... and now we have the whingeingKiwi

Press, 24 August 1977, Page 1

... and now we have the whingeingKiwi

NZPA Sydney A London office worker has written to a Sydney newspaper complaining about “whingeing Aussies and Kiwis” in Britain. Susanna Smith, of Lexham Gardens, London, who says she is from London, but spent six years in Sydney, wrote that during the last six months she had encountered a lot of Australians and New Zealanders working, like herself, as temporary office workers — mainly secretaries. Iler letter was reproduced in yesterday’s “Sydney Morning Herald.” “I realise that many Australians think of English people as ‘whingeing Poms,’ and I am sure there is justification for this in some cases,” Miss Smith said. “You may be interested to know, however, that in London we now have what seems like thousands upon thousands of whingeing Aussies and Kiwis. “They complain con-

stantly about the weather (they actually expect it to be as hot as Australia), inflation (which of course we all hate and are desperately trying to reduce), high income tax (which we are all subject to and which most of them are dodging), and anything else which comes into their heads.” Miss Smith said the English were quite aware of their problems. “What we do not need at the moment is an invasion of whingers and bludgers from Down Under,” she said. Among their complaints were that there were too many foreign workers in Britain. She said: “Most of the | Australian contingent, and ! New Zealanders, work without work permits.” The letter ends: “It has now come to the point where there is nothing the English like to see more than a boat or planeload of Aussies going home. If the English disease is strikes, then the Australian disease must he complaints — here, at least."