James Junior s till wearing his officer âs cap.
Captain Ernshaw bade them farewell. âOn your way, Jimmy. I hope you find that road you âre searching for . â
The family left with thanks, and rather sadly, for they had enjoyed a wonderful voyage.
Brisbane was on the verge of turning from a big country town into a city. The taxi to the city centre passed through industrial precincts, skirted the airport, and travelled through suburbs filled with timber houses , on high stumps , with large verandas and iron roofs . The cabbie told them the houses were designed for the climate of mild winters and hot, humid summers. To these Americans, it al l looked a li t tle strange.
They passed clanging grey trams with conductors wea r ing strange caps, more like the kepis worn by French army officers. Traffic was not heavy, and traffic lights were few. They passed busy intersections controlled by policemen in khaki uniforms and brown slouch hats, like the hats worn by the Australian army.
James Junior was interested in the traffic, dominated by cars that looked like small Chevrolets . The word Holden identified them as car s they had not heard of. Later they would learn that the Holden car was an Australian instit u tion, built by a subsidiary of General Motors. Moreover, they drove on the wrong side of the road! Other strange vehicles resembled the cars, but with only a front seat and a cargo a r ea at the back. The cabbie said they were Utes . Subsequen t ly, they found out the name was an abbreviation of utility vehicle . They soon learned that Australians have a habit of shortening na mes like that. Hence, they say barby for barb e cue, cozzie for swimming costume, and pressie for present.
The centre of the city looked like a big country town, not very different t han Albuquerque in size, and with few tall buildings. Later, after dinner, as they lay together, Marci said, âJimmy, what will we do now? â
Jimmy thought for a while, and then said, âI kinda like the idea of a smaller place, like one of our small college towns. We need a college for Susan and a good high school for the others. Why don ât we spend a week or so here and see what Brisbane has to offer in the way of sightseeing then catch a bus from here to Melbourne. Somewhere along the way we âll find something we âll like. â
Brisbane offered quite a lot. They rode the riverboats, visited the zoo, and handled the kangaroos and koalas. Ji m my even went to see a cricket match, although he had no idea of what was going on. The man alongside him had tried to explain, but that had made it even more confusing.
One day they made an excursion south to the area known as Surfers Paradise. This was a strip of holiday homes along the Pacific coast. In years to come, massive d e velopment of the tourist potential of the place gave it the name âGold Coast â, becoming the Mecca for Austr alians ânaturally shortened to Aussies â who wanted a beachside holiday.
They swam in the lovely cool waters and tried a bit of surfing. Sarah and James Junior liked this, and Sarah was admiring of the bronzed life savers patrolling the beach. Jimmy looked out to sea. The Pacific Ocean rolled away to the horizon. Somewhere out there, more than seven thousand miles away, lay his old home. He had a premonition then; a voice in his head told him there would be no return to Ame r ica. So be it, he decided, this was as good a place as any to die.
When the week was up, they boarded a Greyhound bus for the trip south. Each felt a tingle of anticipation. Som e where do wn the road lay their futures. T he fact that they were unknown only made the prospect more appealing.
Meanwhile, not far to the north in a small country in Indochina, small men and women, dressed in black, carrying AK47 assault rifles, were beginning to ambush their enemy, cache weapons and food in a maze of tu n nels, under the direction of regular officers of
Captain Ernshaw bade them farewell. âOn your way, Jimmy. I hope you find that road you âre searching for . â
The family left with thanks, and rather sadly, for they had enjoyed a wonderful voyage.
Brisbane was on the verge of turning from a big country town into a city. The taxi to the city centre passed through industrial precincts, skirted the airport, and travelled through suburbs filled with timber houses , on high stumps , with large verandas and iron roofs . The cabbie told them the houses were designed for the climate of mild winters and hot, humid summers. To these Americans, it al l looked a li t tle strange.
They passed clanging grey trams with conductors wea r ing strange caps, more like the kepis worn by French army officers. Traffic was not heavy, and traffic lights were few. They passed busy intersections controlled by policemen in khaki uniforms and brown slouch hats, like the hats worn by the Australian army.
James Junior was interested in the traffic, dominated by cars that looked like small Chevrolets . The word Holden identified them as car s they had not heard of. Later they would learn that the Holden car was an Australian instit u tion, built by a subsidiary of General Motors. Moreover, they drove on the wrong side of the road! Other strange vehicles resembled the cars, but with only a front seat and a cargo a r ea at the back. The cabbie said they were Utes . Subsequen t ly, they found out the name was an abbreviation of utility vehicle . They soon learned that Australians have a habit of shortening na mes like that. Hence, they say barby for barb e cue, cozzie for swimming costume, and pressie for present.
The centre of the city looked like a big country town, not very different t han Albuquerque in size, and with few tall buildings. Later, after dinner, as they lay together, Marci said, âJimmy, what will we do now? â
Jimmy thought for a while, and then said, âI kinda like the idea of a smaller place, like one of our small college towns. We need a college for Susan and a good high school for the others. Why don ât we spend a week or so here and see what Brisbane has to offer in the way of sightseeing then catch a bus from here to Melbourne. Somewhere along the way we âll find something we âll like. â
Brisbane offered quite a lot. They rode the riverboats, visited the zoo, and handled the kangaroos and koalas. Ji m my even went to see a cricket match, although he had no idea of what was going on. The man alongside him had tried to explain, but that had made it even more confusing.
One day they made an excursion south to the area known as Surfers Paradise. This was a strip of holiday homes along the Pacific coast. In years to come, massive d e velopment of the tourist potential of the place gave it the name âGold Coast â, becoming the Mecca for Austr alians ânaturally shortened to Aussies â who wanted a beachside holiday.
They swam in the lovely cool waters and tried a bit of surfing. Sarah and James Junior liked this, and Sarah was admiring of the bronzed life savers patrolling the beach. Jimmy looked out to sea. The Pacific Ocean rolled away to the horizon. Somewhere out there, more than seven thousand miles away, lay his old home. He had a premonition then; a voice in his head told him there would be no return to Ame r ica. So be it, he decided, this was as good a place as any to die.
When the week was up, they boarded a Greyhound bus for the trip south. Each felt a tingle of anticipation. Som e where do wn the road lay their futures. T he fact that they were unknown only made the prospect more appealing.
Meanwhile, not far to the north in a small country in Indochina, small men and women, dressed in black, carrying AK47 assault rifles, were beginning to ambush their enemy, cache weapons and food in a maze of tu n nels, under the direction of regular officers of
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