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folio: https://www.escape.com.au/top-lists/things-that-shock-foreigners-about-australia/image-gallery/70443b153e469cc60bbc45347c91c6f1

Wed.11.11.20 Metro Twitter
Moreland and Coburg remain closed until mid-December while work continues on station buildings. Trains run express Anstey - Batman, with buses connecting with trains at Anstey and Batman, also parallel route 19 trams. Bell Street, Coburg, is closed until early Wednesday (level-crossing work). Detour via Moreland Road or Gaffney Street.
Still in force? Spencer St northbound is reduced to one lane near Collins Street, as City of Melbourne upgrades continue outside Southern Cross station. Consider using King Street instead. Works are expected to be completed by mid November.
In force until late 2021.  South Gippsland Highway, Dandenong South is reduced to one lane towards Cranbourne, as level-crossing work continues. Be alert for changes between Princes Hway and Dandenong Bypass. See  http://levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/disruptions/south-gippsland-highway-dandenong-south-changed-traffic-conditions
Werribee/Williamstown line: Buses replace trains on sections of the line at various times until the last train of Mon 9 Nov (works).
Buses replace trains on sections of the Sunbury line until 3.30 Sun 22 Nov (works).
On RemembranceDay2020, we acknowledge the service and sacrifice of all who serve & served defending Australia. 101 years ago, this VR A2 locomotive was decorated at Mornington to celebrate the end of World War I.
11.03 BOM has issued a warning for strong winds and severe thunderstorms across Victoria today. Drive with caution. Make sure loads are secure before you travel. Report any hazards to our Traffic Management Centre on 131170. In an emergency, call 000.
11.10 The outbound outer-carriageway of Royal Parade, Parkville, is closed between Flemington Road and Story Street until late-December (tunnel construction). Access to RMH is still available from the centre-carriageway. See http://metrotunnel.vic.gov.au/construction/parkville/changes-to-grattan-street
11.48 Sandringham line: Major delays (an equipment fault near North Brighton). Trains may terminate/originate at intermediate stations. Trains will be held.
- 13.06 Minor delays and clearing quickly.
17.00 Mernda line: Outbound delays to 20 minutes after a train has been vandalised at Ruthven. The driver has fixed the issue.
Lilydale/Belgrave lines: Buses replace trains Camberwell - Ringwood from 20.30 until the last train (maintenance works).
Buses replace trains Dandenong - Pakenham from 20.30 until the last train (works).

From the Archives: The solemn opening of the Shrine of Remembrance. November 10, 2020
First published in the Age on November 12, 1934
DEDICATION OF THE SHRINE OF REMEMBRANCE
PERFORMED BY DUKE OF GLOUCESTER
SOLEMN, IMPRESSIVE, INSPIRING
Aerial view of the dedication ceremony in 1934.CREDIT:STATE LIBRARY OF VICTORIA
Over 300,000 People Attend
Distinguished Visitors From All Parts Of The Empire
In what is probably the most notable and profound expression of community ritual experienced in the history of Australia, Victoria’s war memorial, The Shrine of Remembrance in the Domain, was dedicated yesterday by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.
From the earliest hours former soldiers of the A.I.F. and citizens assembled in and around enclosures at the Shrine, the sun shone fitfully from masses of cloud, and by three minutes to eleven on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Armistice Day, 317,500 people stood alert as the bugles and trumpets sounded a warning “G.” At 11 o’clock a gun was fired to indicate the solemn hour of world armistice sixteen years ago. This great crowd then stood hushed for three minutes, heads bowed, tears in many eyes, until the melancholy sound of the Last Post was followed by a Reveille rousing the mass from its simple act of worship to the consciousness of new and bracing life.
The dedication ceremony, which followed, was opened with the singing of the Old Hundredth, a prayer, and brief speeches by Sir H. Chauvel and the Premier, who read Rudyard Kipling’s ode, specially written by the British poet for the historic occasion. In the course of his dedication speech, the Duke said: “This noble Shrine is not only intended as a symbol to be seen by all who come to this great city, but as a reminder also that the sacrifice of these men and women lays a duty on us who follow them.”
At the head of an impressive cortege, guarded by A.I.F. and regimental color parties, the Duke entered the Inner Sanctuary of the Shrine and laid the first wreath, from the King, and the Rock of Remembrance. Wreaths of international and Empire significance were also placed in the Sanctuary, and throughout the day constant streams of people visited the memorial. From dusk till midnight, floodlights made of this magnificent structure a monument beautiful in its austerity. It will continue to be illuminated every night of the year.
HISTORIC OCCASION
AN EXPRESSION OF COMMUNITY RITUAL
MEANING OF THE SHRINE
Accustomed to the magnificent massing of soldiers and civilians every Anzac day, the people of Victoria little realised what an historically notable occasion the dedication of the Shrine of Remembrance on Sunday, 11th November, 1934 – Armistice day – would prove. The concentration yesterday of hundreds of thousands of people on the Domain to mark the completion of a memorial, which has taken seven years to build, was inspiring tribute to the immortal men of this State who gave Australia dignity in nationhood. On Armistice day the memory of the dead is even more alive than that of the living. Years of universal heroism, 1914 to 1918, are recalled with a pride tempered by the sorrow of a lasting grief. But once more we strive to fulfil the same prediction of C. H. Sorley, the young English poet, who made the supreme sacrifice at Loos, when he wrote of our attitude towards our racial enemies:
“We’ll grasp firm hands and laugh at the old pain. When it is peace.”
The essence of the occasion yesterday was the dedication ceremony performed by the Duke of Gloucester. As the cortege arrived, which from an avenue of fixed bayonets stretching from Domain Road to the approaches, marching slowly in procession round the western pavement of the Shrine to enter the Inner Sanctuary, the crowd became petrified in that solemnity of thought and spirit commingling death with life. Overhead the drone of planes could be heard, but as a gun boomed out on the stroke of 11 o’clock the great concourse fell into an awed silence, terrifying, profound, sacred.
The Silence
A single gunshot, two warning notes on the trumpet. Then the two minutes’ silence, when every head was bowed. Thought long and dolorous passed through the mind in these moments when above all others we commune with those who did not come back. Buglers then sounded the Last Post, the last bugle call of the soldier’s day, the requiem of the dead. Then followed the cavalry reveille, emblematic of the dawning of a new day, of the victory over death, of resurrection. To infantrymen this bugle call is not well known, though most have heard it in camp. The popular ditty that accompanies it begins, “Soldiers arise, and put your armor on,” words not inappropriate to an occasion of solemnity.
<www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/victoria/from-the-archives-1934-the-solemn-opening-of-the-shrine-of-remembrance-20201105-p56bxu.html>

Keeper of Shrine's light vows to keep 'bending the beam' on love. Carolyn Webb. November 11, 2020
Retired surveyor Frank Johnston calls it "bending the beam" and there's a touch of magic to a tradition that dates from the opening of Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance in 1934.
The 87-year-old helped save the annual Ray of Light ceremony on Remembrance Day 45 years ago, and since then has acted as a volunteer overseer of it.
Frank Johnston tests mirror angles for the Ray of Light ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance on November 11.CREDIT:PENNY STEPHENS
Every year, at 11am on November 11, a beam of sunlight streams into the Shrine's sanctuary to mark the anniversary of the signing of the armistice to end World War I.
The light moves across the word "love" in the phrase "Greater Love Hath No Man" engraved on the Stone of Remembrance set into the sanctuary floor.
Inspired by similar solar ceremonies in ancient temples, the Shrine was designed with apertures specifically for this purpose.
However, in 1971, the introduction of daylight saving meant the light hit the stone at noon, instead of 11am.
Frank Johnston on the Shrine upper walkway, circa 1980.
For a few years, artificial light was used, but the Shrine’s original surveyor, Frank Doolan, decided this wouldn't do.
And so, in the lead-up to the 1975 ceremony, Mr Doolan asked Mr Johnston, then an RMIT surveying lecturer, and some colleagues to restore the use of sunlight.
Mr Johnston devised a two-mirror system, using mathematical calculations to determine their angles. A 70-centimetre pillar was built on the Shrine's upper walkway, and on that pillar sits the first mirror.
The sun shines on the mirror, which directs the sunlight up onto a second mirror fixed into the Shrine's outer aperture.
The sun shines down in the Shrine.CREDIT:ANGELA WYLIE
The second mirror deflects the beam down through the Shrine's inner-wall aperture and onto the stone. And so, once again, the light shines on the stone at 11am, on the 11th day of the 11th month.
For the past 45 years, some time in early November, Mr Johnston and the team have climbed 35 metres to the top of the Shrine to ensure the mirror on the pillar is correctly angled. It can shift because the basalt paving slabs it's built on are set in bitumen, which can move with heat.
Even with some semblance of normality returning to Melbourne, Remembrance Day will be different this year.
The Poppy Appeal – one of the RSL's two main annual fundraisers that help to finance the organisation's veteran services – has shifted online, as face-to-face sales in metropolitan Melbourne were only permitted from Sunday.
The Stone of Remembrance.CREDIT:ANGELA WYLIE
RSL Victoria president Rob Webster said the organisation hasn't had to cut services this year, but said it will have to be "very careful" next year to make sure it is living within its budget.
Dr Webster encouraged Victorians to "remember to remember" in their own ways this year.
"Most of us, in some way or another, have a relative or a forebear who served and it's just to remember them, just to reflect on them, whether it's while going for a walk or sitting in your lounge room."
Usually, about 4000 people attend the service at the Shrine on November 11, including several thousand students.
On Wednesday, only the Governor of Victoria and a member of the Shrine Guard will attend in person, to lay a wreath in the sanctuary.
Several Australian Defence Force members will be on the lower forecourt to fire the gun to mark the beginning and end of the minute's silence.
"Most of the service will be pre-recorded and will run on the Shrine website and RSL Facebook page," Dr Webster said.
State Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien has called for restrictions to be relaxed for military veterans gathering to mark Remembrance Day.
Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday that COVID-19 risks meant services would not be able to go ahead as usual, noting 2020 was "not an ordinary year".
Mr Andrews said events on the "sacred day" could not be regulated in the same way as a cafe or restaurant. "I think everybody is upset to think that we can't honour the service and sacrifice of so many fellow Victorians in that normal way," he said.
"To march down the forecourt of the Shrine every year, it's a great honour and a privilege. And I'd like nothing more than to be there, but this is not an ordinary year ... on Anzac Day, we found new and innovative ways to honour and respect the sacrifice of so many and we will do that tomorrow."
On Remembrance Day, Mr Johnston and his colleagues stand in a room inside the Shrine roof and watch the light go into the inner aperture, but can't see the stone.
Mr Johnston, whose four uncles served in either World War I or II, considers it a community service.
"It's been a labour of love over the years," he said.
"I'm quite sure it will continue, and I intend to keep doing it until I can't."
The Poppy Appeal is at poppyappeal.com.au For more information about the Remembrance Day live-stream, go to shrine.org.au/remembrance-day-2020
RELATED ARTICLE RSL Victoria was hoping to raise $3.5m before the coronavirus pandemic hit, but has received $100,000 in donations. Anzac Appeal raises just 3% of target as street sales take a tumble
video: What future can Melbourne expect after COVID?
<www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/keeper-of-shrine-s-light-vows-to-keep-bending-the-beam-on-love-20201029-p569se.html>
* Thank you Frank Johnston and other volunteers who keep up our traditions.
[See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_Remembrance It mentions that much of the fundraising was by public subscription.  That was at a time of depression.  My mother recalled that schoolchildren were asked to make a donation: I can't recall if that were 1 penny or 1 shilling [somewhere between $2 and $5 today, a major challenge in that era].  Her memory is that the children's contributions were the major share]

As it happened: Victoria records a dozen 'doughnut days' with no new COVID-19 cases, Queensland on track to welcome Sydneysiders, Victorians by Christmas
Craig Butt and Marissa Calligeros November 11, 2020
21.08 Victoria has recorded a dozen 'doughnut days' with no COVID-19 cases and no further deaths. Australia is on track to record its fourth day without a locally acquired case. 
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia could have a COVID-19 vaccine approved and ready to roll out across the country as early as March. But, so far, Australia has secured access to only enough doses of Pfizer's promising vaccine for a fifth of Australians.
NSW has reached its fourth day without a local COVID case, although four returned travellers in hotel quarantine have tested positive. Queensland has recorded 57 days with no community transmission.
Both Sydney and Victorian residents are on track to be welcomed to Queensland without having to quarantine by Christmas. A decision is expected by the end of the month. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian says she would be 'mortified' if Victorians could visit Queensland before Sydneysiders.
Melbourne Central and Melbourne Airport have been listed as high-risk coronavirus exposure sites after a woman, who previously had the virus, tested positive again. The woman flew from Melbourne to Adelaide where she tested positive, but her case is suspected to be an instance of 'viral shedding'.
summary of the main updates today:
- Health Minister Greg Hunt has said Australia could have a COVID-19 vaccine ready to be rolled out across the country as early as March.
- Consumer confidence has surged to its highest level since the early months of the Abbott government in 2013, with shoppers buoyed by falling coronavirus infections and the reopening of Victoria.
- video Coronavirus: Remembrance Day celebrated across Australia
* 17.39 What are the differences between hay fever symptoms and coronavirus symptoms?
Our hay fever explainer has been updated for 2020, and features a new question that Hanna Mills Turbet and I certainly would not have included on the previous year's version: what is the difference between hay fever symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms?
Here's the answer:
While there are some similar symptoms: a cough, runny nose, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, there is no evidence of a link between the two.
This diagram sets out the similarities and differences in symptoms between the two. 
Grass pollen is believed to be the main cause of hay feverCREDIT:FAIRFAX MEDIA
Connie Katelaris, professor of immunology and allergy at Western Sydney University and head of unit at Campbelltown Hospital says there is plenty of evidence to show that when the nasal lining is inflamed, it is easier to catch any virus. So those suffering from allergies should try to keep symptoms in check: seek medical advice on treatments, avoid touching your eyes and nose at all times and head straight for the nearest COVID-19 testing station if you experience allergic symptoms for the first time.
Professor Douglass says if it's just hay fever, it's highly unlikely you'll experience the fevers, sore throats and general aches and pains associated with COVID-19. "[They] are more typical of a respiratory infection than hay fever … sneezing, an itchy throat and eyes are more typical of allergic symptoms," she says.
Read more: Why do some people get hay fever and what can they do about it? 
* 14.08 QR codes mandatory in NSW from November 23. Josh Dye. Thousands of NSW businesses have less than two weeks to implement digital registration systems to record customers’ contact details before authorities will start issuing fines.
"Any business that is serious about safety should be using digital registration, such as a QR code or other method of capturing contact details electronically. There are no excuses," NSW Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello said.
The clock ticking on NSW businesses which are required to have QR codes for customers from November 23.CREDIT:CHRIS HOPKINS
"We can’t respond to a pandemic with paper. We must be fast and precise and digital is the best way forward. We have to move away from the walk-in culture to the check-in culture."
* 9.12 The Shrine's 'keeper of the light'. While we watch on from our living rooms and home offices, there will be one special person at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance today. He's known as the "keeper of the light".
As my colleague Carolyn Webb writes today, retired surveyor Frank Johnston calls it "bending the beam" and there's a touch of magic to a tradition that dates from the opening of Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance in 1934.
Frank Johnston tests mirror angles for the Ray of Light ceremony at the Shrine of Remembrance on November 11.CREDIT:PENNY STEPHENS
The 87-year-old helped save the annual Ray of Light ceremony on Remembrance Day 45 years ago, and since then has acted as a volunteer overseer of it.
* 9.04 'Remember to remember': No crowds at Melbourne's Shrine Carolyn Webb. Even with some semblance of normality returning to Melbourne, Remembrance Day will be different this year. The Poppy Appeal – one of the RSL's two main annual fundraisers that help to finance the organisation's veteran services – has shifted online, as face-to-face sales in metropolitan Melbourne were only permitted from Sunday.
RSL Victoria president Rob Webster is urging Victorians to "remember to remember" in their own way.
The Remembrance Day Centenary service at the Shrine of Remembrance, Melbourne in 2018.CREDIT:EDDIE JIM
* 8.51. Frank was torpedoed twice during WWII. He's taking COVID restrictions in his stride. Tim Barlass. Aged 101, Frank McGovern has survived being torpedoed twice, being held as a prisoner of war by the Japanese in World War II and forced to work on the Burma-Siam railway. So, unsurprisingly, he is taking COVID-19 restrictions in his stride as one of the few veterans invited to attend the Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in Sydney's Martin Place today.
Only 100 people will be in attendance and the area will be cordoned off. Although the 11th of the 11th marks the end of World War I the date serves as a reminder of the human loss during all conflicts. This year is also the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
After HMAS Perth sank in 1942, Frank McGovern was captured by the Japanese, sent to the Burma-Siam railway, then found himself on a prison ship. CREDIT:LOUISE KENNERLEY
<www.theage.com.au/national/coronavirus-updates-live-victoria-aims-to-continue-run-of-zero-case-days-nsw-restrictions-set-to-stay-europe-runs-low-on-icu-beds-hospital-staff-20201111-p56dfv.html>