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Airdate: Great Australian Stuff

From Chiko Rolls to Speedos and Stubbies.. Tony Armstrong asks what’s our most loved and most loathed Aussie stuff?

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Tony Armstrong will present a new 4 part history series for ABC, Great Australian Stuff.

The Wildbear Entertainment series unpacks the surprising, strange, and sometimes dark history behind our most iconic stuff – from cakes to casks, meat pies and Chiko Rolls, Speedos and Stubbies. It features some of our most famous and loved products, inventions, food and fashion and it examines Australian history through the lens of some old favourites – Vegemite, Hills Hoist, the Boomerang, the Victa lawn mower, One Day Cricket and Sherrin footballs.

Tony digs deep into the ABC archives to uncover what makes some stuff “great”, what’s our most loved – and loathed stuff – and what stuff we should celebrate.

Also appearing are Benjamin Law, Nazeem Hussain, Jenny Kee, Nornie Bero, Kevin Kropinyeri, Richard Glover and Jean Kittson, to name a few.

Wildbear Entertainment Production for ABC. Financed with support from the ABC, Screen Canberra, National Museum of Australia and in partnership with National Archives of Australia and ANU Australian Studies Institute. Series Producer Mike Bluett, Executive Producer Alan Erson. ABC Executive Producer Kalita Corrigan.

Tuesday 11 April, 8pm on ABC.

4 Responses

  1. This should be good especially for us boomers. I had an Aunty hooked on Bex, Vincent, Ford Pills, Ponds cold cream slapped on her face (that made no difference at all to her looks). My mother lathered me with Park Davis Skin Balm like she was basting a turkey, plied me with cod liver oil, epson salts, molasses, some gunk calling Paladac (thick orange iron supplement) stomach gripes from Granny Smith apples, but I survived the childhood trauma. My father and the Victa mower on Saturdays trying to get it started because the rope pull used to snap and break and he would swear/curse Vita for making it. But he could never see it was better than the old roller and wooden shaft model, early buddie smugglers full of sand hanging down the backs of their knees and pot bellies hanging over the the front “porch”. “Rat Coffins” (pies). The Hills hoist is still out the back leaning more towards the west than it is straight. We here in Australia are definitely a unique breed and I’m proud to be one.

      1. I can remember buying my first pair of “Staggers” Australian jeans circa 70s (legendary for its positive and iconic attitude to life, just like a rock band collection…tight, unpredictable and free of inhibitions whether you’re a rockstar or dating one so they said, from the Stag Shoppe then rebranded in 1971 to Staggers ) and asking my father (I’m female mind) if they looked good on me (as you do). His answer was they made my bum look like six axe handles across an acre. Nothing like saying it how you see it.

  2. Obviously the winner is going to be the multi-path error correction algorithm the CSIRO invented that allows people to stream MAFS in HD. And in the traditional Australian fashion the inventors sold it to the Chinese and bought water front mansions on Sydney Harbour, while Huawei and ZTE made billions selling wifi routers and cameras to the world that spy for the CCP. 2nd would be The Ugg Boot, now trademarked by Americans.

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