Tuesday, February 17, 2015

FLASH OLD QUEENSLAND DUDES

And  drab  suited  Territorians

An array of bowties on offer at the monthly Old Wares Fair  in Townsville shows that in  this  tropical city there  are  males  prepared to  inject a dash of colour into their dress - even if  the  editor of the Townsville  Bulletin  is  shown   from time to time  in  a  coat  and  bland  tie .
  
This  blog has  long lamented  the dress  of politicians in the Northern Territory capital, Darwin, once  known  as  a place of  shirtsleeve legislators. Now male politicians there  adorn  their electorate  offices with  larger  than  life  portraits of  themselves  in suits  on  the  exterior .  A  former Leader of the ALP  Opposition, Jon Isaacs wore a cool, suitable  safari suit. The colourful  politician   Harold  "Tiger "Brennan , who wore a  pith helmet  and smoked a cigar, roasted  those " blinkin' bods  in  Canberra ."  He  also  slept  through  Cyclone  Tracy .

When  a  new Administrator of  the  Northern Territory, Roger  " One  Eye " Nott,  held   his  first meet  the   people  in  the Darwin Town  Hall  he removed his  suit  coat , invited  members  of  the  throng  to  do  the same , and  declared  Darwin  rig -  shirt ,  tie   and    long  trousers ...shoes , not thongs .
Dressed   for  a  killing .

During the  recent "  Cuckoo Coup " in the  CLP government  in  Darwin ,  leading  figures in  the fiasco paraded in  a variety of  suits which seemed like a  cross  between  recycled  prison  uniforms  and  typical  clobber   of  a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce . Over at  Government House people were lined up  in their finery waiting for  the  new  Chief  Minister  to  arrive  and  be  sworn  in , but this  did not eventuate because the  supposedly  dethroned  Chief Minister,  Adam  Giles , refused to  discard  his  cloak of authority  and  sign the  appropriate  removal  instrument ("the  knife? ")  and  retained  his  throne . After a  lively  meeting , the  key  blokes   were   later  seen  in  shirt  sleeves  and  a  hard  working  female , somehow , was  stripped-of  her  ministerial  portfolio.