WALTZING IN MATILDA AT DOWN UNDER. By Uncle Monty.

Waltzing In Matilda At Down Under.
Oz Story By Uncle Monty.
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On this the other side of the world I now gaze on

Down Under from its second largest city at spring-

time Melbourne. I’m here to attend the 6th World

Homeless Cup in which 59 nations will be repre-

sented by homeless folkz from all around the world
and with some of them playing soccer like profess-

ionals despite their footie status as only humble

and amateur ball players.
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I have now travelled, with one stopover at Hong Kong,
almost 10.000 miles just only one way to get here to see
what "The Land of Oz" is all about. So far, so good. Here,

too, they naturally go “Waltzing in Matilda” and so now

do I. I’ve also gained around 14 hours on the world

clock since it’s pretty first thing Monday morning

here rather than at what is still England’s very late

Saturday night or very early Sunday morning.

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I’ll report online from Melbourne and elsewhere in
Australia from time to time. I’m staying here initially

at the former Old Nunnery of the Sisters of Charity.
I’m here primarily to enjoy some of the homeless foot-

ball games and meeting many homeless people from

around the world. And, of course, to explore whatever

I can of Australia itself and even her famous Outback

and all thingz kangaroo ... while I’m here for the

next 12 days or so …

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Will post some of my photographs from here, too,

if I have access to upload such pictures to my

blog at thebiggerissue.org. If not, I’ll put them all

together to upload upon my return to frigid Olde

London Towne at where I am told it's now icy

cold while I am now enjoying the full blossom
of warm summertime here at Big Oz.
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And no, no, no, I’m not representing John Bird
nor his Vauxhall gang at London’s Big Issue HQ.

They’ve not asked me to do that nor offered me a

dime to get to Oz. I’m here due entirely to Contessa

Maria’s kindness and never-failing personal gener-

osity to me and not due in anyway to The Big Issue

sponsoring me as some first thought was the case in

me travelling almost halfway around of the world.

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Here at Australia, The Big Issue is Australian

and it is completely independent of London's

Big Issue folkz. Perhaps the only disappointment

for me is that the Aussie Big Issue was unable to
put together the open proposal to inaugurate The
1st International Conference on Homelessness that

would have nicely coincided with The 6th World

Homeless Cup, which the Aussie Big Issue has

so ably sponsored. Such a homeless conference

wasn’t to be, according to what I was told earlier

by Aussie Big Issue's Sandra Del Monaco. Pity.

Perhaps next time. The pressing issue of
homelessness is a global problem of ever-

growing proportion and complexity it

seems to me and to many of those who

are experts on the issue of homelessness

and social marginalization.
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And so before I now sign off from Down Under it-

self, I must express without a doubt my complete

"THANK YOU" to Maria for her so fully under-

writing all the financial expenses of me being able

to come here to Australia in the first place as an

English approved-sheltered and housed pensioner,

as a big busy body and as an opinionated blogger, and

as an unsponsored and non-representative of the

British Big Issue even though I am one of its long-

standing street vendors at London's Covent Garden.

Thank you ever so much my dear Maria …
THANK U, AGAIN AND AGAIN.

LOVE U, I DO.
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Uncle Monty Now At Down Under.

Do take care everybody and my good

wishes to you all as I happily go

"Waltzing in Matilda At Down Under."
Every Cheer, Uncle Monty.
+Eve of Christ The King, 2oo8.
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Waltzing Matilda - Our Other National Anthem!!

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:: UPDATE ::
My first full day inside Australia has been a day
of basic discovery of Melbourne itself which today
seems quite dreary with the weather now quite
damped and overcast. They say here that it isn't
unusual for Melbourne to have the 4 Seasons in
just a day going from winter to spring to summer
and then to autumn all rolled-up in one. Whatever
I'm going next to Canberra, the capital, some 5 to
6 hours away from here tomorrow and later in the
week I will visit Adelaide - The City of Churches -
that is another 5 hour ride on the other side of

the country and south the other way from Mel-
bourne. I plan also to see the famous Penguin
Parade at Phillips Island off the coast of Victoria.
Must run, have much more to do today ...
Cheers, Uncle Monty from Down Under, 2oo8.
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