Ah, ‘Straya. The lucky country. Home among the gum trees. How’s the serenity?
And what better way to celebrate being Australian than putting a ‘big thing’ by the side of the road? There’s Coffs Harbour’s Big Banana, Goulburn’s Big Merino, the Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast, and Deniliquin’s not necessarily big (but definitely tall) ute on a pole.
But the Western NSW town of Nyngan is set to blow all of those out of the water, with the announcement of perhaps the greatest tribute to Aussie culture in history – yes, it’s the Big Bogan.
Dubbo’s Daily Liberal reports that moves are underway to build the 3.6-metre Big Bogan in Nyngan, complete with fishing rod, Esky, singlet and thongs.
An application was made to Bogan Shire Council (yes, really) by Manager of Engineering Services Graeme Bourke, after discussions with Reverend Graham McLeod from St Mark’s Anglican Church in Nyngan.
“He knew I worked at the Shire and I agreed it was a good idea to promote the Shire and attract tourists,” Mr Bourke said.
“I drew a few sketches and for a while couldn’t quite get it right, but as it was coming up to budget estimates I thought, right, I’m going to submit this.”
What’s followed looks like it could be, quite simply, a work of art. Though it appears that there may have been some robust discussion about final design, or what truly constitutes a ‘bogan’.
“A couple of councillors put forward the ideas of giving him a tattoo or having a snake on the ground near him, so we might consider those,” Mr Bourke said.
“I decided to leave out the stubby holder and cigarette.”
Ah well, win some, lose some. But we’ll still be heading to Nyngan ASAP.
