Australia, Experiment In International Living Trip -- 1969
1969 Trip to Australia with the Experiment in International Living
Typed on Aug 10, 2006 from notes written on November 16 & 18, 1976)
The Experiment in International Living’s concept of international traveling permits each experimenter to share family life with a host family and to discover the country with natives of the country. It is not tourism or spending days at a replica hotel.
Why Australia? Because neighter Dad or Grandpa had ever journeyed there and both had wanted to. Because Nova Scotian ancestors had sailed there. Because it was an English speaking country or so I thought. It took me more than a week to understand the Australian dialect.
On July 1, 1969, 11 Americans from around the United States met at a hotel in Oakland, California. The Morleys met me at airport and we had dinner. Allen Parkman from California was our 29 year old leader.
In an Oakland, California hotel 10 experiments bound for Australia finally discovered each other amid a myriad of experimenters ready for Japan. Our leader, 19 year old Alan Parkman, lead us in a jog- carrying all our luggage around several blocks. Excess baggage was sent home.
Our 24 hour Quantes flight from Oakland to Sidney stopped briefly at airports in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Figi Islands. The initial flight crew, exceedingly friendly, shared talkd and champagne with us. Later, one steward, Tom Richardson, looked us up and took some to an animal park. Friendliness and enthusiasm greeted us everywhere in Australia. Our accents (varied as they were) opened doors and adventures to us constantly. I was saddened that Australians admired America so much that they wished to grow up just like America. They had trouble believing were from the same country since we spoke in such a variety of accents.
July 2 -- We met with Australia and Japanese experiments at the hotel, jogged around the hotel carrying luggage. Those that found bags too heavy sent stuff home.
We flew from Oakland to Honolulu airport, Hawaii, Figi Island airport on Quantes Airlines. The stewards shared wine and champagne with us. We sat in the back rows.
July 3, 1969 – No July 3 because of time change.
The members of our group were:
Tom Condry from Texas Mary Ann Riley from Georgia
Gloria Pucci from Rhode Island Martha Williamson (Rimmer) - Arkansas
Diana Noble from Case Western Reserve Karen Ross from New Jersey
Darby Ringer from Minnesota Jackie Robbie from Colorado
Betsy Speicher from Pennsylvannia Allen Parkman (our leader) from California
Cathy Eaton from Ohio
We ranged in age from 18 to 29.
I stayed with Frank and Hazel Collins and their four children Kevin, Jeff, Denise, and Jennifer. Jeff dated Jan Ross and Kevin dated Pauline. Jennifer dated Neil Endean (he came on trip with us) and Denise dated Wesel Kirkup. Special people I became friends with were Ray Watson, Fran Blencowe, Keith Waters, Dave Waters, our bus driver Jack Coy, Lloyd Brain, Collin Dahlengburg, Sandra McDonald, Jacquie Cassidy, Jduy Mountford, and Dick Saunderson.
July 4, 1969 – We saw sunrise over the Sidney harbor. We spent our initiation period at the Narabian National Fitness Camp where we recovered from jet lag and traded researched information with each other. Each of the members of our group picked an area of expertise to orient the others, such as wildlife, vegetation, education, politics, geography, and history.
July 5 - 7, 1969
A day trip, via ferry, to Sidney showed us the Royal Britannica Gardens, the shell shaped Opera House, Sidney University, and the zoo. I remember sea gulls diving for our sandwiches on a picnic we had overlooking the harbor. Some people heard our accents and bought a parcel of chips. Fish and Chips there are as popular as hamburgers and French fries here. Back at the camp, we hiked, water skied at sun set, and had a cook out with the counselors from the camp. Steve Fairnham, John Garner, and Sue McLean worked there and helped with our orientation.
July 7 Steward from plane (Tom Richardson) came to see Karen.
July 7 or 8 --- We flew to our host town Leeton in New South Wales. It was a small farm town in where we each lived with a different family. I must have been nervous because that day at a luncheon with the mayor I introduced myself and couldn’t remember where I went to school. Back at the Collins home, it took me about five hours to find toilet (in room separate from sink and tub that was outside.) After dinner the Collins shoed family slides, and their adopted Grandfather, Wesel Kirkuup, showed slide after slide of Angus cattle from trip to New Zealand. I fell asleep. Woops.
My Australian family, due to inability to pay inheritance taxes twice, lost their farm and unwillingly moved to the town. Frank, the father, hired himself out to be foreman type jobs on various farms. The eldest son, Kevin (20) worked in a canning factory. His gfiance Pauline was a nurse. The second son, Jeff, (18) worked at a garage; his girlfriend, Jan, was a beautician. Jennifer (14) and Denise (13) were still in school. Jennifer hated to write and consequently had weeks of compositions overdue. The Collins, good natured and full of humor, were very kind to me. Their family life, different from outs, involved much late afternoon television (still a new innovation in rural Australia) and lacked the reading of any books. The only two books they had were the bible and a dictionary. Few people in the town went beyond high school education, and most grew up and worked locally.
During our weeks in Leeton, the experiment group toured cattle, sheep, and orange farms, experimental food stations, an agricultural college, the canning factory, a bakery, irrigation systems. The townspeople fed us with scrumptious teas and baked goods wherever we went. Once the boys were offered beer, and since I don’t drink tea or coffee, I eagerly accepted. My reputation spread. I became known as the Yankee who drank beer. One fateful evening at a Lion’s Club meeting, my zealous Australian hosts kept refilling my large beer mug. By dinner I had finished three huge mugs. Seat next to and across from Australian adults – all asking me serious US/Australian questions – I did my bewt to focus on their faces. I became extremely worried when dinner was finished and it seemed as if a lecture would start immediately. I was most relieved when the speaker announced a “wee break.” In a rigged drawing I won a bottle of bubbly.
I spent many days with Mrs. Collins visiting friends, animal parks, or other towns. We enjoued group parties where the boys and girls often segregated themselves, family times. I watched field hockey, basketball, and Aussi Rules, my favorite game to watch. Mrs. Collins, the head of the family, was talkative, firm, a competent seamstress. Mr. Collins was quiet but not without humor. I was sad he no longer had his own farm. I stayed in a room that was usually the sewing room. Jeff, my favorite, would have loved to work on a farm also. Jeff was friendly, affectionate, jolly, and fun. Kevin was more sarcastic and not quite content. Jennifer was shy but kind hearted. Denise was a little flirt who loved to have a good time and a boy friend.
I remember one party where I wore a fake long hair d0. It got so hot at party that I took it off and some boy thought I had cut my hair. I also remember at bars that women were supposed to go separate rooms. I also pretended I didn’t know that rule and just went along with the guys to the bar.
The Collins gave me a wonderful 19th birthday party. Mrs. Collins rebuked me when I tried to eat a strawberry off the top of the cake. For presents I got a toy koala bear and baby and a purse made from kangaroo. I bought an aborigine picture made of bark.
The highlight of the trip for me was our bus trip around eastern Australia with about 13 Australians. A member of each Australian family was supposed to attend the trip. Neil Endeon substituted for the Collins family. Keith and Dave Waters, Ray Watson, Fran Blencowe, Judy Mountford, Collin Dahlingbury came on our trip. We began at the capital, a clean, neatly laid out city that seemed lifeless compared to Sidney or Melbourne. During the day we toured cities, war memorials, dams, ski area, many picnic sites, and animal parks. At night we stayed up late: drinking, roaming, and othersise making mischief. In the bus we played 500 (a rummy card game) and caught up on our sleep. Every noon we stopped in the country side for picnics. It was exciting to see from the bus windows a kangaroo hopping down the road. I loved apple butter on bread.
At Canberra University I visited Sir Mark Oliphant, a friend of Grandpa’s. I remember his small desk was covered with cigarettes, cigars, and several pipes. He helped invent the atom bomb. That was the day that Neil, Fran, and I snuck back and shsort sheeted many of the guys’ beds (even Neil’s so as to hide our identity.) Then we left and arrived nonchalantly after everyone else was back. Of course, it started a war, but we were never suspected. Squirt gun and snow ball fights occurred.
We spent several days at Dalm Once I rented warped wooden skis and skied on a glacier.eny beach. The girls roomed in the casual resort house which had a huge kitchen and living room. The boys roomed in adjacent small cabins. We divided into three crews, alternating cooking, cleaning up kitchen, and doing the house duties. Remember it was winter. The ocean water was freezing, but some of us brave fools jumped in and out of the ocean. Ray and others fished without any luck. Several nights we had late night cookouts on the beach – roaring fires, hot soup, baked potatoes in foil, and blankets. At a nearby gamboling establishment (one eyed bandit bar), I won an Australian dollar for chugging a beer. The sandy beach extended for miles, and very few other people were about. I spent most of time with Keith, Ray, and Jack, the bus driver.
The last city we visited was Melbourne. There we cheered on an Aussi rules game. One night, roaming the street very late, we sat in stiff chairs and applauded merrily a great jug band. Melbourne, more sophisticated than Sidney (whose many red roofs I remember) was great fun. Keith slipped a disk, but recovered.
On the final day of our bus trip we visited a wildlife park. We watched lizards devour mice for lunch. I saw my first Koala outside of a zoo, huge imoos, and kangaroos. To prevent sadness at finishing our bus tour, those of us at the back of the bus finished all the opened bottles of wine we had aboard. Got very shi’faced. Not realizing were awaited at the Leeton bus station, I disembarked early and went to a football rally. Alan called everybody to locate me. Everybody was displeased with me, and I never quite regained the closeness I had one had with the Collins family. Those last days in Leeton were filled with preparing for our farewell banquet. I spent as much time as possible with Keith Waters, my first true love! The party was splendid, fairdinkum!
Tearful parting from Australian families, friends, and Keith. He gave me a friendship ring that had once belonged to his girl who had died. Then we were off to Sidney, Brisbane (a warm beach resort). We saw Fiddler on the Roof and I bought black opal earrings and a ring and almost missed my plane while shopkeeper was verifying my identity. Our groups separated and dwindled leaving Martha, Tom, Jackie and me to fly to New Zealand. We rented a car and drove around both islands. Mother and Dad wouldn’t let me plane hitchhike with Alan to Adelaide and Perth. I couldn’t drive a stick shift so my job was to keep spirits up and tell stories. I loved the fiords. We were tourists driving an Austin 11, driving most of the days and spending the nights at $3.00 and $4.00 bed and breakfast places or boarding in rooms in homes. We talked to few New Zealanders, unlike our experience I Australia where we conversed with everyone. The New Zealand homes were mostly tri-colored (i.e. red roof, blue house, yellow shutters.) Many houses had tidy gardens, very English.
We visited a glacier and extraordinary caves that were lighted by some mysterious substance. I spent an afternoon skiing on a glacier on warped wooden skis. The skiing was good, the day spring like, and the rented equipment miserable. We all took a boat tour of the Melford Sound, where we viewed gigantic cascades. Some parts of the lake were 1200 feet deep. Forty feet of rain each year created beautiful lakes. We stayed in unheated cabins one night. I particularly enjoyed the crafts of the Maori Indians, a Polynesian tribe thought to have arrived in canoes or rafts. I bought a Maori rug. We took the ferry from south island to north island. The beer was excellent.
Tom, Martha and I continued to Figi, where we almost couldn’t find lodging. We partied with a Peace Corp contingent and spent one glorious SUMMER day boating to an island from where we snorkeled. We saw gorgeous coral, bright fish, a string ray, and I got coral poisoning and a terrible sun burn. That night the Fijian beer helped us tie one on. We watched native dancing, left Figi at 2 or 3 AM. Stopped briefly at Hawaiian airport, spent several hours in San Francisco, and arrived with Martha at 6 AM in Cleveland. We were met by Mom, John, and Elizabeth. I was very tired and ill from sun and coral poisoning. I revived quickly and wa glad to spend time with Cy before he took off for Peace Corp training and two years in The Gambia, West Africa.
Typed on Aug 10, 2006 from notes written on November 16 & 18, 1976)
The Experiment in International Living’s concept of international traveling permits each experimenter to share family life with a host family and to discover the country with natives of the country. It is not tourism or spending days at a replica hotel.
Why Australia? Because neighter Dad or Grandpa had ever journeyed there and both had wanted to. Because Nova Scotian ancestors had sailed there. Because it was an English speaking country or so I thought. It took me more than a week to understand the Australian dialect.
On July 1, 1969, 11 Americans from around the United States met at a hotel in Oakland, California. The Morleys met me at airport and we had dinner. Allen Parkman from California was our 29 year old leader.
In an Oakland, California hotel 10 experiments bound for Australia finally discovered each other amid a myriad of experimenters ready for Japan. Our leader, 19 year old Alan Parkman, lead us in a jog- carrying all our luggage around several blocks. Excess baggage was sent home.
Our 24 hour Quantes flight from Oakland to Sidney stopped briefly at airports in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Figi Islands. The initial flight crew, exceedingly friendly, shared talkd and champagne with us. Later, one steward, Tom Richardson, looked us up and took some to an animal park. Friendliness and enthusiasm greeted us everywhere in Australia. Our accents (varied as they were) opened doors and adventures to us constantly. I was saddened that Australians admired America so much that they wished to grow up just like America. They had trouble believing were from the same country since we spoke in such a variety of accents.
July 2 -- We met with Australia and Japanese experiments at the hotel, jogged around the hotel carrying luggage. Those that found bags too heavy sent stuff home.
We flew from Oakland to Honolulu airport, Hawaii, Figi Island airport on Quantes Airlines. The stewards shared wine and champagne with us. We sat in the back rows.
July 3, 1969 – No July 3 because of time change.
The members of our group were:
Tom Condry from Texas Mary Ann Riley from Georgia
Gloria Pucci from Rhode Island Martha Williamson (Rimmer) - Arkansas
Diana Noble from Case Western Reserve Karen Ross from New Jersey
Darby Ringer from Minnesota Jackie Robbie from Colorado
Betsy Speicher from Pennsylvannia Allen Parkman (our leader) from California
Cathy Eaton from Ohio
We ranged in age from 18 to 29.
I stayed with Frank and Hazel Collins and their four children Kevin, Jeff, Denise, and Jennifer. Jeff dated Jan Ross and Kevin dated Pauline. Jennifer dated Neil Endean (he came on trip with us) and Denise dated Wesel Kirkup. Special people I became friends with were Ray Watson, Fran Blencowe, Keith Waters, Dave Waters, our bus driver Jack Coy, Lloyd Brain, Collin Dahlengburg, Sandra McDonald, Jacquie Cassidy, Jduy Mountford, and Dick Saunderson.
July 4, 1969 – We saw sunrise over the Sidney harbor. We spent our initiation period at the Narabian National Fitness Camp where we recovered from jet lag and traded researched information with each other. Each of the members of our group picked an area of expertise to orient the others, such as wildlife, vegetation, education, politics, geography, and history.
July 5 - 7, 1969
A day trip, via ferry, to Sidney showed us the Royal Britannica Gardens, the shell shaped Opera House, Sidney University, and the zoo. I remember sea gulls diving for our sandwiches on a picnic we had overlooking the harbor. Some people heard our accents and bought a parcel of chips. Fish and Chips there are as popular as hamburgers and French fries here. Back at the camp, we hiked, water skied at sun set, and had a cook out with the counselors from the camp. Steve Fairnham, John Garner, and Sue McLean worked there and helped with our orientation.
July 7 Steward from plane (Tom Richardson) came to see Karen.
July 7 or 8 --- We flew to our host town Leeton in New South Wales. It was a small farm town in where we each lived with a different family. I must have been nervous because that day at a luncheon with the mayor I introduced myself and couldn’t remember where I went to school. Back at the Collins home, it took me about five hours to find toilet (in room separate from sink and tub that was outside.) After dinner the Collins shoed family slides, and their adopted Grandfather, Wesel Kirkuup, showed slide after slide of Angus cattle from trip to New Zealand. I fell asleep. Woops.
My Australian family, due to inability to pay inheritance taxes twice, lost their farm and unwillingly moved to the town. Frank, the father, hired himself out to be foreman type jobs on various farms. The eldest son, Kevin (20) worked in a canning factory. His gfiance Pauline was a nurse. The second son, Jeff, (18) worked at a garage; his girlfriend, Jan, was a beautician. Jennifer (14) and Denise (13) were still in school. Jennifer hated to write and consequently had weeks of compositions overdue. The Collins, good natured and full of humor, were very kind to me. Their family life, different from outs, involved much late afternoon television (still a new innovation in rural Australia) and lacked the reading of any books. The only two books they had were the bible and a dictionary. Few people in the town went beyond high school education, and most grew up and worked locally.
During our weeks in Leeton, the experiment group toured cattle, sheep, and orange farms, experimental food stations, an agricultural college, the canning factory, a bakery, irrigation systems. The townspeople fed us with scrumptious teas and baked goods wherever we went. Once the boys were offered beer, and since I don’t drink tea or coffee, I eagerly accepted. My reputation spread. I became known as the Yankee who drank beer. One fateful evening at a Lion’s Club meeting, my zealous Australian hosts kept refilling my large beer mug. By dinner I had finished three huge mugs. Seat next to and across from Australian adults – all asking me serious US/Australian questions – I did my bewt to focus on their faces. I became extremely worried when dinner was finished and it seemed as if a lecture would start immediately. I was most relieved when the speaker announced a “wee break.” In a rigged drawing I won a bottle of bubbly.
I spent many days with Mrs. Collins visiting friends, animal parks, or other towns. We enjoued group parties where the boys and girls often segregated themselves, family times. I watched field hockey, basketball, and Aussi Rules, my favorite game to watch. Mrs. Collins, the head of the family, was talkative, firm, a competent seamstress. Mr. Collins was quiet but not without humor. I was sad he no longer had his own farm. I stayed in a room that was usually the sewing room. Jeff, my favorite, would have loved to work on a farm also. Jeff was friendly, affectionate, jolly, and fun. Kevin was more sarcastic and not quite content. Jennifer was shy but kind hearted. Denise was a little flirt who loved to have a good time and a boy friend.
I remember one party where I wore a fake long hair d0. It got so hot at party that I took it off and some boy thought I had cut my hair. I also remember at bars that women were supposed to go separate rooms. I also pretended I didn’t know that rule and just went along with the guys to the bar.
The Collins gave me a wonderful 19th birthday party. Mrs. Collins rebuked me when I tried to eat a strawberry off the top of the cake. For presents I got a toy koala bear and baby and a purse made from kangaroo. I bought an aborigine picture made of bark.
The highlight of the trip for me was our bus trip around eastern Australia with about 13 Australians. A member of each Australian family was supposed to attend the trip. Neil Endeon substituted for the Collins family. Keith and Dave Waters, Ray Watson, Fran Blencowe, Judy Mountford, Collin Dahlingbury came on our trip. We began at the capital, a clean, neatly laid out city that seemed lifeless compared to Sidney or Melbourne. During the day we toured cities, war memorials, dams, ski area, many picnic sites, and animal parks. At night we stayed up late: drinking, roaming, and othersise making mischief. In the bus we played 500 (a rummy card game) and caught up on our sleep. Every noon we stopped in the country side for picnics. It was exciting to see from the bus windows a kangaroo hopping down the road. I loved apple butter on bread.
At Canberra University I visited Sir Mark Oliphant, a friend of Grandpa’s. I remember his small desk was covered with cigarettes, cigars, and several pipes. He helped invent the atom bomb. That was the day that Neil, Fran, and I snuck back and shsort sheeted many of the guys’ beds (even Neil’s so as to hide our identity.) Then we left and arrived nonchalantly after everyone else was back. Of course, it started a war, but we were never suspected. Squirt gun and snow ball fights occurred.
We spent several days at Dalm Once I rented warped wooden skis and skied on a glacier.eny beach. The girls roomed in the casual resort house which had a huge kitchen and living room. The boys roomed in adjacent small cabins. We divided into three crews, alternating cooking, cleaning up kitchen, and doing the house duties. Remember it was winter. The ocean water was freezing, but some of us brave fools jumped in and out of the ocean. Ray and others fished without any luck. Several nights we had late night cookouts on the beach – roaring fires, hot soup, baked potatoes in foil, and blankets. At a nearby gamboling establishment (one eyed bandit bar), I won an Australian dollar for chugging a beer. The sandy beach extended for miles, and very few other people were about. I spent most of time with Keith, Ray, and Jack, the bus driver.
The last city we visited was Melbourne. There we cheered on an Aussi rules game. One night, roaming the street very late, we sat in stiff chairs and applauded merrily a great jug band. Melbourne, more sophisticated than Sidney (whose many red roofs I remember) was great fun. Keith slipped a disk, but recovered.
On the final day of our bus trip we visited a wildlife park. We watched lizards devour mice for lunch. I saw my first Koala outside of a zoo, huge imoos, and kangaroos. To prevent sadness at finishing our bus tour, those of us at the back of the bus finished all the opened bottles of wine we had aboard. Got very shi’faced. Not realizing were awaited at the Leeton bus station, I disembarked early and went to a football rally. Alan called everybody to locate me. Everybody was displeased with me, and I never quite regained the closeness I had one had with the Collins family. Those last days in Leeton were filled with preparing for our farewell banquet. I spent as much time as possible with Keith Waters, my first true love! The party was splendid, fairdinkum!
Tearful parting from Australian families, friends, and Keith. He gave me a friendship ring that had once belonged to his girl who had died. Then we were off to Sidney, Brisbane (a warm beach resort). We saw Fiddler on the Roof and I bought black opal earrings and a ring and almost missed my plane while shopkeeper was verifying my identity. Our groups separated and dwindled leaving Martha, Tom, Jackie and me to fly to New Zealand. We rented a car and drove around both islands. Mother and Dad wouldn’t let me plane hitchhike with Alan to Adelaide and Perth. I couldn’t drive a stick shift so my job was to keep spirits up and tell stories. I loved the fiords. We were tourists driving an Austin 11, driving most of the days and spending the nights at $3.00 and $4.00 bed and breakfast places or boarding in rooms in homes. We talked to few New Zealanders, unlike our experience I Australia where we conversed with everyone. The New Zealand homes were mostly tri-colored (i.e. red roof, blue house, yellow shutters.) Many houses had tidy gardens, very English.
We visited a glacier and extraordinary caves that were lighted by some mysterious substance. I spent an afternoon skiing on a glacier on warped wooden skis. The skiing was good, the day spring like, and the rented equipment miserable. We all took a boat tour of the Melford Sound, where we viewed gigantic cascades. Some parts of the lake were 1200 feet deep. Forty feet of rain each year created beautiful lakes. We stayed in unheated cabins one night. I particularly enjoyed the crafts of the Maori Indians, a Polynesian tribe thought to have arrived in canoes or rafts. I bought a Maori rug. We took the ferry from south island to north island. The beer was excellent.
Tom, Martha and I continued to Figi, where we almost couldn’t find lodging. We partied with a Peace Corp contingent and spent one glorious SUMMER day boating to an island from where we snorkeled. We saw gorgeous coral, bright fish, a string ray, and I got coral poisoning and a terrible sun burn. That night the Fijian beer helped us tie one on. We watched native dancing, left Figi at 2 or 3 AM. Stopped briefly at Hawaiian airport, spent several hours in San Francisco, and arrived with Martha at 6 AM in Cleveland. We were met by Mom, John, and Elizabeth. I was very tired and ill from sun and coral poisoning. I revived quickly and wa glad to spend time with Cy before he took off for Peace Corp training and two years in The Gambia, West Africa.