Australia [antikvár]

Foreword like practically everyone who visits Australia, I found myself quickly captivated by this immense and compelling country. Its greatest appeal, to me, is its people-their spirit and informal way of living; for others it might well be the sophisticated cities, the Great Barrier Reef, the half-explored outback that hides a treasure of mineral wealth, or perhaps simply the rich, gently rolling farmlands. Whatever one's preference, it is vividly presented in the 220 colorful and informative pages of this book, undertaken by the Society in response to its members' many expressions of interest in Australia. I first arrived in Australia late one night at the Sydney airport with ray wife Donna—and within minutes formed my most memorable Australian friendship. Tired from hours of jet travel, Donna and I watched the last available taxi disappear down a rain-swept street. At that grim moment a private car pulled up, and the driver called to us with cheerful Aussie informality. He had seen our predicament and insisted on taking us to our hotel—and he expressed keen disappointment that we could not accept an invitation to stay in his own home. To this day we rekindle our friendship through Christmas greeting cards. All during our travels, we experienced the same courtesy. And proud Australians enjoyed sharing their magnificent continent with us. Inevitably, we compared their country with ours. The tropical beauty of the Reef recalled the Straits of Florida; rugged mountains reminded us of New England; from the air Sydney resembled the San Francisco Bay area. Broad reaches of dry plain, like parts of our West, hold great potential, needing only irrigation to produce enough food for millions of people. Mineral discoveries are swelling the country's wealth, as they have in the United States. Indeed, Australia—the world's only country commanding an entire continent —boasts natural riches rivaled by few nations. Thoughtful Australians are quick to explain that lodes of ore alone do not account for the present boom. "Our prosperity," they say, "comes from a fact so obvious that it's easily overlooked, the fact that this is a politically stable country." Australia is one of the world's most successful democracies — heir to many generations' experience in the Old World, yet fortunate in a sense of youth, comparatively unencumbered by time and the weight of tradition. The nation has heritage enough to establish its own unmistakable identity, yet not enough to hold the country back. Americans are taking more and more interest in Australia. I have found many who agree with Donna and me —that Australians are closer to us than any other people, in personality and spirit. Yet we recognize their distincrive character at once, in their vigorous idiom, their stimulating and bruising sports, their literature and painting, their beer and their suntans. Australians are like Australians. I can think of no higher compliment. Gilbert M. Grosvenor