(n) 1. A hole in a barrel or cask; used to fill or empty it. 2. Vulgar slang for anus [syn: arse] 3. Affectionate nickname given to Bunbury, usually by people who have lived there.
This weekend, I made a trip down to Bunbury. For those who don't know, I started my journalism career down there (a regional city with a population of about 50,000, about 200km south of Perth) and lived there for what seemed like forever. In reality, it was only 8 months. But I hated it. I'm not a country boy, I'm a city boy through and through an spent most of the 8 months down there driving back up to Perth every single weekend to hang out wih my friends.
Despite this, I did make some friends down there and it was my former housemate's 30th birthday, which was the reason I travlled down.
While I had fun, the bogan to normal person ratio was way too high - I spent the night dumbing down my conversations and talking about boring stuff.
Until one of the bogans decided to start a political discussion with me. I tried so hard not to take the bait. I really tried hard.
I was good when he told me that he voted for Howard and that he was the best Prime Minister Australia had ever had. I didn't take the bait.
But when he launched into a tirade about the apology to the Stolen Generations, I could hold back no further.
Really, I was good overall, but I basically explained to the guy that the apology wasn't about porportioning blame so much as expressing regret for what happened. But he didn't get it. He told me that because the Government made the apology, he felt that he was being blamed for what happened.
In the end I let it go but it really encapsulated for me what it is that I hate about Bunbury - and why I'm so happy I don't live there anymore.
3 months ago
5 comments:
My first journalism job was in Grand Rapids, MN. It was vile. I lived there for one year, one month and 13 days, not that I was counting or anything....
Honestly, that kind of attitude towards Stolen Generations does imply a kind of guilt, in my view.
i would have thought rockingham was more or a hole or armadale
Hmm, collie wins hands down as the biggest bogan town.
Piggin' (where the family takes a packed lunch and their feral dogs to catch feral pigs) is a local pastime. The local kids boast about it during their 'news' at school.
A
Yeah true, Collie wins hands down. And Jase, Rockingham and Armadale are part of the metro area - they're not quite country. There's a difference.
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