18 January 2011

MADE IN AUSTRALIA?

| Brianna
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Not long now until 26 January. Australia Day. Can any of my fellow rioters tell me where in Canberra I could possibly buy a hat, T-shirt or any other items with the Australian flag on them that are actually made in Australia?

Everything I’ve seen so far has “made in China” stamped on it.

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Captain RAAF8:04 am 20 Jan 11

Jethro,

Here’s some edjamacating for you…..

Example one, an envelope used in New Guinea during WW2 providing instructions in Pidgin for the locals should they come across any downed airmen….looks pretty blue to me.

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/2342233487_ab00d0f461.jpg&imgrefurl=http://flickr.com/photos/adelaide_archivist/2342233487&usg=__688fhHQjXwRoymsjPmgXQQwf7C8=&h=320&w=500&sz=110&hl=en&start=46&zoom=1&tbnid=nejMx4MxLdT-yM:&tbnh=133&tbnw=208&ei=FUw3TbyAO4bovQOn16G_Aw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAustralian%2BFlag%2BWW2%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1271%26bih%3D799%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C1482&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=140&vpy=335&dur=567&hovh=133&hovw=208&tx=113&ty=102&oei=B0w3TcWrCIqSuwP00sDZAw&esq=3&page=3&ndsp=22&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:46&biw=1271&bih=799

Here’s a sweethearts flag from, shock horror, WW1!

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.militaria.name/thumbnail.php%3Fpic%3Duplimg/bulk_img_mb100001_1b640cf9039303044a912e1762af55c1_image0.jpg%26w%3D500%26sq%3DY%26b%3DY&imgrefurl=http://www.militaria.name/auction_details.php%3Fname%3DAustralian-WW1-Era-cloth-with-the-Australian-Flag-design-in-colour-Vgc%26auction_id%3D492369&usg=__ARzKMFf9fj8FW-DHXHYOMTtwfGo=&h=500&w=500&sz=53&hl=en&start=113&zoom=1&tbnid=ZP_Gb00-T_ehWM:&tbnh=146&tbnw=141&ei=LU03Tc7FA4PuvQPo_fXdAw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAustralian%2BFlag%2BWW2%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1271%26bih%3D799%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C3306&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=127&vpy=379&dur=102&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=108&ty=101&oei=B0w3TcWrCIqSuwP00sDZAw&esq=5&page=6&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:113&biw=1271&bih=799

And another from the New Guinea campaign during WW2.

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.psywarrior.com/pm29WWIIOB.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.psywarrior.com/PSYOPOrgWW2Pac.html&usg=__K9hdfTockEatIFiz_6hiMSqGtuM=&h=1000&w=918&sz=67&hl=en&start=106&zoom=1&tbnid=GVTMu9uPtZO68M:&tbnh=154&tbnw=134&ei=G1E3Tci1NoGivgOcr4m_Aw&prev=/images%3Fq%3DAustralian%2BFlag%2BRAAF%2BWW2%2Bkittyhawk%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1271%26bih%3D799%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C3420&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=128&vpy=99&dur=2079&hovh=234&hovw=215&tx=118&ty=116&oei=3VA3Tf2kL46uuQPvpM27Aw&esq=6&page=6&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:106&biw=1271&bih=799

Sure appears to be popular on the home front and for use in propaganda. Next time I’m at the AWM, i’ll do some digging around for some color pics. I do know of a few aircraft (RAAF) that displayed the current ANF, a Halifax and a Lancaster, and they carried it over occupied Europe, is that enough for you?

LSWCHP said :

Mr Waffle said :

LSWCHP said :

However…

http://www.australiaday.org.au/toolkit/page171.asp has the following advice…

1. the Australian National Flag and representations of it should always be shown, represented or used in a dignified manner
2. it should not be defaced by way of printing or illustrations, or masked by other objects, and all symbols parts of the Flag should be identifiable
3. the flags should be treated with respect

And it also states that…

“A loyalty to Australia and pride in the flag can be expressed through play. On Australia Day myriad forms of the Australian National Flag other than the large ‘official’ flag are used for many purposes.”

But….to illustrate this advice about respecting the flag in a playful way, it has a pic of 4 bogan chicks, one with tongue protruding, wearing “Aussie Aussie Aussie” T-shirts and with all of them wearing the flag stuffed around the back of their jeans so they can plant their arses on it every time they sit down.

Those girls are almost break rule 2 by obscuring the flag with muffin tops

Mr Waffle said :

LSWCHP said :

Every time you dress in the flag, or sit on it, or put it on your head, you are showing the utmost disrespect to over 100,000 people who have given their lives for you. Please think about that, and then don’t do it.

My great grandfather was one of those people, and both my parents served as well. Which always makes the whole overly-dramatic “THEY DIED FOR THIS FLAG” spiel incredibly annoying.

What I wrote was not melodrama, it was an honestly and deeply held personal opinion formed during and after a quite a few years service of my own. I realise that I’m in the minority, but there’s no melodrama, play acting or bullshit about what I wrote. It came from the heart.

However…

http://www.australiaday.org.au/toolkit/page171.asp has the following advice…

1. the Australian National Flag and representations of it should always be shown, represented or used in a dignified manner
2. it should not be defaced by way of printing or illustrations, or masked by other objects, and all symbols parts of the Flag should be identifiable
3. the flags should be treated with respect

And it also states that…

“A loyalty to Australia and pride in the flag can be expressed through play. On Australia Day myriad forms of the Australian National Flag other than the large ‘official’ flag are used for many purposes.”

But….to illustrate this advice about respecting the flag in a playful way, it has a pic of 4 bogan chicks, one with tongue protruding, wearing “Aussie Aussie Aussie” T-shirts and with all of them wearing the flag stuffed around the back of their jeans so they can plant their arses on it every time they sit down.

So pride in the flag may now be officially expressed by sitting on it. And what I thought were some reasonable thoughts about the dignity of the flag and its relationship to a large amount of personal sacrifice result in feelings of “annoyance” and accusations of “melodrama” on the part of readers.

Bugger me, I’ve just realised that I’ve gone from being in the minority to being an adherent of a lost cause. I’ll keep my thoughts on this topic to myself in the future.

Ummm…except when I see those flag draped cocks beating people up and smashing things. You’ve gotta draw the line somewhere.

Captain RAAF said :

You need to get out more, Jethro! Plenty of photo’s around of Aussies in WW2 fighting under the current flag. Red Ensign? Not from what I’ve seen unless they were in the Merchant Navy!

Blue Ensign flag became our national flag in 1954. Until 1941 it was illegal for private citizens to even fly the blue ensign, which was reserved for official Commonwealth purposes or naval purposes. 90% of flags flown by the Australian army in WW2 were Red Ensign.

I know all those black and white photos of the war are very convincing…

Thoroughly Smashed said :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4AchHTN-XQ

Hahahaha! That’s the reason why I don’t leave the house on Strayaday. Never was a fan of flag waving. And am always way too tempted to ask those yelling that ‘Straya is the best effing country in the world’ which other countries they have visited. Apart from Bali, obviously. I think we should change it to ‘Take the p!ss out of Australia day’, which is more in line with the Aussie character.

Anywho, if you really can’t resist dressing up as an ANF, I second the Australian Choice store.

Captain RAAF12:01 pm 19 Jan 11

Jethro said :

Mr Waffle said :

My great grandfather was one of those people, and both my parents served as well. Which always makes the whole overly-dramatic “THEY DIED FOR THIS FLAG” spiel incredibly annoying. They served for this country, for all of us.

You need to get out more, Jethro! Plenty of photo’s around of Aussies in WW2 fighting under the current flag. Red Ensign? Not from what I’ve seen unless they were in the Merchant Navy!

Agreed.

Furthermore, for the most part, Australian soldiers actually didn’t fight under the current flag. During World War One the Union Jack was the dominant flag, with the Red Ensign flag occassionally being used.

In World War Two, soldiers mostly fought under the Red Ensign, not the current flag.

The first war that Australian soliders fought under the Blue Ensign was Vietnam.

It is easy to spout clap-trap like ‘my grandfather fought for that flag’, without actually knowing too much about it.

LSWCHP ”I realise that there’s probably not too many people give much of a shit about things like this these days, but for some of us, or at least for me and a couple of my mates, it’s pretty important.

‘Whats more important to you, your mates or the Australian flag?

LSWCHP said :

Every time you dress in the flag, or sit on it, or put it on your head, you are showing the utmost disrespect

What was the name of that bogan who dressed herself up in the ANF… and then wanted to join British politics?

Probably doesn’t matter…

Mr Waffle said :

My great grandfather was one of those people, and both my parents served as well. Which always makes the whole overly-dramatic “THEY DIED FOR THIS FLAG” spiel incredibly annoying. They served for this country, for all of us.

Agreed.

Furthermore, for the most part, Australian soldiers actually didn’t fight under the current flag. During World War One the Union Jack was the dominant flag, with the Red Ensign flag occassionally being used.

In World War Two, soldiers mostly fought under the Red Ensign, not the current flag.

The first war that Australian soliders fought under the Blue Ensign was Vietnam.

It is easy to spout clap-trap like ‘my grandfather fought for that flag’, without actually knowing too much about it.

Thoroughly Smashed9:43 am 19 Jan 11

LSWCHP said :

My personal view? Towels, pillows, swimsuits, clothing and other things shouldn’t be manufactured in the form of the flag. If you find such things, don’t buy them. They’re not actual flags, but the image is still significant.

If you have an actual flag, don’t wear it or use it as anything other than a flag. And if you want to put a flag sticker on the top of your esky, that’s great. But for Chrissake, show some respect, and don’t sit on it. It’s not just a pretty picture, it’s a representation of Something Pretty Important.

I realise that there’s probably not too many people give much of a shit about things like this these days, but for some of us, or at least for me and a couple of my mates, it’s pretty important.

Are you a member of ANFA?

LSWCHP said :

Every time you dress in the flag, or sit on it, or put it on your head, you are showing the utmost disrespect to over 100,000 people who have given their lives for you. Please think about that, and then don’t do it.

My great grandfather was one of those people, and both my parents served as well. Which always makes the whole overly-dramatic “THEY DIED FOR THIS FLAG” spiel incredibly annoying. They served for this country, for all of us. And the flag is a symbol of this country, a symbol for… all of us. When I want to represent the fact I am an Australian, I will use this flag to do it. If that means having it on a piece of clothing or waving it in a parade or whatever, that is my way of representing my country, and I will bloody well do it. Having pride in your country is not a crime.

ps, I have a small back pillow with the Australian flag on it. OH SNAP SO DISRESPECTFUL. Guess who bought it for me? My parents. I’m pretty sure their combined 42 years of service to this nation gives them the right to be “bovinely ignorant fwits and fools”.

Pork Hunt said :

@ #13 LSWCHP

Would you really consider a beach towel printed or woven to “look like a flag” an actual flag?

What about planting your arse on a sticker picturing the “flag” on say, an esky lid?

My personal view? Towels, pillows, swimsuits, clothing and other things shouldn’t be manufactured in the form of the flag. If you find such things, don’t buy them. They’re not actual flags, but the image is still significant.

If you have an actual flag, don’t wear it or use it as anything other than a flag. And if you want to put a flag sticker on the top of your esky, that’s great. But for Chrissake, show some respect, and don’t sit on it. It’s not just a pretty picture, it’s a representation of Something Pretty Important.

I realise that there’s probably not too many people give much of a shit about things like this these days, but for some of us, or at least for me and a couple of my mates, it’s pretty important.

bigfeet said :

LSWCHP said :

Show respect for the flag, but there is no need to make up customs and etiquette surrounding it.

When I joined the army in 1979 the story I was given about how to treat the ANF was pretty much as described on the referenced website, so that’s where my point of view comes from. It’s likely that the blokes who gave me the story took their ideas from some US document. If so, then good on them.

On one memorable day, being a slack and idle digger, I treated the ANF with less than due respect (dropped it on the ground) in view of my RSM who had evidently read Title 4, resulting in much marching up and down by yours truly. I certainly got a better deal than another bloke who dissed (to use the modern parlance) our regimental colours.

And I stand by my comments about hoods who vandalise and riot while draped in the flag. No sympathy for those clowns.

@ #13 LSWCHP

I agree with almost all that you say and I can’t believe that there are people in this country who want to change the flag.
As you say, there are over 100,000 reasons why it cannot be changed in my opinion.

I do raise one point though in regard to the piece of cloth that is an actual flag.

Would you really consider a beach towel printed or woven to “look like a flag” an actual flag?

What about planting your arse on a sticker picturing the “flag” on say, an esky lid?

LSWCHP said :

For the uneducated, and there are probably a lot of them, there is a substantial body of etiquette associated with the respect that must be shown to the flag. Have a look at http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-flags/etiquette.htm for a good lesson on how our flag should be correctly treated. Note near the end where it says “The Australian National Flag should never touch anything beneath it – ground, floor, water, or merchandise. When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms.” In other words, it must be treated with the utmost reverence

You do realise that site you link to actually has no relevence to any “substantial body of etiquette associated with the respect that must be shown to the flag” don’t you?

Surely you are aware that it is basically a ‘cut and paste’ of ‘ Title 4 of the United States Code’ (commonly known as the US Flag Code) with term ‘US Flag’ replaced with ‘Australian Flag’ where necessary?

Show respect for the flag, but there is no need to make up customs and etiquette surrounding it.

Try this site for the true story:

http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/flag.cfm#flag

Captain RAAF said :

georgesgenitals said :

Dressing up in Australian flag clothing is probably the second most bogan thing there is. The first is draping an Australian flag around your shoulders.

The worst part is the people who do this overseas, thus giving others the impression that Australians are complete tools.

The only time it is appropriate to drape the ANF on your person is when it’s on top of the box your body comes home in!

Captain RAAF is absolutely correct. The flag (whether you like the design or not) is the one unifying symbol of our nation, and a lot of people have suffered and died for what that symbol represents. That symbol, and those people, deserve the utmost respect.

For the uneducated, and there are probably a lot of them, there is a substantial body of etiquette associated with the respect that must be shown to the flag. Have a look at http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-flags/etiquette.htm for a good lesson on how our flag should be correctly treated. Note near the end where it says “The Australian National Flag should never touch anything beneath it – ground, floor, water, or merchandise. When the flag is lowered, no part of it should touch the ground or any other object; it should be received by waiting hands and arms.” In other words, it must be treated with the utmost reverence.

Every time you dress in the flag, or sit on it, or put it on your head, you are showing the utmost disrespect to over 100,000 people who have given their lives for you. Please think about that, and then don’t do it.

These bovinely ignorant fuckwits and fools who run around on Australia Day draped in the flag, and who then use it as a beachtowel for the comfort of their stupid fat arses deserve a good spanking. Those fuckwits and fools who run around on Australia Day draped in the flag, and who then use it as an excuse to beat up people of a different race or creed deserve…well…they deserve more than a spanking.

Captain RAAF said:

The only time it is appropriate to drape the ANF on your person is when it’s on top of the box your body comes home in!

As opposed to being draped over the box your father came in…

georgesgenitals said :

Dressing up in Australian flag clothing is probably the second most bogan thing there is. The first is draping an Australian flag around your shoulders.

The worst part is the people who do this overseas, thus giving others the impression that Australians are complete tools.

Sort of agree. I think it’s a real shame the most obvious displays of so-called patriotism are aggressive and ugly (i.e. southern cross tattoos and wearing the flag as a cape). We might have plenty to prove as a country but it doesn’t mean we need to prove our Australian-ness to each other.

Changing the flag is a whole other issue – although you can’t knock people for displaying it on Australia Day.

georgesgenitals12:24 pm 18 Jan 11

Captain RAAF said :

georgesgenitals said :

Dressing up in Australian flag clothing is probably the second most bogan thing there is. The first is draping an Australian flag around your shoulders.

The worst part is the people who do this overseas, thus giving others the impression that Australians are complete tools.

The only time it is appropriate to drape the ANF on your person is when it’s on top of the box your body comes home in!

Absolutely. A bit of perspective is a good thing.

I have nothing against wearing the flag or draping it over yourself – can be very handy when overseas to distinguish yourself from Americans. The act itself isn’t so bad, it’s just that the people who usually do it are very bogan and act like knobs.

Kerryhemsley11:37 am 18 Jan 11

A very ugly trend that is becoming more popular in Australia. Used to be just the poms and americans that went around looking like tools with their flags all over them.

Captain RAAF11:35 am 18 Jan 11

georgesgenitals said :

Dressing up in Australian flag clothing is probably the second most bogan thing there is. The first is draping an Australian flag around your shoulders.

The worst part is the people who do this overseas, thus giving others the impression that Australians are complete tools.

The only time it is appropriate to drape the ANF on your person is when it’s on top of the box your body comes home in!

georgesgenitals11:06 am 18 Jan 11

Dressing up in Australian flag clothing is probably the second most bogan thing there is. The first is draping an Australian flag around your shoulders.

The worst part is the people who do this overseas, thus giving others the impression that Australians are complete tools.

hahhahahhaha baahahhahaha excuse me whilst I pick myself up off the floor…. Sorry no disrespect but this has been happening to Indigenous artwork since the nine noble men walk out of Arnhem land and decided to reproduce artwork for non-Indgenous people… Only way to make it in Australia is to make it yourself…

You could always get a “made in australia” tattoo. Unfortunately, you would then also become an insufferable wanker, but hey, go patriotism and all that jazz.

But yes, Australian Choice in the canberra centre does good stuff. Recommend them as well.

Probably “Australian Choice ” – the Australian souvenirs shop in the Canberra Centre, on the ground floor near Coffee Guru and Platypus. I think everything in there is Australian made. It’s more expensive, of course, but good quality.

I thought it was only the chinese that celebrated it anyway

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