Cultured

Picture it, Sicily 1919. You’re sitting in your office, no doubt either watching a DVD as my boss was located on another campus way way away or surfing eBay for that elusive missing item for your collection, when in walks your Asian mate, Booger. Now Booger is a great guy and is a fellow collector and Vespa rider – so in my books he is too cool for school. Except he collects things from Hong Kong. If you see a walker, it mush have “Made in Hong Kong” stamped on the bottom of the foot, he is made in Hong Kong and isn’t stamped with “Made in Hong Kong”, but despite that, he moved to Australia with his family when he was six, (some many decades ago).

So he is one of my immigrated mates. Actually looking back, I think he is my only immigrated mate. Australia is made up of many immigrated individuals, hell knows my family immigrated over 200 years back after stealing bread. And by the way, that doesn’t hold up at home after you return from school learning that we (white fellas) are descendants of convicts. So when you get in trouble you can’t use “but it’s in my genes” to get out of it.

So Booger comes into my office and drops something off on my desk to send for him. Upon looking closer I noticed that the item was of all things - his passport! He wants me to send his passport overseas in just normal Australia post not insured or protected in any way. I don’t think so. So after giving him a full serving about identity theft and you must protect all things that contain personal information especially your passport – he opened the book. Well how the hell was I meant to know that they dont have IMMIGRANT printed on the front of their Australian passports!

This is Kim Duddee Reporting from the Territory

Picture is of Boogers Artwork. To view more of his work check out the link to his website on the right hand side of my blog.

Recent letter to Booger regarding the same artwork.

Dear Jonathan
The National Library of Australia will tour National Treasures from Australia's Great Libraries around all States & territories after the exhibition has closed in Canberra. We are delighted to include your book "Portrait of an Australian" which is held in the State Library of Queensland's Collection, In this exhibition the book will be placed in a wall case with different page turnings at each venue and the exhibition designer would like to use pages which are not open reproduced as a graphic on the wall panel.

Supporting material for the exhibition will include a high quality printed catalogue, web site, flyers, a poster, advertisements and a television commercial.

We would like to request permission to use reproductions of "Portrait of an Australian" in the supporting material.
We have not yet made any final decisions on exactly which exhibition items will feature in the promotional and supporting material but need to obtain copyright permission for all objects which are included in the exhibition.

Kind regards
XXXXXX XXXXXX
Project Officer, Exhibitions Branch
National Library of Australia