Jump Ship

[waarmstrong]

Is not that one of the places to where many Australians trace their roots?

 

[Fred]

He is from Yorkshire remember

I should qualify my previous answer.
Barnsley, or at least I identify more with that town than where I was actually born, is my first life home town.
After my first visits to South East Asia, lots of bits of it, I realised I'd been fucking about like a prat since I stopped being a greasy biker.
Loads of stress and hard work but only cash to show for it, not really much of a life.
The move to central Java was a new life, and a very nice one, so I sort of identify as coming from Wonosobo as well.

Sad as I am, I'm repeating the situation of crackpot working hours and stress for cash so it's time to move on, at least in what I do to earn a living as I really love living in Indonesia so there's no chance of moving away from this country.
Between a couple of investments and cash in the bank, I could live reasonably well for ten to twenty years without working but I'm not one to sit on my fat arse for very long, so it's time to do something new.
Maybe start a small business, nothing fancy, just enough to keep me mildly busy and bring in enough cash to live on without touching savings, ten mill a month would look after that easily.
Perhaps a little private school for conversational English or maybe tourism .. or killing people for cash.
I suspect the latter is a great stress reliever but, much as it sounds like great fun, I suspect writing a text book about conversational English along with listening comprehension and cultural understanding might be an easier field to get in to.
I went wild and got all educated over the last ten years so I'm in a fair position to do that and maybe sell myself as a motivational speaker (or call boy - I'm an import so should be able to get a good price).
I even do a little something for an extremely well known UK uni these days so maybe there's a few possibilities to do more for them.
I would be quite keen on returning to Java in the next couple of years, maybe before. We're looking for suitable schools for the kids, that meaning English medium and no curriculum 13, or 'kurikulum tidak jelas' as I heard it called at a conference last week.

 

[AcehProf]

What happened with the old forum? Why is it a burning ship? Just checked in after a year or so, and everyone is gone.

 

[waarmstrong]

All the rats have abandon ship. Although I am still a card carrying member, I rarely sign in except when checking domestic staff posts.

 

[harryopal1]

You should fit right in. Your self portrait makes me wonder if you are from Australia

On behalf of all other Australians I feel I must protest at an apparent implication that Australians are weird and unattractive.
Almost without exception (Perhaps 3 or 4 , maybe 9 exceptions ) all Australians are polite, well groomed, respectful of other people, tall, tanned, sporting and generous to a fault. The men that is. I do accept that some Australian women swear a bit. Ohh yes, and some of the men drink a bit. But in general Australians are probably the nicest, people on the planet.

 

[brian@bekasi]

On behalf of all other Australians I feel I must protest at an apparent implication that Australians are weird and unattractive.
Almost without exception (Perhaps 3 or 4 , 9 maybe exceptions ) all Australians are polite, well groomed, respectful of other people, tall, tanned, sporting and generous to a fault. The men that is. I do accept that some Australian women swear a bit. Ohh yes, and some of the men drink a bit. But in general Australians are probably the nicest, people on the planet.

I second that statement. Shame I missed out on being tall and tanned.

 

[Banana72]

Margot Robbie, I believe is an Australian..and I think she is delightful.

 

[steveandpenny]

Oh I must have been thinking of a different country...my bad... so who are all those loud drunk people in Bali? I' sure they weren' from the states cause they talked funny. They are alwas looking for a "mate.

 

[AcehProf]

Oh I must have been thinking of a different country...my bad... so who are all those loud drunk people in Bali? I' sure they weren' from the states cause they talked funny. They are alwas looking for a "mate.

I had my introduction in 1980 Istanbul. There was only one place open to drink back then. When I see video of present-day, it's mind boggling the change. Anyway, this sole Aussie taught everyone the lyrics to 99 Bottles of Beer acted out in real display. Changed my perception of OZ and its people forever, lmfao.

 

[brian@bekasi]

I had my introduction in 1980 Istanbul. There was only one place open to drink back then. When I see video of present-day, it's mind boggling the change. Anyway, this sole Aussie taught everyone the lyrics to 99 Bottles of Beer acted out in real display. Changed my perception of OZ and its people forever, lmfao.

The movie "the adventures of Barry Mckenzie" shot in London in 1972 started a culture amongst Australians that our young and not so young could be "Yobbos" when traveling overseas.

As a young man living in Penang from 1971 to 1974, I did my best to live up to the culture.

Fortunately, I am not in that category now.

"Sow your wild oats" overseas was a theme practices by many when i was young then return home and get on with life..

I' sure they weren't from the states cause they talked funny.

Sorry! we Australians talk the "Queen's" english but i am not sure about my American friends.

 

[Davita]

I first visited Australia when in the RAF...I guess it was early 1960's and I saw how it was later written as 'The Lucky Country'..... due to the comparative standards of living.
As an impoverished UK serviceman my eyes were surely opened and I blamed my dad for not taking the GBP10 immigration, in the early 50's, he'd been offered.
I later read somewhere that an Australian Prime Minister (was it Hawkes?) advocated that the Gov't assist Australian youth to travel abroad and see how badly others lived.......then return home more humbled and appreciative.

What happened to that idea?

 

[brian@bekasi]

I first visited Australia when in the RAF...I guess it was early 1960's and I saw how it was later written as 'The Lucky Country'..... due to the comparative standards of living.
As an impoverished UK serviceman my eyes were surely opened and I blamed my dad for not taking the GBP10 immigration, in the early 50's, he'd been offered.
I later read somewhere that an Australian Prime Minister (was it Hawkes?) advocated that the Gov't assist Australian youth to travel abroad and see how badly others lived.......then return home more humbled and appreciative.

What happened to that idea?

I cannot recall the PM statement but it sounds like something his successor Keating would say and not Hawke. Indeed Hawke was a yobbo himself in his earlier days. From memory he was in the Guiness book of Records for fastest downing of a yard glass at either Cambridge or Oxford.He was also the PM who called employers mugs if they did not give their staff the day off after Australia won the America's cup.

The 10 quid migrantes were the bulk of my friends when growing up although a few became "whinging poms". Something that was the source of much banter in my earlier years.

On a serious note, I am embarrassed at the bad manners,lack of respect and behaviour of some of my compatriots who travel to Bali and places like Thailand. For some reason they think it is ok to do and say what they like , when they like. I would suggest that most who act like this are on their one and only overseas trip. Most think that Bali is Indonesia and have no idea about the rest of the country.

 

[dafluff]

What happened with the old forum? Why is it a burning ship? Just checked in after a year or so, and everyone is gone.

Welcome (back?) to the forum! Everyone who was anyone is here now!

 

[john madden]

Donald Horne's title "The Lucky Country" was ironic and is still much misunderstood.

 

[harryopal1]

I first visited Australia when in the RAF...I guess it was early 1960's and I saw how it was later written as 'The Lucky Country'..... due to the comparative standards of living.

Donald Horne's original reference to Australia as "The Lucky Country" was sarcastic and ironic.
"Australia is a lucky country run mainly by second rate people who share its luck. It lives on other people’s ideas, and, although its ordinary people are adaptable, most of its leaders (in all fields) so lack curiosity about the events that surround them that they are often taken by surprise." THE LUCKY COUNTRY

This did not go down very well so the reference was quickly taken as a kind of pat on the back as to just how lucky we are and what a great country.

Horne's view was reinforced for me by a former Air Vice Marshall at Butterworth air base when he told me he was visited by the then Governor General of Australia, Sir Paul Hasluck who asked if there was anything he could do for him. The Vice Air Marshall explained that yes, there was something. It seems that regulations were that if a serviceman was overseas for 2 years or more the serviceman was entitled to have his family join him. So the RAAF used to send people for just under two years to avoid the extra cost. I can't recall if the discussion led to any change but the Vice Air Marshall went on to say we were always trying to do things on the cheap and holding on to other people's shoe laces. I guess that limited outlook was further exemplified when the Australian inventor of the black box couldn't get any investors interested in its development and had to go overseas to bring his invention to fruition.

 

[Davita]

I was stationed at then RAF Butterworth when we had married personnel with their families..... but they all lived on Penang Island. The husbands came to work and went home on the shuttle bus and ferry.
It was considered a first-class posting although I was single and missed all that married joy...it was the 'City Lights' dance hall that got me 'oot an aboot'.

 

[brian@bekasi]

I was one of the married ones living on Penang but drove most days. That gave me the option to turn right at the ferry and go home or turn left and go into town for a few with boys.I choose left many times as some young lads do.

A great experience and one of my best postings. Many memories and life long friends from the posting.

The posting terms in my time (1971-74) were fixed at 2 years or 2 years 6 months with the member making their own decision on the length of posting.

 

[waarmstrong]

.....Sorry! we Australians talk the "Queen's" english but i am not sure about my American friends.

I agree that, putting the often hilarious twang aside, Australians do speak a satisfying version of the Queen's English. We American speak the Queen's English, as well, although I would submit that our dialect is cleansed of the pretentiousness common in the original.

There are exceptions; take our current President, for example.

 

[brian@bekasi]

I agree that, putting the often hilarious twang aside, Australians do speak a satisfying version of the Queen's English. We American speak the Queen's English, as well, although I would submit that our dialect is cleansed of the pretentiousness common in the original.

There are exceptions; take our current President, for example.

But maybe you guys have lost a little of the "colour"from your language.Was shakespeare not pretentious in his language?

And of course Trump is alway the exception.

 

[Anglian]

When I worked in KL I had an Aussie and Kiwi mate, I assumed they were good mates, one morning the Aussie was missing, so I said to the kiwi where’s your mate, He’s not my bloody mate, Oh I said I thought you were good mates, No the Kiwi said he keeps taking the piss out of my Kiwi accent, Really I said you both sound the same to me