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New Caledonia

Poken!

If Australia has not spoilt her image in New Caledonia, the reason is probably because the island is a French territory, writes Andre Chaville from Noumea. Absurd as this may seem, because the soil is French, Australians tread

lightly.

There is the occasional

exchange of lighthearted

abuse, the most popular topics

being nuclear explosions and

Aboriginal massacres. Both subjects only seem to interest the political extremists. And if

its current political problems

seem to create important issues within the territory, Australia is

keeping her nose exceptionally

clean.

For Australia, New Cale donia has many favourable as pects. Ranking very high as an Australian market in the Pa cific, it requires no aid and is in fact a base for a friendly Western power, even if the military forces present are

hardly significant. While ;

France and Australia accuse ; one another of trade protec tionism, Australia sells well to New Caledonia, and the j French seem to accept with calm this traditional invasion J of Australian products.

For the French, the Aus- I

tralians, or Tokens’ as they are familiarly called, are also use

ful neighbours. The weekly

Qantas flight brings its gener ous load of tourists and fresh fruit and vegetables, and takes back to Sydney New Cale donian flat-hunters, punters and those in need of urgent medical treatment.

Australians are still the big gest group of overseas visitors, close to 50% of the total num ber of tourists visiting New

Caledonia. They spend more

than New Zealanders, but much less than Japanese. The numbers of Australian visitors will increase still further when the new ‘Club Med ’ instal lations are opened. Promoters estimate that 85% of their cli ents will be from Sydney and Melbourne.

Like the other islands of the Pacific, New Caledonia also re

ceives regular shiploads of

cruise passengers. They are the

‘poor’ tourists, the ‘penniless

whingers’ who buy most of their duty-free goods on the

ship or in Fiji. They represent

the ugliest of the ‘ugly Aus tralians’, and, if a shipload should arrive on a public hol iday or a Sunday, most store keepers don’t even bother to raise their shutters.

New Caledonia also has its share of Australian expatriates.

They are generally well

accepted in the local com munity, speak French with that

‘delightful’ accent, and really

enjoy life in the French way.

New Caledonia and Aus tralia exchange hundreds of students every year. The chil dren of Noumea visit Australia during their holidays, the Aus tralian students return the visit during their own vacations.

Often long-standing ties of

friendship are created. Nearly

100 students visit Sydney every January to follow the six-week

English language course, and

students from Queensland University spend six or seven weeks every year in Noumea to soak up the atmosphere of French culture. The French cultural attache in Canberra is an enthusiastic promoter of the French Civilisation courses which attract dozens of teachers of French from Aus

tralian schools to Noumea dur

ing the summer holidays.

Although most New Cale donian students go to univer sity in France, there is still a small trickle who choose Aus tralia, if their English is good enough. Twenty years ago it was quite fashionable for the sons and daughters of wealthy families to go to a private

college or high school in Syd

ney, but this habit has now

disappeared.

The Sydney-Noumea yacht race, courtesy visits by the two navies, and numerous sports events all contribute to main tain a certain image of Aus tralia in the French territory.

Australians are always present in the annual round-the-island bicycle race, and generally per form well. Most New Caledonian sports clubs visit Australia regularly, or receive

visiting teams from Sydney,

Melbourne or Brisbane, the most popular events being car and motor bike rallies, soccer,

tennis, boxing and swimming.

Australian sportsmen and women are among their country’s best ambassadors,

and the ‘yachties’ participating

in the traditional Sydney- Noumea race have made close friends in the local sailing com

munity.

Perhaps the most curious as pect of the relationship is the role that Australia plays in the life of the Caldoches, descend ants of the original white set tlers. Australia is often their standard for commercial or

agricultural enterprise, and

Australian words such as

‘stockwhip’, ‘stockyard’, ‘pad

dock’ and ‘creek’ are part of the local vernacular. The first over seas holiday for families of modest means is inevitably in Sydney, where wealthier famil ies have their flats in Rand wick, Coogee, Kings Cross or Elizabeth Bay.

The impression of admir

ation and nostalgia, bordering

often on feelings of jealousy of Australia’s economic growth, is sometimes countered by sud den spurts of ‘French’ patriot ism. This is typical of the New Caledonian community, influ enced as it is by two civilis ations: where else would such a high proportion of French men drink tea or eat corn flakes? Instinctively, the diehard Caldoche plays the middle of the field, accepting and enjoying the favourable aspects of both civilisations.

And if the more recent immigrants from France resent the influence of the neighbour ing continent, after a few years

of residence they inevitably

make a short trip to Sydney.

Total annual imports into New Caledonia represent roughly SA2BO million, of which $l3O millions’ worth are from France and $33 million from Australia, these two coun

tries being the major suppliers.

Australia’s exports are mainly foodstuffs.

New Caledonia, like French Polynesia, imports large quanti ties of Australian foodstuffs.

This display of Australian foods was seen at an ‘amateurish’ Aus tralian trade fair staged in Papeete recently.