General News
30 January, 2026
FLASHBACK: January 29 1976
Mr Jim Barnes, teacher at Hopetoun High School, recently spoke to the Rotary Club on his impressions of Australia.
He comes from a tiny town in Nebraska in the United States of America and he reached Hopetoun last year.
He told the club that he had no idea what he could expect here.
He came from the worst Winter for the last 75 years, to experience 100 deg (F) heat in Melbourne and until he arrived didn’t know where the Education Department had decided to place him.
It was Hopetoun.
Dr Pete Stoutjesdijk was in Melbourne at the time and he was our agent to meet Jim and bring him back to Hopetoun.
Pete treated him to a Chinese dinner, which Jim found to be excellent. A good introduction.
He had not expected to find other Americans at the Hopetoun High School, and in some ways this was very pleasant.
“It was two weeks before I understood what the kids were saying.
Now I understand it all too well. I have been asked two questions, the first is what do I think of Australia.
The second is what do I think of your beer.
“Well, we have 300 different varieties over there, but I agree that none are as good as yours here.
“I am going back to Nebraska soon and Paul Emery is going with me, I think.
“As to the comparison of general costs of living — I see it that you eat fairly well, or I do, anyway, in a town with essentially one big store.
“I could not eat so well at home as I do here, on this budget. But automobiles and clothes would be cheaper in America.
"We have the same labour-saving devices, but also think that we Americans generally have garbage disposal units, color television and a dishwasher — they are almost essential there and hardly treated as luxuries.
“Competition appears to be greater here, in school and outside it. You are more ambitious over here than there — this comes through sport.
"Everyone here has something to do in sport, but in the USA there is little organised sport, especially in Winter.
“You have much more than we do, we are much more used to poverty straits (this only from my touring). But then we’ve done the same thing to our Indians.
“The countryside of Victoria, as I came from Melbourne up to Hopetoun, began to look more and more like Nebraska, which is mainly rolling hills and then it went flat — much flatter than my country. We have more bitumen roads than you.
“I like being here, it is a good country. I probably will travel more while I am here, probably move to another area, because I want the chance to see another part of Australia closely.
“In Nebraska, the town where I actually live has only 80 people but there are towns marked clearly on the map with only five people and one shop.
"The State of Nebraska is used for wheat and some cattle and very few sheep, and corn. You just don’t see corn growing here.
“Driving on the left side of the road is still a little foreign to me. I keep getting into the left hand side of my car, then when I think no-one is noticing I scramble into the driver’s seat.
"I am most impressed of all by the general friendliness of the people of Australia.
“Australia has been an experience which I am glad I did not pass up.”