Canberra

From Sydney, I took a bus through the beautiful countryside of southeastern New South Wales, to Canberra. My main reason was to visit friends I made in Paris 18 years ago, but Australia’s capital also turned out to be most worthy of a visit in its own right!

I was met at the bus station by Zoe, and it was a joy to be reunited 12 years after our last meeting. We headed straight to Burley Griffin lake, which was created in 1963 by damming the Molonglo river to give a watery centrepiece to the city.

I returned to the lake the following morning for my first overseas parkrun. I enjoyed being able to announce myself as the runner from furthest afield during the briefing, and also revelled in the novelty of finishing first in my age category!

After a birthday party with the kids (and a siesta!), we went for a walk in the surrounding hills. It was great to see some of the inland “bush” and also several kangaroos and cockatoos.

That evening we got a bit more of the gang from Paris back together. With Natalie joining us, we regressed to our 2007 selves and had a wonderfully relaxed and happy evening.

The next day we attended the church at which Paul is a minister, and it was great to worship with the family.

In the afternoon we went to the Australian War Memorial. I was particularly keen to visit, as my Great-grandfather, Pop, had moved to Australia before the First World War and was an early enlister with the Anzacs (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps). He fought at Gallipoli, the ill-fated campaign that played such a big part in forging the identity of Australia, a mere 14 years after it achieved nationhood.

I studied every exhibit in forensic detail and found them fascinating and devastating in equal measure. The story of the Anzacs at Gallipoli is one of enthusiastic volunteers becoming trapped at the nightmarish Anzac cove, with the sea on one side and cliffs and Turkish gunfire on the other.

What I hadn’t realised is that the War Memorial also holds all the military archives from Australia’s various campaigns, digitised and meticulously curated. Two volunteers were very generous with their time in helping me to find every record relating to Pop. I learned a huge amount about his movements and likely experiences in the war, and was left with many more avenues of inquiry for my return to the UK.

Having explored a personal connection, it was particularly poignant to attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Pool of Reflection. Each day the story of a serviceman is told and wreaths are laid. We heard the heartbreaking tale of a young man who, unlike Pop, did not return home after the war.

Canberra was famously just a sheep paddock before being chosen as the site for Australia’s capital and its subsequent design is clearly meant to communicate something about the new nation’s priorities. The War Memorial faces the Parliament House across the lake, serving as a sobering reminder to lawmakers of the gravity of their decisions.

Today, after my second visit to the War Memorial, I had a bit of time to visit the seat of Australian democracy. Parliament House was remarkably easy to access, and after a security check I was able to walk straight into the public galleries of both chambers.

I then made a brief visit to the Old Parliament House. The structure had been intended to be temporary, but ended up being used for 61 years, and is now the Museum of Australian Democracy.

Canberra will retain a special place in my heart, as the home of Zoe, Natalie and their families, but also a place where I was able to engage with the history of a nation, and my own family’s connection to it.

My time here has also made me reflect on the preciousness of peace: at church, but also as I’ve been reminded of the horrors of war. Yesterday’s terrible events at Bondi Beach, where I spent such a happy afternoon last week, have reinforced those thoughts, and have shocked a country unused to such disturbances of its own peace. They have added a tragic chapter to Australia’s story, but also, as accounts of great courage emerge, given it some new heroes…

I have now arrived in Adelaide, ahead of the Third Test. I haven’t seen the city yet, but South Australia does have one feature of instant interest to a mathematician: it’s wacky time zone. At midday in London the time here is 22:30. Barmy! Just like the (very much non-military) army I am about to rejoin…