Loading...
The Huron Expositor, 1975-04-24, Page 18Wiled Viti,114CATE LIMITED HOLMES R. R. 1, West Lorne, Oat. Phone MIMS, tiii0t1 EXPOSITOR, Ali'FOLK 41(i1" Mith family fkids Australian life different from Canadian very polite, always using 'please' and 'thank y Slower pace The Papples both _noticed the slower paced life style of Australians who always seemed to have time te dd things. "They always bad time for us says Janet . We always had 'fresh fruits and vegetables brought to our home by friends and neighbours and, one lady whom we did not even know very well offered to take us to the airport. She had the time to take the whole day to do this for us." Jim suggested that because of the climate there is no pressure to get things done in a restricted time period such as the conditions faced by the Canadian farmer from seedtiene in the spring to harvest in the fall. "Canadians seem to spend a lot of time talking about how busy we are and all the things we have to do which we have not done, yet," said Jim. "The Australians seem to have the time to do everything." (Stores close at noon on, Saturdays which slows things down for a longer period over the weekend and reflects the Australians' slower pace way of life.) 3 Hour Tea This slower life style is evident in their' daily lives. If you are invited to go out'to someone's for tea, which is the evening meal, it may last three or four hours. They take time to sit and relax with a drink before the meal and the meal itself is eaten more slowly with lots of conversation. If the meal is in someone's home the dishes 'are left until the morning. "It is almost an insult to offer to help your hostess do' up the dishes right after the meal." The Australians are- great sports enthusiasists. They take the time• to enjoy their sports activities almost every day all year round because of the climate. Many children stop off on the way home from school to play golf. Cricket is the summer sport and the fall game of Australians' rules football- which was just starting when the Papples left to come home. Tennis, surfing, are also popular. Jim and Janet thought that swimming and water sports would have been more popular because of the available beaches. "We had this preconceived idea of tanned Australians on crowded beaches" said, Janet ".but r very few seemed to use the Franksthn beach even on weekends." Live and Work The Papples did not see a great deal of Australia during their st ay because this type of vacation allowed them to live and work with the people rather than travel from one end of the country to the other. "We stayed in Frankston for the week and did most of our travelling on the weekends," said Jim. "But even so, we were able to see a variety of geographical areas just in the 100 hundred mile radius of Melbourne we were able to cover." To the south was the coastline; the 'north the mountains and market gardening in the valleys; the dry grasslands in the west and dairy farming and green hills in the east. They made a trip to Philips Island to the south of Frankston where the koala bears are plentiful because it is away from the populated areas. All animals and wildlife .are protected by law in Australia. "We could get, out of our car and walk into the bush where we could. watch the bears in the trees," said Jim. "Many people have this impression of kangaroos and koalas being everywhere but, it is like the Canadian fox or beaver which is native to Ontario. How often 'do we see either of these animals in our immediate area." On the island, Jane and Kate watched the penguins come up onto the beaches and they also slaw the mutton birds nesting on the cliffs. "The kangaroos were smaller than we thought they would.be " said Jim. "The only one we saw was at the zoo in Melbourne" (because they live in the wild in areas north of Victoria into New South Wales.) "The odd wallaby could be seen in the area where we lived but none of our family were lucky enough to see one in the wild. The closest I came to seeing one was the tracks left in the orchard one morning." The poisonous snakes in the area where The Papples lived ' were no real threat to safety could tell that they were talking about the girls and pointing to Kate's doll, said Janet, "Kate realized they were talking iboiit her doll too, and clutched it tightly in her arms. It is strange that people and especially children do not need language to communicate." Since their return ,the Papple family has been trying to adjust to the Canadian winter. In thinking CLOSE ENOUGH , TO TOUCH — No, they didn't have kangeroos in their backyard, but r Jane and Kate Papple got a close-up look at a kangeroo during their winter spent living with their parents, Jim and Janet Papple in Australia. The Papple family lived for four morVhs in Frankston, Aijstralia where Jim worked as a foreman for, a fruit farmer. about the trip Janet and Jim agree that this, type of vacation where you are able to live, and work with the people is a valuable experience.' "We were unable to travel extensively through the country and we did not bring home a lot of souvenirs" said Janet but the friendships and experiences there will be so many riell memories." FREE BOOK HELLO KANGEROO — Jane and Kate Papple get pretty close to a kangeroo on a wildlife preserve in Australia this winter. The people girls and their parents, Jim' and Janet have returned recently from four months of living in Australia to their farm in Tuckersmith Township. Shop in Seaforth r , (by Sharon Ran) Several months. ,of living and ordinary life, jgst like the natives do, in Australia have given a Tuckersraitb family a new way of looking at Canada and their lives here. Jim and Janet Papple and their daughters, Jane, four and two year old Kate returned three weeks ago from a four month working vacation in Australia. It was the type of venture many of us 'talk about but somehow never seem to get around to doing. The idea was first conceived last spring when Jim decided to wprk out during the winter of 1974. "We had want ed a change and were thinking of taking a trip before the children start school", says Janet, "So the two ideas came together.", Australia was chosen because of the similarity in life style between this country and Canada. `The language is English and the climate there during our winter is good because of the reversal in seasons. At that time job opportunities were good and the Papples knew Mr. and Mrs. Jack Alkemade who live in Melbourne. When Mr. and Mrs. Alkemade- visited their son, Stan and his family in Seaforth last summer 'Jim and Janet met them and discussed their plans. Mr. and Mrs. Alkemade offered to meet the Papples at the airport upon their arrival in Australia. Jim, Janet and their daughters left Canada. They stayed with the Alkemades for about a week until they purchased a car. Bought Car "Everything fell into place once we bought the car„" said Janet. "We had been phoning around to find a house to rent and requesting work but no one seemed to take us seriously. Once we had the car and could go personally for interviews with prospective employers and landlords it was only about a day until we had both a job and a house. They rented a house in the city of Frankston which is _about the size of Stratford on the Mornington Peninsula on the east coast of Port . Philip Bay in Victoria. Jim started work as a labourer in a fruit orchard near the village of Tyabb which is about twelve miles south of Frankston. A short time later, Jim decided to take a new job installing air conditioners but when he approached his.employer he was Offered the position of foreman in the orchard which paid more money and better benefits. It also included the privilege of eating lunch in the house with the employer and his family instead of packing a lunCh as he had done as a laboprer. This was necessary to plan the work to be done in the afternoon. The foreman and the owner of the orchard worked with the lahourers thinning the orchard until middle January when picking started. Pickipg of the fruits was still continuing when Jim left in March. The work day lasted from seven a.m. until five p.m. with tea breaks at ten and three and lunch at noon. Overtime ran until six or seven.. Any overtime, sometimes necessary to load the -Wick for market, the next day, usually lasted until six or seven_p.m.The average size of an orchard in the area was 3,000 acres ,and the produce included apples, plums and pears. Seasonal, Extra workers were hired for seasonal labour such as picking and at these times half the labour force in the orchard was women. The average labourer earned $88.00 a week. As foreman , Jim earned $144.00 for a 44 hour week with time and a half for overtime and paid sick leave and holidays. When I noticed that most Australian employers considered Cahadians to, be hard-working and responsible with the working ability and responsibility of Canadians, said Jim. The positions of responsibility were often held by Canadians. Although Australia is behind Canada in many respects, the effect of the Women's Movement is- very up-to-date. Janet knew many working mothers who were raising families and there was a co-operative nursery in their neighbourhood. The mothers helped supervise and those who were not able to help in this way did the cleaning and other necessary duties to provide the service to the community. Many of the children of the upper class families attend boarding school after the age of twelve and all school children Wear Waiting. The influence of the English background of the Adttraliatis is evident not only ifl the Stith& *thin but in the 0 POlitittets of the thittiten. Most POWS 'Mt. heir* w tierinISSive Child-46aritig iietheide, hitt Janet did it Mee that the' &Mtn Were.* because they moved away when they hear you coming but, there are some species in the country which are very deadly, The sharks in Port Philip Bay will come into three or four feet of water and these are a threat to swimmers. A radio station in the area has developed a volunteer system for warning people of danger of approaching sharks. The Flying,. Tadpole is a small plane which flies up and down the toast watching for sharks. If sharks are sighted the crew signals radio equipped motor bpats and cabin cruisers in• the area. The owners crew on board these hosts gout and the noise from th/motors of the boats scare the sharks away. Cold Winter Returning to Canada at this time of year the whole family has really noticed the cold of the Canadian winter - outside and the dryness of air inside. When you have lived here all your life you never .consider the climate as a disadvantage, until you have had the opportunity to live somewhere else. If Jane is asked what she "liked about Australia she usually mentions that 'it is warmer there'. The average temperature during the summer in the area where the Papples lived was 80 to 90 which they found quite comfortable because it is not humid." The Australians were always complaining how hot it was" said Jim "but we were not even too uncomfortable on the hottest days when the temperature rose as high as 104." Many people, who travel to Australia or Europe find it difficult to drive in these countries because they drive on the left-hand side ofthe road. For Janet and Jim however, the neutral corners in Victoria were the most confusing. "There are few stop lights or stop signs, even at the main intersections", said Jim, "Yield signs are common at corners and the person to the right has the right of way. It can really become hectic when four • cars approach the same corner at the same time. How do you decide which person to the right has the right of way?" Many of the main roads are so narrow that one wheel is on the shoulder of the road when you pull over to meet an oncoming car. Meat Cheaper During their stay Janet found that the only food which was 'cheaper than in Canada was the meat. They did not like the pork but enjoyed the lamb. "I served lamb at least three or four times a week, because it was so cheap" says Janet, "And it can be done in such a variety of ways. We often had cold lamb as a meal using the lefover from a roast or leg." The native people of Australia, the aborigines are not respected as the Maoris of 'New Zealand are in their country. it is an honour to have been born a native. The white people of New Zealand consider it an honour to have been born a Maoris. The aborigines are ostracised from society much like the Canadian Indian. They are good herdsmen and can track a man or animal across any kind of territory or landform, even stone. On the trip home the Papples spent time in both New Zealand and the Fiji Islands. The Fiji Islands made the , greater impression because the island has not been touched by advanced civilization. It is a primitive society with thatched huts for homes where the sugar cane, is still done by hand. There is no industrialization and the produce, sugar cane and fish, is brought into the villages to be sold at the street markets. The food served in the restaurants is native food and Janet remembers vividly that "the whole island smelled of fish". The native people did not seem to mind the heat. Many were' dressed in black and sat under huge black umbrellas 'to be out of the direct sun. The women wore long black dresses and shawls. "Jane and Kate really felt the heat while we were there," said Janet, "Their heads were wet and the water was rolling down their faces." The native children were very fascinated by the white tourists. At one point Alen Jim stopped the car, a gratip of native children gathered around to peek through the windows at Jane and Kate. "We could not understand what they were saying but we IX E'RE ALL AWARE of the energy V V situation, and it's easy to say, "Well . there's nothing I can do about it." Wrong. There's plenty that each one of us can do in our homes and apartments to help Canada— and save as much as $100 a year. When we save energy, we also save money. This new book is full of ideas you can apply to heating, cooking, air conditioning, lighting, water heating. And it's written simply, with diagrams and full instructions on how to fix tap washers, dirty furnace I filters, gaps around windows and so on. Almost everything that has been written on home conservation is packed into this book. And it's yours free. Here are a few of the ideas: NAME • Do you really need a crushed-ice dispenser? A FROST-FREE refrigerator uses 50% more energy than a standard model. A crushed-ice dispenser is a big energy drain. And a self-cleaning oven uses 20% more energy than a standard model. Ask yourself how many of these extras you really need, When you go shopping for a new appli- ance— refrigerator, dishwasher, range, dryer, washing machine —look beyond the price tag. What's the energy cost of running, it? Often the better-built, more expensive model is also more energy-efficient. A better buy in the long-run. Five to save on home heating HEATING is-the biggest item in a family's home energy budget. Here are afew simple ways to save: Lower the thermostat. Each degree over 68 'adds about 21/2% to your heating bill, By dropping the setting from 72 to 70 you can save 5%. Dropping it from 72 to 68 will save 10%—about $30 a year. It helps to lower the temperature further at night, and when you're going to be away from home for a few days. Check your furnace filter. A dusty, clogged filter fortes the system to work harder, and wastes energy. Inspect it every 30 days. (The book shows you how.) An annual or semi-annual furnace cleaning can save you another 10%. HOw's your insulation? Many Canadian homes have inadequate insulation. Ceilings should have 6"or more of min- eral wool or glass fibre insula- tion. Wall cavities should be completely filled. Basement walls should also be protected to 2 feet below grade level. To avoid fire hazards, don't use foamed plastic insulation in exposed applications. Use storms and weather-stripping. Storm windows and doors will reduce heat loss in winter by up to 15%. Weather-stripping is a must. A tiny gap of Us" along the , bottom of a door is the same as having a 9 square-inch hole in your livintroom wall. 100 ways to save energy and money in the home exp ains how to weather-strip joints and caulk the frames of windows and doors. Let the sunshine in. Eiaergefrom the sun is free, so it makes sense to use as much of it as we can. In the winter, open curtains aid drapes during the bright part of Drip, drip, drip, drip ONE DRIP per second from a leaky hot water faucet or shower-head-sends about 175 gallons a month down the drain. That's money down the drain. You can probably fix it your- self with a new washer and a few minutes work. Be sure the size of your water heater matches your needs. Don't set it for more than 140 degrees, and turn if off when you go on vacation. Have you tried a cold-water wash for clothes? It usually workejust as well. Remem- ber, too, that your average shower bath uses only 5 gallons of hot water, while a tub bath takes almost 10 gallons. Could you use an extra $100 a year? These are just a few of the many, many ways to save energy and money in the home. It's well worth doing. By making modest energy savings now, we can improve our environment and way of life far into the future. Send in the capon for your free copy of "100 ways to save energy and money in the home." Order early. Allow 6 weela for printing and mailing. If Resources Canada Moot Energy Consetvation Energy, Mines and Honister Donald S. Macdonald Min Don't drown 2101. the beans WHEN you're cooking vegetables, use little water and cook only until they're tender. You'll save vitamins and flavour. Well-designed cook- ware, used on the proper settings, will also conserve energy. Try cookhig the entire meat in the oven, or on one 'or two burners, If you're lucky enough to have a dishwasher, don't use it untikyou have a full load. Do the same with your clothes dryer— and he sure to clean the lint filter after each. load. Saving energy is ofieh a game of pennies. but they all add up— and so do the savings for Canada. . " I'd like to do everything I can to conserve energy — and save myself as much as $100 a year in the bargain. Please send me a free copy of 100 ways to save energy and money in the home. L Mail coupon to: 100 ways, Box 3500, Station C, Ottawa K1Y 4G•1 PROVINCE POSTAL CODE the day and close them at night, for their insulating value. In summer, do the opposite. 0 4,