dining venues and bars, ample seating, and often live music during both the day and night.
The three of us went on a guided tour of the Opera House that provided comprehensive information about the design, construction, and purpose of the various structures that comprise the entire unit as well as problems encountered with public acceptance of the radical design, building delays, and a dwindling budget. A few facts that I learned:
-The architect who designed the Opera House, Jorn Utzon from Denmark, ironically left Australia before completion of the building and never returned because of tensions with government officials.
-Picking a suitable and facile design for the concrete forms that would be used to cast supports for the distinct shells took several years to complete. Utzon serendipitously realized that the components of a sphere (from peeling an orange) could form the different shell shapes, and the same form could be used to make all of the shells. The picture below shows a model of what I am describing.
-The shells are meant to look like the sails of a ship, and the concrete support structure seen from the inside of the building is like the ribbing on a wooden ship.
-The exterior of the shells is fitted with self-cleaning ceramic tiles that are various shades of beige and white; a completely-white superstructure would be painful to observe on a sunny day.
Later that day, we took a ferry through the harbor, across the headwaters where the harbor meets the Pacific Ocean, and over to the beach suburb of Manly. The ferry offered spectacular views of the city and areas around the harbor and felt like an amusement ride when the ship jerked and rocked across the ocean swells! The beach at Manly had heaps of people that day because of the good weather and because the summer holiday was nearly finished for school students.
The next day (23 Jan), I started off at the University of Sydney. Philip’s daughter works at this school and showed me around the charming campus. The Quad area was especially impressive with its unique English architecture, radiating sandstone, tidy lawns, and great view of the city. She also introduced me to personnel at the medical school, including the dean of the medical school; I may just look into the possibility of completing an international rotation or some medical training in Sydney!
Since 23 January was the Chinese New Year, I headed into Chinatown to watch festivities and eat an authentic meal. There were a lot of people in the area and too many options for lunch. I settled on a food court that seemed popular and ordered silken tofu, sushi, a dish with chicken, and few other tasty sides. I also had a traditional dessert and coconut bubble tea (not pictured).
From there, I walked into the central business district and toured the City Hall, which happened to have a free art installation for the Chinese New Year, the Queen Victoria Building, St. Mary’s Church, the New South Wales Art Gallery and Public Library, and finally the immense botanical gardens that border the central business district and the harbor. It was a busy day, but I still managed to meet new friends (some were Rotaractors) for dinner in The Rocks area of the city and socialize at the Opera Bar (just below the Opera House beside the harbor). Overall, the city area is packed with many vibrant sights all within a short walking distance from each other, and the area reminded me a lot of New York City but on a smaller scale.
City Hall pipe organ
Foyer of Queen Victoria Building (used as a shopping mall)
On 24 January, I went to work with Karyn because she manages portions of the Kids Research Institute at a hospital near Sydney. I got to meet multiple research professors and technicians and learned about their fields of study. For example, one lab studies the process of bone structure maintenance and healing using mouse models and specialized techniques mirrored in only a handful of places around the world. A large proportion of the researchers also focus on understanding causes and testing treatments for cancers specific to adolescents as well as tumor banking for genetic studies. That night, the three of us had dinner at an exceptional restaurant called Sails. The food, service, and views beside the water were all superb!
I went to work with Craig that Wednesday and saw the Rotary Down Under House. Craig is the CEO of ShelterBox, an international disaster relief charity founded by a Rotarian that provides portable refuge to disaster victims around the world. I was later passed off to Bob Aitken, former editor of the Rotary Down Under magazine. Bob drove me up to his home near Glenbrook in the Lower Blue Mountains, after which we started setting up for the Australian Gnome Convention, an annual event founded and managed by the Rotary Club of the Lower Blue Mountains; you must check out their website.
Despite the rain, we managed to set up a garden so that the gnomes would have a temporary home. This year marked the 8th annual Gnome Convention, which is held in Glenbrook Park on the national holiday of Australia Day (26 Jan) and is supposedly the largest meeting of garden gnomes in the country. On this day, the park also hosts entertainment, food vendors, demonstrations, and people selling many different kinds of merchandise. Australia Day marks the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 to the area what is now called Sydney and is celebrated in much the same way as Independence Day in the U.S.
We got up early on Australia day, and I helped place the hundreds of gnomes (I’m confident that we had over a thousand) throughout the garden. Visitors to the celebration could register and display their gnomes alongside those owned and rescued by Rotarians. We had approximately 7,000 visitors come to the park and walk through the display. A Better Homes & Gardens segment was filmed, and pictures were taken for the Sydney Morning Herald. The great publicity highlighted the generosity of Rotary and its dedication to organizing events that strengthen community spirit while raising funds for international service programs. After cleaning up and returning the gnomes to their designated owners, I went to a barbecue at Bob’s daughter’s house for a fun night packed with good food, stories, and an overall appreciation for a comfortable life in Australia.
The gnome master in his lair
One of Bob’s colleagues, Barry, was my next host. He lives in an area called Woy Woy along the Central Coast of New South Wales, which is about a 1.5 hour drive north of Sydney. He showed me around the picturesque golden beaches-Avoca, Copacabana, Terrigal, Macmasters, etc.-that are often flanked by shear sandstone cliffs that plunge into the ocean and are topped by dense forests.
We also went to the Australian Reptile Park, which hosted a variety of entertaining and educational shows with snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and a Tasmanian Devil feasting on a dead rabbit; the Tassie Devil is obviously not a reptile but nonetheless a valued Australian endangered species. The bloke in the croc pit bravely held out a kangaroo paw on a stick to lure in the aggressive salty, which attempted to snap at him with an impressive bite that sounded like the hollow thud of two bones pounded together.
One night, Barry invited several Rotarians and a participant of a RYLA, Mitch, over for dinner. We had a good time, and Mitch and I told the others about our current occupations. Mitch Faulkner is an interesting person, since he has gradually worked his way up through the coffee world to win best Australian barista and place highly among top contestants for world barista competitions. He currently works for a coffee roaster outside of Sydney, manages his own coffee shop, and visits other coffee shops to sell roasted blends and train other baristas. He also authored the majority of a book called “Barista Coffee” which is part of the R&R Collector’s Edition. Barry, a few co-workers, and I were all invited by Mitch to visit the coffee roasting facility. He took us through the entire process from berry harvesting to espresso machine and even made each of us whatever type of coffee we wanted. As you can imagine, the coffee I had was very good!
Sacks of beans from around the world The coffee roaster Checking the bean color with a spectrophotometer
By then, it was 30 January, and Barry had scheduled me to speak at Parramatta Rotary Club in the afternoon. My presentation went well, and the Rotarians had several thoughtful comments and questions. Interestingly, that club does not recite the Rotary Grace because they agreed it was not appropriate for their lunchtime meeting. They reasoned that they do not recite a grace before a business meeting (on which Rotary meetings are based) and most do not recite a grace at home before a meal. After the meeting, we stopped in the nearby headquarters for Rotary in the South Pacific and Philippines.
That evening, I met my final set of hosts, Ian and Jen, who live in Wentworth Falls and are Rotarians in the Central Blue Mountains Club. I was keen to do serious bushwalking, so Jen and I left the house early the next day and picked up the Valley of the Waters Track along the National Pass just minutes from their house. As the track name implies, we passed beside and under many gushing waterfalls, which were very full from all of the recent rain. There was one area we had to take off our shoes and climb over boulders to access a hidden pool and magnificent view of a cascading waterfall among massive ferns and other ancient plants. Two of the main falls we saw were Empress Falls and Wentworth Falls; both are great spectacles of natural beauty and icons of the central Blue Mountains. Some adventurers dare to repel down these falls, as described in this recent National Geographic article.
Jen is very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna, so our bushwalk was a great educational experience as well. We spotted several different types of birds, including the impressive black cockatoos, many types of trees, ferns, and grasses, the fork-leaved sundew, lizards, skinks, and yabbies (freshwater crayfish, not to be confused with lobbies). After about 2/3 of our bushwalk, we stopped for a coffee at a quaint café that overlooks a portion of the Blue Mountains. The café is situated at a convenient spot for both hikers and tourists because it is near hiking tracks and is accessible by road from the Great Western Highway.
A Crimson Rosella parrot
A natural infinity pool The blue haze from all of the eucalypts
On Tuesday night (31 Jan), the rain, fog, and cold temperatures set in. I had a rain jacket, but was not prepared for the cool weather. At night, the temperature was close to 50 degrees F, and this is during the summer; we even had to turn the heat on in the house! This weather didn’t break until Saturday morning, but I still made the best of the days in between. One day, I met Terrance Plowright, a famous sculptor and talented artist who lives across the street from Jen and Ian and runs his studio just beside his house. I enjoyed talking with him and his employees because I learned about the inspiration for several pieces and saw several works in progress as well as the many steps of creating metal sculptures. Jen and Ian also have a neighbor (and fellow Rotarian) who does woodturning and let me use his lathe. I made a small covered box from a banksia seed pod and also shared with him my techniques for sharpening lathe tools.
On Wednesday night, I spoke to the Central Blue Mountains Rotary Club. Their meeting schedule is a bit different from other dinner clubs, since the dinner is optional and there is not a set menu. This allows members with younger families to have dinner at home and prevents arguments over the cost and selection among those that do attend the Rotary dinner. And for Rotarians reading these sentences, I assure you that there is still plenty of time for socializing. This Rotary club also strongly supports a local Rotaract club, a crucial source of future Rotarians. After the meeting, I met some local Rotaractors with whom I went out later in the week.
On Friday, Jen took me around Katoomba, and we tried to view the Three Sisters rock formation. The fog was so thick that we could not see beyond the railing of the observation deck. However, by Saturday evening, the skies had cleared and revealed a stunning view:
We also went to Scenic World on Friday despite the lack of visible scenery. Despite the weather, we still rode down on the steepest cable-driven railway (52 degrees!), walked on a boardwalk through dense rainforest, and took a gondola lift back up the mountainside.
On Saturday, we all went to the Jenolan Caves , where we toured two full caves and attended a concert in a cave! The caves were absolutely magnificent and, to my best knowledge, unmatched in size, variety, age, and beauty. After learning about the rate at which the calcite formations grow, it was nearly impossible to appreciate the amount of time that passed to create the remarkable features we saw throughout the different caves. The concert we attended there was a mix of classical, jazz, folk, and Celtic music played on a violin, guitar, mandolin, and a bodhran drum. Even though the concert was in a large cave, the acoustics were good and punchy; there were no prominent echoes or delay from sound bouncing back from distant surfaces because the cave structure was round and tapered in diameter at its peak. Thus, the instruments sounded very similar no matter where you sat in relation to the musicians.
Before I conclude my description of Sydney, I must recognize Bob Aitken and Lou Piconi, two generous Rotarians who were instrumental in arranging my trip to Sydney and who continue to help me with making various arrangements and meeting people.
On 8 February, I spoke to the Kenmore Rotary Club, which was my 19th presentation. I have several others coming up in Perth, Mackay, and New Zealand, and I will be talking to a group of National Youth Science Forum students (heavily sponsored by Rotary!) who are coming to the QIMR next week in addition to continuing work with my research project.
Passing on the Terrible Towel
Monday the 27th
In addition to speaking to an energetic and receptive group of National Youth Science Forum Year 12 students from around Australia, the highlight of the past two weeks was my trip to Perth. My main hosts were Greg and Rosalyn from Heirisson Rotary. They live in a beautiful suburb north of Perth called Hillarys, which is known for calm beaches and a bustling marina. Behind the marina, there are coral reefs with information guides attached to concrete blocks that sit on the seabed. Combined with the large array of fish, turquoise water, and natural coral tunnels to swim through, this spot was great for snorkeling with Greg’s nephew. One night, we also went to a drive-in movie theater.
On Monday the 20th, I started off in King’s Park, which was a delight to see. Different areas in the park contain representative plants from around Australia, and the footprint of the park is bigger than Central Park in New York City. In addition to the tended gardens, there are multiple war memorials along with an eternal flame, and many areas in the park offer great views of the city.
Tree top walk Looking at South Perth Boab tree
From there, I walked down into the center of the city and met Peter, a Matilda Bay Rotarian, to ring bells in the Swan Bell Tower and learn about the history of the bells. The bells are made of a copper-tin alloy (bronze), and the clapper (the piece of metal hits the bell) is cast iron. The bell ringing room is two stories below the bell room, but there is a closed circuit television monitor and camera in both the ringing room and the bell room. This allows bell ringers to see the bells move whilst pulling the long ropes (and hear the bells because the bell sound is powerful and travels through the building). Bell spectators in the bell room can watch the bells swing around through the plexiglass enclosure and see the bell ringers pulling the ropes on the television monitor. There are currently 16 bells in the bell room, and the largest weighs just over 3,200 pounds, so the structure must be rigid to withstand the large forces exerted as the bells swing. After a demonstration by the bell ringers, several visitors and I rang the bells in an energetic pattern.
Bell room with CC TV Me and a bell ringer View from the top
From there, Peter took me over to the house of Ken and Di Collins from the Rotary Club of Freshwater Bay. Ken is a former director of Rotary International and a former trustee of the Rotary Foundation. Ken has also been a physician for many years, so I spoke with him about his past experiences as a doctor and his various positions in Rotary. Since I majored in Microbiology in college, I was pleased to hear about their Microscope Project, which is a Rotary initiative to ensure that primary school students have access to a microscope during science lessons. The goal of the project is foster an early interest of science because the number of university science graduates has been steadily decreasing in Australia despite a growing need. I will try to promote this program during future presentations and see if I can convince several Queensland Rotary clubs to sponsor nearby primary schools. As mentioned at the end of my previous post, Rotary funds and organizes the National Youth Science Forum, a program designed to keep Year 12 high school students motivated to pursue a science degree at a university and to expose them to many science-related career options.
Ken and Di later showed me around Fremantle (called Freo by locals), which is a port city and famous home to the 1987 America’s Cup Yacht Race. Most of the Victorian-era buildings were restored for the Race and are still maintained with great care. There are many excellent restaurants, bars, cafes, museums, and shops to see, many of which are close to the ocean.
Two of the most famous fish and chips shops are located just steps away from each other along the Fremantle wharf: Cicerellos and Kailis. That night, I spoke to North Perth Rotary
On Tuesday, I went into the city again and toured the Perth Mint. Unfortunately, visitors are not allowed to take pictures inside the mint because of security reasons. There is over $150 million dollars worth of gold on display at any single time and even an area where people can buy and sell gold. At the Mint, I saw a gold pouring demonstration by a worker who explained how the gold bars are made. Western Australia (the largest Australian state) was largely founded on gold mining, so the Mint was critical for transforming the raw material to refined coins and bars for trade and/or currency. Gold mining in Western Australia also has significance among American history because former President Herbert Hoover worked in several goldmines in this state as a mining engineer in the late 1890s.
Later that day, I also visited the Western Australia Museum and learned many interesting facts about the natural history of the area. In the evening, I spoke to Booragoon Rotary. They meet at the South Perth Yacht Club, which has nice views of the Swan River.
They recently hosted an Ambassadorial Scholar (also named Aaron) who is pursuing a law degree in Perth and is from Luanshya, Zambia in Africa. Aaron and Booragoon Rotary are working to raise funds for Luanshya Rotary so that deep water bores with hand pumps and toilets can be built for three schools in Luanshya. Children in that area often miss school because of time wasted while carrying water or recovering from sickness. Clean water and proper lavatories will largely ensure that more students are educated and fewer people become ill with preventable waterborne diseases. Please contact secretary@rcbooragoon.com for more information.
On Wednesday morning, I spoke to Peter’s Rotary Club in Matilda Bay. Rotary’s encouragement for high school students to pursue science was again evident, as I heard from participants of University of Western Australian Science Experience, which is heavily sponsored by Matilda Bay Rotary as well as other local Rotary clubs. Most Rotary clubs present the speaker with a gift, but Matilda Bay Rotary is different. This club makes a donation to the PolioPlus fund so that 12 children can be vaccinated, which certainly has more value to me than, say, an engraved pen.
After the meeting, Peter and I went to Freo and started off with a tour through the Fremantle Prison. This prison operated until 1991 and maintained poor conditions; for example, none of the cells ever had running water or toilets. Whipping was used for punishment within the prison, and hangings were used for serving out capital punishment sentences. However, the last execution to take place in Australia was in 1967, and many Australian states abolished capital punishment. In 2010, the federal government officially banned capital punishment in all Australian states and territories.
Preparing for a cavity search Prison cell artwork
We also went to the Western Australia Maritime Museum, which houses many restored vessels and interesting exhibits. The dock area around the museum was the largest submarine port outside of Pearl Harbor during WWII. The museum is also home to the Australia II, the sailboat that was used by the Royal Perth Yacht Club in the 1983 America’s Cup Race to beat the New York Yacht Club for the first time in 132 years.
The WA Maritime Museum Unique roof design to house boats Freo is still a massive port with numerous freight ships
That night, I met up again with Greg, Ros, and some of their family to watch an outdoor movie at the University of Western Australia. Wednesday the 22nd was also my 23rd birthday (my lab had a great morning tea for me today!).
On Thursday morning, I spoke to Greg’s Rotary Club of Heirisson. Along with a recent presentation to members of my share house, this is number 25. Feburary 23rd marked the 107th anniversary of the founding of Rotary International, so it was a special day to celebrate but also a time to consider strategies for ensuring continued membership and, importantly, strategies for attracting new members; the majority of Rotarians are over 55 years old, and the collective number of members has not increased in several years.
During my last day in Perth, I took a ferry over to Rottnest Island (called Rotto by locals). The ferry started from Barrack Street, which is near the Bell Tower, and winds its way through 12 miles of the Swan River out to Freo. This part of the trip offers great views of the dozens of yact clubs and multi-million dollar houses that line the River. In fact, one of the most expensive houses in Australia is located along the Swan River and sold for roughly $80 million. Along the trip, I quickly realized that Perth has very few bridges that cross the River, which contrasts with the many bridges in Pittsburgh. The lack of bridges is likely due to the fact that Perth is home to the strongest boating culture in Australia.
After briefly stopping in Freo, the ferry travels another 12 miles or so to Rotto. I was fortunate enough to have great weather for this trip: temps in the low 80s, clear skies, and low humidity. My first stop on the island was the rental shop, where I hired (rented) a snorkel set and fins. I then got an all-day pass for the Rotto shuttle, which stops at several points on the island and regularly completes the entire 13.5 mile circuit. Important to conservation, the only means of transport on the island is riding the shuttle, biking, or walking. Also, private ownership of the land is not allowed, so the 63 beaches and 20 bays are all accessible! There are also many places to stay overnight on the island, although being on a boat would probably be best.
The island is known for its natural salt lakes, which supplied Western Australian with salt for many years. Its name derives from observations that a Dutch sailor made in the late 1600s of the unique animals that inhabit the island. Quokkas are small marsupials in the macropod family (the same family as kangaroos and wallabies) that are the only members of their genus, Setonix. Quokkas look like rats, so the sailor named the island “rotte nest,” which is Dutch for “rat nest.”
I chose to snorkel in Salmon Bay after consulting with the bus driver, because the water was smooth there at the time, and there is a massive area to explore. Most of the beaches face different directions, so each may have different surf conditions depending on the tides and the wind direction. Anyway, the snorkeling there was excellent, since the water was clear and offered great views of all the different corals and fish. Some of the fish were painted in stunning neon colors, like orange, pink, green, blue, and yellow. There was a large variety of shapes and sizes too!
My other main stop on the island was the Wadjemup Lighthouse that was built in 1849 and stands 127 feet tall. I went on a guided tour of the Lighthouse and got to look out from the top. The massive Fresnel lens floats on a pool of mercury to reduce friction while rotating.
If I ever go back to Perth, I will definitely return to Rotto and at least stay overnight to see all of the spectacular island! This week, I am working on my research project and will then travel up to Mackay, Queensland for a few days.