The Bowie knife

[Neville Briggs]

Can't find me pen.



This is a bit off the track, but on reading Dave's poem I thought about how the influence of American culture was creeping in, in those days.
The name of the knife refers to James Bowie who died at the battle of the Alamo along with Davy Crockett, both of those American legends probably better known to us kids than any Australian frontier man.

[Vic Jefferies]

Neville, Australia has had very close links with America from the very first settlement and in fact part of the reason the British chose to send convicts to Australia was because they lost the ability to send them to America after the War of Independence. Almost immediately after settlement Sydney became a regular port for American whaling ships. Our constitution and federal form of government is in part modeled on that of America. So we have been greatly influenced by America throughout our history, perhaps far more than most realize.
I remember as a child (and that's a long time ago) my grandfather always placed great value on tools made in America or Germany. He considered them to be of the finest quality.
I remember reading that when American troops went into battle for the very first time in the First World War it was beside the far more experienced Australian troops and that a great camaraderie grew between the two forces.

Vic

[r.magnay]

Yeah Vic, I have never had any problems with the Septics, better freind than foe I reckon!...I still hold with your Grandads outlook on tools too, they are something the Chinese just can't...or don't get right yet!