HAPPY NEW YEAR

We are currently 'on the road' and are in Roseburg, Oregan. We will spend New years Eve in Reno, Nevada on the way to Los Angeles.

I hope everyone had/has a great New Years Eve and more importantly that you all have a fantastic and successful 2010.

akmacca08@live.com.au

ROCK AND ROLL (PART 2)

How was I going to get out of the mess I was in? I looked at my damaged vehicle and all of my belongings that were strewn in the mud. The rain continued to tumble as the light started to fade.

Decisions had to be made.

Now it would have helped if I had my satelite phone charged and ready but it was packed away unused. My first task was to pick up all my bits and pieces that were waterlogged and caked with mud. So I retraced my role path picking up this and that and stowing the items in the shattered car.

That done I stood in the rain and waited for inspiration that wasn't forthcoming. In frustration I got behind the wheel and turned the ignition key......to my suprise the engine burst into life, albeit with a few clanks and clunks. M'mmmm a few possibilities here I thought to myself. I wonder if the car will drive?

I placed the car into gear, revved the engine, released the clutch slowly and gave the car some gas. It lurched forward and stalled. But it was promising the car moved!

I tried again this time engageing four wheel drive and gave the car more gas. The vehicle moved forward and slowly clawed its way through the mud. It was a rough ride but we made it to the roadway. Amazing!

Thoughts and theories rushed through my mind. Could I possibly make it all the way to Ngukurr in this shattered vehicle? It didn't take me long at all to work out the answer....why not give it a go, nothing else was on offer. 

So off I set to drive 60 kilometres in a vehicle with three tyres, a shattered winscreen and a wonky engine.

My biggest problem was visibility, I couldn't see a thing through the windscreen, so I had to poke my head out the drivers side window. Every time I hit a puddle I would get a facefull of mud and slush. But I didn't have to worry as the driving rain soon cleared the mess away until I hit the next puddle. It was slow and taxing work.

Even though I was driving on a dirt (mud) road the front rim made a horrible noise, especially when I had to ford concrete floodways. But I was making progress and that invigorated me. 

Soon after I started I saw a car coming in the opposite direction and as it approached it slowed down and stopped beside me. A middle aged Aboriginal woman was driving the car and when she saw me her face almost went white and her eyes were as large as saucers. She grasped at something around her neck which she later told me was a talisman to ward off evil spirits. 

This lady thought I was one such spirit sent along the road in a battered car to take her off to the unknown. 

On reflection I can not blame her at all for this attitude.

First of all was the battered and muddied car.  And behind the wheel of the car sat a man with ragged, curly hair and a bloodied face that was coated in blood, mud and eggs. Yes, eggs. As I said earlier I had done my shopping in Katherine and for safekeeping I had placed two dozen eggs on the front seat. Of course a rollover isn't at all kind to eggs and they were launched all through the car but most unbeknownest to me had landed all over me. Add to this visage a stupid grin. Yes it was a face from hell and that's exactly what this poor lady thought. I was here to take her to the back and beyond.

Before I could even get out a greeting, she stomped on the gas and got outta there away from the crazy white man.

I was somewhat startled by this turn of events. What was wrong with her?

No matter, I soldiered on through the rain and the mud, once passing another vehicle whose occupant somewhat reluctantly offered help and who appeared delighted when I turned him down. 

It was a truimph to reach every five kilometre signpost, slowly I wound them down. A few times I almost ran off the road through a lack of visibility or potholes in the road. The hairiest part of the trip was getting the car through a swollen river. A few times I thought I may have pushed my luck too far but somehow I got across to the other side. 

Darkness was falling and I was around eight kilometres from Ngukurr when I was stopped in my tracks by an oncoming police patrol vehicle. The policeman got out of his car had one look at my vehicle and another at me and told me that this was far enough. I could go no more. I pleaded with him to let me continue but he said it was too dangerous, perhaps not so much for me but for other vehicles. He told me that one of the cars that I had passed had reported my plight to him.

So that was the end of my epic journey. The policeman's wife was in the car with him and she stayed with my battered vehicle as the policeman drove me to the Ngukurr clinic to have a checkover. On the way he informed me that I was the third vehicle to rollover in that same spot in the last week. Comforting news. 

I got a few stitches in my ear and whilst at the clinic I had the first opportunity to look at myself in a mirror and what looked back at me gave me a fright. I understood now why the woman took off at such speed.

The policceman and his wife transferred all of my belongings from my car to the police van and ferried it to my accommodation. This was a really nice thing to do. 

As for my car it stayed on the side of the road for several days before it was towed into Ngukurr. Whilst it was left unattended no one touched the car. I am sure if this occurred in a city or town the car would have been stripped of everything of value. The car spent the rest of the wet season in Ngukurr and ended up being sold by the insurance company to a local for a pittance. 

akmacca08@live.com.au

WOLVES

By chance we stumbled upon the Northern Lights Wildlife, Wolf Centre which is close to the town of Golden in BC. The centre is located a little way off the highway down some quiet country roads. The Centre itself is unpretentious and blends in with the surrounding countryside.

We arrived late on a cold winters afternoon and paid the $10 admission fee. We were then shown to the large enclosures that house the wolves. Each enclosure houses two wolves which are regularly rotated through the Wolf Centre. The Centre houses six wolves all who have been born and raised in captivity.

A husband and wife team run the Wolf Centre and in the 10 years or so they have been involved in the Centre they have never been away for more than four days at a time.

As with many captive animals the wolves don't do a real lot, actually they did nothing at all whilst we were there. It is enough I think to just able to just get a look at these animals up close. The male was huge and weighed in at 135lbs.

One of the owners gave us a very informative talk about the wolves, their habitat, mannerisms and way of life. They stated that wolves get a bad rap and there has been only one proven human fatality to a wolf in the wild. Wolves aren't protected in Canada and are regularly killed by hunters and farmers. 

We were also told that wolves have the most highly developed family structure next to humans. An alpha male and female rule the pack and the weak within the pack are looked after and cared for by the strong. 

Another interesting inhabitant of the Wolf Centre were the Karelian  Bear Dogs who originated in Russia and Finland to hunt bears. In North America, these bear dogs are part of bear management programs aimed at rehabilitating "problem" bears. Karelian Bear Dogs can be used to teach the bears, as well as other species such as cougars and elk, to respect and avoid human "territories".

The Wolf Centre isn't large, nor is it a high-technology facility, but it achieves what it sets out to do and that is to educate people about wolves.

akmacca08@live.com.au

BANFF

Christmas has been and gone for another year, though the stores aren't finished with us all yet as they wind up for their new year sales.

I spent a lovely Christmas in Banff, Alberta. Banff is one of the great  national parks of Canada. High snow covered mountains compliment, deep valley's filled with snow that looks like icing sugar. Forrests of pine trees cling to the mountainsides, weighed down by snow. How they stand the weight I don't know. Some of the rivers and streams are sheets of ice whilst others have been reduced to just a trickle by the cold.

It is cold, around -20c, but the air is fresh and the sun casts an aura over the high mountains. The summer crowds of shorts and t-shirts are long gone replaced by heavy clothing and ski's. It is cold walking down the streets of central Banff. Christmas decorations abound and storekeepers look hopefully at anyone that enters their store.

Compared to the rest of the year Christmas is a quiet time at Banff.

I stayed at a very nice hotel that came with a fireplace that we put to constant use. The cold outside makes the room more desirable, especially when we have a view of a beautiful moutain capped with blinding white snow. We walk to dinner. It is now -25c and I forget my hat, I can't feel my ears. Of course I only realise when we get to the restaurant that I have a hood on my coat. Stupid man!

I did something this year that I have never done before and that is I went to a Christmas Eve church service. I did feel a little hypocritical but what the heck, it's Xmas and a time of goodwill. The scary thing was that I remembered many of the carol's as well as the Lord's Prayer. Something that I learnt by rote over 40 years ago. Some things we never forget!

Christmas day was a quiet affair with an exchange of gifts and a nice Christmas breakfast follwed by a day of just chilling. We had dinner in the hotel and a course was a Canadian Xmas treat called turducken, which is chicken stuffed into a duck which is stuffed into a turkey. Sounds rather distgusting and a little like animal cruelty but it sure tastes good. Who ever dreams up such dishes?

That was Christmas spent far from family and friends and bbq's on the beach. 

As I drove out of Banff this morning I reflected upon the last time I was there as a teenage soldier who came to the town to drink and carouse. All of my friends and I bought Daniel Bonne coonskin caps to wear around town. We created havoc wherever we went but the Canadian's were nice enough to put up with our silly Australian antics.

You know I could not remember one site from that visit all those years ago, nothing looked familiar which is just another example of what alcohol does to the memory.

I am now back in Okanagan Falls after a beautiful drive through the majestic Rocky Mountains. I am over mountains for now as I have had my fill over the past few days. I am spoilt I know.

A few days here then off to Vancouver.

akmacca08@live.com.au

MERRY CHRISTMAS

A very merry christmas and a fruitful and happy new year to all my family, friends and anyone else unfortunate enough to stumble upon this blog.

I am currently in Banff, Alberta, Canada enjoying the beautiful scenery and cold weather which currently sits at -22c. So a white Christmas for me.

Take care, have a great day and a better 2010!



akmacca08@live.com.au

ROCK AND ROLL

Around this time last year I was living and working in the remote Aboriginal community of Ngukurr, which is located in East Arnhem Land in the northern part of Australia. It is a wild and beautiful place that is isolated for around five months of the year due to the heavy rains of the wet season.

The road that leads into Ngukurr is the same road that leads out. To get to Ngukurr is somewhat of a task. Usually you would approach Ngukurr from the Northern Territory capital of Darwin and head south 400 kilometres to the town of Katherine. From Katherine you travel down the Stuart Highway for a 110 kilometres or so until you reach the Ngukurr turnoff.

At the turnoff you have a 190 kilometre single lane road all the way to Ngukurr. The last 60 or so consists of rich, red earth, filled with potholes, corregations and creeks. Beside worrying about the road conditions you have to be on the lookout for the abundant wildlife that appear hell-bent on jumping, slithering, flying or in the case of water buffalo's standing in front of your vehicle.

My personal record for wildlife hits on this trip is three kangaroos and a flock of gallah's.Not nice at all! In this part of the world bullbars aren't for decoration, they are a necessity.

I usually did this trip at least every two weeks, either to Katherine or all the way to Darwin. It was a hard drive, hot, dusty and tiring but a privilige all the same.

But I digress.

I was returning from Katherine after picking up personal effects that were stored there. I had also done my grocery shopping for the next fortnight so the car was laden with all manner of things. The wet season had just started though the sun shone as I dodged various critters along the tarred road.

Music was blaring from the stereo as I approached the section of road where tarred road gives way to dirt. Just a 100 metres or so before I hit the dirt the heaven's opened up and heavy pellets of rain cascaded from the sky. Visibility went to almost zero.

I hit the dirt at around 85kph, with no visibility I wanted to slam on the brakes to slow down but I knew if I did the car would start to buck and slide. I had no idea where the road was it was basically hold onto the steering wheel and hope. 

Well, hope doesn't always suffice as the surface of the road became like an ice rink and the rear of the car started to slide. I tried to correct the slide but this only encouraged the rear of the car to tailspin. Soon I was going done the road sideways just waiting for gravity to take over.

And it did.

All the while this was happening I couldn't do anything, it was out of my control. I knew the car was going roll over, it was just a matter of when. I wasn't scared, the thought that was going through my head was, "I am going to be in deep shit now." The my Government vehicle was almost new, it had less than 3000 k's on the clock.

It all happened in slow motion as the vehicle had arrived at a point where it couldn't sustain traction and balance and it just rolled over. Once, twice and then a third time.

Slow motion it may have been but it also felt as though it was over in a milli-second. The thunderous roar of metal tearing and things breaking was replaced by the sound of rain and heavy breathing.

I felt okay a bit shaken but nothing too terrible. I was alive so it seemed. Wait. There was blood. Now where was that coming from? I checked myself over......it was coming from a cut at the top of my ear. Nothing too dramatic at all, just lots of blood.

Luckily the car had come to rest on its wheels some 25 metres off the road. I looked through the shattered windscreen that barely hung in place. Rain pelted me and helped me regain my senses.  All around me lay chaos.

I undid my seatbelt and had to put my shoulder against the drivers side door to open it. The door clunked open with a groan. I climed from the car to survey the damage. The first thing I noticed was the trail of personal belongings that lay strewn about the place. A sodden pillow over there, a shoe there. Someting shinny poked from the mud, I bent for a closer look. It was my iPod.

I turned to survey the damage to the car. One tyre was blown whilst the other three looked okay. There were dents and scrapes all over the front of the car though the main damage was at the rear of the car where the roof had been badly dented and most of the windows were blown out. The words 'write off' sprung to mind.

So here I was, wet through, bleeding with belongings strewn everywhere with a vehicle that looked like its wheels would never turn again. I was 60 or so kilometres from Ngukurr on a road that on some days may only greet a handful of cars. It was late, pouring with rain and would be dark soon. Shit!!!

(to be continued)
akmacca08@live.com.au

SILVER STAR

We spent the night in the town of Vernon with friends a highlight of which was soaking in an outdoor hot tub in the snow and interesting experience indeed.

Mid-morning Sunday saw us making a short 22 kilometre trip to the Silver Star Resort, which lies in the hills on the fringe of Vernon. On the way there snow continued to fall though it wasn't that cold at 0c. I had never been to a ski resort before so I wasn't sure what to expect. 

My first impression was how white and pristine everything was. The pine trees that cover most of the mountain were laden with snow which hung to the branches like dollops of whipped cream. Every now and again a branch could take no more and a tiny explosion of white fluff would ripple through the tree and onto the ground.

There was activity everywhere, people were coming and going, usually with ski's or a snowboard tucked under their arm. All of them were dressed for the cold outdoors with outfits and equipment that no doubt cost an awful lot of money, something that made me appreciate the sport of sunbathing on the beach where the only cost is usually factor 30+ suntan lotion.

Ski lifts made their way up the mountainside unconcerned whether they were occupied or not, parents pulled children along on ski's as groups of warmly wapped people stopped and regaled each other with their exploits on the slopes. A dog on a leash sniffed here a snow plough chugged past there. There was a lot going on. 

I felt somewhat as an imposter as I wasn't there to ski, I didn't have all the right gear and my two bug knee's won't permit such foolishness.  As a compromise I decided to try my hand at snow tubing. Sixteen bucks for two hours seems a far price to pay for some fun.

It is a simple sport. You select a tyre tube that has had a cover placed over it and proceed to the hook up point, you sit on your tube and a cable that's attached to the tube is hooked to a pulley system and you are serenely transported up the icy slope. Once at the top you pull your tube to the edge of one of three runs and prepare for lift off.

You are asked by one of the attendants whether you want to join your tube with that of your partner. You look into your partners eye's to determine if she is worthy and can you trust her? You make a decision that she can be trusted for now so you sit on your tube link legs and are asked by the attendant whether you want to be pushed or not and if so do you want a twist?

Never let it be said that I don't live on the edge, a twist it was. So with a push, shove and twist we are launched down the slope like an exocet missile.

What was it like? Well it was fun, no doubt about it but I suspected that the Silver Star tubing slopes weren't the most frightening in Canada. Actually it was a little sedate. I am told that there are some real doozies that are akin to riding a bucking bronc and I will have to seek those elsewhere at another time.

Nevertheless I really enjoyed it and I think I completed 7-8 runs.

Now I must tell you the thing that really stands out here at Silver Star is the number of young Aussie's who work here. Wherever I turned I bumped into an Australian or heard the Aussie twang. The three receptionists at the hotel were all Australian. The women who sold me the tube tickets were Australian as were every tube attendant bar one. I asked many of them how they liked it and each and every oe of them replied with a smile that they were having a real blast. What a great experience for a young person from the other side of the world to come and work in the Canadian ski fields. All I have to do now is to try and convince my kids to give it a go!

My first ski resort experience has been a good and positive one and somehow I don't think it will be my last such visit as there is a certain person with whom I have a few snowball scores to settle!

akmacca08@live.com.au

THE HAIR DRYER STORY

As I stated in my last blog some of my postings are going to be blasts from the past which detail adventures, yarns and tales that have befallen me on my travels.

This tale occurred when I was a tour guide in China and had flown into Hong Kong in preparation of taking a tour group from Hong Kong to Beijing.

I had just flown into Hong Kong from Phuket, Thailand and proceeded to the baggage carousel to pick up my back pack. For once my pack was one of the first off the aircraft but my joy was a little short lived as the back of my pack was soaking wet. The backpack must have been lying directly against the floor of the aircraft and the condensation had wet the pack.


I had no choice so I shouldered the pack and caught the bus to my Hong Kong hotel. Of course as soon as I placed the pack upon my back my shirt and shorts became wet.



After checking in I had to run some urgent errands in town so I had to go straight out again. If you have lived out of a backpack you will know how valuable clean clothes are and how you put off until the last possible moment changing them. I was now faced with this same dilemma.



I was then overtaken with inspiration as I had noticed that there was a hairdryer on the bedside table. Perfect, I could use this to dry my shorts.



 So I took off my shorts and turned the hairdryer onto them. I was immediately impressed by the results, the shorts started to dry rapidly.



Now for various reasons I was not wearing any underwear, but this was of no concern, I was alone in the room on the 22 floor and no one could see into the room.



All of a sudden I had this strange feeling that we all sometimes get that someone was watching me. I turned around towards the door and there was a Chinese man standing there with a horrified look on his face. He stared at me a moment more and bolted out the door.



I don’t know who was more surprised him or I. I had not heard him come in because of the noise of the hairdryer. Then I realised what he must have seen. Here was this white guy standing there with just a t-shirt on and a hairdryer in his hand and from the angle he stood he would not have seen the pants only that that I had a hairdryer pointed
towards my groin area and a content look upon my face.

No doubt he thought that he had burst upon a guy with a severe hairdryer fetish.


Soon the phone rang. It was reception calling to tell me that a maintenance man had knocked upon my door and hearing no reply entered the room with a pass key. The receptionist said nothing about the incident, but asked if I could let them know when I was leaving the hotel so the maintenance man could enter the room without bothering me. There was an emphasis on the word bothering.



For the rest of my stay I am sure that the hotel staff scurried away when I approached. Worse still I had this strange feeling that they were also pointing me out to others and laughing behind my back.



I wonder why?

akmacca08@live.com.au

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EDITOR'S BLOCK!

The snow has come and gone for now and been replaced by drizzling rain. Of course this turns the roads to slush and pristine white has been replaced by dirty, black piles of banked snow. Not a very nice sight and it is the other side of the 'winter wonderland.'

We have a very steep driveway here and we were having trouble getting the van up and down the icy driveway. So the tyres on the van have now been replaced with winter tyres that will give the vehicle more grip and that means we should be able to get up and down the driveway without too many problems.

There is also some heavy winter driving trips ahead over the next few weeks, firstly to Banff and then across the Rockies to Vancouver and then down into the States to California and back. So the tyres will improve the safety of the drive.

Tomorrow we head to Vernon in BC to spend the night with friends before heading east and onto Banff.

Confession time.

This blog was primarily to promote my book about the boy, Tommy Tippett who grew up in Sydney in the 1960's. The book of some 85,000 words took six weeks to write and in the 8 weeks sincce I completed the book I have edited just 70 pages. It is something I am just not enjoying and I find any excuse to put off an edit for another day. I am not sure why as without the edit the book won't go anywhere.

I now have the excuse of travel and Christmas to further put off returning to Tommy. The solution I think is a new years resolution around Tommy Tippett and a completion date for the edit.

Good idea! That's exactly what I will do.

In the meantime I will write a bit about this and a little about that. Some blogs will be contemporary and keep you up to date with what is going on here and now whilst in other blogs I will backtrack to another time when we were all much younger, but not as wise.

So hang in there, Tommy is on his way, sooner or later, well actually a bit later than sooner but I know he will be worth the wait.

akmacca08@live.com.au

SNOW

My wish has been delivered and OK Falls has received some decent snow over the past couple of days. Even though I have been in the snow before in various places around the world I still get a buzz out of seeing pristine, white snow laying everywhere.


To Canadians the snow isn't all that special or for that matter all that heavy, but to my mind it is just great and for now I can't get enough. There is something special about waking up in the morning and looking outside to see everything coated in frosty layers of snow that has fallen overnight. Suddenly a mundane and well-known landscape is turned into a glistening and pristine environment that looks so removed from the green's and brown's I am used to.


There are some downsides though!

Even though I consider myself an experienced driver, snow-driving is a different game altogether. This morning I had to drive a little way's down the road and in that short drive I had to be aware of so many things that are foreign to driving on dry roads in Australia.


Sometimes the tyres won't grip the road and then the car's traction control kicks in with a grinding, grating noise that almost always give me a fright. You have to slow down when cornering or turning and always be aware of obstacles hidden under the snow. Of course the visibility is affected when it is snowing and you always have to be on the lookout for other drivers doing something stupid or deer wandering onto the road.


So far I have found snow-driving to be just a little stressful.


Another consideration is the amount of clothes you have to put on every time you leave the house, there are no quick runs outside in shorts and t-shirt to grab the paper or to take the dog out. Well that is for normal people, I keep forgetting where I am and tend to do those things in my 'inside' clothes of said shorts and t-shirt and then complain when my bare feet freeze in the snow.

But on the positive side cold,snowy weather is ideal for staying inside and curling up with a good book by the fire or watching a movie on TV. But it is equally as nice to go for a long walk through the snow. I just love the crunch, crunching sound of snow under my boots. The dog loves it as well and charges through the snow, often with her nose down in the snow like a snow plough.


Then again a walk in the snow does have its drawbacks when you walking companion decides, to put snow down your neck or throw a snowball at your face without a hint of declaration of war. Canadians!


So for now I love my snowy adventures though it may ware off in time.

akmacca08@live.com.au

PRINCESS PATRICIAS CANADIAN LIGHT INFANTRY

Earlier today a news story caught my eye. Within the story was a mention of a Canadian Army unit, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). That bought back memories of a time long ago when I was a young soldier stationed in Townsville with the First Battalion The Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR).

I was into my nineteenth year and was into my third year in 1 RAR and I had just been transferred to Support Company after spending almost two years in Charlie Company. 1 RAR had almost completed the re-building process after the departure of National Serviceman in the early seventies.

With Charlie Company I had completed the second rotation as the Rifle Company Butterworth and not long after that trip Charlie Company was sent to Singapore to take part in a large exercise. On our return a bunch of Charlie Company soldiers attended Support Company courses and were transferred to that Company at the completion of the course.

The timing was perfect as Support Company had been selected to take part in an exchange visit to Canada. Support Company 1 RAR would be hosted with the PPCLI in Calgary, Alberta, whilst a Company of PPCLI would be hosted by 1 RAR.

The Canadians were considered the worlds best practitioners of United Nations peacekeeping missions and the aim of our visit was to learn from the Canadians and then bring these skills back to Australia.

At the time the Australian Government were pushing to have Australian troops included in UN peacekeeping missions. The Governments aim, I believe was to have 1 RAR show the United Nations that Australian troops were capable and worthy in being considered for future UN missions.

Our first few weeks in Calgary werer taken up in learning how to be effective peacekeepers. All of our Canadian instructors had a wealth of UN peacekeeping experience, primarily in Cyprus where they were the UN mainstays. The culmination of this training was to be a three day exercise which was to replicate a 'real' peacekeeping operation that the Canadians had conducted in Cyprus.

All the training and briefings were complete and the Company Group was visited by high ranking Army officers who stressed the importance of the exercise to both the Australian Army and the Australian Government. We were told in no uncertain terms that the spotlight would be on us and we were expected to succeed.

No worries we all thought, easy.

The Canadians were experts at the UN caper so they had mock villages in place as well as a sizable contingent of civilian belligerents and innocent bystanders. It was going to be as real as it could be in a training scenario. We were given our final orders and rules of engagement and sent forth to quell the civilian unrest.

I won't go into long detail now about how peace should be maintained on UN operations but one of the main pre-requisites is not to cause more trouble by your presence or shoot too many people..........unfortunately we did both.

Support Company 1 RAR was a mixture of youth and experience with almost all of the junior and senior Non Commissioned Officers and a smattering of the officers all having served in Vietnam. Some had more than one tour and several had also served in the Borneo conflict. The Battalion's ethos was training for war, not peacekeeping. I suppose you could say that we had a gung-ho mentality and if it moved shoot it.

The exercise started okay, we moved along rowdy groups, searched vehicles and were generally nice to everyone we met, but we just couldn't maintain the civility. The first incident occurred when a group of rock throwers were fired upon by Support Company troops. The umpire declared three civilians were killed and several wounded. The 1 RAR section commander thought this was a good result.

Wrong!

Within the exercise scenario the protests escalated and Australian troops were fired upon. Up until that time all of our training had been if you were fired upon, fire back and then win the battle. So that's generally what we did, we fired back and caused havoc. Our commanders tried to get the troops to adhere to the rules of engagement but it was too late, both sides were fired up and it was open warfare.

The peacekeepers had transformed into peacetakers. Shots rang out, rocks were thrown and barricades were stormed. Our response was section fire, including a belt's of M60. We were very impressed with ourselves when an umpire informed us that we had killed over 20 'civilians.' That was until the Company Commander got hold of our Section Commander and kicked him in the backside for not following the rules of engagement. "But sir," he said, "the buggers were throwing rocks at us, what do you expect us to do, roll over?"

The exercise was called off after several such incidents. From memory we hadn't got to the halfway point, but the powers that be decided that there was no point going on as the peacekeeping exercise had degenerated into farce, especially when troops and 'civilians' at one vehicle checkpoint got involved in a brawl.

Of course at the Junior Non-Commissioned Officer and digger level we were all pretty pleased with ourselves. We had shown our mettle and that we wouldn't take a backward step. And since the exercise was over a day and a half early we could probably all get on the piss.

Unfortunately for us that wasn't the view held by the Support Company hierarchy or the Australian Army senior observers or as we were told the politicians in Canberra. We were told in no uncertain terms the we were in fact all very naughty boys.

The result of this 'Peacekeeping' fiasco was that a report went back to the UN about Australian soldiers inability to conduct peacekeeping operations. Australian soldiers were too aggressive and warlike and would not be suited to serve with UN mandated peacekeeping missions.

So if anyone reading this served in the Australian Army from say, 1975 to the nineties ever wondered why you never got a UN guernsey..... well you now know that you can blame it all on the trigger -happy soldiers of Support Company 1 RAR!

akmacca08@live.com.au

CANADIAN CRICKET

Over the past five days I have been avidly watching the progress of the Second Cricket Test, Australia v West Indies from Adelaide. A draw seemed a fair result. To someone not familiar with the noble game of cricket playing a game for five days, for six hours a day and then at the end of that time not getting a result would appear a little bizarre. But to those of us who grew up with the game, this is one of crickets attractions.

What other game can you have such quaint terminology as: leg before wicket, silly mid on, square leg, a maiden over or silly point.....well the list goes on and on.

To an Australian the dulcet tones of Richie Benaud signals summer as surely as cicada's blaring from a eucalyptus tree. For those who may not be aware, Richie is Australia's equivalent of Howard Cossell.

Thinking of cricket reminded me of a strange encounter I had about a month into my stay here in Canada.

I was driving into OK Falls and off in the distance I spied something that looked familiar. It couldn't be I thought to myself. No it couldn't be not here in OK Falls, British Columbia. I stopped the vehicle and said to my companion that that strip of green over yonder in the local park looks like a cricket pitch.

"A cricket what?" she answered with a vague look on her face.

"It looks like a cricket pitch. And look at either end there's a set of stumps!" Now she really thought I had lost it. Talk of crickets, stumps and pitches tends to do that with sweet Canadian gals.

I knew an explanation wouldn't suffice so I said lets drive to the park and have a look. She was only too happy to comply with the request of this weird Australian.

We pulled up at the park and to my amazement there were the two opening batsman going out to the pitch to take guard. One team were dressed in blue one-day garb and the other in yellow.

A cricket match was about to be played here in Okanagan Falls, population of around 1000. Go figure!

It turns out that the two teams were made up exclusively of expatriates from the sub-continent and a thriving competition is conducted in and around the Okanagan Valley.

So here I was sitting in my car watching a cricket match in OK Falls, trying to explain the convoluted rules to my companion, whilst just a short distance away a group of boys were playing an impromptu game of baseball.

Cricket being played was the last thing I expected to see here in rural Canada. Life is strange!

BUSY, BUSY

It has been a busy few days here in downtown OK Falls. It started late last week when I attended a high school basketball match in Osoyoos. Now having five kids I have done a fair amount of time going from one sporting field to another, one gym to the next so I was interested to see if the kids and the sporting ethos would be any different here in British Columbia.

Well guess what? It is exactly the same. One team wins and another loses, there are a few outstanding players and a lot of journeyman. Some of the team try their heart out regardless of the score and others just make up the numbers. The home crowd cheers and boo's depending upon who is in possession and volunteers and officials bring it all together and make it work.

Halftime comes and kids, big and small rush onto the court to shoot hoops with what seems like 100 renegade, bouncing balls. balls collide on their path to the hoop and children tumble, fall and slide across the polished floor.

In Australia the ball and sports maybe different but the kids are still the same. You can't tie them down they just want to get out there and have a go. Kids and sport are a perfect fit.

Saturday was the great Christmas tree hunt. We went up into the mountains behind where we live in search of the perfect tree. As we climbed higher the snow on the road deepened and the temperature dropped. We spied a side road, left the car and trekked into the woods. The dog was in some sort of nirvana, having never seen snow. She ran and jumped, pranced and splattered through snowdrifts, often lowering her jaw to the ground and running along and scooping up mouthfuls of snow. Dumb dog!

A tree was found and it was hauled back tot he van, but not before my companion decided to afford me a Canadian welcome by shoving a handful of snow down my shirt. Not a very nice Canadian at all !

No sooner was the tree home and off we set on a marathon shopping expedition, Canadian Tire, London Drugs, Wal Mart and Zellers all foreign name to me and intriguing in their own way. Even so a man can only stand so much Christmas shopping. Obviously I was paying penance for earlier misdeeds.

The highlight of the day was the Penticton Christmas Parade. Man was it cold standing out there! But I enjoyed it and it was great to see the community spirit at work. It was then a matter of racing back to the car and willing the car heater to warm up faster than it was really capable of.

Today was preparation for a birthday, the job that befell to me was assembling a basketball stand and hoop. Easy to assemble and no tools required said the instructions and that was basically true. What it didn't say on the instructions was that the hoop had to be assembled outdoors in the freezing cold where it was hard to even turn a screw.

Through pig-headiness alone I stayed outside, freezing my butt off, longing to be in Australia where it is early summer and around 34c every day. When I had finally finished my face and hands were blue. What makes it worse is that it was only -6c, what's it going to be like when it is -15c?

The rest of the day was spent preparing food and dressing the Xmas tree that at one time crashed in the lounge room knocking this and that asunder. Damn live tree's have a mind of their own.

I think Canadians take Christmas and everything that surrounds it much more seriously and joyously than we in Australia do and I think the reason for that is the weather and tradition. It is often hard to get serious about Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman when it is 35c and you are heading for the beach. It is high summer and the outdoors beckon whereas here in Canada it is snowy and cold and the weather encourages thoughts of a white Christmas and a raging hot fire.

Not sure which one I like the best, but I'll let you know!

akmacca08@live.com.au

MATE

Earlier today I found out that an old mate couldn't make it across to Canada for the holidays. I have known Adrian for almost 40 years (am I that old!) we met as young soldiers in the Army and had a lifetime worth of adventures in the two and a half years we spent together in the First Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR).

Not satisfied with our military antics we spent five months touring the world together, some of it in a fried out kombie, after we both discharged from the military after three years service. Once again we somehow managed to cause trouble and strife wherever we went, but boy did we have fun.

We said our goodbyes in England and didn't see each other for almost 25 years. Why we allowed that to happen I don't know. We came into contact again via the Internet and renewed our friendship, it was as though it never left us.

By chance and a stroke of good fortune both Adrian and I wound up as tour guides in China and it was Adrian who gave me the inspiration to apply for the job. He Had started leading tours some 3 months before me and when I finished my training in Melbourne he was designated as my trainer.

Once again it was an amazing stroke of luck as nobody in the organisation knew of our connection. To say that we had a blast travelling form Hong Kong to Beijing over a three week period would be a massive understatement. It was more like we were on holidays and the passengers were just along for the ride and show.

Adrian and I have a unique ability to keep each other amused as well as an implicit trust in one another. Rare commodities and something that is hard to find.

So time has moved on for us both but we keep in regular contact with one another and when Adrian found out that he had an extended leave he decided to come for a visit to Canada. Oh and to look after the dog while I went away. That is what friends are for!

Alas it is not to be as Adrian's father is about to be released from hospital and he needs someone to look after him as he can't at this stage look after himself. Without hesitation Adrian has decided to stay and look after his Dad, never mind the trip, the large sum of money he has paid or anything else. As he said to me, "it's family." Enough said.

No grumbling or poor, poor me. Just an acceptance that it is the right thing to do. There will be other opportunities to travel to Canada but perhaps only one to help out his father. It is the right decision, albeit a hard one and I am not sure if I would have made such an altruistic choice. But that's the sort of guy he is, I keep telling him he is the nice one.

akmacca08@live.com.au

BORDER CROSSING

I decided that I would skip across the border to Omak in Washington State, on Tuesday to do a hit and run shopping trip to Wal Mart. Omak is around 125k's from Okanagan Falls and the border crossing is at the Canadian border town of Osoyoos.

It is a distance to go shopping but it is worth it as most items are anything from 10%- 60% cheaper in the US.

Because of the huge hassle I had re-entering Canada in early November I checked my passport and my Canadian paperwork on the Monday before the trip just to make sure all was in order. For this entry into Canada I was given a formal piece of paper which was stapled to my passport and it lays out the conditions of my entry and stay into Canada. Part of this paperwork was folded and out of sight and when I unfolded it on Monday I received a shock as typed at the bottom of the document were the words, "THIS DOES NOT AUTHORIZE RE-ENTRY INTO CANADA."

Damn did this mean if I left Canada they wouldn't let me back in? I couldn't take that risk so I spent an hour trying to get an answer to this question. Of course all of the immigration enquiry lines were automated and I wasn't able to talk to a "real" person. All I could do was go to the border on Tuesday and ask someone there. Not a great option but the only one available to me.

It was a beautiful day on Tuesday, one of those crisp, clear cold days where it is a pleasure to drive. I arrived at the border crossing which is rather large as it houses Canadian Border Control on one side and on the other American Border Control. There were no signs anywhere to direct a person to an enquiry centre so I had to make a few guesses and park the car and walk.

I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing as I was walking across the roadway where the border control boxes are, I was half expecting siren's and gunshots but nothing happened. I went to the enquiry counter and spoke to a very young Canadian Border Control Officer who only confused me more.

She said I maybe able to re-enter Canada and maybe not. It all depends what it has on my dossier. Dossier? Yes I have a dossier and if it says I have a criminal record or if I am deemed undesirable, well re-entry maybe refused. I asked her could she checked before I crossed? She said she couldn't because that wasn't the protocol.

I said to her that it was a roll of the dice for me and I had to take my chances? She nodded sagely and said that was right. Great!

With some trepidation I decided to risk it as I have a trip to California planned for late December and I had to know before then.

So I got in the line to enter the USA. They ran a German Shepherd drug, sniffer dog over the car and in such circumstances you can't help but being a little nervous. You just pray that the dog doesn't stop and go into some sort of meltdown around your car. Thankfully it didn't.

The Homeland Security guy was nice enough, all the standard questions, where are you going in the US, why are you going there, how long are you going to stay, ect, ect. I felt pretty smug as I had a newly issued 5 year American visa in my passport but I was quickly deflated when I was told that I didn't have a "white slip" in my passport. I was told to pull over and report to the office.

The office was full of gun-toting Homeland Security officers just waiting for someone, anyone to make a false move. That wasn't going to be me so I was all yes sir and no sir's to them. They tried to tell me that it was my fault that I didn't have the white slip and my explanation just didn't cut it with them.

Thankfully this wasn't a great drama and they had to issue me with a new one to go in my passport as proof of entry into the US. For this I had to pay Uncle Sam $6. But I was through and away on Highway 97 on my way to Omak. A single lane highway all the way to Omak and I suppose this is what you call backwoods America, full of pick up trucks, good 'ol boy's and rifles.

Omak is a reasonably small town and its claim to fame is the Omak Stampede Rodeo which includes the "World Famous Suicide Race," (Their words). I was lucky enough to attend the Stampede in early August and it was a great experience and an opportunity to get a taste of the "real America." So Omak isn't all that big but it does have a Super Wal Mart. Interesting mix of people in the store, lots of old folks and an awful lot of Mexicans, enough to have many Mexican grocery lines in the store.

It was a smash and grab, get in get out trip and I achieved my aim in short time and loaded up my trolley with goodies. Withing 70 minutes I was back on the road for home.

On the way back I caught an interesting sight. A Washington State Trooper had pulled over a car going in the opposite direction, nothing strange in that but the car the State Trooper was driving was different. The car was around 15 years old, dirty, battered and beat up, no way in the world would suspect that this was a police car. It was only the red and blue lights in the grill, dashboard and rear window of the car that gave it away.

On the way back I stopped at the tiny town of Tonasket to visit an antique shop called Aussie Antiques with a picture of a kangaroo hanging out the front. I had stopped before but the store was closed. I went in, had a look around, found nothing interesting and was walking out when the owner said thanks for visiting, I gave him a standard "thanks mate" and he almost had a fit.

"You an Aussie?" he asked. "Yeah," I answered as I continued out the door with my new friend following close behind.

It turns out his name was Colin and he was from Bunbury in Western Australia and had been in Tonasket for 13 years after marrying an American girl. He looked like Michael Palin and was a real nice bloke. He said that they don't get many Australian's at all through this neck of the woods and he just wanted to chat.

As we stood outside his shop chatting he motioned to two young people in their twenties crossing the road, they were relatives of Colin from Bondi Beach. Well you know the small world thing, so here was another example I was born in Bondi and spent the first 10 years or so there. These guys even knew the street where I lived. Go figure!

I left Colin promising to call in whenever I went to Omak.

It was with some trepidation that I waited in line to cross back into Canada. Finally it was my turn and I drove to the booth and handed across my passport with a cheery g'day mate and a bright, but forced smile. Thankfully I had a happy and chatty border control guy who asked me the usual questions of where I have been, how long, what did I buy, ect, ect. He informed me that he loved Australia and that is where he was going to retire as it was too cold in Canada.

He hardly appeared to look at my passport as he spent most of the time scanning my receipt for groceries. He informed me that I had more than the allowable $20 worth of dairy but was going to let it go. He gave me back my passport and gave me a cheery goodbye.

I had done it I was back in Canada! I like the States but there is something about the place, I just feel better off in Canada, not sure what it is.

So that was Allan's really excellent Wal Mart adventure, long and convoluted but successful in the end.