Struan 1962 - Adm.monash.edu.au

EIIglish Jourlley • • •"Quick! The white cliffs of Dover are in sight."My pulse quickened, I must confess, as I heard the words. I paced upto A deck to catch a glimpse of England - my first glimpse.There they were - white and perpendicular, with the sun setting behindthem - the legendary cliffs of Dover. A lump rose in my throat and I calledmyself an idiot for feeling so choked up . But the white cliffs, becomingclearer now , and the fairy-like silhouette of Dover Castle, meant so manythings to us Australians. It was the Old Country. It was the beloved country.It was John of Gaunt's England. It was Churchill's England facing the armedmight of Europe. It was so many things . . .Husbands and wives stood closer togeth er , their hands touching.Children were lifted on shoulders. Tears were furtively wiped away. I wasuncertain of my own voice as I said, "It's just as I imagined it." Suddenly alight soprano voice began to sing, "The White Cliffs of Dover." Instantly itwas taken up by allan deck. I had heard the song in Sydney, in PortMoresby, in the Mallee, but it sounded different here in the Channel- morepoignant, more meaningful. Here it was the cry of the exile coming home, thewanderer returning and saying, "Thanks be to God." The sentimental dittyhad become a hymn in praise of England.Nine months later, and some of the questions I had asked myself aboutEngland were in process of being answered. But the answers to most wereindecisive, and new questions were beginning to shape themselves."What does England look like to an Australian?" This is the questionthat is easiest to answer. A superficial listing of similarities and differenceswill provide an answer to this type of question. "What are the underlyingphilosophies that govern the thinking and doing of Englishmen?" Thisquestion is infinitely more difficult - but more rewarding if seriouslyattempted.Now let us look first at the more obvious things that set England andEnglishmen apart from Australians.1. Class distinction is accepted everywhere as being some sort ofDivinely-ordained precept.This is what annoyed me most in England - this and the train of social_- _ .....'"""',_v ;,,;i:.;;;; c,;;;;~ e s thE t i,t trig ers off. Now let's et down to ca ses.On my first day in London a big be-medalled flunkey in hotel liveryopened a taxi door in piccadilly and escorted a lordly gentleman across the ,footpath. I was about to pass in front of the hotel when the b-m.I, movedhis arm across so that I would not impede the passage of the lordly gentleman.In Australia I would have used the colourful local idiom to describePage Fifty-Six STRUAN, 1962