Alex Wardrop

From the past:

"My mother soldiers on and I regularly go and hack at her urban jungle in Asquith...."

2004

I was born in Holt Avenue Cremorne, only a couple of blocks from where I now live in Mosman. We lived down Milson Road Cremorne Point, until I was four, in a block of flats that the dog and I occasionally walk past. To my great regret I have no recollection of either the trams or the ferries which were so close by.

We then moved to a sub-divided dairy farm in semi-rural Asquith where I grew up and refined my “unco-ness” - I left a trail of broken specs behind me as I unsuccessfully tried to play sport. I also survived a three-month brush with golden staph when I was ten and about the same time that my sister Mary broke her elbow. My parents must have wondered what they had done to deserve this.

I then became a founding pupil of ABHS in 1960 in the remains of the Hornsby Tech College, burnt out by the immense bush fires of the year before. We moved, ie marched en ecole, to ABHS’ permanent site in mid 1960 to the site where elephants had previously grazed. I then settled into a character-forming five years. I have to acknowledge the inspiration of my teachers, especially Ezra Goldstein, Ellis Reynolds, John Wheeler, Austen Hayes, Nancy Patterson and Robert Pugh, but there were others, including my first(?) year’s class teacher Miss Timmins. In latter years I hung out with Kim Sweeney, Keith Peterson, James Warner and Chris Rath.

There were vignettes, some embarrassing, others memorable. Some of us attended the first school mathematics contests and school science awards. There was a bizarre incident (I was subsequently told) of a school prize donor who objected to my choice of prize in the last year (a travelogue of the USSR - this being mid Cold War). There was my regret that I did not have to travel by train to school (I was within walking distance) because of the socialising (echoed later by my daughter who caught the ferry to school for much the same reasons). There were the unexpected appreciative comments from teachers when I had a 15 second brush with fame when I asked a Question of the great Menzies about Australia’s early commitment to Vietnam. My other brush with fame was last year when I was filmed as an expert witness for the Waterfall Inquiry (I made a dignified dash for sanctuary in the GPO, but never actually saw any of the news clips).

University (UNSW, graduated 1969 and 1974) followed. This was a huge wrench because my school fellow travellers went to Sydney. However I kept up my friendship with Kim Sweeney through Uni and afterwards. Largely by accident, I joined the NSW Railways because they offered me a holiday research officer job ahead of BHP. I had an enjoyable time there, notwithstanding a colleagues suggesting that I be sacked forwearing a Vietnam Moratorium badge. I worked on early Sydney Airport studies until I was sick of them. I worked on the Sydney Area Transportation Study and wrote some of the public transport recommendations. I caught the travel bug by travelling around Australia with some Canuk friends (with whom I still keep in touch) in three weeks. I had the usual disasterous love affairs, including one for which I was sacked and then reinstated!

Then marriage and a move to Canberra beckoned. We both joined the Circus (sorry, the Commonwealth Public Service). I enjoyed living in Canberra but hated the company town atmosphere (pace Peter Grey!). I gave up Policy Departments and went to the Department of the Capital Territory (a bit like the Brisbane City Council). After practicing on Tasmania and Fiji, we did the Big Trip: Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, USSR and UK. Yes, Intourist and all. Those were the days when you had to hide some countries’ visas from others. And you could not export Roubles. I am still moved by the thought of standing by the monthly burial mounds from the siege of Leningrad. My only brush with the Stasi was when I was awoken in the middle of the night at Berlin Friedrichstrasse to prove that I was not smuggling someone to the West). I caught my interest in mathematical scheduling from my stint with the Canberra Bus Service. I was also able to tell my father that he was going to be a grandfather (Tim was borne in Canberra just before Christmas 1978, Caroline was borne in Sydney October 1980) before he died from cancer. My mother soldiers on and I regularly go and hack at her urban jungle in Asquith.

Mother Sydney and consulting drew me away from Canberra. I quickly learnt to borrow my client’s watch to tell him the time. I started building mathematical models of railways which has lead to the development of railway timetables in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Auckland, Hong Kong, Taipei and even the Channel Tunnel as I moved through a succession of companies to my own (ie shareholder). Our software created the Sydney Olympics timetables (as well as the recent disasters!). All the while I notched up new countries and experiences. I worked in Argentina on grain handling and experienced a Pope’s visit, military revolt and popular uprising, all within one week. I was also in Buenos Aires at the time of the World Polo Championships. When someone asked whether I represented Australia, we fell about laughing - my riding prowess can be summed up by the occasion when a horse shook me off its back.

Various trips to North America, Hong Kong and Taiwan and Europe and even back to Fiji (I had wanted to get a copy of my father’s birth certificate when I was in Suva but there was rush by the locals to get their own birth details, so I missed out). Toured Portugal (fond memories of the Caves in Oporto) before doing some work on the Channel Tunnel. Visited Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden at the time when the Commonwealth and State Governments were contemplating very high speed trains (and got shickered at the 8th Annual Asparagus Festival in Nuremburg and then travelled to Bayreuth in a tilt train on a hangover the next day). Took my daughter on a brief trip of London, Edinburgh, Scotland (they saw us coming at a wee village beside Loch Ness) and Paris (clearly soft in the head!) on the back of a conference in Berlin (where I could walk where I could not 25 years previously).

The most recent highlight was Peru (last year), notwithstanding trashing a quarter of my holiday in a Peruvian hospital and convalesence because of Cellulitis (I could not walk for four days!). However, I made it to Machu Picchu, a 25 year old dream (see attached before and after JPEGs). Very disappointed that I only got to 3500 metres. However I hope to make Pike’s Peak (4300 metres, behind Colorado Springs) in a month or so’s time.

I occasionally bump into old Asquithians. I met Jeff Richardson in the Railways years ago. I met Casper Ozinga through our baby sitting club. I see David Hensher every so often in the Chartered Institute of Transport. I bumped into Stig and failed to recognise him in Clarence Street (but he did me). Made up for this by recognising Ian Alwill at Southbank (Melbourne). I see Graeme Bolton at the Australian Railway Historical Society. However, I have not seen either Kim Sweeney or Chris Rath for years.

I think I am now looking for a seachange.