Since compasses always point North, I suppose it makes sense to have that direction at the top of one's compass, at 12 o'clock, rather than at 6 o'clock.

Yes, one end of the compass needle indeed points north, but the other end points just as surely south. So why should we of the (anglicised) Antipuses be forced to have the tops of our compasses indicating a spot some 6 or 7,000 miles away beneath our feet?

sakezuki lusy
(somewhat in the grip of post-golf Shiraz)