Go on, go on, go on, Australia celebrates its national day today and all Aussies and Aussiephiles will be raising a drink to Bruces and Sheilas around the world.
Including, we dare say, Mrs Doyle, yeah, that Mrs Doyle from Father Ted.
Mrs Doyle, aka Pauline McLynn, was special guest at an Australian Chamber of Commerce lunch celebration in Dublin way back when.
And regaled us with a speech, laced with the type of language that would have made Father Dougal blush.
With mention of the map of Tassie, or Tasmania, which Aussies and friends of Kangarooland will be more than familiar.
Hawke around the clock
All, of which, in true Ronnie Corbett style, brings us to today’s comfy armchair story which revolves around former Aussie premier Bob Hawke.
Bob, the typical Aussie bloke that he was, found himself interviewed by a British reporter who asked him how he had got on tracing his roots.
Only for womaniser Bob to misunderstand them.
And assume that he was being asked about his past love life and the Sheilas.
To which he batted back the questions by replying that that would be to kiss and tell.
Aussies Overseas
Our pals Down Under are, of course, proud of their often vulgar Aussiespeak which you’ll quickly pick up on.
If you spend any time in Australia, or with Aussies, as I did.
Over a year spanning two Oktoberfests in Munich.
And the time in between when Brownie, Smutley, PC, Roscoe.
And a revolving door of OS Aussies washed up at our digs in Aberdeen in the north-east of Scotland.
So it was in a campsite outside Munich where I was first introduced to the other meaning of roots.
While staying on a repurposed double decker bus, with beds built in upstairs and a kitchen downstairs.
Which TopDeck had taken to Bavaria with detours to Austria.
The roots of the problem
Now what happens on a Topdeck bus stays on a TopDeck bus.
But suffice to say that the current Mrs M need not worry.
Because while any action was going on I was sleeping off my hangover from the Lowenbrau or Hofbrau huises.
I did though return with a deeply inappropriate T-shirt of an Aussie, complete with cork hat, getting rather too close to a koala.
With the caption ‘Show us your roots.’
An Aussie toast
So, g’day to all my Aussie mates, and to you obviously Smutley, Brownie, PC and Roscoe.
And I’ll toast you how you used to toast us back in the day.
Here’s to me and here’s to you, friends we are, and friends we’ll be.
And if by chance we disagree, well Flip You, and here’s to me.
