"What does Australia Day mean to you, Roy...

...the Boy from Yalleroi?", I asked late in the evening as we sat round the Maleny recording studio after another intensive session of composing tracks for the forthcoming and eagerly awaited Bullring Music CD and Book to the CD.

"The celebration of the Jet age, Bullringer, yes the celebration of the Jet age" was Roy the Boy's rather enigmatic response.

"Jet age?" I wondered, "Australia Day means celebrating the Jet age to Roy the Boy from Yalleroi?" It didn't make sense.

Then I realized what had finally happened: the inspired and brilliant work Roy the Boy had been putting in to the songs on the Bullring Music had finally taken its toll. Genius comes at a price.

Roy the Boy was suffering from an affliction which had brought down the great artists and artisans over the millenia; Chopin, Beethoven, Gibba and van Goth... and now Roy the Boy from Yalleroi had succumbed. Yes it seemed a clear case of Brain Fever*.

As if to confirm my diagnosis, suddenly Roy the Boy lifted his head and launched into a rant "..and il grilliere mixe du Charlie et Rudare bouffet chevau con Heinz avec footenledden por favor..."  on and on he went in the many different European languages Roy the Boy speaks fluently. 

(Like Kevin, Roy the Boy from Yalleroi is also fluent in mandarin, however he now refrains from speaking it indoors, as it startles his cat, Cyprus III, who can cause all sorts of damage as he exits the room via the piano and residents' faces at 3000 miles an hour.)

I subconsciously ran my forefinger over the remains of a long scar on my forehead as I considered calling an ambulance to take Roy the Boy away for proper treatment. But I dismissed that idea quickly.

In my experience the first thing the paramedics ascertain is whether any, and then how many, refreshments had been taken orally by the patient during the period leading up to the triple-O call. Honest answers to these questions may well distract them from the true diagnosis of Roy the Boy's condition, being brain fever*.

Best to hang in there and see if I can coax him back to reality.

"What's it all mean, Roy the Boy, what's it all mean?" I enquire as gently as I can in a soothing, sympathetic voice.

Suddenly Roy the Boy is back from his trance.

"What do you mean "What's it all mean, Bullringer?" he demands, "and stop talking like that and looking at me as if I have gone as mad as a two bob watch.  It's obvious what it all means."

Roy the Boy goes on: "What Australia Day means to me, is what I have just said. Let me simplify it for you Bullringer, as it seems these intense music sessions have made your head soft:

"Haircuts, Food and Footy  - the celebration of those three essentials of our culture - that's what Australia Day means to me..."

"Whoooaa there Roy", I interrupted, because as pleased as I was to see him back from brain fever country, I though his response still required further explanation.

"You may be right Roy the Boy," I said," but I am still at a bit of a loss. For instance how does a haircut have anything to do with the celebration of Australia Day?"

"Think Bullringer think!" Roy the Boy shrieked.

"Did the gentlemen of Barcaldine farewell their families on a Saturday morning with a cheery "See you later, just heading to the Globe and then the Union for an all day session swilling Macs and Goldtop? No Bullringer no - it was always thus:"

'"I might just head down to Rudy's for a haircut."'

"The humble haircut," continued Roy the Boy, "is the greatest excuse to indulge in the great Australian pastime of beer drinking known to man."'

"Ok fair enough," I concede, ashamed that I had missed this obvious point, "but what about this stuff about Jet age and your monologue in various European languages?" I asked.

"Bullringer what is up with you? Maybe you need some rest from this brilliant new Bullring Music CD and book to the CD we have been working on. Jet Age was the wife of Charlie Condolien who brought out the family from Greece to cook us that magnificent fine cuisine we have all grown to love: The Mixed Grill, or as I called it in Jet Age's native language, grilliere mixe."

You may or may not recall Bullringer" continued Roy the Boy in a tone that was tinged with sarcasm, "that I nominated FOOD as the second greatest Australian pasttime!"

Roy the Boy was in full flight, and preempted my next question, "And as for SPORT, Bullringer we're a country that loves its sport and the best sport to watch was the Sand Goannas especially when they triumphed over the Thompson Tigers from Longreach. And what was the best weapon to ensure that this happened? Heinz Bloom, who you may recall me referring to in the German part of my monologue, as the toughest footballer to put on a jersey in Australia.

Suddenly it all became clear....Roy didn't have brain fever* but was merely giving his underlying message for Australia Day 2008..

"Roy the Boy from Yalleroi I have finally got it" I exclaimed with great excitement, "Rudy the Barber, Jet Age and Charlie Condolian who brought with them the the mixed grill, Heinz Bloom the most exciting footballer to play football ever.. . these were people who came to the central west from other countries."

"So what you are saying Roy the Boy is that we should never forget the new Australians when we celebrate Australia Day."

"At last you have finally got it Bullringer, for a while there I thought you had come down with brain fever*..."

Happy Australia Day to all Australians new and old...

from

Roy the Boy from Yalleroi and The Bullringer

Note: The derivation of the nickname Jet Age, along with hundreds of others, will appear in the Book to the CD. Just another reason to order your copies at yalleroiboy@gmail.com Make sure you get in early, as copies will be limited. All copies will be individually numbered and signed by Roy the Boy from Yalleroi and The Bullringer. Send no money, just an email to Roy the Boy stating the number of copies you require and your postal address.

*Brain Fever is also referred to in The Lancet and other reputable medical journals as A Turn.