UPDATE:
Although we missed many of the events surrounding the International Fleet Review, we arrived just in time to catch the parade through downtown Sydney by Navy contingents representing 60 ships, 17 countries, several generations and many historical naval battles. Here are some images.
Crew members of naval ships from (former) commonwealth nations
Original Post:
The population of that beautiful southern hemisphere city, Sydney, Australia, is set to “swell by about 1.4 million this weekend” as the city hosts the International Fleet Review and other maritime, sports, cultural and music events.
That is an incredible 30 percent “instantaneous” rise in the population of a city that, as of the 2011 census, boasted 4,391,674 inhabitants. Even more amazing, it represents a temporary increase in the population of the entire nation — Australia’s population was just under 22 million in 2012 — of about six percent.
As my wife and I get set to wing our way across the vast Pacific on a 14-hour flight to Sydney, I could say that the 1.4 million figure should be 1,400,002.
Fortunately, when we arrive in Sydney, after “losing” an entire day in the process, it will be the tail end of the festivities and many of the 1.4 million visitors will have left.
Unfortunately, we will miss many of the amazing sights, sounds — and memories — of the festivities associated with the International Fleet Review, a once-in-a-lifetime event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the entry of the first ships of the brand new Royal Australian Navy into Sydney Harbor: the flagship of the Australian naval fleet, the HMAS Australia, and six other cruisers and destroyers.
We will have missed the spectacular entrance into Sydney Harbor of an armada of 60 ships from 17 countries, including destroyers, submarines and the always-magnificent “tall ships”– sixteen of them. The United States Navy is represented by the guided missile cruiser USS Chosin.
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65). Chosin is on deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Karolina A. Oseguera)
We will have missed seeing Prince Harry aboard the Australian survey ship HMAS Leeuwin and standing alongside Australia’s governor general, Quentin Bryce, saluting the fleet as it passes in review in Sydney Harbor.
We will have missed many of the ship tours and other festivities held on board these vessels. However, we will not miss the social functions on board the USS Chosin for the simple reason that the long, intrusive tentacles of the U.S. government shutdown have reached as far as Australia resulting in the cancellation of some of the on-board social functions due to a lack of funds.
We will have missed the sight of 8,000 sailors walking, partying and celebrating along Sydney’s streets, bars and restaurants.
Yes, many of the visitors will be gone, but still left in Sydney will be the 4,391,674 residents of a beautiful and vibrant city, a city that is widely renowned for being one of the most diverse and multicultural cities in the world
A city where almost 40% of the people living there were born outside of Australia. A city whose demographics are described as follows in World Population Review:
The largest country of origin for Sydney residents in the United Kingdom (4.3% of Sydney residents, that’s about 175,000 people, are from the UK originally), closely followed by China (3.5% of residents).
Looking at the ancestry of Sydney’s residents gives plenty of clues about how the city’s diverse identity has developed and changed over time. Although 27.4% of Sydney’s inhabitants claim Australian ancestry…36% claim ancestry that is either English, Welsh, Scottish or Irish, a legacy of Australia’s colonial past. However, reflecting more recent waves of immigration into Australia, 7.9% of people in Sydney have Chinese ancestry, 4.3% Italian ancestry, 3.4% have Lebanese ancestry, and 2.9% have Greek ancestry.
And reflecting on Australia’s history:
The area that is today’s Sydney was home to many aboriginal people – perhaps as many as 8,000 – at the time of Sydney’s founding as a penal colony in 1788, although with no kind of reliable data available it is difficult to be certain. It is believed, though, that within a year or two of the founding of Sydney an outbreak of smallpox decimated the local population, leaving under a thousand aboriginal residents and paving the way for the city to expand without any serious restriction.
By 1800, the new colony had become firmly established and had grown to around 3,000 people – not just convicts and jailers but also emancipated convicts who had served their time and been freed to live in Australia. The town soon began to develop like any other and banks, churches and other public institutions were soon being established. The population of the town of Sydney grew steadily until by 1851 it had reached an estimated 39,000.
And did I mention that Sydney now has 4,391,674 residents, plus two temporary ones?
As we visit Sydney and other cities and states in Australia, I hope to be able to share some of what I am sure will be wonderful experiences with the people of a country that has traditionally been one of the closest and staunchest friends and allies of the United States
Lead image: Selfiy / Shutterstock.com“>www.shutterstock.com
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.