When Nick Walker of Suffolk Park was cleaning out a kitchen cupboard to fit a new dishwasher, “I found our boot polish (C8) bag. Inside were two tins of Kiwi Boot Polish (Light Tan and Mid-Tan). Both metal and with the metal opening lever. To my surprise, the labels proclaimed that it was made in Indonesia for Sara Lee.”
Jack Dikian of Mosman says that Donald Trump’s signature might look like a positive polygraph test (C8), but according to Wikipedia, it’s “believed to be in the public domain because it falls below the required level of originality”. It also sheets home a spooky reminder for Richard Murnane of Hornsby: “With the simple addition of a pair of dots under each peak, Trump’s signature bears a striking resemblance to a Ku Klux Klan rally!”
Still on signatories, Dawn Bullock of Bonville writes she was an ardent St George supporter during her high school years in Coffs Harbour. “My uncle took me to Kogarah Oval ... My autograph book (C8) has been signed by Reg Gasnier, Graeme Langlands, Johnny Raper, Ian Walsh, Johnny King, Norm Provan – to name a few. A treasure to have!”
Peter Jeffrey of Garran (ACT) goes international: “I handed my autograph book into the Great Britain rugby league team’s change room after their game against Monaro at Cooma on July 31, 1966. It emerged with the indecipherable signatures of long-forgotten players, together with the blood of one of them.”
We can’t, however, just gloss over this impressive offering from Charles Davies-Scourfield of Culburra Beach who says that his wife was a friend of Russell Drysdale’s daughter, Lynne. “The renowned artist painted a nice rendition of his famous 1947 work Sofala in her autograph book in pen and ink with watercolour wash, and of course, signed it. It has since been very carefully removed and framed.”
“My brother, Jim Pollitt’s badge (C8) about his indecisive nature, reminded me of interviewing a prospective employee years ago,” recalls Dick Pollitt of Mosman. “I asked him whether he was good at making decisions. After some consideration, he replied, ‘Well, yes and no.’”
Pauline McGinley of Drummoyne notes that “Mary Carde’s comments on sex education in the 1950s (C8) mirrors a booklet I was given from the mid-1960s for teenage Catholic girls. The chapter Dating a Non-Catholic is short and to the point in its advice. The article simply states, ‘Must you?’”
Column8@smh.com.au
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