REAL AUSTRALIA

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 80, 2 October 1944, Page 4

REAL AUSTRALIA

KANGAROOS AND PIGS O.C ' SYDNEY, September 27. After a week of hunting kangaroos and wild pigs on western sheep stations in New South Wales, 50 American servicemen returned to Sydney convinced that they had seen the "real Australia at last."

The hunt was arranged, despite the opposition of animal lovers, to show the Americans outback life and to help to eradicate kangaroos and pigs that had become pests on the stations. The Americans proved poor shots against the kangaroos, who. were more curious of the American uniforms than of the servicemen's markmanship.

The Americans did better against the wild pigs, shooting more than 100. Using drums, rattles, whistles, and whips, 12 men on fast horses from nearby stations raced through swamps and drove the pigs on to an 11,000-acre paddock, across which the servicemen were stationed at, jegular intervals. The shooters stood behind trees for cover, and blazed away as the squealing pigs came straight at them.

The high light of the day was a display by 16-year-old Aubrey Cross, son of a Walgett grazier.. He thrilled -the visitors by galloping up to a pig, dismounting, jumping on its back, throwing it, and stabbing it through the heart. Cross performed the feat four times during the day.

Torpedoman Bill Thompson, of the U.S. Navy, said: "If Cross ever makes a movie of his act, they'll arrest half the Hollywood stars for obtaining money by false pretences. Boy, he'd just.rock the States."

TRAM STRIKE IN MELBOURNE MELBOURNE, October 1. No trams or buses ran in Melbourne on Saturday because of a one-day strike by 3000 members of the Tramways Employees' Association. At a stop-work meeting it was decided to ask for the release of men from the Army, so that a six-day week shift might be worked. Lack of tram and bus transport to sporting fixtures resulted in record overcrowding of trains. Four people received hospital attention for injuries received in a wild station scramble.