Struan 1961 - Adm.monash.edu

or two, and has weakened to the incredible foolishnessof whacking in a bid for a washing machinewhich, but for motor and rollers and perforatedwashing tank, would be in Al condition - smallmatters, confides the urgent-tongued orator engagedin conducting this mammoth business duringtheir weekly meet, which any handyman can fix.Above all things Jim is a handyman. One Saturday,just before lunch - the event now retold athousand times to Alice's discomfort and secretdelight (as long as woman is talked about, thereason doesn't matter) - when all excited and theflame of knowledge and torch of burning positivelybursting from her agile little frame - out Alicedashed to tell Jim the news."Ooh , didn't I get a bargain today! Talk about abit of luck! The boys will be right for all theirfuture learning . . . ."Jim, anxious as ever, glanced like a startledprawn. "How much did yer spend, dear?""Just think. Anything at all they want to learn- just look it up.""How much dear?"" . . . Good for you , too, Jim. You never knowanything when Mick asks you.""HOW MUCH? And what did you get?""Eh! How much - only 2/- each. Beautiful encyclopaedias- all bound in leather with gold. Bea dear and whip over and pick them up for me ."Jim, of course, should have known better. The"them" should have woken him up. But, as saidalready, the virus was likely to give him a nip inthe walle t occa sionally like any other mortal. And"bound in leather" did sound ripe elegant - fitlovely on the book-case (ex-chamber-pot-holder).So off he went to the auction emporium, over to thepaying counter."Sullivan's lot, mate" - a well-known cry in theRooms. "Right. Encyclopaedias at 2/- each. Mumbought the lot, sixty of them. That's six quid, mate!""Six quid! ! Blimey, Gawd above - where arethese bleeding books?"They did look lovely, all bound in leather ­and they would look lovely in the book-case - thatgold lettering and book numbers would give a bitof polish to the room, and anyway, they couldbe a present in advance for Christmas or anniversary,and with growing children you need to beable to lay your hands on the answers to thequestions always embarrassing a well-meaning, butpoorly informed Dad.Yes, perhaps the old girl wasn't too far off thistime. Six quid's a lot of money, but sixty booksweren't. 'really dear. Only one thing wrong, really- the encyclopaedias were in YIDDISH!STRUANF.T.C.O!NTOU,RTASMANIAN TOUROn the 13th of September, thirty-three membersof thi s college gaily boarded the "Princess ofTasmania" convinced that they would be wonderfulsailors on this, their first sea journey. The followingmorning when the ship berthed at Devonport eachwas firmly resolved never again voluntarily to walka gang-plank. This change of attitude may perhapsbe attributed to insomnia. We all found that sittingup in a chair is not conducive to sleep and that thedeck floor isn't comparable with a feather bed.These discomforts, when coupled with a rolling,lurching ship, made sleep spasmodic and possibleonly for the very hardy.Almost as soon as we landed on Tasmanian soilwe boarded a bus. With the exception of two shorttrain trips this was virtually our only mode of transport.From the bus we saw many wonderful scenesand Sheila's vivid commentaries made the long tripseven more enjoyable.We found the Tasmanian police particularly helpfuland eager to show us around their district. Ina small, country courthouse we held a mock trialand learned the correct procedure for entering thewitness stand. Through discussion with thesepolicemen we learned much about Tasmaniangeography and wildlife.One trip of special interest was to the homes ofour ancestors. Howe ver I cannot say that I likedtheir accommodation down at Port Arthur. Wewere amused to note that some years earlier a misguidedpastor considered converting them into guesthouses. Admittedly the sunrise is very beautifulbut just how much of it can you see through barredwindows?Later when we visited the Hastings LimestoneCaves we felt a similar horror of enclosure. Theguide informed us that the caves took about fortymillion years to develop. It made our eighteenyears seem a very insignificant period in comparisonto those of nature. It was a pleasure to return toground level.From our headquarters in Hobart we visited theCadbury chocolate factory and the Risdon zincworks. As we had previously visited several powerstations and the Mt. Lyell smelting works we wereable to appreciate the value of Tasmanian industryas well as to enjoy her natural scenic beauty.PBgO Thirty-throe