People That Impress Me#3

When I was a small and innocent child, I was raised to be a revolutionary. Or at least that was how it was supposed to turn out. I am yet to live up to the expectation, I am afraid. I like to think I have an appropriately vigilant eye for injustice, but I am not sure how much the hearbreaking experience of having to be the the 'token aboriginal' in a game of rascist Monopoly (no property ownership, pay double rent and if you go to jail you never get out) really contributed to the outcome.

It did mean, however, that while my friend Jenny was sticking posters of the Bay City Rollers on her wall, I was dutifully mounting earnest and informative little pamphlets about Ned Kelly. We glossed over the whole murder bit, back then. Sacrifices had to be made in the midst of class warfare. It was the 70s, after all.

Anyway, the hero worship didn't really stand more adult scrutiny, though I still think he writes one helluva letter. Nevertheless, it gives me a particular flush of pleasure to see that our own and much beloved Paula Hunt is making sure that the latest generation of whipper-snappers get appropriately acquainted with this little bit of Victorian history, by producing a wee volume on the Bearded One himself, called Outlaw Son.

This follows fairly hotly on the heels of a very lovely volume Wild Colonial Boys.

All this relentless publication is acheived, mind you, while she also looks after all those punters (and Hunters) at the MCG in her spare time.

Impressed? Not 'arf.