A photo of Donald Trump with his arm outstretched and finger pointing has sparked a moment of levity, while debates about school pride, suburban nicknames and generational labels have kept readers busy and opinionated this week.
Pull the other one, Mr Trump
Peter Miniutti of Ashbury was the first to spot the comic potential in a recent Business section photograph showing Donald Trump with his arm held parallel to the ground, finger extended toward an imaginary crowd. "I'm not sure whether he is pointing at someone in an imaginary crowd or he wants someone to pull his finger," Miniutti observed, adding that he hoped it was the former — given the potentially dire consequences of the latter.
The curse of the initials KS — and its many victims
The ongoing saga of the so-called KS curse gathered fresh momentum, with David Griffiths of Wollongong pointing out that the warning has not been extended far enough. NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane and federal Opposition Leader Angus Taylor — while not carrying the initials KS themselves — both attended The King's School, bringing them within range of the curse's reach, Griffiths argued. He also noted that State of Origin player Kotoni Staggs had been dropped for the series decider, and cheekily wondered whether original correspondent John Brown might himself hail from Kianga South.
School pride: GPS, sandstone and the bushie advantage
The question of school prestige and identity drew colourful contributions. Margaret Lorang of Mosman recalled studying medicine at a prestigious sandstone university surrounded by alumni of elite private schools, while cheerfully identifying herself as a product of Dorrigo Rural School. Her friend Lyn, who went on to become chancellor of a large American university medical college, was similarly from a rural background and was affectionately known as the Cooranbong Kid. "Never be bashful about bushie beginnings," Lorang advised.
Janene Randall of Padstow offered a more mischievous take. Her husband, she explained, had long told people he attended "a GPS school" — allowing the assumption of the prestigious Great Public Schools association to linger unchallenged. Only when pressed would he reveal the truth: he went to Gladesville Public School. The abbreviation was technically accurate, if creatively deployed.
Shacktown's origins: aircraft, not just navy
Roger Bowie of Seaforth added fresh detail to the origins of the local nickname Shacktown, attributed to the area around Balgowlah Boys High School. A former principal of the school — himself an Air Force veteran — claimed the tag derived not from any naval depot, as had been previously suggested, but from the prefabricated metal buildings on site, which were pressed from decommissioned World War II aircraft. Whether that account counters or simply complements the naval depot theory remains an open question.
Silent, forgotten or just mislabelled? The generation wars
Readers took pointed issue with generational labels. Ray Moxom of Denistone West, identifying himself as a pre-Boomer member of the so-called Silent Generation, pushed back firmly on the terminology — and on the older label it replaced. Brett Jack of Bonnyrigg Heights made a case for the largely overlooked Generation Jones, describing those born between 1954 and 1965 as too young to be Boomers and too old to be Generation X. Patricia O'Brien of Rozelle had her own amendment: those born between 1939 and 1945, she argued, are War Babies — and, she was at pains to stress, anything but silent.
