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National Geographic : 1979 Feb
Contents
females. Their advancement in govern ment, business, and the professions lags far behind their sisters across the sea. In this macho, male-oriented society, many pubs and clubs still exclude women (except as escorted guests); coeducation in private schools is rare. But I admit to enjoy ing one aspect of Sydney's separate-and-not equal system: Schoolboys in blazers and boaters always gave me a seat on the bus. Youthful chivalry lives, I thought, until one driver set his brakes and the record straight: "On yer feet, mates. And that means alla yer. This bus don't move one hinch till every sheila 'ere's sittin' down." Anytime Is Playtime Equal status rates more tolerance in the world of sport to which Sydneysiders are fanatically devoted. Give them a winner, and gender doesn't much matter. Here, plentiful sunshine and the absence of seasonal extremes stimulate outdoor exer tion year round. So does Sydney's geogra phy, with its sheltered coves and ocean swells a boon not only to sailors but also to surfers in their quest for the "big curl." What nature hasn't provided in play grounds, the people have; theirs is an impressive inventory of man-made facili ties-from Thoroughbred tracks to bowling greens. Sydneysiders consider work an annoying break between weekends. Rugby League football, probably the most punishing sport for both fan and player, has spawned Sydney's most popular social institution-the leagues club. Almost every suburb has one, formed to raise funds for the home team. Which it does-and more-with proceeds tallied almost entirely from slot machines called pokies. Good times or bad, Sydneysiders will bet on just about anything. TAB-the Totalizator Agency Board handles more than five hundred million dol lars a year in legal racing bets and soccer pools; some 40,000 telephone accounts en courage even shut-ins to play their hunches. Until recently, illegal casinos operated here with open doors, a full house, and apparent ly little interference. Lines for lottery tickets are as long as the odds against a payoff, but no one worries about averages. "So what else can you do with a dollar, luv? And someone's got to win." The biggest winner of them all was the Opera House; its hundred-million-dollar cost was paid by a special lottery. Probably the surest bet in any season is that most Sydneysiders spend a good share of their playtime in, on, or around the water. Nineteenth-century citizens were more re stricted. In the 1830's public bathing so of fended some of the prim and powerful that beaches were closed during daylight hours -a ban that lasted more than sixty years. Sydney: Big, Breezy, and a Bloomin' Good Show 233
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