Born in Tasmania Trivia Quiz

Answer: Truganini

Truganini was born in Tasmania before it was known by that name, instead it was known as Van Diemen's Land. Her date of birth is estimated as 1812, and she passed away in 1876. She was from the Bruny tribe.

Oodgeroo Noonuccal was known as Kathleen Walker (nee Ruska), and was a well-known author and teacher. She received an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), which she returned in 1987 as a protest against treatment of Aboriginal people.

Rosalie "Ngarla" Kunoth-Monks was known as the first indigenous leading actress, when she appeared in 'Jedda', in 1955. After her acting career, she returned to her home of Northern Territory as a political activist.

Coleen Shirley Perry Smith (Mum Shirl), established the Aboriginal Housing Company in Redfern, an inner suburb of Sydney, along with several other Aboriginal services.

Answer: Denmark

In a real-life Prince Charming fairy tale, Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark, popped into the up-market Slip Inn. He was incognito, and Mary was not aware of his royal position until later. They were married in 2004, and have produced four little princes and princesses. Mary was born in Hobart in 1972, and had a rather normal life, until that special day in Sydney.

Answer: Peter Hudson

He kicked 727 in total in Hawthorn colours, but missed most the next three seasons after his mammoth haul, after badly damaging his knee. He averaged over 5.6 goals per game, a phenomenal figure. Only the legendary John Coleman joined him with a figure over 5.

Stephen Silvagni was a champion fullback for Carlton in the 1980s and 90s, but still managed to kick over 200 goals in a 15-year career. Ablett, Sr, kicked over 1000 goals for the Geelong Cats, including three 100+ seasons. His son, Gary Jr, started his career with Geelong in 2002, later spending sever years with the Gold Coast Suns. He returned to Geelong in 2018.

Answer: QANTAS

Fysh and McGinness flew together during WWI, and continued their association with aviation by starting the Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services (QANTAS), in Winton, Western Queensland. From humble beginnings, with two small planes, the company now proudly flies the red kangaroo tailfin around the globe.

BHP (Broken Hill Proprietary), is a mining company that was founded in 1883, in Broken Hill, in the west of New South Wales. The Commonwealth Bank opened in 1913, and Vegemite is a product, not a company. It was first produced by Kraft in 1924, and has been putting a rose in every cheek ever since.

Answer: Woodchopping

Dave combined with his father, George, for 10 world titles at the Double Handed Sawing Championship, then won a further 11 with his brother Peter. After Peter retired, Dave teamed up with his son Stephen. He won an Order of Australia medal in 1995, and was named Tasmanian of the Year shortly afterwards. I met him (and his axes) briefly at a corporate functions- those things are VERY sharp!

Octopush is a real sport- it is also known as underwater hockey, and was invented in England in the 1950s. Chessboxing is also real, and is a combination of chess and boxing. You can win by checkmate or knockout. They even have a world championship, the first of which was held in 2003. Sheepdog trials is a sport concieved in New Zealand in 1867, that quickly took hold in Australia, UK and USA.

Answer: Captain Blood

The couple followed up their partnership with 'The Adventures of Robin Hood', in 1938, and their last was 'They Died with Their Boots On' (1942). 'Crossed Swords' was a swashbuckling movie starring Flynn and Italian actress, Gina Lollobrigida. 'Cuban Rebel Girls' (1959), was Flynn's last movie. He died later that year.

Answer: The last of the ANZAC soldiers

Alec actually predates the state of Tasmania, being born in 1899 when the island was known as the Colony of Tasmania. The Australian colonies did not become a united country until Federation, in 1901. As was common in those days, he lied about his age to enlist, and soon found himself in the military disaster in Gallipoli, fighting against the Turks.

He was wounded and sent home. He then led a rather varied life. He was a union organiser, worked on building the original Parliament House in Canberra, was a state boxing champion, he built yachts, and took part in several Sydney to Hobart yacht races.

He was also honoured by having his face on a postage stamp, part of the 2000 'Australian Legends' series.

Answer: Ricky Ponting

Ponting was born in Launceston, northern Tasmania, in 1974, into a sporting family. He rose quickly through the ranks of junior cricket, and at 17 years old, was invited to attend the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide, where he impressed the powers-that-be with his batting and fielding prowess. He debuted for Tasmania shortly afterwards and joined the national side in 1995. When Steve Waugh retired in 2004, 'Punter' was the obvious choice to replace him as Australian Test Captain. He held the position for 168 matches, winning 108 of them. His batting stats are equally impressive, scoring 7578 runs at a very healthy average of 56.97, with a high score of 257. He received many awards and after his retirement in 2013, a stand at Bellerive Oval in Hobart was named after him. He moved into the media side of things, as a commentator and newspaper columnist.

Max Walker was a real character, both on and off the field. His rather unorthodox bowling action earned the nickname 'Tangles'. He played 34 Tests, taking 138 wickets, and was a useful lower-order batsman. He also played Australia Rules football early in his career, but gave that up for cricket. He was also a great after-dinner speaker, and I had the pleasure of seeing him at a function- his stories were hilarious. Sadly, he died in 2016, aged 68.

David Boon was another man that became a cult figure. A short, stocky fella, and was nicknamed the 'Keg with Legs', as he did not mind a beer. He was a gritty opener, and was well known as an expert fielder. He took many brilliant catches at silly mid-on, and other close-to-the-bat positions. On retirement, he bacame a selector for the Australian team, and subsequently became a match referee at the highest levels of the game.

Di Venuto did not rise to such lofty heights as the other Tasmanians in this question, but represented Australia in nine One Day Internationals.

Answer: Lyons

Joseph Lyons was born in Stanley, in northwest Tasmania, in 1879. He was (Labor) Premier of Tasmania from 1923 to 1928, before resigning from state politics, and threw his hat into the Federal arena. A major split in the Labor Party in 1931 saw Lyons create the United Australia Party, and they swept to victory soon afterward, with Lyons as Prime Minister. In 1939, he became the first Prime Minister to die in office, from a massive heart attack.

Enid Lyons (nee Burnell) was born at Smithton, only 20kms from her future husbands' birthplace, in 1897. She was only 17 when they married. She entered state politics only a few years later as a member of the Labor Party, but did not win a seat until 1943, after the death of her husband. She became the first woman to be elected to the House of Representatives and gave up politics in 1951 to serve on the board of the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission. She was made a Dame of the Order of Australia (AD) in 1980, and died shortly afterwards. The Lyons' had twelve children.

Answer: Basketball

Australia won the bronze in 1996, behind USA and Brazil and went one better in 2000, with only the powerful US team ahead of them. Carla was also part of the team that picked up bronze in the 1998 World Championships. She played 83 games for Detroit, and was part of the team that lost the final in 1999. She also played a season an German and French clubs, before retiring in 2005.