Given that that the train journey to Sydney is 2 hours, it was surprisingly cheap. Settled into my seat and combined watching the world go by with a bit of writing. Sun-emboldened colours notwithstanding, once the train reached the bottom of the mountain, the landscape outside was much the same as any urban train journey, although the number of outdoor public pools was a reminder that I wasn't on the 6.47 to London Paddington...
Decided to walk from Central Station to my first destination. Central Sydney is like a maze of canyons, quite dark where the sun cannot reach. Took me a while to get my bearings, but once I recognised a few landmarks familiar from last year, I knew where I was. Startling to be among the hustle and bustle of a major metropolis after the peace and quiet of the Blue Mountains. It's ANZAC Day tomorrow, so there was much evidence of preparations for what will be a public holiday.
The opportunity to meet Eileen Westley's daughter was an unexpected bonus to my trip, and as it turned out, rather lovely. Eileen passed away in 2002, and as her daughter is now a mother herself, she has become increasingly keen to know about her own mother's life. We sat over coffee and traded stories and pieces of information which neither of us had previously known about Eileen, and as a result I was able to add even more substance to the tale of the Galloping Tortoise in addition to that which Minnie and Jenny had provided. Eileen sounds like she was quite a character, but I suspect to become a features editor on a national newspaper at only 25 years old, and as a woman in 1968, would have probably required strength and determination.
Eileen's daughter has promised to go through the various photographs and documents both she and her father have kept, and let me have whatever she is able to copy or scan. Apparently, Eileen wrote a lengthy piece about her Marathon adventure, so that would be fantastic to read.
Email addresses swapped, I bid her farewell, and set off for the State Library, where I spent a wonderful 3.5 hours searching copies of the Sydney Morning Herald from November and December 1968. The Herald was a competitor to the Telegraph, and while it was clear that as it hadn't sponsored the Marathon, it offered up less coverage, it did have its own motoring correspondent competing on the event (I met one of his co-drivers when I was here in 2012), so I was able to make copies of the various articles and reports the Herald had published. Combined with the interview recordings, and scanned photographs and documents I have amassed during this trip, I have a lot of admin' to do once I get home!
Wandering back through the very centre of Sydney, I was once again struck with that feeling I get on the final day of any extended visit overseas - while I was aware that I was walking through Sydney in Australia, surrounded by crowds of people rushing here and there, I was also thinking about my imminent departure, and that soon I will be home to Rob and puppies and beautiful Gloucestershire, and the comfort and security all that represents.
A last dinner with my hosts in Katoomba, and then, underfloor heating working away happily (the heating engineer came today), I crawl into my southern hemisphere bed for the last time.
It really has been quite a wonderful and rewarding trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment