TASSIE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 99, 28 April 1928, Page 14

TASSIE

A wallaby, looks like a kangaroo's little brother. When the American warships visited Australia in 1925 they called at Hobart, Tasmania, and there • a wallaby was given to one of the ships, The Memphis, as a mascot. The sailors were so delighted with their mascot that they determined to treat him just as if he were a sailor. All sailors have records—like the reports you get at school —and so they determined to give the wallaby a record. I am going to quote bits of it to you. Surname: Tassie. • Christian name: Hobart. 'Enlisted as: Apprentice Mascot. Place of birth: Wilds of Tasmania. Home address: Hobart, Tasmania. Education: Poor. Reason of enlistment: To see the .(Jnifted States.. . Branch of service for which best fitted: Deck. Language qualifications: Broken English. . . . Tassie's finger-prints were in the record, but it required four strong men to.hold him so that they could be taken. Tho record goes oh with Tassie's career, and here, are some of the things he did. He stole some food from the ship's kitchen, so he was sentenced to go without carrots for a week. He jumped on the freshly-painted deck, and -svas locked u{v Then he behaved so well for a month that he got a medal, and was promoted from a mere apprentice mascot to a second-class mascot. When they got to Philadelphia he escaped from the ship for a week, and was brought back under guard in a yellow taxi. The nest day he tried to quarrel with the goat, and was given six hours'extra duty. Annoyed at this, ho created a. disturbance while tho sailors were at church. He knocked - over a pot of paint and was locked up. When • the ship was 'near France, he fell overboard r ami qualified as a firstclass swimmer. He was rescued by the quartermaster, .who1 dived from the ship. However, ho behaved so:well.after this that ho was . promoted from mascot. Becond'-class to mascot first-class. Tassie ;is a • much-travelled wallaby. He has travelled over 52,000 nautical miles, arid visited 29 countries and 63 different ports. v