G'Day All
It pleases me greatly to tell you all that I secured funding for a Australian Team to Raton. I would like to thank the SSAA and their Board for the ongoing support of CLAS. The team is made up of Robert Tobler as captain (AKA BEAR), Dave MaCarthy (who doesn't know which country he's from), (AKA The Ex Pom) and finally Mick Hutton (Outback Mick). They will be making arrangments to get there for the Nationals and may need some assistance with reloading gear etc, so if anyone can help it would be appreciated. I'll give you all a brief profile.
Robert is one of the Australian Barrel makers and has been running Cowboy shoots at his local club since our Association adopted it. He has competed in most of the disciplines we shoot in Aus and is a profesional gunsmith. Him and his wife Kathy (The Bugle) are huge supporters of all types of rifle silhouette and they supply wonderful fluted 6.5, 8 twist Barrels to their chairman, ME. Robert along with Dave are part of the Australian CLAS Technical Committee.
Dave MaCarthy is called The EX POM because in the early days of Australia a POME (the correct spelling) was a "Prisoner of Mother England", now us australians call anyone from England a Pom. But Dave has been Naturalised and in doing so is legally a Aussie. Dave has a long record as the Australian Lever Action Champion, not to be confussed with CLAS as it's shot on paper targets go to http://www.ssaa.org.au/newssaa/discipli ... ction.html. Also Dave is the one and only Australian CLAS Champion. He manufactures rifle accesories and his light weight rings and barrel tuners are top class. Prior to the CLAS Nationals he will be representing Australia at Camp Perry in the 3P team. It saddens me greatly to admit he is probably one of the best all round shooters in this Country, but when your father's a range caretaker you do spend some time there.
Mick has been christened by me as Outback Mick. Him and his partner Connie provide historical content to tours through the Australian outback. Their company can be sourced through www.beadell.com.au for anyone who wants to find out about it. Anyone wanting to see the true Ausralia I can recommend them. Also if you want to find out about the outback just ask Mick but not when he's shooting. Mick has worked in the bush all his life and uses his rifles as part of his every day life. He has represented Australia in Silhouette at world Championships before but hasn't shot for a few years. Luckily we told him about the CLAS Nationals and he showed up. He borrowed a rifle for CLAS which wasn't shooting that well and used his own Marlins for P/C and SmallBore. Now he has a rifle as well so look out.
I hope that you all get to meet the team as they are all good blokes and hopefully some of you will be able to come over here for our Championships.
Juddy

I'd really like to understand more about the languages in use in Australia.

This was clear, concise and easily understood -- a good example of English properly applied.

What the Hell is that polyglot of mangled words and phrases that you guys normally use on here? Is there a Rosetta Stone somewhere that would allow the rest of us to translate it into something (like Texan) that makes sense?
LOL

I'm not certain that I'll get to Raton for Cowboy but, if I do, I'll look forward to meeting the team. Will there be anyone along to translate?

Ernie,
Strine is like a fine Southern Drawl...only faster, somewhat a kin to the speed in which Pig Islanders speak, as for the words, try some Eubonics or Geechie.

Innocent Mary

Mary,

I actually used to get down there quite often.

Problem (probably) is that I went to the more cosmopolitan places...like Albury! (Oh! Once in a while I'd visit the smaller burgs like Sydney -- population of more than 40 IIRC -- and that town in the south named after Melbourne, Florida, but I mostly avoided those!)

I'm guessing that the cowboy shooters all live around Perth. (Wasn't that the place that Matt Quigley straightened up?) That would by why I was never exposed to whatever this Strine stuff is...?

Do those who reside out in the boonies all drink that watered down 'Bun' something or other?

Ernie
I reckon you'll listen to Outback Mick and get on the first plane to the darkest Congo where you might be able to understand something. Mick talks 100% Australian and it'll probably sound like Klingon to you. But think of the fun trying to work out what the team's saying, if you had a translater there you could bet on who got the closest to what they said. All jokes aside they are a good mob and I'm sure you'll listen to there yarns. The team comes from New South Wales and South Australia none from Melbourne or West Australia.
Juddy

G'Day Ernie
Try this book it may help or it may assist in buggering you up even more. http://www.penguin.com.au/lookinside/sp ... 1921351983

Juddy

I am still available to be team translator. But if you didn't send me with the last team to my home state, I guess you won't send me with this one .

By the way some of the banter you read on this site is pure Ramslammerees,
a sort of subculture . Mainly flows at silhouette shoots AKA bullshit.

Daisy

Well, I figured to get hit hard -- and here you guys are being nice! (Not even a comment over my remark about 'watered down' Bundaberg!) Australia must have changed since I used to deliver aircraft down there for Beech and Piper! lol

Had a number of short but pleasant visits and always thought that I'd come back and spend some time; but things changed and I never got around to it. (Did come close to a prolonged stay one night when I lost an engine -- this one, fortunately, had a 'spare' -- about equidistant between Fiji and Lord Howe and thought I'd have to put it on the beach.)

I'll probably be at Raton for smallbore and highpower nats but likely won't attend Cowboy. If that changes, I'll look forward to meeting you.

Cool! Can't wait to meet you guys. We'll bring some Oklahoma BarbQ Sauce for you to take back.