THE RAVISHING

Clunes, NSW, Australia

And then, with rhythms away, he came crawling there, through, not in the beds of old friends, as in the past, but on couches, travelling, always travelling, becaeuse he had always taken any opportunity to go anywhere, but now, when he could feel the ancient drones crawling beneath his skin, he declared of selling, having sticky taped up posters for Keysar Trad's Forays of the Heart around Glebe, "Humble Yourself Before God". His friend Michael immediately replied with a quote from Dostoyeskvi, something about throwing yourself on your knees in the market place. They were sitting outside his shop Afghan Interiors on Southern King Street. Like so many others, they were having a Closing Down Sale. There were For Sale signs and For Lease signs everywhere. Some people just didn't bother with anything. They just closed their doors and walked away from their dreams, investments, life blood..

"What is it?" he asked Michael. "It's not just my imagination. People have no money."

"Exactly," he said. "Look around here."

And they looked around the cluster of trying-to-be-trendy shops of Southern King Street, Newtown; a section which merchants had always hoped would become as fashionable and as crowded as Northern King Street, but it had always failed.

"Their behaviour changes as they get more desperate," Michael observed of his fellow shop owners. "Nobody's got any money."

He could feel it, he could see it. And often enough, he would espouse further. "Over regulation. I blame the GST. Every vibrant society needs cash money sloshing around."

They weren't views that got any sympathy. They would rather die of boredom and live in a society hoovered of money and enthusiasm than think that someone else was getting something more than they were; weren't paying their fair of tax. So the bureaucrats and politicians could dance on the world stage.

Except, of course, for Suzy, who had just moved into an empty four storey terrace in The Rocks, nestled in an atmospheric little nook of prime real estate just near the Harbour Bridge. "Housos," they would say to each other, proud of it. 

"Someone's looking at my stomach," a drunken man declared to his friend, hitching up his torn jeans.

Proud of it, proud of the gurgles down which their lives had gone. He didn't want to be near them anymore.

"How do they do it?" a wealthy woman asked her hsuband as they passed by.

"They just walk right in," he thought.

"The poor live like kings," Suzy declared, victorious. That the vacated property was occuped again was now a Department of Housing problem.

But no matter how good the view, how spectacular the location, he didn't want to live anywhere near any of them anymore.

THE BIGGER STORY:

Prince Harry has begun his first official trip to Australia by joining centenary celebrations to mark its navy's arrival at Sydney Harbour.

He was greeted by huge crowds as he embarked on survey ship HMAS Leeuwin at the city's Garden Island naval base, before inspecting the flotilla.

The International Fleet Review involves some 40 warships from 17 countries.

Continue reading the main story

AnalysisJon DonnisonBBC News, Sydney

After a 20-odd hour flight Prince Harry spent much of the day at sea aboard one of a flotilla of Australian warships in Sydney's magnificent harbour.

He is here as guest of honour for the Australian navy's International Fleet Review.

In a day of pomp and ceremony, dignitaries were offered a 100-gun salute to mark the centenary of the navy arrival into Sydney Harbour back in 1913.

These waters have rarely seen so much traffic. Navy ships from countries around the world joined the Australian fleet to take part - including the Royal Navy's destroyer HMS Daring.

The event has attracted huge crowds with up to a million people expected to have turned out.

• Read more from Jon

The event is the only scheduled public appearance for the prince, who is representing the Queen.

A 100-gun salute marked the start of the celebrations, and Prince Harry was joined by Australia's Governor-General Quentin Bryce on board the Leeuwin to officially review the fleet.

Some 16 tall ships and 8,000 sailors from around the world have been taking part in the event, with warships from countries including the US, China, France and India. Britain sent one of its largest ships, the Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring, to represent the Royal Navy.

An estimated 1.4 million spectators were expected to line the banks of Sydney harbour for the celebrations, which finished with a light show and display involving 7.7 tonnes of fireworks.

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