We asked all of them (those old enough to string together complete sentences, anyway) to submit a question or two about Australia. Without further ado, here’s what's on the minds of generations X, Y, and Z.
Britta is 14 and loves country music, movies, and hockey. She is taking Driver’s Ed and is looking forward to her 15th birthday and getting her permit. Her favorite vegetable is broccoli and her hobby is teasing her Uncle Matt.
Q: Have Aborigines been integrated into Australian businesses or are they more separate?
A: One of Australia’s biggest social problems is the inequality of Aboriginals – or Indigenous People. You do not find Aboriginals in the cities or working for big companies. There are no Aboriginals in federal parliament and no national leaders are Aboriginals. While Americans debate whether Barack Obama can be the first black president, no one in Australia can even conceive of an Aboriginal prime minister. The only place where Aboriginals can be seen in any noticeable numbers is in professional football (Aussie rules), where they are recognized as great athletes.
Esko is 13 and a sports enthusiast. He likes to fish, swim, play baseball and golf but his all-time favorite sport to play is hockey. He’s also a huge fan of the Minnesota Wild.
Q (not surprisingly): Does Australia have any hockey rinks?
A: According to the organisation "Ice Skating Australia" there are 20 ice skating rinks in the country. Sadly, there are no reports of hockey and all rinks are devoted to developing and preparing elite Australian athletes for participation in international figure-skating events. The rinks do have some interesting names, however. My personal favorite is Big Banana Ice Rink.
Will is 5 years old. He likes soccer, gadgets, dangerous animals, hanging out with his cousin Jared, and most kinds of candy. He recently lost his first tooth.
Q: Have you seen any real live sharks?
A: Not since our dive trip on the Great Barrier Reef in 2003.
Q: Have you seen any funnel web spiders?
A: No, but a woman we work with has a sister who lives in Sydney and during the summer she has to clean her swimming pool every morning to get rid of the funnel spiders that got into the pool overnight. We also saw a big poisonous spider a couple weeks ago when we were in the Northern Territories. Marlys kept telling Matt to “get closer”. Matt was smart enough to disobey.
Q: What do the funnel web spiders look like?
A: Funnel-webs are large spiders (1.5 - 4.5 cm body length) with a glossy dark brown to black carapace. The abdomen is usually dark plum to black and not patterned.
Q: What is your apartment called?
A: As Buckingham Palace, the White House, Tara, and Love Shack were taken, we just call it home sweet home.
Q: Are there lots of boats there?
A: Yes, we live on Port Phillip Bay, which is part of the Pacific Ocean, so lots of people have sailboats. But there are also cruise ships, barges, fishing boats, and ferries, all of which we watch from Tara…. I mean home.
Q: Have you seen any blue ring octopi (excellent use of the correct plural declension, Will!)?
A: No. The claim to fame for the blue ring octopus is its neuromuscular paralyzing venom, which is a poison more deadly than that of any land animal. The good news is the blue ring octopus is not an aggressive animal and it would rather eat fish and invertebrates. By the way, the toxin in Blue Ring Octopus poison is the same one found in the deadly Funnel Web Spider’s venom!
Q: And tell me if you saw any sharks.
A: Still no.
Mirabel is 3 (4 in just a couple weeks). She loves fruit, animals, mermaids and the color pink. She is going to ballet camp this summer and we can’t wait to see her dance. Her favorite ice cream is chocolate. Mirabel is between big brother, Will, and little sister, our darling red-headed Luz (who’s 1).
Q: Have you seen any kangaroos?
A: Yes, we have seen lots of kangaroos – groups are called ‘mobs’ - at animal sanctuaries and in the wild.
Q: Have you seen any penguins there?
A: Yes, we live 2 hours away from a natural penguin habitat. They are called fairy penguins.
Q: Talk about salad for the polar bears.
A: Polar bears – or any sort of bear – are not indigenous to Australia. The only bears are in the zoo and come from other countries. Koalas are sometimes called “Koala Bears” but this is incorrect – Koalas are marsupials and an Aussie will correct you if you say Koala Bear. Koalas eat eucalyptus leaves, which is kind of like a salad.
Q: I’m curious about the tigers at Australia since tigers are very cool. I like the way that tigers eat salad.
A: The only tigers in Australia are the Richmond Tigers, a footy team.
Joseph is 3. He is crazy for trains and his monkey, Mambo. He likes books and match-box cars and is the big brother of one year old Dominic.
Q: Is it true kangaroos can surf? I saw a picture of this once but I'm not sure if they can.
A: We’ve never heard of a kangaroo surfing, but last summer there was a story in the paper where people saw a kangaroo hop into the ocean and get eaten by a great white shark. We're not kidding.
Zuriah is 6, turning 7 in a month, and our great-nephew (mom is our niece, Chrishaunda). “Z”, as he’s known, likes magic tricks and is quick witted with a great sense of humor. Z has a new baby brother, 6-month old Tavien, who’s been dubbed by Z as “Tav-man the caveman”.
Q: Are there lots of kangaroos and wild beasts in Australia?
A: There are lots of wild animals and many that are only found in Australia. In addition to kangaroos, we’ve seen wombats, echidnas, platypi, koalas, and lots of birds like cockatoos, magpies, and kookaburras.
Q. I want to know if there are any lakes out there.
A. Lake Eyre in the state of South Australia is the largest lake when it fills. Like most lakes in Australia it has a heavy salt content and runs very low during the dry season. Lake Eyre has only filled six times since 1885 so…not much of a lake for those of us used to the Great Lakes. Lake Eyre is also the lowest point in all of Australia.
Corrina is 7. She’s funny, kind, and a fantastic swimmer. Corrina loves playing Legos with brother Jared and is fond of adventures…she holds the family record for the most broken bones and stitches. She is absolutely stylin’ in her new eye-glasses.
Q: Do you have computers?
A: Yes. That’s how we do our work everyday.
Q: Do you have paper?
A: Yes. But paper is very expensive. Did you know that Melbourne has the most expensive toilet paper in the world? (Again - we’re not kidding).
Q: Do you swim in the ocean?
A: Yes, although it is winter now so the water is cold.
Q: Do you have drums?
A: No, but there are bands here who do. There's a traditional Aboriginal musical instrument called the didgeridoo, which is a hollowed out log that can be played sort of like a bassoon or clarinet. It is a very unique instrument.
Jared is 9. He loves performing and is quite the budding actor. He loves exploring, pirates (& treasure maps), snakes, reptiles, and Legos. His favorite color is orange.
Q: Do you exercise outside?
A: Matt does, Marlys exercises her right to free speech.
Q: Do you have missiles?
A: The Australian Air force is well equipped with missiles. They are friends with the American army and are fighting with the US in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Q: Do you have game shows?
A: Yes. Most of the game shows are a rehash of USA shows like Deal or No Deal, although the most they can win is A$250,000. One of our favorite shows is called Spicks and Specks. This is a music game show with two teams made up of major and minor celebrities – mostly radio personalities or band members we never heard of, although Geoffrey Rush (fellow Melbournian who won an Oscar playing a pianist in the movie, Shine) was on once. Spicks and Specks enlightens and entertains - and exposes the world of music like never before. The teams go head to head as they sing, shout, and delve deep into the recesses of their collective minds to earn their team an extremely inglorious victory (i.e., no prizes). Whether discussing the lyrical genius of Gilbert and Sullivan, the reasons Ozzy Osborne wore a dress or just how a musician can choke on a harmonica, no musical genre is overlooked… well, except for maybe Swedish folk music, but hey, we all have limits.
Dusty is the oldest (32) and lives in Denver. He submitted these questions under opprobrious duress from his favorite Auntie. Dusty amazes us at his capacity for trivia. He has an unbelievable memory and the ability to recall obscure facts from some news show, article, or documentary. He’s a fan of poker and Jack Daniels. He has two siblings – Chrishaunda and Elias. While Chrishaunda is represented by her son Zuriah in this blog, Elias (who just turned 24) entirely ignored our request to submit a question for the blog entry and will be dealt with later….
Q: What is the highest recorded temp in the outback?
A: The highest recorded temp was 50.7 C (123.3 degrees Fahrenheit) in January 2nd, 1960 in the town of Oodnadatta. Oodnadatta is in the state of South Australia and in 2006 had a population of 277 people.
Q: Has it ever snowed?
A: Yes. While Australia is mostly desert (approx. 40% of the landmass is covered by sand) some states – the alpine areas of Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania – get snowfall every year and even have ski resorts. But winters are very mild, even in the mountains, and most Australians only dream of playing in and seeing snow.
For those of you keeping score, we have 13 nieces and nephews (if we’re still counting Elias, that is) and 2 great-nephews. Due to their age, Tavien, Luz and Dominic got a pass on participating in this little project. Our niece Fran does not feature on the above as she is currently down under visiting us. Tune in again soon as Fran will be our SPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER
