As I walked to work in the rain my mind was wandering to Amsterdam and the devo Australian I met, "Tricky Dicky" Barwise. Now tricky was definitely your full on Aussie Guy....He was a soldier in the Australian Army, specialised in communications and reminded me of a cross between "Bush Tucker Man" and "Crocodile Dundee". The moment I spotted him in a bar I knew he was an Aussie his clothes gave him away..he definitely needed to fine tune his camouflage skills. So what was he wearing? See for yourself, I reckon he shopped here...

Then I asked myself is this a typical view of Australian Man? or does the gene pool extend just a little further? In true Darwinian style I started to look for the exceptions and boy do they have them......

At first glance you would not say Homer Simpson was an Aussie, but he is! Dont believe me? See for yourself follow the "How to make an Aussie link...".

Then there are other notable exceptions. For example, Mr Bob Downe, need more evidence that there is life outside of the old akubra? There is of course Australia's First Lady Dame Edna? Melbourne housewife turned superstar.

I of course saved my best thoughts till last, who will ever forget Mr Guy Pearce hunky macho man, Australian male of the highest order camping it up in the unmissable, unforgettable Neighbours.....ok I meant of course "Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert".......brought to you for your delight in Dragorama. The shock of making that Movie obviously played heavily on Guy's mind because his next role was to play the Ultra Macho role in the McGregor Saga, "The Man from Snowy River." However in doing so, Mr Pearce has only added to his appeal amongst the gay community

Australia is it appears at a crossroads, the question is not one of "Commonwealth" or "Republic" but more fundamental than that....at the heart of the Australian psyche is the conflict between doing what their mothers say...and becoming their mothers....not so much "Commonwealth" or "Republic" more a question of "Oilskins" or "Sequins", "Akubra" or "Tiara". And finally if you need further proof, I only need say, "Jason Donovan".

Suggested links:

Jonah's Travel Pages: Why not travel the world in the comfort of your own armchair?

It's not your fault you are from the Southern Hemisphere! Australian and Kiwi Culture....not necessarily a contradiction in terms......proving theres more life in the antipodean heartlands than a natural yogurt, also find out how to make an Australian, very very funny site.......