Aussie Stuff Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ita Buttrose

Ita Buttrose had journalism in her blood, as her father was a reporter and editor. She started her remarkable story as the women's editor at a newspaper, later founding 'Cleo' magazine, to becoming Editor-in-Chief at 'Australian Women's Weekly'. In 1981, she accepted the position as Editor at the 'Daily Telegraph' stable of newspapers, which were owned by Rupert Murdoch. She also appeared on many television shows, such as 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Today' and 'Studio 10'. In 2019, she was appointed to the position of chairman of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Somehow, she has also found time to write quite a few books, and she has a list of awards a mile long.

Cold Chisel's tribute came from the wildly successful album, 'East', but strangely enough, Jimmy Barnes (the band's frontman) did not meet Ita for more than 20 years after the song hit the air. She is reportedly quite flattered by the song.

Answer: Western Australia

Richmond, Victoria, is very close to the Melbourne CBD, and Richmond, NSW, is an outer suburb of Sydney, and home to a Royal Australian Air Force base. Richmond, Tasmania, is north of the capital, Hobart, and is known for its stone bridge, the oldest in Australia. It dates back to 1823. Richmond, SA, is an inner-city suburb of Adelaide, and the Richmond in Queensland is almost central to the state. It is part of the 'Dinosaur Trail' of outback Queensland, where many major fossils have been found.

There are lots of Richmonds around the world- the UK has about a dozen, there are others in South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, and over 30 in the US. Most appear to be named after various British nobility.

Answer: Dark green

The eggs are about the same colour as an avocado, and roughly the same size, too. If you made an emu egg omelette, I would suggest that you invite a couple of friends to help you eat it, as it contains about a dozen standard chook (Australian for chicken) eggs. To hard-boil one would take about 90 minutes!

Answer: He split the beer atom

Albert managed to succeed in his experiment, using the tried and true method of splitting atoms- a hammer and chisel! He then decided to take on the world, falling in love with Marie Curie, inventing rock and roll, and the electric violin. He spend time in an asylum with Ernest Rutherford, before sailing to Paris. After successfully reclaiming his formula from an unscrupulous villain, he was awarded a Nobel Prize, by none other than Charles Darwin.

The movie was very successful in Australia, but not so much overseas. Whether that says something about the cinematic appreciation of Americans, or the silliness of Aussies, is not a debate that I wish to ignite.

Answer: Bob Simpson

Simpson was 40 years old when he was recalled, but managed to cover himself in glory for the next two years (11 Test matches.)
Cosier's career was just beginning, having played his first match in 1976, and he was never a captain. A future captain, the elegant batsman Kim Hughes, also started his cricketing life in 1977, but when WSC and Test cricketers reconciled in 1979, his prospects for a long career diminished, and he resigned, in tears, in 1985.

The mighty Sir Donald Bradman was the best batsman ever to carry a bat, but would not have been considered for the job, as he was almost 70 years old.

Answer: HMS Sirius

The fleet travelled from London to Sydney via Canary Islands, Rio de Janeiro, and Table Bay (South Africa), before crossing the Indian Ocean. The day they arrived is now celebrated as Australia Day.

The eleven ships were- two naval escorts, HMS Sirius and HMS Supply, three transport ships, and six convict transports (one of which was the Prince of Wales), loaded with around 800 convicts, male and female.

The HMS Endeavour was captained by James Cook on his first voyage, when he sailed into Sydney Cove in 1770. He became the first European to land on the east coast of the new country.

HMAS Sydney was a naval cruiser that was sunk in 1941 off the Western Australian coast, by the German cruiser, Kormoran. Both ships were lost in the battle, and were not found until 2008.

Answer: Bon Scott

Brian Johnson was the replacement for Ronald 'Bon' Scott, who died after a heavy night of drinking. The band were considering breaking up, but Johnson was a perfect fit, and they released the tribute album, 'Back in Black' shortly afterwards. It went on to become one of the best-selling Australian albums of all time.

Malcolm Young and his brother Angus were two of the founding members of the band, in 1973. Johnny Young (no relation) was a pop singer and television personality, and unlikely to be associated with the heavy rock of 'Akka Dakka'.

Answer: Click Go the Shears

A little banknote named Dollar Bill serenaded us for many months before and after C-Day (Currency-Day), on Valentines Day, 1966. The old imperial money co-existed beside the new coins and notes for almost two years afterwards.

'Click Go the Shears' was written in about 1890 and describes the action in a typical shearing shed.

Now sing along with me...

"In come the dollars and in come the cents
to replace the pounds and the shillings and the pence.
Be prepared folks when the coins begin to mix
on the 14th of February 1966."

Answer: Police drama

The show was a rating success for many years, and won a truckload of awards. John Woods played Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon, officer in charge of Mt Thomas, a small, fictitious town in country Victoria. He and Chris Riley (played by Julie Nihill), the publican, featured in all 510 episodes. However, one of the most popular characters was Senior Constable Maggie Doyle, played by Lisa McCune. She was the first female officer at the station, and her arrival caused quite a stir in the male-dominated environment. McCune won four Gold Logies, the highest television award in Australia.

The nickname 'blue heelers' comes from the colour of the police uniform. It is similar to the colour of the Australian cattle-dog of the same name.

Answer: 1770

The town is about 500kms (300 miles) from the state capital, Brisbane. It is popular with tourists because of its weather, and its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. It is named after Captain Cook's landing there in 1770- only the second place that he landed, after leaving Sydney Cove the previous month.