In the Northern Hemisphere the backdrop to the great Christian festival of Easter is Spring and renewal. In Australia it’s Autumn. Seasons matter: it feels different.
But Autumn can be beautiful here, and it’s also a time of festivals. Sydney’s Royal Easter Show, is a massive event with nearly a million people visiting the showground at Olympic Park over a two week period. It has been organised by the NSW Royal Agricultural Society since 1823, back in the early days of British settlement.
Like the Devon County show I used to attend as a kid, it has the usual livestock and farm produce displays, but on a huge scale. It is a reminder of the important role agriculture still plays in Australian life, together with associated sectors making up around 12% of GDP. Each night there is a spectacular arena show.
We were invited to watch an England/Australia Polo match as part of the show. It’s not a sport I’m very familiar with; it tends to be seen as a bit elitist. But apparently its popularity is growing fast in Australia and there are close links with the English game.
Certainly it was an exciting match, with Australia going 5-0 up in the first “chukka”, and England pulling back to win 11-10 at the end.
We also visited the National Folk Festival in Canberra over the Easter weekend, now in its 47th year, and drawing some 40,000 fans annually. British-born director Sebastian Flynn had assembled a fantastic schedule of performers, drawn from Australia and all over the world, particularly the Celtic strongholds. At the opening night concert, renowned Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser played an amazing duet with American cellist Natalie Haas.
Another Easter tradition is weddings. Congratulations to Carly, my EA, who married Matt on Easter Saturday.