Dick Daley:
Like you seem to have done, I really enjoyed my two trips to Melbourne and opportunity to meet some of the GCA guys I had enjoyed reading for several years.
On my second trip, I was asked to give a speech at a dinner following a team competition - Australia vs Rest of World. Though a bit awed by the request, honestly, I knew right away what I wanted to say - "don't be afraid to stay proudly Aussie" - because much as I loved the Australian golf scene, I saw , felt and worried about a creeping American influence.
Mind you, I once said something similar to friends in Ballybunion.
The whole point of traveling is to experience different things. I'm proud to be American and, of course, we have lots of good golf here, but I want Australia to be Australia, Ireland to be Ireland, Scotland to be Scotland, etc.