I am a sixth generation Australian of Irish and Scottish extraction. A visit to my site is a light hearted adventure across time, countries and cities.
In 1945, when Hiroshima and Nagasaki disappeared in a nuclear flash, well Japan’s dreams of the great ‘Asian Prosperity Sphere’ were, well and truly radioactive ash!
With Japan defeated and thrown out of occupied Asia, the original occupiers felt free to return. Britain quickly reset about renting out Singapore to the Singaporeans. Not surprisingly the Singaporeans said,“We’d like the property deeds back thank you!” (click this link to read about Singapore’s independence story)
This did not happen till 1965.
So, with the Landlord gone, clearly Singapore loved the British Empire Trinkets left behind.
A considerable part of a considerable National fortune has been spent repurposing such buildings to serve the people of the Republic: Art Galleries, Libraries, Museums, etc.
All first-class stuff!
Sir Stamford Raffles looks down on contemporary Singapore from numerous statues: Wonder what he would think?
Packing for my October 2022 Singapore adventure. Negative emotions haunt me, ghosts of my preparations, almost 20 years back, for one of the other great adventures in my life.
I had enlisted in the Australian Army at age 38. Why do something stupid like that?
I had wanted to enlist in 1979, Australia had only just extricated itself from the bloody war in Vietnam, my Country was giving shelter to refugees: War was fresh in our minds. My mother had endured my father’s 30-year military service, which had caused her great stress. She was also devoutly Catholic, and South Vietnam, a predominant Catholic country had just fallen to the ravages of communism, which added to her emotional stress. I did not want to break my mother’s heart by continuing the family military tradition, so, I became an Architect. But that urge and drive never left me. 2003, age 41, enlisted 3 years in, serving as an infantry soldier part time and volunteering for short term continuous full-time service: The Aussie Army was busy: Iraq, Timor-Leste – such things meant soldiering work for even middle age-old people.
It had been a long 3 years, undertaking study to achieve a commission from the Australian Royal Military Academy (Duntroon). Serious academic study are you serious! I am an Architect, it’s not that serious academically, I signed up to shoot and blow stuff up! Ok, I get paid to fire thousands of rounds through machine guns, sweet as Bro: What? You’re now telling me I have to hit a moving target at 300 metres, with just one shot! Sorry, Sarge can I ask, why you gave me an automatic weapon if I am only allowed one single shot? Ok, I will shut the F*ck up, and no I don’t want another arse hole, but I can’t even see that far! And, if I don’t qualify on that ridiculous task, twice a year I’m out!
Military Memories.
Oh yeah, long weekends, long weeknights, and regular trips away out to a month, but nothing like the last adventure. What was I thinking? Enlisted at age 38! Fat, heavy drinking, chain smoking over working Architect, then divorce. 20 years older than my Duntroon class mates. Dislocated shoulder from a horse-riding accident, lost me a year. First year was tough, how does one turn around a neglected body: Running, lifting, boxing, cold turkey on the smokes: And just digging deep most of the time. So,
Age 41, off on a two-month adventure, my last combat course: Hopefully, the Queen, would see fit to offer me the Commission I had wanted at age 17. How did I feel?
Nervous: What am I doing? Why? This is going to be a shear nightmare! Apprehension. Going to miss my family. Fear, yes! Little sleep, disgusting food and let us not think about the academic stuff. Face it, you are no ‘Rocket Scientist’ nor the sharpest tool in the shed! Ironically,
Welcome to the ruling Class.
I actually had a mate at Duntroon, who was doing his PHD in Rocket Science! See, I was a working-class boy from a working-class town, educated at a working-class Catholic School, I did not even go to University, I completed my architectural degree part time at a technical college in the evenings. My peers at Duntroon, many of them: Well, let me just say for the first time I met the ruling class. Sons and daughters of Generals, Senior Officers, Politicians and Corporate Titans, realization that indeed some people start life with one foot up the Journey of Life ladder. An awful lot of fire power to open doors for you. However,
Egalitarian Australia saves me.
Fortunately, Australia still holds onto to its desire for egalitarianism, embraces meritocracy. There were just as many from the back blocks, and every race, colour, and creed: It really represented contemporary Australia. Generally – Merit, drive, and determination had been their entry ticket.
So, yes 20 years previously I was far from excited – Negative emotional overload, definitely!
What else am I pondering?
Travelling companions.
Well, looking at my old once best companion: My standard Aussie Army Backpack and Combat Webbing. Like a shell to a tortoise, it had been my bedroom, kitchen, pantry, wardrobe, protection, and shelter. Contrasted with my Singapore kit: I think what a load of crap! All soldiers will tell you, check your kit, remember your government had it made for the lowest possible tender price. Check, check and check again.
What of my new adventure to Singapore?
Excited cannot describe it! Every corner I turn will be new, fresh full of opportunity. At age 60 it is so important to avoid physical and mental staleness. The narrow mindedness of age and experience. Mark Twain, writing in 1880, captured my feelings:
So, what about my adventure of 20 years previous, what happened?
Smirking your way through life.
If in doubt, well smirk your way through life!
Well, I passed my course, never had to reset any academic subjects. The old corpse stood up pretty well, though I lost 8 kilograms. Posted out as a newly printed Troop Commander to First Field Artillery. I remember doing an awful lot of smirking, which is really my message to the world, that I don’t take either myself or it very seriously.
But I moved on again after several years. Life changes! Was all that work wasted? Not really. I spent another 14 odd years Project Managing Defence Construction Projects. I had the time of my life, complex, tough projects, long, mostly satisfying hours, collaborating with incredible people: None of that would have happened without doing something really stupid, like enlisting at 38! Certainly, none of that would have happened if I remained a fat, heavy drinking, chain smoking over working Architect.
Every Journey requires a forward step.
Sometime, life requires a step into fear and the unknown. Opportunity seldom comes to the sedentary man. Ernest Hemingway captures it for me:
“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
Ever had a Year of Living Dangerously? Did you enjoy it? Did it make you feel alive?
I have. It was great! Adrenalin is addictive. Sometimes you get close to Yoda’s advice, ‘Feel the Force Luke‘ or ‘Scared, you will be‘. But it impacts and hurts others, and it damages yourself.
Disappearing time.
The 1978 Christopher Koch novel, ‘The Year of Living Dangerously’, tells the tale of Indonesia’s 1965 descent into hell! The threat of communism became the fuel, which fired the dominant Indonesian families to fight for power, at any cost. It ended in a successful military coup, that still reverberates today. Alleged communists paid with their lives, it is estimated that 1 million were slaughtered!
I have travelled Indonesia extensively. It is almost impossible to have anyone speak of this period. Though, that may well be down to my notional attempt at speaking Bahasa Indonesian! It is known as the ‘Disappearing Time’, which perhaps explains precisely what occurred.
In pondering these events, I suspect that all is not as it seems. Did the victors slaughter their opponents in order to save Indonesia from totalitarian communism? Or was it all a ‘Big Lie‘, driven by an urge for self-seeking power and control? I’m sensing Deja Vu here.
Indonesia intrigue.
I am intrigued where Indonesia’s future lies. The Planet’s largest Muslim Nation. 275 million people can’t easily be ignored. How will their future process the events of 1965? Who, if anyone, will Indonesia choose to align itself with?
The 1982 Aussie film, of the same name, stars Sigourney Weaver and Mel Gibson. It is essentially a love story at many levels. Sigourney is excellent. Mel is, well Mel: Handsome and charming at his best. Mel was not always the bloated, loudmouth fool we have come to know. The 1980’s was a classic period of brilliant Australian Cinema, ‘Living Dangerously‘ is comfortable in that group.
Shadow and Light.
The movie expands on the theme, all is not what it seems, through the theme of traditional Indonesian puppetry. Ok, this bit’s ‘very arty’ yes, but it works cleverly, capturing, mood, shadows, danger and uncertainty. Indonesian puppetry, or correctly ‘Wayang Kulit‘, portrays human life through shadow and light, metaphors of evil versus good, the known, and the half seen. Given the dark forces at play during this period, the movie brilliantly uses this traditional art to echo the drama, love and violence. Shadow and light touches on Indonesian spiritualism, a subject I have previously written about, can be seen by clicking this link.
So, the book and the movie are firstly informative and then entertaining. Best to read the book, then watch the movie. What’s to loose? : A romping good story if nothing else. Critical history not commonly known. An Indonesian National Mythology was created in 1965: And sustained the Coup, until it finally collapsed in 1998. I am also intrigued by, ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ of National Myth Making. And, no I’m not obsessed by Italian Spaghetti Westerns!
Ok, readable copies of the book can be obtained on ABE Books, an online international seller of preloved editions. Cost start at $3.00 US dollars. If you are into books, even if you are not obsessed like me, you should make ABE a friend.
Till next time. National Myth Making? Now there is an intriguing subject to ponder.
Welcome to my first Postcard. What is this about? Well, since I no longer work fulltime, I have decided to write a public journal about things that interest me, and things I ponder. Starting with Singapore. My Singapore adventure will include, history, politics, war, eating, and retail therapy.
Contemporary Singapore – World Class Destination.
First a little about me.
I am a sixth generation Australian of Irish and Scottish extraction. Probable convict heritage, but certainly Irish economic refugees. I have worked as an Architect, was in harness to the now past Queen Elizabeth II; (as an infantry soldier, then artillery officer), before ending my work life as a construction project manager.
I am fortunate to be interested in many things, I am tragically also just as passionately obsessive about just as many. I do write a lot about the following topics:
Leadership Learnings from Experience;
History and its bearing on contemporary life;
Military History, avoidance of those mistakes; and
Building stuff and the shear joy of craftsmanship.
Not being an expert nor qualified in any of this, I can only try to keep my ponderings ‘real’ and ‘grounded.’
My wife Lizzie and I were fortunate to start our Singapore adventure in October 2022. What did I know about Singapore?
Singapore 1986 – Broke and Seedy.
Well, I did not know too much. I previously visited in 1986 as architectural graduate, not a dollar too my name, so yes it was a ‘seedy’ side of Singapore for me. Today’s Singapore, well much of it is no longer seedy, far from it! Take Raffles Hotel:
When I propped up Raffle’s Tiger Bar in 1986, it was a little shabby, very rakish and none to discerning about clientele, after all they let me in!
Contemporary Singapore is completely different politically, economically, and architecturally. Not that I remember much from 1986, I did get drunk several times in Raffles, well who didn’t in those days? I worked for the Republic of Singapore Airforce in Australia for 2 years, building runway infrastructure. I found the Singaporeans; friendly, intelligent, charming, and very professional.
Intriguing Singapore Adventures.
So, what intrigues me about Singapore?
Australia has had a difficult relationship with Asia. Wars with Japan and Vietnam, ongoing non-violent tension with Indonesia. Australia is or was, a transported English culture, out of place. Perhaps. We do not see ourselves as part of Asia, though a previous Prime Minister argued strongly that we should.
In February 1942, Singapore was overrun and occupied by the Japanese Imperial Army. Many Australian troops fought, died, and were captured. Since then, Singapore has morphed into what some say is the Earth’s most modern city. How did that happen? What about Politics?
Communism is a dominate thread in Asian development since World War 2, that and casting off European Imperial Colonization. Indeed, they both go hand and hand. But,
Singapore did not fall to Communism. Vietnam obviously did. And poor old Indonesia had a ‘Year of Living Dangerously,’ when the communist presence was brutally exterminated.
Singapore has been described as a ‘Benevolent Dictatorship,’ Is that really true? The people generally seem; healthy, well housed and have access to amazing built and natural environments. Has this form of government actually had a positive outcome?
Singapore – Much more than war and politics.
So, such topics intrigue me. How did Singapore do all of this?
However, I am also obsessively passionate about Asian Food, Gardening, Planting Trees, Cool Cars, Affordable Watches, Persian Rugs, Fishing, Literature, Ancient History, Book Collecting, Biggles, Winston Churchill, and all manner of beautiful objects to fill your home.
That is my early warning: I am quite a stream of consciousness pondering person, seeing connection between all manner of things, not necessarily in the same place or time, ok that can be annoying. I will try to stop short of some lame stand-up comedy routine, cannot promise anything. But,
I will try not to be boring.
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Welcome to Postcards from Downunder. My ponderings on travel, and all manner of human activity, all presented with a historical context.
