From Melbourne
25.6.83
Dear Alan
Your
letter with photographs arrived safely. Seems you are in an interesting if
rugged place. Presumably you work for the Dept of Health. How is the salary? In line with the
conditions by way of compensation?
There
has been a fair bit of news in the local press about South Africa; mostly the
recent bombings and possible repercussions. Some surprise that there was little
violence on the anniversary of the Soweto riots but there is a great deal of
talk about the inevitability of violence. A woman member of the ANC has been in
Melbourne recently and she got a deal of publicity. She predicts violence in
the future as unavoidable.
Other
news about South Africa seems to be about sport and efforts to entice Australian
sportsmen over there, particularity cricketers. After the Australians
performance in the world Cup they would be foolish to go to South Africa – they
would get a hiding. Fancy getting beaten by Zimbabwe! The final between West
Indies and India is on tonight and I have been watching snippets in between a
Humphrey Bogart movie that Lois and Pamela are watching.
We were
going to Trentham today but decided it was too cold. It was just as well as the
weather report said it was snowing up there as well as in the Dandenongs. A
great contrast to the scene of the bushfires just a few months ago.
It is fascinating to watch the regeneration of
the bush although growth has slowed down in winter. Total rehabilitation is
going to take years. One aftermath of the fires was that we had to bury a big
kangaroo only a few weeks ago. He inevitably got burnt in the fires and hobbled
around for several months before coming onto our property after the new grass
but he died just close to the house.
I don’t
know whether Australia figures much in the South African news but I imagine Mr
Hawke has received some notice. His recent world trip upset some of his
supporters. He is behaving very much like a good Liberal Prime Minister; at
least on foreign policy issues. On the home front the policy seems to be to
move slowly and not repeat the mistakes of the Whitlam years. Try and be good
economic managers and introduce reforms slowly is the goal. However all the
rhetoric is not going to make much impact on unemployment for some time. There
will be a major change in the health field with the introduction of Medicare
early next year. This means a levy on all salaries to pay for free public
hospitals and most of the medical bills. In other words a return to Medibank of
the previous Labor Govt. I don’t know that there will be any effect on the
dentistry profession although the Vic Govt has promised a big extension of the
school dental service which should help some young dentists.
Overall
the economy is still sluggish but the printing industry is reasonably buoyant
and we are continuing at much the same level.
Your
mother met Geoffrey Patterson’s mother the other day and learnt he was about to
be married although he hasn’t managed to get a permanent job since returning
from overseas.
We have
dug out some notes and text books and have already forwarded some of the books
but there are quite a few notes and it might be a good idea to tell us
specifically which ones you want.
Your mother has just finished a book by Andre
Brink and she rather liked it. You might comment in another letter.
South
African literature has a special quality; you might say it’s colored by the
colour question.
Regards
Dad
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