Australian Times weekly newspaper | 31 July 2012

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31 July - 6 August 2012 – Issue: 423

TRUE BLUE TUCKER

HIPSTER-CISE So hipsters really do exercise?

The man challenging expat Aussies around the world ENTERTAINMENT P8

VOICES P4

WHAT’S THAT SKIP? Geoff Huegill on Australia’s Olympic hopes SPORT P14

AUSSIES OPEN LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES IN STYLE n The Australian Olympic Team shone at the London 2012 Opening Ceremony,

with over a billion people around the world watching on as Lauren Jackson lead our Aussie Olympic hopefuls out as part of Danny Boyle’s showcase spectacular.

Australia’s Olympians marched into the main stadium in London in a spectacular opening ceremony to the 2012 Olympic Games.

Just over 200 of Australia’s 410-strong team took part, led by flag bearer Lauren Jackson in their bottle green blazers and white trousers and skirts.

Australia, one of only three nations to have competed at every modern summer Olympics, were given a rousing ovation from the crowd of almost 80,000 as they entered after the tiny island nation of Aruba and before Austria.

The front line of Australian athletes behind Jackson was made up of fivetime Olympian Natalie Cook and seven others at their fourth Games, as well as defending gold medallists, kayaker Ken Wallace and sailor Elise Rechichi.

Many of Australia’s biggest medal hopes, including the cyclists, rowers and swimmers were missing the march, watching back at the athletes village as they prepared for competition.

Meanwhile, it was The Queen who was a surprising star of the show when she starred as the latest Bond girl in a quirky and quintessentially British opening to London’s record third Olympic Games.

Elizabeth II stunned not just her own subjects but the wider world by playing her part in an elaborate spoof which purported to show her and 007 star Daniel Craig parachuting from a helicopter into the 2012 Games stadium.

No such thing happened but the 86-year-old monarch made her movie debut to make the hoax possible, delighting Britons with her remarkable display of majestic humour.

AUSTRALIAN WORLD RECORD Record of Olympic proportions smashed by London Aussies | P7

The Queen’s tongue-in-cheek cameo stole the show, especially after the organisers opted to break with tradition and not use an Olympic champion to light the Olympic flame as Cathy Freeman did at Sydney 2000.

Instead the task was performed jointly by seven young British athletes, who received the Olympic flame from rowing great Sir Steve Redgrave after being taken up the Thames by soccer superstar David Beckham.

The stunt capped a £27million opening ceremony watched by an estimated one

billion on television worldwide and attended by people such as US first lady Michelle Obama and some 80 heads of state or government.

The Queen, whose father opened the last London Games in 1948, performed the ritual for the second time after officiating at Montreal in 1976.

The Royal welcoming committee was out in force, featuring Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Camilla, Prince William and Catherine, and Prince Harry.

The opening spectacular was a celebration of everything that has put the

great into Great Britain.

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins rang the giant Olympic bell.

JK Rowling, the most popular author in history, read from JM Barrie’s children’s classic Peter Pan. Sir Paul McCartney got the audience singing along to ‘Hey Jude’.

The Royal Air Force’s Red Arrows team screamed overhead, leaving a trail of patriotic smoke in red, white and blue, ...continued on p3

Election still to be won, says Abbott

Coalition Leader Tony Abbott has urged party members, including high-profile candidate Mal Brough, not to get ahead of themselves as another poll confirms the federal opposition is in the box seat to win the next election.

Mr Brough, a former Howard government minister for indigenous affairs, was preselected on Sunday as the Liberal National Party (LNP) candidate for the federal seat of Fisher in Queensland, currently held by independent federal Speaker Peter Slipper.

A Nielsen/Fairfax poll on Monday showed the coalition has 56 per cent of the two-party vote, ahead of the Labor minority government on 44 per cent.

Responding to speculation that Mr Brough would be on the front bench of a coalition government, Mr Abbott said his existing team was doing an outstanding job and he was very happy with the line-up.

“This is going to be a very tough election,” he told reporters in Sydney.

“We saw in Queensland just how ruthless and vicious the Labor Party is going to be, so I am certainly not taking anything for granted.”

Mr Brough, who lost his former seat of Longman in 2007, outlined his policy passions on Monday, saying ...continued on p3

2 | News

31 July - 6 August 2012

Don’t be so tents, go and get your camp on n

A recent study found travellers who go on camping holidays in the UK will find their break less stressful than those who head abroad. So why such vehement opposition to the whole thing?

Why do some deplore the idea of finding the camper within us all?

Publisher: Bryce Lowry Editor: Tim Martin Production/Design: Jackie Lampard Australia Editor: Ashlea Maher Contributors: Bianca Soldani, Shannon Crane, Kate Ausburn, Sara Newman, Phill Browne, Paul Judge, Sandra Tahmasby, Amy Fallon, Rose Callaghan, Lesley Slade, Simon Kleinig, Kris Griffiths, Chris Ark, Nathan Motton, JP Breytenbach,

Cameron Jenkins, Will Denton, Lee Crossley, Shane Jones, Liam Flanagan, Emily Banyard, Mel Edwards, Will Fitzgibbon, Phoebe Lee, Bronwyn Spencer, Rebekka Hodges, Alex Ivett, Justin Ng, Sam Tilburn Advertising Manager: Dominic Young Directors: P Atherton, J Durrant N Durrant, R Phillips and A Laird Additional content:

Who are we?

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the hard word > NATHAN MOTTON

Camping is something that’s not exactly embraced in this country, is it?

For Australians living in the UK, it’s rather baffling why camping is almost frowned upon here. The Brits just don’t get it, and frankly don’t want to get it.

You tell them you’re going camping and they look at you as if you just explained you’re going to spend a year in Iceland, in winter, in a hut, with only necessities, and no clothes. Perhaps that is precisely how they view the whole ‘ordeal’.

Maybe that bloody temperamental weather has completely thrown them off the scent, or created a rather nauseous one ever since the Brits were peas in a pod. Maybe if the weather here was a little bit more like... ours... then they would warm (literally) to the idea? Maybe not.

But having undertaken this sacred ritual (isn’t it?) in Australia and now enough times in England to be somewhat of an authority, The Hard Word is here to get the Britons, and

Your Say On: Olympic tickets fiasco causes Aussie Games furore in London

Waited 7 hours for my tickets in hot sun. They closed queue at 1.30 but were forced to reopen at 6 due to massive number of unhappy people who arrived after work. I believe the last people left at midnight. 2 young Australian olympic team members (shooting) were in the queue behind me and waited about 4 hours. Main problem was only about half the orders had been processed so many orders were picked and packed while you waited and this caused massive delays. They were only serving about 15-20 people per hour. Many very angry people just arrived in the UK who wasted a whole day of their holidays. Also lots of people leaving with missing tickets or with seats not together. Finally I was amused to see that I have tickets from the US NOC, Canada NOC, Australia NOC as well as GE and Dow (sponsors), this is despite being the EU and so technically it is illegal to sell these tickets to me. I have pictures if you are interested!

Mike Hilton I was unfortunately one of the many who waited in a queue for 7 1/2 hours on Monday to pick up my tickets. I had paid for them to be delivered & then received an email that they would not be delivered in time for travel. So I took a 1 1/2 hr train ride that cost over 30 GBP

?

What’s your view

everyone else for that matter, out of their comfortable 4 star hotel and into a tent.

A recent study found travellers who go on camping holidays in the UK will find their break less stressful than those who head abroad.

Jungle Formula, which commissioned the research, said: “Not only is the journey usually shorter, but you don’t have to navigate your way around airports, worry about delays and cancellations or deal with the endless queues at check-in and security.”

Indeed.

It’s not that I’m an environmentalist or anything too deep. But I think camping is genuinely one of the most relaxing things you can do.

Having recently returned from four days of camping at a music festival in the glorious English countryside, I’m as convinced as ever it doesn’t get much better.

Granted we’re not talking here about ‘camping’ in the purist sense, but it’s the same thing. It was far cheaper, it required less packing, there were no queues, no awkward searches at security, there were no insects (unlike Down Under), no

vaccinations and no stress.

A small gas bottle, a saucepan, a few eggs, beers, meat, beers, salad, tent, beers, blow up mattress, beers and a doona and you’re set for a long, long time.

And as for the weather, well in case you’re wondering, it absolutely poured rain for three of the four days. The tent withstood it (just), the wellies allowed us to plough on through two foot of mud everywhere and the beers kept us warm. Not a shower in sight. Not a cake of Dove to be seen, nor a nice big bottle of Head and Shoulders.

No internet, no phone reception, no contact with the outside world. Just like a holiday should be. And set in the most magnificent rural heart of Suffolk.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. England is an incredible country to explore, and I’m just about convinced that the best way to see it, indeed to see many countries across the world, is camping. You get such a greater appreciation for the landscape, its beauty, its ruggedness... and ohhhh... the serenity!

So go on. Try it.

with my 9 yr old daughter to pick up the tickets. I expected a little wait, but thought that my daughter & I could have a nice little lunch and day in London.

Little did I know, we would be in a queue for over 7 hrs!!! We had no lunch or dinner & merely lasted due to the granola bars & water they were handing out. A security guard even had the audacity to yell at us for getting out of line to take my daughter to the toilet after 5 hrs of standing in the hot sun. My comrades in line were more than gracious to hold our place as we were doing it for each other during the long hot day. How can you stand in line for over 7 hours without eating a meal or using the toilet? After almost 7 hours in the hot sun waiting, I was thrilled to have made it to a desk.

They took my confirmation paper & then took me to another “holding room” where I sat for another 45 minutes watching a dozen Cosport worker rifle through boxes of envelopes of tickets.

I was completely appalled! Workers were running around with several orders in their hands not knowing what they were doing or where to look for people’s tickets. I saw sticky notes and scraps of paper that people were jotting down their orders & addresses. They were laying all over the table. Complete chaos & lack of organization. I am so disappointed in this experience & having bought ticket through this company. I truly hope they find a way to make it right for us who suffered this. I would hope to get my $30 shipping charges returned to me & the handling fees that were promised to be returned…but will not hold my breath.

But that still is not worth the sweat & tears (literally) that were shed out there.

Alisa

On: Let the Games begin

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Haha! What a great read! Made me laugh and remember the challenges the Tube throws at you! Good luck with your Tube training :) ShazzyC

On: Why are the Poms so unhappy?

There’s a simple retort to your grievances: if you don’t like it, leave. I’m fed up of Aussies coming over here and constantly moaning about how much better it is back home. Sorry, I don’t buy it. London is a vibrant, fascinating city and the Brits that live here are warm and friendly. The reason that you are struggling to strike up a rapport with people is due to an inability to approach them in the right way and/or at the right time. No one wants to engage with strangers on a cramped tube during rush hour, we’ll wait until we’ve arrived at work and banter with people we actually give a to%% about. And for those that moan about our weather: If weather conditions play such an integral role in the enjoyment of your life, then you seriously need to take a long, hard look at yourself. Sure, we all love it when the current bun’s out, but it never rains inside a pub.

Paul

Share your comments on these and more stories online: AustralianTimes.co.uk

News | 3

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Opening ceremony a night to remember for Olympic Aussies

Continued from p1... and a score of Mary Poppins descended from the heavens under umbrellas.

Sheep, cows, horses and geese played key roles in the ceremony as a tableau of England’s “green and pleasant land” formed the centrepiece.

The rural setting later dramatically changed into a depiction of the industrial revolution as seven giant smokestacks belching fumes rose from beneath the ground.

The four countries that make up Great Britain were represented musically by their best loved anthems - Jerusalem, Danny Boy, Flower Of Scotland and Bread Of Heaven.

In keeping with the 2012 theme, London’s famous Big Ben clock in Westminster chimed non-stop for three minutes at precisely 12 minutes past eight (2012) and ticket prices ranged

from 20 pounds and 12 pence to a staggering 2,012 pounds.

The memorable night set the stage for superstars Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Roger Federer to dazzle in competition over the Olympic fortnight at iconic venues including Wimbledon, Lord’s cricket ground and Hyde Park.

Australia’s hopes of regaining a top five place in the medal table will be led by two world champions, swimmer James Magnussen and hurdler Sally Pearson.

Magnussen will endeavour to put his shock 4x100m freestyle relay loss behind him when he takes the blocks in the 100m freestyle final on Wednesday, while Pearson will be hoping for hurdle gold in the Olympic Stadium next Tuesday (7 August). - With AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

‘Nothing for granted’: Abbott on Aussie election

Continued from p1... industrial relations and improving the lives of indigenous people should be two major priorities of a coalition government.

While he had no expectations of a ministerial role, Mr Brough said he a “bit of corporate knowledge” to contribute to a new coalition government.

The former minister said Labor had failed to address indigenous disadvantage, but he admitted the Howard government had got it wrong with its Work Choices industrial relations laws, which were rejected by the electorate.

“We need to make sure that we stay at the forefront of productivity gains. That has been declining in current years, and workplace relations has a role to play in that,” he said.

Mr Brough has been implicated in a sexual harassment suit brought against Mr Slipper by staffer James Hunter Ashby.

But Mr Abbott said Mr Brough had been “entirely upfront” about his

involvement in encouraging Mr Ashby to take his allegations to court or to authorities.

He said there was nothing wrong with meeting a “party member”, even if Mr Ashby was a staffer of Mr Slipper, who resigned from the LNP last year to take the role of parliamentary speaker.

“Somehow that turns into a conspiracy in the eyes of the media, led by the muckrakers of the Labor Party,” Mr Brough said.

Still, there was some good news for Labor in the Nielsen poll.

It showed the number of people dissatisfied with its carbon tax declined by 13 percentage points to 38 per cent in the period since it began on 1 July.

“Now that the carbon price is in, people can test Tony Abbott’s deceit against their actual experience, and they are finding that Tony Abbott has been deceitful,” Climate Change Minister Greg Combet told ABC radio. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

4 | Voices

31 July - 6 August 2012

What I think of Australia

By Tom Pyman

So it’s like this; I’m an English student, both in terms of the fact I have to read Hamlet, and discuss his state of mind, and also because that’s how it describes my nationality on my passport. Well, it actually says British, but you get my drift. I was approached recently and tasked with outlining the differences, from my youthful perspective, between the UK and our cousins in the outback. Crikey, mate!

Don’t worry, that’s the last lame stereotype I’ll call upon. They’re just simply not funny. Not nearly as refreshing as this tin of Fosters Super Chilled I’m currently sipping on. Oops.

Moving on. It’s not often I’m given the freedom to judge people, so I looked forward to writing this piece intensely.

Until I got this far and started to think of the mass revision my time should really be occupying instead.

And there lies the problem. We Brits are procrastinators, and bloody negative ones and all. As tunefully convincing as Monty Python may be, very few of us look on the bright

side of life; we merely groan in disappointment when the clock strikes about 10pm, knowing we’ve got to get up at the crack of dawn to work jobs we hate for a distinctly average wage.

From what I gather, my assumption based on having distant relatives of Aussie orientation as well as watching typecast television shows, you lot are far more laid back. Understandably so with more generous salaries, a government that people actually wanted and perennial sunshine to bathe in. Whilst we settle for the mediocrity of beans on toast, you have the luxurious joy of sticking crustaceans on the charcoal grill (see, stereotype averted). Your lives are simply better than ours, by some distance. And don’t you just know it.

There are things I don’t like about Australia: unnecessarily high numbers of dangerous animals, the use of the term ‘soccer’ when referring to the beautiful game, but what irritates me most are your pseudo-celebrities like Shane Warne and Dannii Minogue; so nauseatingly arrogant that they make me want to staple my eyelids.

Too much? Sorry. Of course Rupert Murdoch, the man responsible for so many of our current problems, is Australian. They come over here…

But despite those bugbears, the quality of life seems to be far superior on the other side of the world. So why don’t we move into all this open space and indulge in the Australian lifestyle?

Typically, we can’t be arsed. It would be uncharacteristic of the British to stop moaning and actually get up, go out and rectify our problems and fulfil our promises: “This time next year, Rodney, we’ll be millionaires!”

Bet that’s what you think of us isn’t it? We’re all dodgy cockney wide boys, driving yellow Reliant Robins, selling knock-off wristwatches. I don’t really know where this stream of consciousness is going so let’s just call it a day. You’re better than us. Your superiority even extends to cricket, in which you’re number one in the...oh wait, no.

Awkward. I’ll leave you smarting at that subtle dig. Rule Britannia.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Southern fried chicken that’s finger lick’n good n

What is a dish that’s always going to be a real winner with your mates? Fried chicken, of course! This week our resident Australian chef at London’s Claridge’s Restaurant helps us with a yummy dish that is just too ‘darn tooting’ good to resist.

chris’s

kitchen > CHRIS ARK

When it comes to comfort food or a meal that will soak up any memories of the previous night’s drinking, you can not beat a large plate of succulent, juicy, and spicy fried chicken pieces.

The cuisine of the southern American states is fast becoming the go to food in the US at the moment and quickly hitting the bars and restaurants of the UK shores. Historically, southern cuisine starts south of the Mason Dixon Line from Pennsylvania through to the lower states of the Texan boarders. So many countries have contributed and influenced southern states food it’s hard to put your fingers on where the flavours actually originate.

Spices and chili peppers from the African nations brought by the Spanish have slowly blended with cooking techniques to give us the fiery

flavours that keep us reaching for more and more. Once crowd favourites like spicy chicken wings hit the table, my mates and I are crying out for more.

Packed full of flavours that balance on spicy and peppery with subtle hints of citrus, they wake the taste buds and make them thirst for more.

Southern fried chicken however has to be one of my top culinary weaknesses. Ever since visiting Red Rooster in Harlem, New York, I cannot get enough. Making it at home however has been a labour of love.

Testing recipes, spices and techniques is all part of developing your unique crispy skin chicken recipe for life.

Buying the spices is easy and in London we are spoilt for choice. With the strong African and Asian influences in our suburbs we have stalls selling high quality spices right on our doorstep.

The spices will keep for months in an airtight jar or snap lock bag.

Next up is the chicken. Very good quality free-range chicken pieces

are always available in London and cheaper then beef or lamb. Ask your butcher for a good deal on the cheaper cuts - legs, wings, thighs - and you will have a cost effective meal.

The most daunting stage of this recipe can be the frying process.

You’re frying oil at high temperatures which may be simple but caution must always be taken.

The trick is to always bring the oil slowly to the required 180 degrees, and using a thermometer to check on the progress will help with the safety side of the process.

Test to see if the oil is ready by placing a small piece of bread into the oil and if it sizzles you are then ready to go. But as an important safety tip: allow the oil to cool slowly before moving it from the stove to clean the pot or stove area.

So, for my favourite southern fried chicken recipe that’s just too darn finger lick’n good - lets get cracking!

Happy cooking and enjoy (y’all).

Chris’s favourite southern fried chicken recipe

What you need:

• 1.5kg of fresh chicken pieces • 4 cups of plain flour • 3 tsp of salt • 3 tsp paprika • 1.5 tsp of chili powder • 1 tsp of garlic powder • 1tsp onion seeds if available • 2 liters of vegetable frying oil

What to do:

• Fill a large pot with the oil and slowly bring to 180 degrees using a thermometer to regulate to heat.

• Take a large bowl and add the flour, spices together and mix well.

• Take a few pieces of chicken and roll in the spice mix and place on a floured plate until all pieces are coated.

• Once all the pieces are coated

place three pieces into the hot oil and allow to slowly start browning.

This should take 4-5 minutes to be sure the chicken is cooked.

Remove from the oil and place on a baking tray and rest in a warm oven at 120 degrees.

• Continue with the remaining pieces until finished.

• Once completed turn down the oil and allow cooling.

• Remove the chicken from the oven and season with salt and cracked pepper and serve with wedges of fresh lemon.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

So hipsters do exercise after all

lost in london > lexxy luther

You could be forgiven for thinking that in between all the double shot soy macchiatos and accessorising with a well-teamed top hat and mismatching colored socks tucked into scuffed brogues, that there is little time left in the day for hipsters to get those exercise endorphins flowing like the rest of us. I mean, how can one worry about trying to stave off the ‘heathrow injection’ when one can’t get out of one’s skinny leg jeans and into exercise pants without assistance.…… Plus, sweating might mess up my rockabilly side fringe, dude!

But in London, fear not, there is a refuge for those who still want make their arms pop in their rolled up tee.

Where one can go when one is overcaffeinated, in need of a work-out and has decided to put aside a DNA infused aversion to sport and risk the ridicule of fellow hipsters who think time is much better spent analysing old Wes Anderson Films.

A place where one can maintain an ironic detachment to physical activity whilst still enhancing the core.

Here’s how you do it. Take one disused space ripe for urban reinvention and insert a slickly painted aerobics room (the more neon the colour scheme the better). I recommend an old warehouse, a disused Tube station or a rundown church antechamber. As long as it doesn’t look to

passerby’s like visitors might be on their way to a gym class when securing their fixies to the bike rack outside, but instead off to an all-in knit-in in anticipation of next week’s guerrilla knitting attack.

Make sure all classes offered have nothing traditional in the titles – Les Mills is not welcome, nor is Yoga, Aerobics or Pilates. Instead, ensure there is enough hip-hop trampolining, 80s interpretative dance and strip burlesque to satisfy the whole population of Hoxton, and set the whole thing to a continuous sound track of mashed-up pop and rehashed 90s songs. Finally, make sure attendees have access to a wardrobe of neon croptops, leg warmers and stylishly low cut singlet tops that suitably show off a toy robot side boob tattoo when partaking in jazz boxercise.

However, whilst this may seem like a magical refuge for the exercise minded hipster - for those of us who work out in a t-shirt left over from a Year 6 T-Ball competition, target leggings and have trouble coordinating two legs into a simple lunge - the only thing getting exercised in such a place is deepseeded feelings of inadequacy. Now, not only are my sartorial failings once again highlighted but also my physical ineptness becomes manifestly evident.

As it turns out, not only do hipsters dress better than me, they are fitter too.

And are probably going to come and unleash their well-toned tattooed bicep on my face once they read this article…

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Please move down inside the tram! life after

london

> SHANNON CRANE

It’s a typical working day in Melbourne.

You’re standing at the tram stop, waiting for your tram to arrive.

When the tram pulls up, the doors open.

The stairs are crowded with people. You step up and shuffle your way into the tiny space the stair dwellers have made for you. After the door closes just behind you, you look towards the aisle of the carriage. To your surprise you notice that there is, in fact, quite a bit of space in the middle of the tram. On closer inspection you notice that there are even a few spare seats. Quite a few of them. My word!

Some people might not see the issue here. But for someone who regularly (tried to) board the London Waterloo train at Wandsworth Town, seeing unoccupied seats on crowded public transport can be very upsetting.

For the most part, the Brits are pretty good at fitting loads of people into small spaces. I used to be shocked by a Wandsworth Town station regular who would often take it upon herself to remind people of the need to cram.

As trains arrived she would tap on the windows and, just like the Transport for London voiceover lady does, she would tell everyone to ‘Move down inside the train!’

Can you imagine how fired up she would get if she saw the state of Melbourne’s trams?! Vacant seats and empty spaces everywhere! Don’t Melburnians know that if you sit down you will create extra standing room?

Also, if you move away from the doors more people can climb on board!

Seeing these atrocities makes me want to follow this Wandsworth Town local’s lead and start shouting.

I don’t think it will ever come to that.

A little education and consideration are all that’s required - Melburnians could use a lesson or two from Londoners.

Perhaps Yarra Trams should ask the TFL voiceover lady to politely tell people to ‘Please, move down inside the tram’.

We certainly don’t want commuters to have to take this matter into their own hands.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

6 | Voices

31 July - 6 August 2012

A right old laugh at The Comedy Store in London

I heard it on the grape vine tube talk

n

London is world renowned for its comedy scene, so when our resident adventurer went to tick #6 of her London Top 100 list, The Comedy Club, she got a barrelful of laughs and a whole lot more.

bron in

Can I get in? Move down a little!

Oooh, watch your hands.

No it’s not another erotic scene from 50 Shades - just some of the things I’ve overheard on the underground.

Whether it’s people talking to themselves or having what they think is a quiet conversation with the friend they have just bumped into, the Tube is gossip central.

I wouldn’t say I eavesdrop, I would much rather say I am interviewing them without their knowledge modern technology. So thank you all for your contribution to this week’s edition of Tube Talk!

Take for example, this morning I heard a bunch of young ladies discussing the fact that the Northern Line has to be one of the pushiest lines...That was after they were shoved further into the carriage by people who were more than eager to get to work.

Immediately I got my back up and wanted to defend my cherished companion and justify how good of a line he has been to me.

And then the other day, I heard some people discussing their commute to work and one of the ladies said disturbingly: “It’s London let’s face it!

No-one’s going to help you! Just wait till the Olympics - we are not going to be the sardines in the can but also turn into the gelatin that surrounds them.”

Often the languages vary and I try and guess what they might be saying.

Are they discussing the nostril hair they can see poking out to say hello from the man they are sandwiched up against? Are they innocently talking about where they are heading? Or are they looking at me and wondering why the hell I am trying to understand what it is they are discussing.

My personal favourite is when I hear two people get into an argument and everyone wants to listen in but they’re too afraid to look over or get involved.

Usually it is about personal space. In fact I was once a victim of this.

I am a newbie to London, only six months in but have history with Mr. Tube, so I know how to take him.

My friend on the other hand who was accompanying me on a trip back down the Northern Line, not so much…

After jumping on the Tube and finding a spot to stand and continue our riveting conversation we were told

that we were standing too close so we shuffled away avoiding a confrontation.

Our fellow commuter happened to sneeze, and as well mannered Sydney Gals, we turned to say bless you but were instantly attacked.

“WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT? DON’T YOU SNEEZE??” I won’t go into what else he said to us or what names we were called. Just use your imagination.

Lesson learnt…

Sharing a laugh with complete stranger on the Tube has to be one of life’s greatest treasures. Especially when you are laughing at another complete stranger’s conversation. Three private parties but all entwined in the same words. JUST EXHILARATING! So the next time you’re having a chat on the Tube, watch what you say.

You never know who is listening!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Taking asylum seeker taboos to another level

the don BRONWYN SPENCER

One of the things I love about London is that you are never short of a choice of entertainment. From people watching in the streets to London’s theatres and clubs, there is always someone to watch and something to do. Although, after ticking off #6 on my London Top 100 list - The Comedy Store - I have a new favourite!

Located right next to Piccadilly Circus, The Comedy Store has been providing laughs for 33 years and if the pictures on the walls of comedians who have performed there are anything to go by, it was a humble start for many of the world’s biggest comedians.

We went on a Thursday, which is a regular stand up show, and for a £20 ticket we were lucky enough to see the four billed comedians plus three extras who come down and do a five minute slot to test out new material. Our MC was hilarious and spent the right amount of time taking the piss out of members of the audience. Note to readers don’t sit at the front unless you are prepared to be mocked for others enjoyment. Thankfully I was far enough away from the action that I was just one of the many people laughing!

Each comedian had their own style and all were seriously funny even when they were discussing usually boring topics like politics and finance. My favourite act of the night was Chris Martin (no, not the lead singer of Coldplay) – who was by far the funniest with his observational rants about life in London.

The Comedy Store also has a few other different types of evenings if you want something a bit different. If you’re a fan of ‘Good News Week’ then you may like ‘The Cutting Edge’ on every

> Sandra Tahmasby

n

Tuesday. The show features six house comedians discussing topical subjects from news clippings and stories of interest.

If you think you are destined for stand up then you can even try it yourself at the King Gong on the last Monday of every month.

Personally I prefer to leave that to the professionals but from previous experiences of open mike nights I can imagine that these nights could be amazingly hilarious or extremely awkward.

The venue itself is exactly how you expect a comedy club - intimate and dark except for the spotlight and a single mike on stage. If you get there before 7.30 you can treat yourself to happy hour behind the bar. I can recommend getting there a little while before the show to have a pint, grab one of their pizzas or burgers and score yourself a good seat.

During my time in London I’ve been to comedy a handful of times (even seeing Australia’s own Carl Barron in Hammersmith) and each time I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m not sure why I don’t do it more often or why it took me so long to tick this one off but I have to say I’m glad I did. By the end of the night my stomach hurt from laughing and I had a great night out. It is definitely one I would recommend and one I plan to do again!

AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

When dressed in a cardboard box depicting the controversial and divisive topic of asylum seekers, there’s bound to be some people that consider it offensive. SHANNON GILLIES even thought she may have gone a bit too far with her fancy dress costume, but that was until she read a story from the satirical Australian news outlet – Crikey – and all her inner demons were put to bed.

As a last minute outfit it was a great idea.

Work had finished late and I only had two hours to get to a mate’s house in London. The only space I had to create my ensemble was in one of the few train carriages I’ve been in that didn’t smell like body odour.

The occasion? Australia Day! My costume? I dressed up as a detention centre for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers. Did I think, ‘hmm maybe I’ve gone too far’? A little bit.

Until I saw a story from Crikey.

Crikey’s Matthew Knott captured the mood of the recent asylum seeker coverage in Australia with the headline – ‘Search for our hottest asylum seeker: Zoo overboard on smutty spread?’.

Zoo, an Aussie men’s magazine, recently ran a competition ‘to find Australia’s hottest asylum seekers’.

Knott assumes it was a way for Zoo to make cash.

“It’s a question tormenting men’s magazine editors around the world: how do you get noticed, and make a buck, in an era when the smutty content you specialise in is only a mouse-click away?” asks Knott.

“Well Zoo has got attention!”

Zoo has come under some serious attack since for the use of asylum seekers as fodder for the market.

Comment streams from fans, haters and readers alike are positive and negative. But what has surprised me most of all is that the magazine seems to have been targeted more than any

failed foreign policies, or even the politicians who have failed to prevent or at least stem the flow of asylum seekers. Why is no one recognising (or criticising) the flawed policy development that creates asylum seekers in the first place?

While I do not personally support Zoo and what they have done, and I’ve never actually bought a copy of Zoo, I find it pretty amazing the amount of flak they have gotten. Could the reaction be because asylum seekers are a taboo topic? And more so, that talking about asylum seekers is a far greater taboo altogether?

Take my case for example. The images drawn on my make-shift ‘detention centre costume’ depicted shark infested waters, people throwing children overboard when their boats burst into flames and then protesters stitching their mouths shut. I turned up to see my Australian friends at their party (eagerly awaiting their reactions) but they all looked at what I had done and greeted me with the overall response – ‘you’re still just a dick in a box’. But was that in effect missing the very point of the whole exercise? The reason why I chose to go as a detention centre was because of the way they are featured in Antipodean news bulletins, and the way everyday Australians are depicted as a result. It seems to be a case of ‘us’ and ‘them’.

I obviously don’t have all the answers but I do think it’s a major issue that all Pacific leaders should

TRENDY OR TOO MUCH?: Just a dick in a box or someone edging for discussion on a serious topic? care about and talk openly about.

Australia can’t just be seen as some sort of border protection for the rest of the region. Pacific politicians need to deal with what is likely to become a problem for all countries in the area.

Zoo’s coverage of this particular issue is tacky but at least they are not trying to score votes out of it.

What do you think? Tell us now at AustralianTimes.co.uk/voices

Entertainment | 7

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Australians smash Guinness World Record in London

By Tim Martin OVER 3000 Australians arrived at London’s Clapham Common last week to help try and smash a Guinness World Record. And smash it they did!

While 2000 unlucky people were turned away from The Windmill Pub in London’s southwest, the lucky ones who arrived early got to be part of a historic moment – one they can cherish forever.

The record, previously held by Switzerland at 537, was for the “Most People Wearing the Same Full Team Kit”. But after London’s Australian expat army stormed the Common, the new official Guinness World Record for the most people wearing the same full team kit is now 935.

Dressed in green and gold, the hundreds of excited Australians gathered to spell out a gigantic “G’day” on the Clapham Common grass for the Guinness World Record book officials and Channel 9′s Today Show which was beaming the images live back to Australia.

“It was great to see the first world record of the summer go to Australia,” said event special guest and Australian Olympic legend Geoff Huegill.

But more than just an Aussie World Record, it was a chance for the expat Aussies of London to welcome the Australian Olympic Team.

“The level of support for the Aussie team in the UK was fantastic to see. This must be the biggest splash of green and gold London’s ever seen. We always knew we could do it; if anyone can, the Aussies CAN.” Organised by Commonwealth Bank and supported by Australian Times, the evening was a celebration of all things Australian, from snags on the barbie to a full night of the finest Aussie music and entertainment. But the highlight of the event was undoubtedly the setting of the new World Record, which was broadcast live to millions of Australians back home.

“We wanted to organise something that would give Aussies in London

the chance to get behind our national team. Commonwealth Bank has been supporting Australian sport for decades and it’s our job to let the team know that we, and the entire nation, are behind them.

Hopefully this record is the start of things to come for Australia this summer” said Andy Lark, Chief Marketing & Online Officer, Commonwealth Bank.

To qualify for the World Record, the hundreds of people had to be kitted out in exactly the same outfit (t-shirt, shorts and socks) and had to hold the pose for ten minutes.

When Jack Brockbank from Guinness World Records announced that Australia had broken the record, the green and gold army went crazy.

“For me, I’ve broken enough world records in the pool but without doubt I think my first world record on land is going to be my most memorable,” an excited Huegill said of the amazing feat.

See the photos (and tag yourself) at Facebook.com/AustralianTimes or AustralianTimes.co.uk/news

8 | Entertainment

31 July - 6 August 2012

Debunking the Aussie stereotype through True Blue Tucker n

Expat Aussie author Campbell Jefferys is a man now settled in Europe. Perth-born Cam left Australia back in 1996 when he travelled from Canada to America and then on to Europe, sustaining his nomadic globe-trotting existence by churning out Lonely Planet-esque Rough Guides in the pre-digital age. However BIANCA SOLDANI found out that it’s his latest writing venture – a novel named True Blue Tucker – that is garnering attention at the moment. It’s a novel that has Aussie expats questioning their place in the world and how Australia and Australians are perceived abroad.

True Blue Tucker follows the story of two daring Aussies on a search to find the “real” Australia and what exactly it means to be Australian. They embark on a journey that takes them not only through Oz, but to London, Canada and finally Munich where they set up a restaurant serving true blue Aussie tucker.

But this is not your average Outback Steakhouse. Instead of being decorated with blow-up kangaroos and khaki-clad croc hunters, the tables of this restaurant are covered in newspaper clippings about the stolen generation.

Australian Times: Why did you leave Australia?

Campbell Jeffereys: Growing up in Perth was insular and dull. I don’t want to offend anybody in Perth! I love Perth, I love the city to bits, but it wasn’t really enough for me and what I wanted from life. I wanted to go beyond the island.

You’ve travelled quite extensively. What kind of Aussie stereotypes have you encountered over the years?

Our reputation totally precedes us, and before the movie Australia came out, the ghost of Paul Hogan followed me everywhere! People land in Sydney and they expect to see koalas in the trees and kangaroos hopping down the street, but life is not like that at all!

What’s the most memorable misconception you’ve come across?

North West California, 1997. I met two New Yorkers in the kitchen at a youth hostel and I said to them, “Ok I’m going to cook dinner, would you like to join me?” and they said “Aw I gotta see this, I gotta see this!” So I started to cut some vegetables and boil some water and the woman says,

Were you confronted with any of the usual stereotypes about Germans when you settled in Hamburg to write your book?

@benoffereins @Rove & I bustin tunes to John Farnham. Probs should be in band for Farnham’s 8th comeback tour. Our ‘people’ can talk

Check out what we’re following today on AustralianTimes.co.uk and follow us on Twitter @AustralianTimes

What’s On Xavier Rudd 8 August @ Koko

Did contact with the “real” Germans inspire you to write a novel that tackles the issue of stereotyping and explores the truth about Australia?

The Bicycle Teacher - well - an Australian moves to East Berlin in 1980, lives in communist East Germany and loves it very much and is very sad when the wall falls.

So a reverse story. Hunter is about Nazi immigrants in Southwest Australia.

I think we’re starting to see a trend here…

All of my stories are pretty confrontational in the point of view that they take. True Blue Tucker is really saying a lot of negative things about Australia but also celebrating it.

One of the ideas of the book is that if you want to love something, you have to love all of it, you can’t just

@CaseyEastham What an awesome night thanks @AUSOlympicTeam really pumped after a unbelievable performance by the man Johnny Farnham.#LetTheGamesBegin

@AUSOlympicTeam GOLD! @laurenj15 @ecambage @AussieOpals dancing to John Farnham after LJ was named as Flagbearer.

There were so many things about Germany that I really didn’t expect.

People were really friendly, and they laugh - they laugh! They are the most unserious people that I’ve come across. And when you think about Germany everyone thinks about really serious, hard working, industrious, humour-less German people, but they’re like the opposite to that.

That just opened my eyes to how the world is, that we don’t have to be what everyone thinks we are.

And to me, that’s what opened the doors to a lot of stories, I didn’t have that perspective before.

This is your third novel after The Bicycle Teacher and Hunter, tell me a little about those.

#John Farnham

@LukeDennehy Don’t think the athletes will be able to sleep tonight after John Farnham performed at the @ AUSOlympicTeam function.

“What are you doing?”, and I said, well I’m cooking dinner, and she said “Oh… I thought you were going to go outside and catch something.”

It’s a difficult question, the one of, what it means to be Australian and who we are?. I don’t think you can lump all of the people into one box and say that they’re all like this – you can’t do that with the Germans, they’re different in different cities.

People who work in this job or in that job, people are always different. For me it was more like, I had an idea of a story about Australia and I knew what I wanted to say about Australia. [But] I don’t want to educate people.

What we’re following

Temper Trap 10 Aug @ BT London Live, Hyde Park Heath Franklin’s Chopper: 20 - 24 August Southbank Centre Mick Thomas & Squeezbox Wally 23 Aug @ The Borderline

love the part that you like; I love the beaches, I love the Southern Cross – I love my country! No, we have this history and I love that too.

Loving something means loving all of it, the good and the bad.

Darren Hayes 24 September @ IndigO2,

What tips would you give aspiring writers?

I’m a writing teacher, I teach creative writing in Hamburg. The analogy I use is tennis; anyone can be a writer if you’re willing to practice hard enough, practicing writing is like practising tennis, if you hit forehands every morning you will get better at hitting forehands, the same goes if you get up every morning and you write a 500 word short story, you will just get better at it. Of course there are some people who are going to be better anyways, because not everybody is Roger Federer, but everybody can aspire to be a good writer.

The most important thing is the story. Being able to write a great sentence is not as great as being able to tell a really really good story.

Dan Brown’s writing is awful!

But he tells a great story. You can

Temper Trap 4 Oct @ Hammersmith Apollo Tame Impala 30 October @ O2 Academy, Brixton Gotye 12 November @ Hammersmith Apollo criticise his writing as much as you want, but he’s a really good story teller. Same with J.K Rowling – great story teller. What’s capturing the people is the story, it’s not the great sentences or fantastic words or writing structure.

True Blue Tucker is avaliable now via Ripple Books

AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

The Cat Empire 10 December @ O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire Pam Ann 28-29 March @ Hammersmith Apollo

For full details...

...and more Aussie gigs go to: AustralianTimes.co.uk/entertainment

travel

Travel | 9

AustralianTimes.co.uk

tting This week we’re pu

S. Sudan on the map

n

When AMY FALLON travelled to the world’s newest country - South Sudan - the last thing she expected to find was an Australian community hidden in the African depths.

In the past week, I’ve realised just how truly caring, compassionate and tolerant Australia can be towards vulnerable people from other countries when we want to. I only had to travel to South Sudan, thousands of miles away from home and the world’s newest nation, to have this reinforced. I already knew that we were capable of these qualities. But after nearly six years away from Oz and reading recent stories about the refugee debate, I needed a good reminder.

For the past nine days I’ve had

the experience of a lifetime in Juba, being hosted by the wonderful Southern Sudanese Australian community there. Never before have people – all strangers at first – been so kind to me. In the capital of the new African country, being built from scratch but developing rapidly, I discovered a home away from home. There was even a restaurant called Home and Away, quite fitting when you consider the links between Australia and South Sudan.

Coming home

According to the 2006 Australian Census, there were just under

Image by Sidelife

Image by Sidelife

20,000 Sudanese citizens in Australia. A large number came to our country as refugees. In the lead up to the January 2011 Independence referendum, set out in a 2005 peace agreement after decades of conflict between South Sudan and the north, many have returned to their place of birth. Following the secession, a year ago last week, more have returned.

Gatwech Kulang, a towering figure in more ways than one, met me at Juba airport. He estimates there could now be as many as 500 Southern Sudanese Australians in South Sudan, the majority of them holding key positions with the government, the private sector or NGOs. Gatwech, now Director of NGO Affairs at the country’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC), is one of them.

He is a former ‘lost boy’ who spent a large part of his youth and early adulthood in refugee camps before going to Australia and settling in Clayton, Melbourne.

The Aussie South Sudanese

Gatwech, who set up NGO South Sudan Development Agency International (SSUDA), was a community leader in Australia who earned a reputation for taking his fellow Sudanese, particularly young people, under his wing. In Victoria he went to “college after college”, worked hard at different jobs and taught Australians about Africa.

Through the support of Aussies, SSUDA built The Friendship Primary School in Ulang County, an impoverished part of South Sudan, in 2008.

It didn’t matter that I’d only had a quick cup of coffee with Gatwech in Uganda, where I’m now living, before my Juba visit. With his friend David Kueth, who has family in Melbourne (“the best place in the world, even better than the USA”), Gatwech looked after me my entire time in South Sudan.

His colleague, James Major Ater Gurke, now director of general of administration and finance of RRC, lived in Blacktown, Sydney, from 2000 after arriving as a refugee from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

“We like it because it’s black and it’s a town,” he joked with me of the Sydney suburb after inviting me into his office at the government ministries last week.

During his time in Australia James, aged in his 50s, was an Arabic translator. His unofficial role was as the “tour guide” for many Sudanese people who had also fled to Australia.

“Australians are very hospitable.

They receive refugees,” he told me.

“Freedom is good (in Australia).

You can express yourself. I like the fact that people are treated equally.”

Starting again

Yar Paul Kuol, 44, who I was introduced to, lived in Blacktown for nearly nine years. She invited me into her office at the South Sudan Urban Water Corporation (SSUWC) where she’s

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: The author with her most hospitable host, Gatwech Kulang.

Deputy Managing Director, to show me an aqua Sydney Aquarium cube taking pride of place on her desk.

Yar went to Australia to give her children a “better education” after her husband, a prisoner of war, was killed in 2002. She came back to South Sudan just one month before the 2011 referendum as she had “many duties here”.

“It was an opportunity to bring back home what I learnt in Australia,” Yar said.

She joked that now whenever she’s travelling she can always “get a feeling about who is Australian by the way they’re walking”.

“There’s something different about them, their character.”

I didn’t have to be introduced to Australians to bump into them in South Sudan, where half of the population are living under the poverty line, some large families on just 75 South Sudanese Pounds (about £10) a month.

Strolling around Juba Town market, where Independence flags and pins were being sold, was like being in the Athens of Africa. Every second person had a brother or cousin living in Australia.

10 | Travel

31 July - 6 August 2012

Image by Babasteve

Aussies are everywhere

In Juba - the days were boiling, which also reminded me of home.

Then it would bucket it down in the afternoon. One day I faced getting drenched on a boda (motorbike taxi) on the way back to my hotel, when a man in a shop called me a car instead. The driver Gabier and I were making polite chitchat when he caught me by surprise. “I’m Australian!” he exclaimed, explaining that he was back in his birth country for three months from Melbourne to see what the place was like.

At the celebrations at John Garang Mausoleum to mark the nation’s first birthday on Monday, I met Gabriel. He was sporting a loved-heart shaped badge on his suit with the South Sudanese flag on it, but proudly whipped an Australian passport out of his bag as soon as he heard my accent.

“See that woman,” he said, pointing to a female in a traditional dress waving a flag and dancing for the crowd of cheering thousands. “She’s from Canberra.”

When I told Gatwech Kulang later, he

said her name was Aguer Deachut Deng, and she’d also called Australia home at one stage.

“That woman will never stop dancing,” he remarked, smiling.

Aguer’s not the only Southern Sudanese Australian in the country’s spotlight. The Honorable Gatwech Lam Pouch, MP for Nasir County, who was a humanitarian entrant into Australia and lived in Dandenong, Melbourne, between 2000 and 2008, says there’s now several Southern Sudanese Australians in the national Parliament.

“They’re reliable people, they don’t cheat,” he replied when I asked him what he thought of Aussies.

The bittersweet fact of freedom

His return, like Gatwech Kulang’s and James’, is bittersweet. Despite the self-satisfaction in knowing

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Giving back

The generosity towards me of the Southern Sudanese Australian community in Juba blew me away.

I’ve been lucky enough to travel extensively around the world and I’ve been to some places which have impacted on me greatly, especially in Africa. But I can’t remember the last time a place has had such a lasting impression on me like this country has.

When I commented on this to Gatwech, he insisted modestly:

“We’ve hosted many Australians.”

“Australia was so good to me.

I was honoured to be part of their society and I wanted to give back.

They are the ones supporting me, trusting me, saying go and do it, build that school.

“So relax, you are at home.”

I couldn’t help welling up at this.

Becoming a new country, South Sudan had a lot of expectations but faces immense challenges.

At the local maternity hospital I was shocked to learn there are just 15 qualified midwives for the whole country. According to the country’s Household Health Survey 2010, the country has the world’s highest fertility rate, with almost seven children per woman. But four per cent of women aged 14 to 49 aren’t practicing any form of contraceptive or birth control. Yet the midwives the hospital does have, supported

by UNFPA and with funding from AusAID, are doing a great job.

Only three out of every 10 people in South Sudan are able to read and write.

A broader perspective

If Australia thinks it has a problem with boats heading their way, get this. Last week the UN said more than 200,000 people had been displaced into South Sudan and Ethiopia as a result of the neighbouring conflict in Sudan’s Blue Nile and South Kordofan. This is expected to worsen.

Despite all of this, the people I

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they’re contributing to their country, they’ve left their wives in Australia along with their children, so they can complete their schooling because they value Australian education.

Matata Frank, 29, who spent nearly two years in Adelaide misses his partner - who has become an Australian citizen - as well as swimming at Henley Beach.

“But during the war some of us went for over ten years without seeing our families,” he pointed out, putting everything in perspective.

There were more mentions of Australia. The recent title of SHE magazine, South Sudan’s first title for women, carried stories on the Miss South Sudan Australia pageant. This is held annually in Melbourne.

In Juba, the Southern Sudanese Australian community have in the past staged their own Australia Day celebrations, with up to 200 people joining in the festivities.

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KANGAROO-BOP: The ‘dancing’ lady of South Sudan, Aguer Deachut Deng.

Travel | 11

AustralianTimes.co.uk

met are optimistic about the future of their country.

Australia may get a kicking over its treatment of refugees at times.

But in South Sudan I met scores of hardworking, friendly men and women who all went to Australia for humanitarian reasons and told me how much they’d benefitted from our education system, our fair way of life and our increasingly multicultural society.

Over my past nine days in the world’s newest nation I couldn’t help feeling slightly proud – and I’m embarrassed to say a little bit teary – thinking that Australia may have had even just a tiny part in shaping these amazing people, my new friends, who are now contributing to their birth country.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/travel

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12 | Jobs & Money

31 July - 6 August 2012

Dollar Review

Aussie gains as ECB reinforces optimistic outlook THE Australian Dollar began trading last week Monday the 23 July around the 1.505 mark against the British Pound and 0.963 to the US Dollar.

The Aussie rebounded on news from the European Central Bank (ECB) reinstated confidence in the future of the European currency. This was communicated in a statement from ECB President Mario Draghi, who vowed to do “whatever it takes to preserve the Euro”.

On Wednesday evening the ECB called for the Eurozone Stability Mechanism (ESM) to be given an official banking license. This would give the ESM a much larger scope when applying for bailout funds from the ECB. The final decision will be made on 12 September. According to many commentators and policy makers, it is essential to the future of Europe that Germany opts in on the model, as they are one of the biggest investors in the fund.

The comments coming from the ECB had a stabilizing effect on the markets for now by reinstating lizzy@heatlondon.co.uk sarah@heatlondon.co.uk

confidence in the troubled Eurozone area and laying out a transparent and direct plan going forward.

Australian economists are revising their previous predictions and are now leaning more toward an outcome where there will not be an interest rate cut in next month’s Reserve Bank meeting. The consensus thought is that a rate cut will most likely be

AUD / GBP:

AUD / EUR: AUD / USD: AUD / JPY:

0.6661 0.8509 1.0459 81.968

Exchange rates as at 9:00 GMT+1, 30 July 2012

Composed by Paul Gerber of 1st Contact :: Note: The above exchange rates are based on “interbank” rates. If you want to transfer money to or from Australia then please register/login on our website, or call us on 0808 141 2335 for a live dealing rate. Make use of a Rate Notifier to send you alert when the Australian exchange rate reaches levels you are looking for.

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Sport | 13

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Force a Super franchise in the balance The date was 28 April, 2012, and life was good for the Western Force.

Sure, they were struggling near the foot of the Super Rugby table.

And sure, they had just copped a 17-3 hiding at the hands of the Stormers.

But all that didn’t matter, because star Wallabies halfback Will Genia had just agreed to terms with the franchise for season 2013 and beyond, and Force skipper David Pocock was poised to re-sign.

Fast-forward to the present day and the Force are a franchise in crisis.

Genia reneged on the Force deal in order to stay at the Reds, Pocock jumped ship to the Brumbies, veteran Nathan Sharpe retired, and coach Richard

Graham defected to Queensland.

Michael Cheika’s decision to reject the Force head coaching role was an extra slap in the face.

It’s left the Force with no coach, no captain, no spiritual leader and a playing list bereft of any X-factor players.

Sure, they still have a creditable forward pack.

But forwards set the foundations not win you games.

Blokes like James O’Connor, Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper and Genia do that.

Pocock’s defection is the biggest blow the Force have ever been dealt.

The Force have lost star players before, like O’Connor who joined Melbourne last year, but they’ve

By Andy McCourt

recorded any female Ferret-Leggers, although, a failed attempt was made for equality by introducing ‘Ferret Busting’ with the animals inserted in the blouse rather than the trouser), ties off the ends of his trousers and then inserts live ferrets down the legs. The winner is he who endures longest and releases the ferrets last. The current world record holder is a Mr Reg Mellor of Barnsley at five hours and thirty minutes.

Ferrett-Legging is known to exist in parts of the USA and, who knows, Yorkshire migrants to Australia might have covertly ‘put ‘em down,’ now and then, perhaps using Goannas or Tassie Devils. London would have stood a good chance of a clean medal sweep had it advocated this elective sport to the IOC. Perhaps an even bigger missed opportunity is failing to nominate the ‘Queue, Grumble and Whinge’ as a new Olympic Sport. As with the Triple Jump, it starts by hopping into an interminable queue, steps up to some ‘tut-tuts,’ raised eyebrows and skillful foot-shuffling and climaxes with a jump to full conversational whinging, each of which is scored gymnastically with raised placards numbered one to ten.

But why give the Poms any more help winning medals? It looks like they will do quite well at these Olympics anyway.

Not that it will halt a torrent of inevitable complaining after the dust settles.

Just remember Black Caviar’s win at Epsom. She won, but not well enough for the pundits, bar-room experts and devotees of the ancient and noble British sport of ‘Queue, Grumble and Whinge’.

London’s missed Olympic moments

For the first time ever, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has added Women’s Boxing to the 2012 Olympics agenda, on the basis of equality and fairness. Women’s Boxing didn’t make the cut at Beijing in 2008, so something must have happened in the past four years to permit women the privilege of beating the crap out of each other. There’s only three weight divisions - flyweight, lightweight and middleweight - although ‘this top fitted before Christmas-weight’ and ‘does my bum look big in these shortsweight’ were considered but rejected.

Seriously, who’d have the guts to name a women’s sport category ‘heavyweight?’

By the way, women’s boxing rounds are two minutes against the bloke’s three minutes. Probably because they get right on with the slugging and there’s no; ‘Yeah? You and whose army?’ or ‘Back off or you’ll get a face full of this…’ preamble.

London is the only city to have hosted a third Olympics; the first being in 1908, where one of the competitions was the Tug O’ War. Britain won Gold, Silver and Bronze and all their teams were from Police forces. The Americans walked out in disgust, protesting the footwear advantage of the Brits (size thirteens?) and the Swedes just didn’t bother turning up for the Bronze medal decider.

Based on 1908’s choice of elective sport, London has obviously missed a big opportunity for more medals by choosing Women’s Boxing. Why didn’t they go for Shove Halfpenny, Tiddlywinks, or that unique Northern sport, Ferret-Legging?

For those not in the know, FerretLegging is where a chap (history has not

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

never lost a player like Pocock.

The 24-year-old has arguably surpassed Richie McCaw as the world’s best flanker.

But it’s Pocock’s standing off the field that will be equally missed.

Star players can be replaced in time, but star human beings are worth their weight in gold.

Pocock was a figure the Force wanted to build their squad around both in terms of talent and attitude.

Now the Force must start again.

Last season reaped just three wins from 16 games.

That’s unacceptable for a franchise that’s been in the competition for seven years now and should be going

from strength to strength instead of finishing second last on the table.

With Pocock, Sharpe and Graham all gone, it seems doom and gloom at the moment right?

Well you could argue it kind of is, but it’s never healthy to be overly pessimistic.

The Force are set to appoint a new coach in the coming weeks, and in turn it is hoped he will be able to lure some top-line players to the franchise.

Although the Force must be hating the Brumbies right now for stealing Pocock, the Canberra-based franchise should also be viewed as a source of inspiration.

When Jake White arrived last year, he tossed out the team’s ageing stars

in favour of youthful exuberance.

The Brumbies were meant to be the whipping boys of the competition in 2012, but shocked everyone by coming within a whisker of a dream finals berth.

The problem is, punting on youth normally takes several years before it bears fruit, and the Force simply can’t wait that long.

Appointing a quality coach and snaring some absolute stars are now a priority for the Force.

Their loyal fan base has stuck firmly by the franchise to date, but their patience won’t last forever. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

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14 | Sport

31 July - 6 August 2012

Geoff Heugill: US winning streaks and Australia’s medal hopes

n

When Australia broke the first World Record of the Games festivities last week in Clapham (see page 7), there was one particular Australian Olympic legend inspiring the Aussie expat army on to greatness. The man? Geoff Huegill. The Olympic silver and bronze medallist and seven-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist spoke to LEE CROSSLEY about Australia’s hopes for London 2012 and what it’s like knowing he won’t be competing himself.

Australian Times: Who are Australia’s main medal hopes in the pool?

Geoff Huegill: The guy who’s got the most pressure on his shoulders at the moment is James Magnussen.

He’s had a blistering 12 months and really dominated the events that he’s swimming in, not just the 100m freestyle, but he’s also stepped it up in the 50m freestyle.

I know one of the goals that our men’s swimming team do have in mind is to secure gold in the 4 x 100m medley relay which is the very last race on Day 8 (Saturday 4 Aug). When you look back on history, the longest winning streak at Olympic level is the 4 x 100m medley relay held by the US team. We were pipped by less than 0.2 of a second at last year’s World Championships so hopefully the boys have been hungry over the last 12 months and we’ve seen the talent step up to the mark on all strokes.

Where do you think our main competition is in the pool?

Naturally it’s always the USA that really dominate the pool. You’ve got Michael Phelps and the girls as well,

who are pretty strong. They’ve been the number one team in the world for some time now.

Where you think Australia will come in the pool medal tally?

I’d like to say they will come in No.2 but one of the best things about an Olympic Games is that when you step up to the blocks, all bets are off.

Who’s done what in the past counts for nothing. It’s all about performing on the night. And it’s not just our guys who are a chance. We’ve got the Campbell sisters, Stephanie Rice seems to be hitting a lot of form at the moment, and Melanie Schlanger in the freestyle. She’s just a class to herself – she’s big, she’s strong and just dominates. We’ve got the depth and experience with Jessica Schipper in the freestyle as well. So I’d like to say we will finish top 2.

The Australian Swim coach Leigh Nugent said last week that Australia would win less medals in the pool than they did in Beijing. Why would he say that and do you agree?

That’s a good question. I’d like to think he said it to take some pressure off the guys. If the guys go in there

with as little pressure on them as possible and do the best job they can, they’ll do better. But you can look at it in two ways. You can look at it as words of motivation and inspiration – as an athlete you want to prove him wrong.

You would probably look at things differently to Nugent, though, being the supreme optimist?

To tell you the truth, any athlete who steps up behind the blocks is not going to do a second rate job. When you get to this level, this is what it’s all about.

It’s what all the preparation is all about. You rarely get an opportunity to represent your country at an Olympic Games. When you get that opportunity you don’t want to let that go past. One is you’ll never be at that same age again and on top of that, four years is a bloody long time to wait to come back again and reassert your authority.

You put yourself in a good position to be here competing, not commentating. How are you feeling now that you are here in London but not lining up against the world’s best?

That’s a bloody good question. When I first finished, I knew that the next phase of my career was to move into corporate finance. I’ve got a passion for business and a passion for finance.

So when I didn’t make the team my world suddenly went from 80-90 per cent sport, 10 per cent business to the other way around.

I really kept myself occupied and moving on with life, family life and everything else. It wasn’t until I packed my bags back in Australia and when I went to fly out that I realised the penny dropped that I was coming to London but I wasn’t going to be competing. I was starting to get quite upset and pretty emotional. When it comes to these big meets, I’m an emotional guy. I’ve got history in the sport and I know how hard it is to get to this level. To miss it by less than half a second to decide who gets to go, it is a tough thing. Now I am here and I’m working for Foxtel, I get a chance to go to all the events and talk shop with all the VIP guests but I know that when Day 6 comes along and the men’s butterfly event is on, naturally I am going to be comparing my times

Continued from p16...

we’ve had guys who have changed shifts who are working at the Olympics, so it’s not on.”

The Demons were beaten by North London in a fiery contest at Bounds Green – with a report and two sendoffs the result of a brawl in the second term – however still finish as minor premiers in the premiership division.

They will meet Putney on Saturday, who easily accounted for London Swans at Putney Heath in a high scoring affair, 30.9 (189) to 12.8 (80).

Andrew Slevison booted 10 majors to give him 20 in a fortnight, while Adelaide boy Luke Jackson snagged eight from centre half-forward in a best-on-ground performance.

Unfortunately for the Magpies, they’ll need to reach the Grand Final before Slevison re-joins them, as the dominant forward packs his bags for overseas adventures for a few weeks.

One would have thought London Swans would have had little to play for on Saturday, given it was a dead rubber.

But such is the character of

the Swans’ brigade, they were determined to go down fighting.

In the Conference match, the Swans upstaged the Magpies to win convincingly, 18.13 (121) to 10.3 (63).

Full forward Justin Mazur booted seven goals but the shining light was Tommy Butlin who again dominated by booting six goals from the midfield.

The tall ruck rover was chaired from the field after what was his last AFL London match, as was Premiership captain Simon Hayes after his game.

Incredibly Butlin, a NSW lad brought up on a rugby diet, only started playing Aussie Rules after arriving in London several years ago.

Now he is favourite to take out the league best and fairest award for the Conference division.

Meanwhile, North London Lions will meet West London in the knockout semi final on Sunday at the Lions’ home in what looms as a thrilling encounter.

The Lions beat the Demons on Saturday, while the Cats only accounted for bottom placed

Wimbledon by 10 points.

The word is that Wimbledon acquitted themselves very well at Mostspur Park with Nick Katsivelos and Mark Williams, Hawks’ stalwarts, battling it out to the death.

The Lions, the league’s sleeping giants, must certainly be licking their lips heading into this sudden death encounter with last year’s premiers who are just holding in at the pointy end of the season.

In the conference division, the Raiders finished minor premiers with a win over the Giants at the weekend. They recruited an African player before the game to help make up the numbers, although they did have to pull him away from a London newspaper, which seemed to have more appeal than our native game.

The Raiders meet Regents Park Lions this weekend for a chance at the Grand Final, while Clapham meet the Magpies in the knockout final.

and my splits to the other guys and wishing I was out there.

This is what you do it for. You have one opportunity and it really separates the men from the mice.

The atmosphere - you can never replicate again in the real world. The buzz around the place is electric.

We’ll never see London again like this in our whole life.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Dees finish top despite Lions upset the Swans on the weekend, must go in favourites in that game over the Demons, who were rolled by the Lions on Saturday in an upset.

Putney has never won a Premiership cup nor a Conference prize but is well placed to take out some AFL London silverware this year.

There has been some talk at league headquarters that the Conference match will be a third v fourth knockout affair, which would see the Magpies and Demons do battle and make it a Wandsworth v Putney day in the ones and twos.

However that fixture would cause severe rumblings among some clubs, who have told their players that Saturday would be 1 v 2 across all grades and Sunday 3 v 4.

“If they want to run it to convenience the clubs then we’ll fight it tooth and nail,” Shepherd’s Bush Raiders (West London Conference team) coach Craig Marshall said.

“In the past they’ve run it so first and second play on Saturday and

Log on to AustralianTimes.co.uk for the AFL London Finals fixtures for who plays whom and when for

FANCY A GAME?: Shepherd’s Bush Raiders recruited an African soccer player on the weekend for their AFL London fixture, although keeping him away from his paper seemed the biggest challenge for the boys. all this weekend’s exciting action.

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Surprise Aussie gold just the relay tonic Continued from p16...

Emily Seebohm, Yolane Kukla and Libby Trickett, it was a moment that was moulded on the self belief that all posses and the support of the men that coach them.

Elmslie, 18, struggled to contain herself afterwards, disbelieving of the whirlwind she has been part of in the last 12 hours.

“That’s the best thing I’ve ever experienced in my whole life,”

Elmslie said.

“I can’t stop smiling after that. I still can’t believe I’m an Olympic gold medallist. All four of us swam so well tonight and it is special to share the feeling with the other three girls.”

“There’s no better feeling than that,” said Schlanger, star of the Aussie show.

“When everyone can fire on the day, that’s what Olympic gold is made of.”

Schlanger, who clocked the second fastest split of the final behind

Kromodwidjojo, augering well for her assault on the individual 100m freestyle, was visibly moved by the victory.

“I can’t describe it. I’ve always wanted to sing the National Anthem on the dais but to do it at the Olympics is unbelievable,” Schlanger said.

“We all dug deep and we came through with the win.”

And what a win it was. - With sources AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Sport | 15

AustralianTimes.co.uk

Aussie men’s relay team fail at London 2012 Continued from p16...

“I am stunned,” said Ian Thorpe, who brought the Sydney 2000 team home to a tumultuous reception.

There was no psychological warfare this time, and it wasn’t the Americans who sank Australia without trace but the French, powering home to take gold from the US and Russia.

Magnussen, the reigning world 100m champion, said he “just couldn’t back up” after the morning heats but had no real explanation for the disappointing performance.

“Words can’t describe it,” said Magnussen, who managed only to leave the Australians in second place after his opening leg.

It was downhill from there as the Aussies slowly but surely slipped out of contention.

Earlier on Sunday night Christian Sprenger lifted Australian spirits with a surprise silver medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke and Alicia Coutts took bronze in the women’s 100m butterfly.

Both fell to world record swims

by South African Cameron van der Burgh and American Dana Vollmer respectively.

There were promising Australian results in rowing, canoeing, equestrian and table tennis, but tennis hope Bernard Tomic crashed out in the first round at Wimbledon, just as teammate Sam Stosur had, and there was little to shout about either in shooting, sailing, cycling, basketball, gymnastics, judo,

diving, volleyball and beach volleyball.

The hastily-arranged “Motley Crew”, the women’s rowing eight, placed second in their heat, marking themselves as a distinct medal prospect.

At the Greenwich Park equestrian centre, Beijing Games silver medallists Lucinda and Clayton Fredericks lifted Australia into second position behind Germany after the dressage phase of the team eventing.

Lucinda Fredericks was the bestperformed of the five Australian riders, amassing 40.00 penalty points riding Flying Finish, to be tied for seventh in the individual competition.

West Australian paddler Kynan Maley snuck into the semi-finals of the C1 while table tennis veteran William Henzell scored a 4-2 win over Portugal’s Joao Monteiro, ranked nearly 100 places higher, in a gripping second round match.

But that’s about as good as it got.

In cycling’s 140km women’s road race, Chloe Hosking and team captain Amanda Spratt cracked on the first of two laps of the Box Hill circuit in Surrey, while time trial specialist Shara Gillow’s chain came off with about 10km left and she finished 39th.

The cycling team also confirmed the end of Cadel Evans’ Olympic campaign, the former Tour de France winner pulling out of the road time trial because of fatigue.

Australians Sharleen Stratton and Anabelle Smith missed out on a medal in the 3m synchronised springboard

It was the 26-year-old’s 37th premier class win, equalling legendary Englishman Mike Hailwood.

He is now joint fourth in elite category wins behind Italians Valentino Rossi (79) and Giacomo Agostini (68) and Australian Mick Doohan (54).

But Stoner and his Repsol Honda team agonised over their strategy before the race, finally opting to gamble on running a soft rear tyre.

“It’s been a difficult weekend for us in general especially trying to make the hard tyre work,” Stoner said after clinching his third win at the California circuit.

“So for the race I decided to go with the soft option and be a little more careful with the tyre, keep a little more traction and not spin so much.

“At the beginning of the race I tried

to move to the front but Dani and Jorge were riding very good lines and it was impossible to get past.”

Stoner instead played a canny race, settling in behind the frontrunners before striking.

“I decided to slow the lap times a little and try to save the tyres until the end and then we could start to come back,” he said.

“I was confident for the entire race that I had enough pace for the win, we just needed to make sure the tyre would last until the end.

“When we got to the front we put in some good laps and pulled some small advantage and just continued from there.”

The win has hauled Stoner back into contention after forgettable performances in Germany and Italy.

He has now crept to within 32-points of Yamaha’s Lorenzo, who leads the series

By Will Denton

as China’s inevitable domination of diving began.

Basketball’s Boomers lost a nailbiter to Brazil 75-71, shooter Lauryn Mark bowed out of the women’s skeet by hitting just 59 targets from a possible 75 and the men’s volleyball team opened their campaign with a straight-sets loss to Argentina.

Beach volleyballers Becchara Palmer and Louise Bawden lost their opening pool match to Germany.

Finn sailor Brendan Casey made a disastrous start to his Olympics, slumping to last place before capsizing and abandoning his first race. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Webber knows there’s still nine races left in the season to overhaul the twotime world champion.

“We left a bit on the table today,” Webber said after Sunday’s race, won from pole position by England’s Lewis Hamilton, who led a Lotus duo Kimmi Raikkonen and Sebastian Grosjean on the podium.

“I’m lying second in the championship, which is okay, but Fernando is still putting some good finishes together and he’s got a good little lead.

“We’ll just continue to take each race as it comes and deal with the championship situation later on in the season.”

Webber is just two points ahead of teammate and defending champion Sebastian Vettel after the German finished fourth in Budapest as his title challenge faltered into the midseason break.

After a thrilling win in the

AFL is many things. For some it’s a slight distraction for a few hours, for others, it’s the life force that flows through us and surrounds us, overcoming us with emotion and making other trivial aspects of existence seem insignificant (like food shopping). And it’s about this stage of the season, when the teams that had any skerrick of hope left at all, are finally done and dusted, barring a genuine footy god miracle.

Some teams have known their fate for some months now, however with just five games left before September, its official - Richmond are gone. AGAIN. Someone at the Tigers admin has to get a contagious disease expert down at Punt Rd or something because how much pain and suffering can one group of supporters endure before the Zombie gene finally mutates and 40,000 rise as one. Yep, the yellow and black apocalypse may actually come into fruition this week as the Tigers did it again, clutching defeat from the jaws of victory for the third week in a row and as if Satan himself was pulling the strings, this time it was against arch rivals Carlton. The thing is, the Tigers played their absolute guts out and Dustin Martin nearly got his removed

several times in acts of pure desperation.

But like a dodgy stuntman, you just had a feeling it wasn’t going to end well.

Carlton however are still alive even though it will probably take a bout of the black plague to wipe out the teams directly above them. Clearly, the season is starting to take its toll as there was almighty spankings week, and the young bodies are starting look for injuries that sound really serious.

‘Hamstring related tendonitis’ is in vogue this week, as is the ever-popular ‘ collapsed lung’. Have to mention Hawthorn, as they had probably the most significant win of the round, over Essendon. The Bombers fancied themselves too but it took less than a quarter for the Hawks to completely destroy Hirdy’s men and send their 2012 campaign spiralling towards oblivion.

It’s hard to imagine that both the Blues and Essendon were flag favourites earlier on. The Hawks however look the goods and unbelievably look better WITHOUT Buddy. Scary. They face Geelong this Friday in what will be surely the best chance to beat the Cats since the 2008 GF. Surely this time… right?

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Clash of the Titans at the 2012 London Tag Rugby Championships! from Pedrosa with eight races remaining.

Home favourite Nicky Hayden was a distant sixth on the factory Ducati but it was another disaster for teammate Rossi.

A whopping 1.9s off the qualifying pace on Saturday, Rossi was in eighth place when he crashed at high speed.

He walked away unhurt from the first race he has failed to finish this season. - AAP AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

Webber keeping cool over F1 title chances Mark Webber has urged patience after consecutive eighth place finishes left him 40 points behind Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in the Formula One world championship.

The Australian came home eighth in the Hungarian Grand Prix, matching his result in Germany the weekend before, as Alonso extended his championship lead by finishing fifth.

Although the Spaniard now holds a healthy advantage in the title race,

RUBDOWN

A plague on both your AFL houses

Casey re-ignites world champ hopes after US win Continued from p16...

THE

British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Webber has struggled to keep pace with his main title rivals in Hockenheim or Hungary.

But he’s confident the four-week break before the next race at the SpaFrancorchamps circuit in Belgium will help him and his Red Bull team rediscover his pace.

“The next three weeks are a chance for everyone in the team to re-charge their batteries and spend some time with family and friends,” he said.

“We’ll then head to the last nine races and get as many points as we can.

“I love Spa-Francorchamps. It’s one of my favourite racetracks and I’d absolutely love to win there for the first time.

The Belgian Grand Prix is held on 2 September. - AAP

AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport

REIGNING CHAMPS: The 2011 London Tag Rugby Championship winner’s, D.T.F, will be hoping to repeat their success at Tag Rugby’s biggest championships.

League and will be sure to entertain The upcoming 2012 London Tag the crowd with some amazing ball Rugby Championships to be held skills and some fancy footwork. at the East London Rugby club on From abroad, the Bircroft Panthers Saturday, 18 August is set to see from Dublin are going to be one of a clash of the titans amongst the the favourites to take the 2012 title London Tag Rugby community. which has been previously won by The Champions League - which is D.T.F of Balham (2011) and Ref’s by invitational basis only - has seen Fault of Gladstone Park (2010). The some of the best teams from London Panthers have won the worlds biggest and abroad enter sides.

Tag Rugby Festival, the Pig N Porter The Southfield competition five times and will be looking to add champions, the Southfield Sharks have to their impressive trophy cabinet. entered the Champions League and Team registrations have also been feature London Australia representative healthy in the men’s & mixed social players, Brendan Lewis and Adam divisions for the 2012 London Tag Madigan. Of the three Southfields Rugby Championships. To enter a team, competitions they have entered in visit Trytagrugby.com for all details.

2012, they have only lost one match If you would like to get involved and will definitely be a team to watch in one of the fastest growing sports at the championships. in London, new team and individual In North London, Churrr have been registrations are welcome. This is a dominating the Highbury competitions, great chance to develop a network of winning the Highbury Early Summer friends if you are new to London. season and currently undefeated in the To register for a Try Tag Rugby Late Summer season. Another team to competition or event, go to www. watch at the championships! trytagrugby.com or email info@ The West London champions over trytagrugby.com for more details. at Acton, Tumeke whose players make up the majority of the London New Zealand representative squads AustralianTimes.co.uk/sport have entered in the Champions

TAG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Countdown is on for Tag Rugby’s showpiece event P15

AUSSIE GOLDEN GIRLS SWEEP THE LONDON POOL n

Australia’s London 2012 Olympic campaign started with a bang on the opening day of competition, as the unfancied Aussie women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team set an Olympic record and beat the Dutch favourites to claim the first gold for Australia.

The quartet of Alicia Coutts, Cate Campbell, Brittany Elmslie and Melanie Schlanger won Australia’s first gold of the 2012 London Olympic Games with a stunning performance in the women’s 4x100 metre freestyle relay.

The Aussies set an Olympic record of 3:33.15 to crush the Netherlands’ hopes of back to back Olympic crowns, the Dutch settling for silver in 3:33.79 and the USA the bronze in 3:34.24.

Coutts (53.90) got them off to a wonderful start, touching in third, Campbell (53.19) elevated them to second, before Elmslie (53.41) propelled them to the lead. Then Schlanger (52.65) hung on amid withering pressure from Dutch world number one Ranomi Kromodwidjojo (51.93).

Australia has a proud history of success in the event with victories in 1956 and 2004, silver medals in 1960 and 1964 and a bronze four years ago in Beijing when Campbell and Schlanger were both a part of the team.

For that duo this was some form of redemption for that Beijing result and a wonderful exclamation mark on comebacks from illness that wouldn’t dare end with selection on this Olympic Team. They wanted more.

For Coutts, who finished sixth in the event at the Australian Olympic Trials, her swim justified the faith instilled in her by the team’s coach Shannon Rollason and for Elmslie, the moment is nothing short of stunning given that 12 months ago she was barely on the radar for Olympic selection, let alone a candidate for a gold medal.

For all, including heat swimmers ...continued on p14

Get the latest Aussie Olympics news at AustralianTimes.co.uk

Magnussen and Co smashed like guitars This time they were smashed like guitars.

Out of tune and out of sorts, James Magnussen and his reigning world champions not only failed to win an Olympic gold that seemed theirs for the taking, but failed to win any medal.

Twelve years after American Gary Hall Junior’s guitar trash talking inspired Australia’s men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team to the sweetest of Olympic victories, their 2012 counterparts started hot favourites to reclaim that title but could do no better than fourth. ...continued on p15

Stoner’s risk pays off at US Grand Prix

A desperate roll of the dice has reignited Casey Stoner’s MotoGP world championship campaign.

The Australian’s risky tyre choice at Laguna Seca paid off with victory in the US Grand Prix - his fourth win of the year.

Stoner, who aims to retire from MotoGP this season with a trio of crowns, outfoxed Spaniards Jorge Lorenzo, the pole-sitter, and Dani Pedrosa, on Sunday. ...continued on p15

Putney makes case for first AFL London flag

By Lee Crossley ALL this excitement around London lately can only mean one thing: it’s AFL London finals time.

Two days of semi-finals action will take place on Saturday and Sunday at Bounds Green, however there is still some confusion about who will play whom and when.

At this stage, Wandsworth is set to take on Putney in the Premiership division in the second semi-final on Saturday in a shot for the Grand Final.

Putney, 109-point winners over GOLDEN GIRLS: Australia’s women’s 4 x100m freestyle final swimmers Melanie Schlanger, Alicia Coutts, Brittany Elmslie and Cate Campbell after winning our first Aussie gold at London 2012.

...continued on p14