George in Korea: Sydney Report #4 Blue Mountains Hiking Club シドニーレポート第4号青山・山岳会(청산 산악회)

Sydney Report #4 Blue Mountains Hiking Club [Korean Hikers]

I happened to get to know Mr. Zhu who is the president of “Blue Mountains Hiking Club(BMHC)”last year. BMHC is a Korean hiking club with the membership of about 40-50 Koreans living in Sydney. They go to Blue Mountains for hiking twice a week.

I saw Mr. Zhu only once on Dec. 22 last year for the first time. We took the same train to Blue Mountains, leaving Paramatta at 8:43 am. I took a seat next to him. The following is the story I heard from him at that time.

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We was born in 1929 in the Northern part of Korean peninsula. He had the elementary education in Japanese. When he finished his elementary education, he was drafted as a Japanese soldier in 1931. He was only 12 years old. [He is now 88 years old.]

When the war ended, Korea was released from Japanese colonial rule and he became a North Korean soldier. He said he became a lieutenant when he defected just before Korean War (1951 – 1953),

Then he became a South Korean soldier until he retired as a South Korean lieutenant.

After the retirement as a military engineer, he worked as a plivate company engineer in Vietnam and Thailand, and finally he came to Australia and got a citizen ship.

He got married and have two kids, a son and a daughter. His daughter married a Japanese man from Kitami, Hokkaido.

The couple have immigrated to Australia and they live together now.

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When I came to Sydney in September this year, I wanted to contact him again, but I lost his phone number.

On October 17, I decided to try to take the same train from Parramatta. On the platform, I immediately recognized Mr. Zhu, and he also recognized me.

[Mr. Zhu in front of Darwin Walk, チャールズ・ダーウィン・ウォークの前で、찰스 다윈 워크 앞에서]

We sat together and I heard more story. So he keeps going to Blue Mountains twice a week. These days, he goes to Wentworth Falls on Tuesday and Leura Forest on Friday.

[At Wentworth Falls Look-Out, ウェントワース滝の展望台にて、웬트워스 폭포 전망대에서]

I have something to do every Friday, but not on Tuesday. So, I asked him to let me join his group to hike Blue Mountains every Tuesday.

I belong to another Korean hikers group and go to Leura almost every Saturday. So, for me, it is same as Mr. Zhu, going to Blue Mountains twice a week.

BMHC occasionally holds some events. On November 14th, they held a birthday party for one of members at Strathfield.

On that day, they got off at Glenbrook station and held a short trekking to a part of Blue Mountains. Glenbrook is much closer than Wentworth Falls, and they went back to Strathfield by noon.

[At Glenbrook trail, グレンブルークの登山路にて、글렌 브룩 등산로에서]

About 20 members joined the party. I asked Mr. Zhu if I could join the party. His answer was affirmative and he even paid 10 dollar fee for me!

[We arrived at Mr. Cho's residence, 趙さんの邸宅に到着、조씨의 저택에 도착]

We took a local bus at Strathfield, and visited Mr. Cho’s residence in the middle of the day.

Mr. Cho welcomed us at his garden. He showed his garden with many fruit-bearing trees. First, we saw 3 grape vines with many grapes hanging from the wire net.

[Mr. Cho's Birthday Celebration, 趙さんの誕生祝い、조씨의 생일 축하 꽃다발]

Next he showed persimmons with green “kaki”fruits. Then I noticed there are loquat and pomegranate trees.

[Main dish was "Sashimi bibimpap" メインディッシュは「刺身のビビンパ」、메인 요리는 '생선회 비빔밥 "]

I noticed some sheets were equipped to these trees. They were “insect glue traps.” There were many harmful insects trapped to the sheets.

["Insect glue traps", 「虫取り紙」、정원 곤충잡기 끈끈이]

That’s a good idea not to use chemical insecticide, but to use such glues. Mr. Lee also cultivate vegetables such as cucumbers, perillas, red peppers and cabbages.

There was also a relatively large cage in which a pair of canaries and I noticed that there were five baby-birds.

[Five chicks in the nest, カナリヤのヒナたち、카나리아 새끼들]

Mr. Cho’s garden is something like my dream garden. When I was a junior high student, I dreamed a dream that in the future, I would like to have a garden with many fruit-baring trees.

[Kitchen garden, 趙さんの家庭庭園、조씨의 집 정원]

Mr. Cho prepared food by himself with some his friends’ help. The main dish was “sea-food “bibimpap” and miso-soup.

I really enjoyed the party, and I am looking forward to their Christmas party.

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シドニーレポート第4号　韓国人の「青山・山岳会」

昨年の3か月の滞豪期間の最後の12月22日のブルーマウンテンズのハイキングで、知人に紹介されて韓国人の山岳会「青山山岳会」の朱会長と会った。以下はその時、朱会長から聞いた話である。

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彼は1929年生まれで、今年88歳。小学校を卒業した時、現在の北朝鮮にいて、日本兵として徴兵されたという。「

朝鮮半島開放時(1945年8月15日)には北朝鮮にいたため、人民軍兵士となり、階級は中尉まで昇進した。

しかし、朝鮮動乱が勃発する(1950年6月25日)直前に脱北して韓国軍兵士になった。

除隊後はベトナムやタイで技術者として働き、タイからオーストラリアへ来た。

オーストラリアへ移民して、結婚、息子と娘が生まれ、娘は北海道出身の日本人と結婚した。彼等はしばらく北海道の北見で暮らしていたが、オーストラリアに来て、こちらで暮らしている。

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それから約9カ月経った今年の9月に再び私はオーストラリアで暮らし始めたが、最初の1カ月は朱さんの連絡先を書いたメモをなくしてしまい、会うことができなかった。そこで、昨年、彼と会った同じ駅で同じ時刻に出発するブルーマウンテンズ行きの同じ車両に乗ってみることにした。

果せるかな、10月17日、パラマッタ駅8時43分のブルーマウンテンズ行き4両編成の2両目の１階には韓国人ハイカーが大勢いて、その中に朱会長もいた。

[Mr. Zhu (right) at a club bar, クラブバーの朱会長(右), 클럽 바에서 주 회장님(오른쪽)]

実際、10カ月以上も前に１度だけお会いした朱会長には、列車が到着する前のプラットホームですぐにお互いが分かった。

青山山岳会は会員が約30～40名、毎週火曜日と金曜日の２回、定期的にブルーマウンテンズへ行き、トレッキングを続けている。

火曜日は昨年初めて会った時と同じウェントワース・フォールズ駅で下車して、比較的楽なチャールズ・ダーウィン・ウォークを通るトレッキングで、金曜日はルーラ駅で下車してルーラ・カスケードを下る比較的ハードなコースを中心にしているという。

[At Wentworth Falls Look-Out, ウェントワース滝の展望台にて、웬트워스 폭포 전망대에서]

私は、火曜日は参加できるが、金曜日は孫の世話などがあるため、参加できない。

その代わり、土曜日には昨年来続けている小グループでのトレッキングに参加しているし、またこのグループは最近の３か月間はずっとルーラ・カスケードのコースを歩いているので実質的には青山山岳会と同じである。

青山山岳会では時々、会員が集って行う行事があり、11月はストラスフィールドに素敵な庭のある李さんの家で、彼の誕生パーティがあった。

この日は、パラマッタから約40分弱のブルーマウンテンズの入り口、グレンブルークの１時間足らずの短いコースのトレッキングをしてから、李さんの家のあるストラスフィールドへ行き、約20人が集結、海鮮丼のランチパーティを行った。

[At Glenbrook trail, グレンブルークの登山路にて、글렌 브룩 등산로에서]

朱会長は部外者の私の会費まで負担してくれて出席させてくださった。

会費は10ドルで、新鮮な魚の刺身に野菜をたっぷり使った海鮮丼と味噌汁、それに缶ビールやジンなどの飲み物とソフトドリンクで趙さんの７４回目の誕生日を祝った。