Australia

The Edmonton Australian Football Club (EAFC) were invited to participate in the Edmonton Heritage Festival in 2017 creating the first-ever Australian Pavillion

EAFC History

Established in 2008 by the formation of the Edmonton's Emu's Women's Football Team, the EAFC have celebrated over 13 years of community engagement through Footy right here in Edmonton. 

Heritage Festival 2017

We wanted to provide a little taste of Australia through a drink very familiar to Australians called "lemon, lime, and bitters." Through feedback from our patrons we found that our drinks were the ideal refreshment on a hot Heritage Festival day. 

​

"An unassuming drink, made with ingredients from all over the world, the lemon, lime and bitters is the story of colonial Australia in a glass. Our forebears made it by mixing together what they had - a Mongrel drink for a Mongrel country." 

With our Pavilion based beside the Water, it was a fantastic opportunity to present another very Australian pastime of being on the beach. Our EAFC Volunteers donned the traditional Surf Life Saving caps and even provided Surf Lifesaving Demonstrations, obviously without the surf!

This was our first year selling food at the festival, again we wanted food that would represent our sun-burnt country well. We chose Vegemite on toast as this is a staple for nearly all children growing up in Australia. Orginially produced from a by-product of beer production, this uniquely tasting spread has proven to be a love-it or hate-it experience for many people who have tried it outside of our Australian Pavillion offering. The secret is in the application which is so aptly demonstrated in this video:  

Our second food option was a Kangaroo slider with a Bush Tomato Relish. Yes, we sourced Kangaroo Mince, had our many EAFC Volunteers mix it with local ingredients to form a patty for our sliders. Our volunteers also produced the Bush Tomato Relish again with local ingredients and the imported Bush Tomato powder. We did under-estimate the popularity of our sliders because we had completely sold out by the middle of day 2 of the festival. 

We wanted to provide a Footy experience for the kids attending the Heritage Festival, we would conduct daily presentations of Footy including as many kids of all ages as possible. All reports said a fun time was had by all, even the kids. 

Indigenous Australian Hockey Team Alberta Tour 2020

The EAFC was privileged to be involved in the first-ever tour by an Indigenous Australian Hockey Team hosted by the many Canadian Indigenous comminutes across Alberta. We were very proud to provide support for the Kaurna Boomerangs which is a group of wonderful Australian Hockey players who are based in Adelaide South Australia. They were treated to the typical Edmonton Winter with outdoor Hockey in -30 deg C temperatures, we can only imagine the lifetime of memories that this group took with them back to Australia.

AUSSIE SLANG & PHRASE TRANSLATIONS

Fair suck of the Sav! = Be Fair now

Looks like a dog's breakfast = Very untidy

Wrap your laughing gear around that = Food offered to you.

You are having a Ripsnorter of a game = You played well

You are having a cracker of a game = as above

Better than a slap in the face with a wet fish = Could always be worse

You have Buckley's hope in hell = No chance

Pull the wool over your eyes = Trying to deceive

Put a sock in it = Stop talking

Six of a dozen, half dozen of the other = You will get the same result whichever way you choose

Onya bike = Time to leave

Onya Sonya = Well done

Have a go ya mug = Give it a try

Hit the frog and toad = Time to leave by car

Away with the pixies = Dreamer

Bob's your uncle, Fanny's your aunt = Whatever it is you are doing, it will be all right

Crack a tinny = Open a can of beer

Don't get your knickers in a knot = Don't get so upset

I am going to do the "Harold Holt" = Leave

Up the Duff = Pregnant

White Pointers = Topless bathers

Chuck a Yewy = U-Turn

Flat chat = Going as fast as you can

Full as a goog = I can't eat anymore

What do you do for a Crust = What do you do for a living?

Do you live in a Tent = Close the door

Fly’s are bad = Your trouser zip is undone

Wouldn’t pull the skin off a custard = Refers to a slow vehicle

Need to tape the headlights up so it can’t see the hills = as above

Reflections
on
Australian Cities

by Luke  Holcombe

Adelaide

This photo of a school crossing in Adelaide was taken by my cousin. Not in the shot is the crossing guard. We call them Lollipop Men/Women in Australia as the circular stop sign they hold looks like a giant lollipop to the kids. Adelaide has some beautiful aged sandstone homes which keep houses cool during 40+ degrees summer days. Photo credit – Anna Cope.

Brisbane 

The Brisbane River snakes through Queensland’s capital and beyond. While the bustling city adorns one side, a fantastic open space lagoon rests on the other for tourists and locals to swim, sunbathe and enjoy. Brisbane is a relaxed town but the humidity can be brutal to visitors. When I was working up there, a 10-minute walk to site would require a change of shirt. Photo credit – Sarah Hopkins.

Canberra 

Canberra is Australia’s capital, and like Ottawa, doesn’t get much press outside its own country. One of my oldest mates just moved there from Paris and took this pic on his walk around Lake Burley Griffin, a manmade lake that exists as a central point within the city. Photo credit – Chris McDonald.

Darwin 

A fun and lively city, Darwin is the capital of, and the gateway to what I believe is Australia’s most unique area, the Northern Territory. I once blew a tire on the road out of Darwin in a mate’s ute (truck). After a change, we persevered and had a great day at Litchfield, Edith Falls and Katherine Gorge. Absolutely stunning area. Photo credit – Lisa Evans.

Hobart 

The fantastically casual capital of Tasmania, Hobart, is not just the finish line for the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. It boasts a great museum of modern art and some spectacular landscapes. I fondly remember a footy trip where we sat at Bellerive oval on the lawn watching the cricket and sipping cans. Photo credit – Peter F.

Melbourne 

My hometown and the spiritual home of Australian Rules Football. Also, one of the great culinary capitals of the world too! Each corner of Melbourne hosts fantastic multicultural eateries and each borrows from the other to create new delights. I took this photo at last year’s AFL Grand Final. Horrible game, Richmond were clearly dominating as early as the second quarter, so we migrated to the bar and finished out the day there.

Perth 

If you think Brisbane is relaxed, Perth is downright sleepy. With such consistently warm weather, to complement their world-class beaches many houses have backyard pools. Ben, who took this photo, lived in St. Albert with his beautiful family during 2019, but they seem to be doing ok back there now. Photo Credit – Ben Kelly.

Sydney 

Looking down from far above at the jagged expanse of rivers and inlet systems, you can see that Sydney has a vast amount of waterfront property with great recreational spaces and scenery. This is Dan and pup enjoying some of that space. Every year on his husband’s birthday Dan makes an elaborate and amazing cake. I always look forward to the photo appearing on social media. Photo Credit – Blake Muir.