A Visitor’s Impression of Melbourne Cup

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 521, 26 November 1928, Page 10

A Visitor’s Impression of Melbourne Cup

Australia’s Gala Day Through Author’s Eyes MR. BEN TRAVERS’S VIEWS Mr. Ben Travers, well-known author and playwright, arrived in Melbourne just in time for the Cup. The Cup crowds, Cup talk, Cup fever. Clip columns in the newspapers. Cup betting, Cup form, Cup history, filled his first few hours in Australia. For the “Sydney Sun” he has written his impressions of Flemington. He states: You take the retiring and susceptible English visitor raw from an ocean life. You plank him down in the midst of Flemington on Cup day and say, “What are your first impressions of this country?” It is like taking a new-born child, who you decide could do with a gentle sponge, and bunging it into the deep end of a swimming both, and saying, “Now, that’s water. What do you think of it?” The night before I left London I was talking to a well-known man of letters, and I said, *T am going to Australia.” He, being slightly cynical and itanctilious, replied, "Indeed! Can one go to Australia to-morrow?” But I’ve got the answer for him now, and I’ve a good mind to send him a cable saying, “Anyhow, I’ve seen Australia today.” A wonderful experience—suddenly to open one’s eyes, and to be shown Australia in her happiest moment of the year. Sportsmen All Happiest, because I know enough already to be able to say that there is no country more genuinely nurtured m the love of sport, nor one in whose heart the zest and relish and appreciation of good sport throbs more instinctively; happiest because as a tribute to this sporting spirit the sun shone forth, just as we in England have been led to believe he shines upon you (causing us, incidentally, to bring with us only thin shirts and things, and feeling slightly dubious about your ‘reputation for weather) at our first glimpse of you on Monday. But yesterday, to one whose pleasant mission is to visit this country in order to follow a series of great sporting events, the wondrous sight of Fleniington was something like tj?e vision granted to Moses of the Promised Land. They took me to the Pisgah heights of the mighty grandstand, and said to me, "There you are, get to it ” First of all, about these grandstands. It was the sight of these as viewed from the distance, and already at noon mighty ants’ nests of buoyant humanity, which made me first remove the hat and draw the hand over the bewildered brow. And if anyone wants practical proof that the bouquet I have just handed out about, the love of sport is thoroughly justified, here it is. The way in which the public is catered for in the matter of seating accommodation is in itself a sign of the country’s enthusiasm. Know Their Business On Monday (to digress for a moment), I had the privilege of spending several hours at the Melbourne cricket ground. I am not going to say that anything that actually took place on the field of play was of very absorbing interest, because, although a gang of deep-sea fishermen appeared from time to time and performed various manoeuvres. with a brace of outside waterproof sheets, just what they didn’t manage to do was to absorb sufficiently. But I had nothing to complain of, because the weather gave me the opportunity of being conducted over the new grandstand, and here again is another example of the heights and depths to which Australian authorities go in order to cater for the sporting public. Why the bar alone is so big that it took me pretty nearly.the whole afternoon to get out of it. And while on this subject (I’m re- . turning to Flemington in one momerjL but I must, tell you this). A local authority was putting me sane yesterday morning regarding some of the | features of the city. “With all said and done,” he declared, “with all you may hear this afternoon, and however much you get done, remember that Melbourne is in reality a very moral place—in some respects almost straight-laced. The people here will very likely put you in mind of the Scottish.” And what he said was perfectly true. During the course of the afternoon I met many new-found friends. I must admit I failed to find any evidence of their having any Scotch in them, but with one accord they expressed their willingness to put Scotch into me. Talk of hospitality—but let us return to Pisgah. Can Teach England a Lesson We must get there first, and the getting there was remarkable. We pride ourselves in London on our constabulary—all except a few old gentlemen who step on it a bit firm in Hyde Park —and have views of their own on the police force, but the police on point duty on the road to Flemington stand in no need of a correspondence course from our Piccadilly specialists. I saw one policeman tackle three layers of cars, a tram and two Salvation Army parties, and get them all sorted into shape as easily as a slow bowler regulates his on-side field (a bit easier in some cases). And, by the way, while I yield to no man in my admiration of the Salvation Army, I’m not sure that they exhibit any very remarkable tact in their banner mottoes. There are times when, despite the excelof.the Police, things on that road to flemington are quite congested and provoking enough without some wellmeaning soul-vet. shoving a banner at you with the inscription, “Man, its time you pulled up.” But lye sot there in great style, and that drive with the flower beds in full bloom up to the members’ entrance brings to you at the very outset of your vondei-ful afternoon, a grateful sense of the ease and luxury which is such a teature of the administration. To cope with that huge social gathering at 11 l !’ k' 6 , l , the people in there and to " 6ll ’ we vc managed to squeeze you m, now you can look after vour"s best you can,” would be in itself no small accomplishment. To perfect the arrangements so that the tubulations of any great social gather“f,™. ’educed <o an absolute minimum and this amid surroundings which re"l al ” a worthy setting to the charm ?Lf he fair Patrons (1 am coming to that in a minute)—this strikes the fnrrdm V1 ? ltor - 1 nl a.v tell you, as a very h r - iesson which we in England perhaps not quite learnt—the lesson of the value of comfort to one s enjoyment of a great social and sportmg occasion.

Forgot Pansies for the Girl And before I go any further. I’ve got to come ou t with it . rve got to gf ve GXr ! re f sion 1 can to the feature of the whole wondrous outfit. I knew before I ever got there one of the things that I should carry away among the most delectable Impressions of the ? ay ’ but ,- llke Sheba’s Queen I had not be n told a small percentage of the doings. In England the girls of Austiaha have established a reputation for smartness. Ask any English girl who Sh ? ,f ny experience in the matter, bhe 11 tell you Australian girls are smart. That's the word that was used to me before I left London. “Tou 11 find the girls very smart.” tv hether this was told me as an en-

couragement. or a warning t 1 say. but tlus is what T A’ 1 ■ refa ®» u I toll the Cup-day ladies. 1 ‘ h « OUW £ 1 There are pansies on the las, beautiful and wisely ample Th. I green between enclosure « ! dotted hero and there with U f flower beds, where the Pan ,i. Pr «t* | Pansies are my favourite f am not an aesthetic man but ?' 1 something about a pansv Well, yesterday afternoon it . only by the merest chance that t pened to notice those dashes JL at all. and if they think I had o *'’’ time for pansies yesterday thev 407 just curl up and wither, for’an , **» Perhaps if I am allowed the it C4reof the. Press. I may have further to say on the subject tralian girls later on. if y r , „ Aa ’- tell them direct, as far as opp ort °' 111 Permit* (I've told one or two Honestly, without any exaggerat^' - ' butter, the beauty of vestertavT or the colour of the dresses beneatw?'sky, and against the green of lawn, and the charm of the Personalis’' inspiring and discreetly covered ? those creations, and that bright■ of the Australian girl with the fn ? little note of a question in it— UXUIy Oh. dear! Yqs. I'm afraid r» through with pansies for a while. * The Smiling Multitude Another thing. The extraordim,-. enjoyment of everybody and the hm' nature. In England, you know told we take our pleasures ’ sadi Well. I’m not going to roast therm Country, and I know you wouldro think much of me if I did: but la bound to confess to that. \ U Ol never in the midst of a great crown which so radiated the thorough mutual happiness—or, to use a stilted word i its literal meaning, the complete socia bility—of a big festal occasion Everybody was jolly. I never saw a frown all the afternoon (except t>gs sibly under the umbrellas, but I didr - hover around them over much), Th l sun shone upon you, and you reflected glad humorous pleasure back to hiim K I experienced none of the unhappv features I have learnt to’ associate with crowds in other parts of d,. world, no angry jostlings and embitl tered repartees. I didn’t see the protesting groaning worse-half having his coat sleeve half pulled off him by th* fatigued and snappy better. Evervthing was fun —sporL You were on pleasure all the time. I never met a single soul for a single moment who was not. But I have neglected my Pisgah whither for one brief, parting moment let me return. What a memorable experience to stand and view that marvellous landscape alive with human ants. Below' the umbrella mushrooms of the quarter, leading off to the left a long unending trail of other ants. migrating in busy rushes to gain a view' as their hopes and fears com* rounding the bend into the straight Further afield, away on the hills to right and left, a solid black mass o: circumjacent ants, and I to them myself a tiny ant, amidst the towerir.t stupendous anthills of the stands. Th* I details of the actual racing I leave to fr the specialists. My own experiences * among the umbrellas concern nobody fi but myself, and a very nice soft-voiced I gentleman who allowed me to shorten I the odds against Canning Queen with I a thudding ten bob each way. A lady friend told me she was back- I ing Statesman, because he had such a beautiful shade of pink on his nose. But I loftily replied: “So has a dormouse,” and preferred to go away, and be clever on my own. But even so, I never stopped smiling, t-. Who could, among you people? THREE-YEAR-OLDS PREVAIL MANCHESTER NOVEMBER HANDICAP (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) 9 LONDON, Saturday. The Manchester November Handicap S;, of £1.200, li miles, was run to-day. g The result was: SARACEN (J. Cortauld). b c, by Gay Crusader —Love Oil, 3yrs ..1 E NORWEST, b c, by Westward Ho— Pole Star, Syrs \ m NESTORIAN 3 W Twenty started. Won by one and f? a-half lengths, five lengths between r second and third. ANSWER TO CORRESPONBBfT ; “Paddy.”—Sorry, but have not the | information required. Suggest you 9 write to the club and obtain the J advertised starting time.