'Did you get a laugh out of The Adventures of Barry McKenzie, back in the day, or did it ring too horribly true to be funny? At least we can laugh at ourselves, and Dame Edna Everage/Les Paterson (Barry Humphries) is one of our harshest - and funniest - critics.'


Yes indeed, Helen, I loved Barry McKenzie and Dame Edna, and especially Sir Les in his truly outrageous days. I practically memorised 'Let Stalk Strine', 'The Castle' is one of my favourite films, and I even had an Aussie air-hostess girlfriend while I was at Heathrow.

Two little puzzles remain, though. If Australian culture is so vibrant, how come the kids in 'Home and Away' talk like Californians with a different accent? Just try mentally transposing - it works about 90% of the time (though the disadvantage is that you have to watch the programme to try this.)

Secondly, given that the Australian landscape is so inhospitable that you can only live round the edges, floods and wild-fires seem to be common, the beer is awful and the wildlife includes a high proportion of the most dangerous creatures in the world, how come you call yourselves 'the lucky country'?

Just wondering - my admiration for the nation that gave the world the circular clothes line remains undimmed.