Australia Day

[Len OchiltreeParticipant @lenochiltree67043]

A Happy Australia Day to our Down Under Chums, I even had a play on one of my Didgeridoos to celebrate.

 

Good Day to all our Sports.

 

Len.

[Len OchiltreeParticipant @lenochiltree67043]

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

G`day, Blue!

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

On behalf of the Aussie contingent, thank you

 

Peter.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Cobbers. Opposite the river to where I worked until a few months ago, at Vauxhall in London is Millbank. There is a Plaque on a granite post saying that this was one side of the water gate on which prisioners were loaded on boats to be sent to Australia, there being a large prision at Millbank then (1800`s ish).

 

The ships were marked in large white letter… Prisioners Of Millbank……or “POM”. which is where we get term POM or pommie from.

 

Dont know where “cobbers” comes from tho` !!

 

Ashley

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

As a matter of fact, Ashley, there was a programme on the telly only this morning…….all about the great Millbank Prison
Very interesting it was…..

….I like the POM explanation!

Good on yer, Blue….you too Peter!

Bob

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

I had not heard that explanation of the origin of the word “Pom” or “Pommie”, but it makes sense. I’ve heard it suggested that “Prisoner of Mother England” was one reason for the term “Pom”, and another was that fair English faces burnt easily in the hot Australian sun, making them look like pomegranates.

 

I don’t know the origin of “cobber”, but it seem to be going out of use these days.

 

Peter.

Edited By Peter Fitness on 27/01/2012 22:02:59

[John.RedearthParticipant @john-redearth]

I haven't looked it up but a lot of what we think are Australian colonial words are actually nautical words brought out by the first fleeters. As often happens, people who move to another country stick fast to their heritage so when the language moves on and some sayings fall out of the original language, such as navel terms in mother England, we stuck to them and made them our own. I think 'cobber' is one of those. If I were less lazy I would look it up.

For general English, check this out! http://youtu.be/H3r9bOkYW9s

John

[Peter FitnessParticipant @peterfitness34857]

John, I did look it up and found that "cobber" may derive from a Yiddish word meaning "comrade". Another possibility is that it goes back to the days of the Cobb and Co stage coaches that traversed Australia in the 19th century. After many days together, passengers sometimes referred to each other as "Cobbers". Either way it has now dropped out of general use and has been replaced by the ubiquitous "mate".

Peter.

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