Not Happy

"Bondi Beach may be the country`s most famous and still easy on the eye. Just don`t try to have any fun there. Legendary Aub Laidlaw still haunts Bondi’s sands. The beach inspector, who spent 39 years evicting women whose swimsuits his tape measure judged indecent, would scowl with bitter delight at the regulatory bondage that is today’s Bondi Beach.

As you cross the promenade and make for one of the concrete ramps leading down to the sand, you’re confronted with signs. For everyone’s enjoyment, they read:

“The following are prohibited on the beach: No dogs. No ball games. No frisbees. No kites. No glass. No littering.”

Then, slapped like a codicil across a will, there’s a sticker: No smoking."

Pete's Points

As a former "Bondi Boy" I have to say that I am outraged by this comment in "The Bulletin" of 26/01/2005.

It simply shows us yet again that the Packer Press has no idea about what Australian DO on the beaches.

Let's summarise:

SWIMMING
SURFING
SUN BAKING
FISHING
GAWKING

Since none of these activities are prevented or precluded I have no idea what their problem is.

Let's see:

1. No dogs - Er . . . Hello . . . they attract sharks. Not a popular idea with people who want to swim and surf.
2. No ball games - well DUH! Would you want sand kicked in your direction when you are trying to sun bake fully oiled?
3. No Frisbees - this actually brings in the dogs - leaping to get the frisbees, the sand kicking and flying objects that can land anywhere into the same picture. Not great when all you are trying to do is get a tan.
4. No Kites - except on designated days of course like the one day a year when the Festival of the Winds is held on the beach.
5. No Glass - There are CANS these days - right? At least they don't smash and end up as slivers in people's feet!
6. No Littering - Only someone from the Packer Press could think of littering as being a fun activity - after all they do it with all of their products on a daily basis
7. No Smoking - Well the rest of us had to stop smoking in our offices, on the footpaths, in restaurants so why not stop people who haven't yet given up from annoying the rest of us? Besides is there anyone that still believes that smoking is a FUN thing to do?

Their comment on poor Aubrey is based on the assumption that he was a prude.

Think about it - a healthy male beach inspector who spent his time examining the swimming apparel of female swimmers with a tape measure for 39 years.

Some would argue that that was the most desirable job in the country!

The epithet of a "perv" I could understand but . . .