Australia - 10/19/2009

October 13th was a beautiful Australian spring day and our plan was to drive to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy, a Pauline Fathers monastery, and hear Mass. Not being an expert on Catholic history I didn’t realize the significance of the 13th, and especially October 13th.

We started early and the day was beautiful if windy with some scattered clouds as we drove half-way to Canberra. The church is off the road at the Pauline Fathers’ Monastery on Hanging Rock Road near Berrima, New South Wales. The location is idyllic.

We had a full picnic lunch packed and a breakfast, “brekky” down under, of Filipino sweet breads under our belts, so on the drive and I spent my time looking for and hoping to see a wild kangaroo. Call me a bloody tourist if you will but that’s something I always wanted to see. No luck, I’m afraid.

When we arrived the parking lot was filling rapidly with cars and tour buses from all over Australia but we were able to park strategically near a picnic table where we could grill some sausages and fry some rice for our lunch after the mass. The grounds of the monastery are known as Penrose Park and are beautifully maintained. It was quickly apparent that the small church would be unable to hold even half the crowd of worshippers and that the Pauline Fathers had planned for a Mass outside in advance. I could see half a dozen priests scattered about the grounds hearing confessions in the open air with those waiting their turn standing in line a respectful distance away.

I began to realize the significance of the day when I saw that the priest officiating was Cardinal Pell but I didn’t fully comprehend why until his homily. During the homily he spoke about the Miracle of Fatima and the significance of the 13th as a date and specifically of October 13th as it was the last time the Virgin Mary appeared to the three young girls and was the time that the sun danced in the sky. I also heard that Cardinal Pell was the second Cardinal to say the Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy the first happening on October 13th 21 years prior. That would have been during the time of Pope John Paul II.

There is a statue of Pope John Paul II on the grounds as he was a devotee of the Blessed Virgin Mother. After the Mass we went to see it and take pictures and I was amazed at the smell of the flowers around his statue even if none were evident.

Our picnic lunch was delicious as our appetites were bolstered by the cool air of the day. And after lunch we explored the grounds of the Monastery visiting the many small chapels, some dedicated by the various ethnic communities, including one in Australia. The Filipino, Polish, Portuguese, and Maltese peoples are but a few of those represented.

Many of the chapels are, of course, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and it amazed me that every time Lil’ Miss Wonderful saw a statue of the Holy Virgin she exclaimed, “That’s my Mommy!” It was a truly beautiful day.

As we left the Monastery my sister-in-law exclaimed, “Look at the kangaroos!” We stopped the vehicle and backed up about 50 yards and true enough, there were half a dozen wild kangaroos about 20 yards off the road. The only wild kangaroos I’ve seen, or am likely to see, as I doubt there will be any on the way to the airport tomorrow.

On October 14th we traveled the same road but this time all the way to Canberra to visit the Australian War Memorial and Military Museum. To say that the museum is impressive is an understatement. The exhibits cover all of Australia’s wars in great detail and are without a doubt some of the best I’ve seen. We had a scant 5 hours there and could have spent 5 full days without seeing everything. My brother-in-law commented that it was his 5th visit and he was still seeing something new that he missed previously.

I was impressed with the way they personalized the exhibits connecting them to real people with real stories. One uniform, complete with rifle, bayonet and kit, from WWI was displayed still caked with sweat and the mud of the battlefield. The wearer of the uniform was identified as well as the unit historian who collected it from him after the battle.

Another exhibit showed a battle damage rifle that had been carried by an Australian soldier in Malaya when he stepped on a landmine. There was a picture of him taken sometime prior to his death carrying the same rifle with it’s now splintered stock and bent metal.

Another picture—one I’ve seen in many history books—from WWII of an Australian soldier blind-folded and on his knees with a Japanese soldier standing above him with his sword raised that was taken only moments before he was beheaded was displayed. The narrative not only identified the Australian soldier but his family as well telling of their not learning of his fate until a year after the war ended.

The Korean and Vietnam exhibits were also exceptional with great detail and excellent presentations. I noted that one of the Australian soldiers from the Vietnam era had donated a copy of the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade history. The Australian’s were clearly quite proud of having served shoulder to shoulder with U.S. Forces in Vietnam.

One of the most impressive rooms in the entire Museum, however, is the one dedicated to the winners of the Victoria Cross. Many of the actual Victoria Crosses are displayed, some on loan to the Museum and some, I found out, actually owned by the museum as the descendants has sold them. Each VC winner’s story is told in detail and to say it was a special place is an understatement.

My beautiful wife commented that it was very interesting to see how other nations viewed the same wars that are part of American history. She was very right. One thing that I noticed, and envied, was that nowhere was there a hint of apology for Australia’s participation in those wars. Instead, the Museum provided a dignified portrait of the efforts and sacrifices of their military. That’s the way it should always be. The politics should be left to the politicians in another, less reputable building.

It was a moving 5 hours, to say the least, capped by the Museum’s closing ceremony. On this day a Piper marched solemnly front and center outside and with the crowd watching and played a traditional Scottish lament. It was a truly solemn and moving moment. And as I stood there as close to attention as my 60-year old body will allow, I started hearing a small voice from behind me singing softly along with the piper attempting to follow his tune and clearly making up the words as she went along. Lil’ Miss Wonderful had decided to add her own touch to the ceremony. I turned, bent over her and implored her not to sing and she nodded yes, that she would stop singing. As I stood back up, she started to solemnly hum.

I couldn’t help but smile along with those who were close enough to hear her as she completed her accompaniment of the Piper.

Our trip would not be complete without a visit to Bondi Beach and Watson’s Cove as well as to a beautiful lighthouse on the coast. I estimate that of the 7,000 species of flies in Australia I’ve only seen a couple of hundred but those were in the hundreds each.

The local wildlife preserve was another afternoon of enjoyment for the family. My beautiful wife fell in love with the koala bears and my daughter petted a tame kangaroo. We also saw some beautiful birds including an Emu that posed with my wife.

The Sydney Aquarium was a hit with all of us and many pictures were taken of and by my wife. Lil’ Miss Wonderful loved the life-size mermaid—she said it was Ariel—at the Duggong exhibit. The sharks, I will say, were impressive and I am ever the more convinced that scuba diving is not for me.

Tonight is a despedida at a Chinese buffet and tomorrow we’re off to the airport for our return to Manila. I see where there is another typhoon threatening the Philippines so I anticipate rain upon our return. Whoopee!

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