May 15 - Train travel

Lyle and I are in Australia on another family visit.  May is a pleasant time of year to be here.  The high season for tourists is past and the summer crowds have dispersed.  Although the early mornings and evenings are cool, generally speaking the days are warm.

Yesterday, Lyle and I travelled by train to Sydney.  Actually we travelled on four different trains during the day’s excursion and I was pleased to note that on each train the station announcements were clear, audible and easy to understand.  This has not always been the case in the past.  On previous train trips, we have often noticed that announcements have been mumbled, mispronounced and sometimes not given at all.  We think that the improvements in audible announcements might be due to the efforts of one man.

A few months ago, a blind man who regularly travels on the suburban train system with his guide dog became frustrated with the irregularity and sometimes lack of station announcements.  He saw this as a form of discrimination to blind and partially sighted travellers and took the rail system to court.  The court agreed with the case and assigned the man financial compensation.  Even more importantly, the case received media coverage and the rail system was forced to improve its act.

I write all this as an example of what can be done by just one person taking a stand.  It’s not enough just to recognize injustice and discrimination.  Doing something about it takes courage.

Lyle and I had gone to Sydney to meet an old friend of mine and what better meeting place than down by the Sydney Opera House.  This famous structure stands on Benelong Point and is a feature of the harbour area. The gleaming white and overlapping shell shapes of the roof of the Opera House give it its unique design and it is immediately recognizable as a symbol of Australia.  I have included a picture of the Opera House which Lyle took on our trip yesterday. 

The Sydney Opera House