“A recent shopping trip to the supermarket included the purchase of a packet of frozen raw prawns,” writes Mary Carde of Parrearra (Qld). “On reading the packaging in search of their place of birth before popping the prawns into my culinary speciality,a chilli prawn pasta,I came across the following caution:‘For Human Consumption Only. Not to be used as bait or feed for aquatic animals’. Now that gave me some serious food for thought.”
Merilyn McClung of Forestville has another roadworthy kangaroo (C8) tale:“My father was quite sceptical when I came home with a big dent in the roof of his car and explained that a kangaroo had jumped from one side of the road landed on the roof and jumped down again to the other side and went merrily on its way,but it was true.”
The theory offered by Andrew Brown that goats are “very smart”,has another advocate in Mark Griffiths of Haberfield:“Some years ago,I drove from Darwin to Sydney. I saw a lot of roadkill:Kangaroos,emus,sheep,cattle,camels (speed hump? - Granny),and a horse. East of Broken Hill there were thousands of goats grazing beside the road,but not a single dead one. Goats ain’t stupid.”
“Glenys Quirk must have been describing NSW kangaroos,” reckons Murray Hutton of Mount Colah. “They always head for the wide open spaces of the road. However,during a stint in northern Queensland I discovered the kangaroos up there are smarter and,therefore,more likely to survive. When a car approaches,they head away from the road towards the paddocks and/or bush.”
Irish jokes exist for a reason,judging by the thoughts of Mickey Pragnell of Kiama:“Did Gary Hay (C8) possibly proceed through the orange light and so didn’t see what happened after the red?”
Andrew Cohen of Glebe has a place in Irish/Australian history:“At the NSW Leagues Club in Philip Street in 1976,my supervisor and I tapped Australia’s first Guinness keg and I drank the first schooner but with froth going everywhere,we were wary that it might have been off,so I volunteered to drink the third,to be sure.”
The recent Grok (AI) results garnered by Russell Hill (C8),have Alison Stewart of Waitara wondering if she is a “quirky” Column 8-er:“I begin at the bottom of the Column and read up. Makes for interesting context.”
Column8@smh.com.au
No attachments,please.
Include name,suburb and daytime phone.