Pushing the chronological envelope

“Recently my wife received birthday greetings from a dear friend in England,” says Philip Laird of Keiraville. “The envelope was marked by Royal Mail in September 2022 and by Sydney West Mail Facility (SWMF) in October 2025. We wonder where he has spent the last three years.”

Fairy Meadow’s Lynne Cook lends further credence to the theory that some border guards (C8) should never give up their day jobs: “As Rob Watson points out, East German border guards occasionally showed a sense of humour. When presenting my Australian passport at Checkpoint Charlie in 1981, the East German guard jumped up and down in delight doing his best ‘Kangarouh’ impersonation. Just a few minutes earlier, with a stern face, I was traveling with Man’s Country waved “No” to the American girl.

“So the Minns Government is increasing busking venues (C8),” says George Manojlovic of Mangerton. “What a great name for a band. They should play on the same bill as The Whitlams.”

“I would suggest Ron Vernon (C8) seek help from scammers to find his ex-friend’s contact details,” says Graham Lum, of North Rocks. “They seem to know everyone’s phone numbers and email addresses.” While Ron complained about looking straight into the phone book in the old days, Waitara’s Alison Stewart was smart enough to hold on. White Pages From 2011.

Thoughtful C8 members Tim O’Hearn from Castle Hill and John Constable from Balmain recommend that any condolences be conveyed immediately to the funeral director.

David Linfoot of Castle Hill writes: “Now that ‘Guinea’ (C8) has been covered extensively, two more old-fashioned words come to mind.” “In the days when snail mail was more relevant, my father would often say ‘Esq.’ He was receiving correspondence from. after the name. I learned Esq as an adult. It was an abbreviation for Esquire, meaning landowner. The only land my father owned was the block where our family home was located. The other word before the baby boy’s name is ‘Master’. When I was young, birthday cards from my grandmothers or aunts addressed me that way.”

As Travis Head turned to the Bible in Perth, Bowral’s Anthony Clark also turned to the good book, especially the Old Testament: “‘For they planted the wind and they will reap the whirlwind’ (Hosea 8:7). On Saturday, Brendon McCullum and his team certainly did that!”

Column8@smh.com.au

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