THE MEANING OF OZ - All you need to know!

@margo,

Well you have to remember that Oz was not my country of birth, nor my first spoken language, margo, so I've had to do a lot more catching up on the culture than you Oz-born folk.
I was sort of ESL with Strine for quite a time, too. Quite a handicap!
These things take time! Wink

But I can relate to this bit!:

Quote:

"e being well born came from Melborn....."

We're pretty posh down here, as you'd all well know! Smile

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Quote:

National Sorry Day in Australia

National Sorry Day is an Australia-wide observance held on May 26 each year.
This day gives people the chance to come together and share the steps towards healing for the Stolen Generations, their families and communities. Stolen generations refer to Indigenous Australians who were forcibly removed from their families and communities.

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/australia/national-sorry-day

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@msolga,

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@msolga,

Always loved this track - but only found out what 'yeller feller' (yellow fellow) meant in the last decade. Go on, ask me.

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@hingehead,

What does yeller fella mean, hinge?

... and happy Sorry Day!

(Always loved that track, too.)

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@msolga,

A yellow fellow is a half caste aboriginal (not an Asian as I had always assumed). Mrs Hinge tells me that the people of NE Arnhem land tend to rank groups of people in terms of respect, with Yolngu at the top, then Macassans (who they used to trade with for centuries), then whites/europeans, and at the bottom, yeller fellers. Kinda sad, but not unusual. Let's not even get into how Torres Strait Islanders feel about mainland murris.

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@hingehead,

Quote:

A yellow fellow is a half caste aboriginal (not an Asian as I had always assumed).

Really?

I had always thought it meant Asians, too!
That adds a whole other dimension to the song.
Wow, just discovered something new.
Thanks, hinge.

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Had to drive up to Sunbury this afternoon .... about 30 km form the city, up the Calder Freeway.
A wet, overcast early winter's day.

On the way there & back, local ABC radio broadcast Bill Hunter's farewell ceremony, from the Princess Theatre in the city.
An incredibly moving, affectionate & sometimes very funny send-off by friends, family & colleagues.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to hear it.

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/201105/r773719_6604994.jpg

Family, friends farewell Bill Hunter:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/05/26/3227863.htm

This was the song Paul Kelly sang as Bill's coffin was carried out, at the end of the ceremony.
Perfect.

Leaps And Bounds :

I'm high on the hill
Looking over the bridge
To the M.C.G.
And way up on high
The clock on the silo
Says eleven degrees

I remember I remember
I'm breathing today
The month of May
All the burning leaves
I'm not hearing a sound
My feet don't even
Touch the ground

I remember I remember
I go leaps and bounds
Down past the river
And across the playing fields
The fields all empty
Only for the burning leaves

I remember I remember
I go leaps and bounds
I remember everything
I'm high on the hill
Looking over the bridge
To the M.C.G.
And way up on high
The clock on the silo
Says eleven degrees

I remember I remember
I'm breathing today
The month of May
All the burning leaves
I'm not hearing a sound
My feet don't even
Touch the ground

I remember I remember
I go leaps and bounds
Down past the river
And across the playing fields
The fields all empty
Only for the burning leaves

I remember I remember
I go leaps and bounds
I remember everything

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@msolga,

It's weird, but a good funeral is a damn fine thing.

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@dlowan,

Yes.
Not that I've been to all that many "real" funerals.
But I like ceremonies like this one, which was all about friendship, sharing stories & just talking with great fondness about Bill.
Seems a lot more "real" to me.
The ones I've attended myself have felt that way, anyway.

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Get rid of our cats & dogs and adopt native animals as our pets instead?
Hmmmmmm ....
Let me think about that for a bit! :

Quote:

Forget puppies, get a possum

Ashleigh Coleman with one of her pet sugargliders. Picture: Chris Scott Source: Herald Sun

SUGAR gliders running up the curtains and kangas hopping in the kitchen are better pets than cats on the couch or dogs under the table, some wildlife lovers believe.

Replacing imported domestic pets like rabbits and guinea pigs with some of our unique fauna would do wonders for the conservation and preservation of our native animals that normally live in the wild.

The removal of cats and dogs from our lives would help eliminate the natural predators of our most vulnerable native creatures.

And putting a price on the head of a possum or quokka as a pet would also increase the monetary and emotional value of our native animals over imports.

A recent report from the Rural Industries and Development Corporation advocates "conservation through sustainable use".

Ashleigh Coleman, co-owns DixiLizards which specialises in Australian reptiles, also keeps sugar gliders and possums, and trades in native animals.

She welcomes new rules in Victoria that extend the list of what animals may be kept under licence.

"It's crazy that sugar gliders are common pets in the US and UK but relatively unknown animals in their own country," she said.

Other wildlife advocates slam the concept of native animals as pets as mercenary and cruel.

Australian Wildlife Protection Council president Maryland Wilson said it was wrong to keep nocturnal animals as pets.

"People want to play with them by day and they interfere with their natural basic instincts and behaviour patterns.

"They should be free from cruelty and exploitation."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/forget-puppies-get-a-possum/story-fn7x8me2-1226065122463

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@msolga,

hi , msolga :

can we send you some native skunks as your next pets ?

skunks actually make very good pets once they've been " de-skunked " .

http://blog.mygoodpuppy.com/Portals/14030/images/skunk.jpg

are you ready for some skunks - i'm sure they'll be unique in your neighbourhood .

Laughing

hbg

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@msolga,

I have shared in the joy of having natives around the house.

My best friend whe I was little came from a family who were often given injured native beasties, some of which would never be able to cope in the wild again.

Pigmy possums and gliders are lovely. They wake up around dinner time and so have a reasonable interaction period with humans, and are delightful and very gentle companions.

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@hamburgboy,

Hi there, hamburger.
I've never personally met a skunk but those 4 look very endearing to me. I love their bushy tails & their dramatic white markings!
I don't know that I could bring myself to give up cats for skunks, though .... a life-long habit that would be very difficult to break.

By "de-skunked" do you mean there's some way of making them more "aromatically acceptable"? Smile

What does skunk spray smell like?
Something like Tom cat spray, or worse even?

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@dlowan,

Quote:

My best friend when I was little came from a family who were often given injured native beasties, some of which would never be able to cope in the wild again.

So they just stayed on with the family as pets, Deb?
That family sound like very good people.
It must have been fascinating to visit their place!

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We have come a long way. Haven't we?

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@hingehead,

Yeah, this is real progress. Neutral

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@msolga,

tomcat spray is perfume !!!

skunks give off a kind of " acrid " smell you'll never forget !!!

it even finds it way through closed windows !

Shocked

hbg

A pet skunk is a skunk kept by humans for companionship and enjoyment. Although capable of living indoors with humans similarly to dogs or cats, pet skunks are relatively rare, partly due to restrictive laws and the complexity of their care. Pet skunks are mainly kept in the United States, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy.

In the United States, pet skunks can be purchased from licensed animal shelters, non-profit skunk educational organizations such as the American Domestic Skunk Association, Inc., or breeders with a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Baby skunk availability peaks during springtime, immediately following the skunk mating season. Some large fur farms sell surplus skunks to pet stores.

Skunks are probably best known for their ability to spray foul-smelling fluid as a defense against predators. Most wild skunks spray only when injured or attacked, as a defense mechanism. The mercaptan-emitting scent glands are usually removed in pet skunks at about four weeks of age.Although since 2007 this practice has been illegal in the UK , which has caused them to further decrease in popularity

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@hamburgboy,

Oh I see!

OK then, hamburger, I'll have some de-skunked ones then! Smile

They really are very pretty, I guess more so, when one hasn't ever had to put up with the smell! Wink

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@hamburgboy,

Quote:

In the United States, pet skunks can be purchased from licensed animal shelters, non-profit skunk educational organizations such as the American Domestic Skunk Association, Inc., or breeders with a permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Baby skunk availability peaks during springtime, immediately following the skunk mating season. Some large fur farms sell surplus skunks to pet stores.

Interesting, hamburger.
Now I'm wondering if many people actually have pet skunks.
I can't recall a single A2Ker who's mentioned having any.

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