Sandra, I love your description of your head wear.

Re the "cowboys" at Slim Dusty's funeral - True-Love's tall-crowned, black, cowboy style-hat is an Akubra. They've always made that style here aparently. Some Aussies have always worn them (often punched down into a lower shape). It's only lately that everyone wears the same stlye of Akubra in the same brown colours, punched down even lower. Mine's white - "The Bobby" (worn with the crown up.)

Once at a Folk Festival a young man came up to Hildebrand and said, "That is a perfectly ridiculous hat!" Later we saw the same fella dancing around in a flowered, beribboned hat with a bunch of Morris Dancers. He grinned at us in a friendly way.

Cheers, Joy