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Journalism of Courage
This is one diplomat who8217;s perfectly comfortable in the city. Australian High Commissioner Robert Stephen Laurie feels that his arrival in the Capital in October 1997 was more like a homecoming. 8220;We were in Delhi from 1969 to 1971, soon after my marriage,8221; says Laurie who was then here as Deputy High Commissioner. 8220;Our first daughter was born here, and we have some very fond memories.8221;
Sure, the city has changed considerably over these 28 years. 8220;The best part is that the lungs of Delhi 8212; like the Ridge 8212; have been well preserved,8221; says Laurie. But on the whole, the couple had no problems settling down, as it was just a matter of picking up the old threads. 8220;Unfortunately, some of our old friends have passed away,8221; sighs the 62-year-old diplomat, 8220;But there were not too many surprises in store.8221; Even wife Diana adjusted easily and as President of the Delhi Commonwealth Wives8217; Association she has enough to keep her occupied. Both their children 8212; Galina 28, who is doing her Phd, and Andrew 25 who works with an Australian airlinesare based in Sydney and both enjoy their trips down here.
8220;Delhi has its own unique character,8221; feels this diplomat who8217;s travelled from Calcutta to Konark and Mumbai to Mussoorie. But he admits he is not immune to its problemstraffic, pollution, water scarcity. 8220;The statistics are so appalling,8221; he shakes his head, 8220;It8217;s about time people sat up and tried to correct the wrongs.8221;
Laurie, who is from Sydney, finds it hard to spare time for all his interests. So be it an occasional game of golf or a do-or-die game of cricket, he is part of the action. 8220;I8217;m a fanatical cric-keter,8221; declares the undefeated8217; captain of the High Commission team, recalling how he covered Austra-lia8217;s one-day series in India last year, for the Australian Bro-adcasting Corporation. 8220;One of my best experiences here was witnessing Kumble8217;s performance at Ferozeshah Kotla,8221; he adds. Laurie is also a keen gardener and while he doesn8217;t get time to work on the gardens himself, he8217;s gearing up his gardeners for local flower shows. 8220;Delhi is going to have some strong Australian competition soon,8221; he laughs.
While he8217;s enjoying his stay here, Laurie admits that there are times when he misses Canberra, where his home is now based. 8220;The children, my garden, surfing in the ocean 8212; all these are the things that make me feel there8217;s no place like home,8221; he sighs. But Laurie believes in making the most of where he is. 8220;This is such a complex country with so much beauty,8221; he says. 8220;Wherever I go, I will carry these images with me8221;.
