Readers have delivered a flood of witty punchlines, travel tales and long-buried memories this week, responding to a string of open invitations that drew an unusually generous postbag — covering everything from cocktail-bar wordplay to a cheeky university stunt involving a Hollywood film star in 1950s Brisbane.
The bar joke challenge draws a crowd
It began when Suzanne Saunders threw out the challenge: could readers complete a joke that starts with "an old fart and a lost sock walked into a bar"? The response was, by any measure, copious.
Marion Newall of Point Frederick led the charge with a cocktail-themed effort. In her version, the old fart and the lost sock approach the barman and ask whether he knows how to make a Naked and Famous cocktail. He confirms he does, and when pressed on the main ingredient, delivers the punchline without missing a beat: "Air freshener."
Dave Lewington of Heathcoat took a wordplay approach, with the barman refusing to serve the pair at all — telling them to "blow away" because he doesn't serve old windsocks.
Barry Lamb of Eastwood went for a more philosophical angle. In his telling, the barman challenges the old fart's claim that the sock is lost — pointing out that it has just walked in. "It didn't walk in," the old fart fires back. "It hopped."
Paris opens its doors for Australians
The theme of Franco-Australian goodwill also drew fresh contributions. Daniel Low of Pymble described a post-conference tour of Paris in 2018 that took his group to Les Invalides. Upon learning there were Australians among the visitors, the guide went well beyond the standard itinerary — unlocking a section normally closed to tourists and leading the group on what Low described as a special private tour, prompted by the presence of a memorial plaque honouring the Australian connection.
Early memories of a music legend
A mention of Wayne Fontana prompted Josephine Hill of Blackwall to reach back to the early 1960s in the United Kingdom. Hill recalled that before he was known as Wayne Fontana, the performer went by the name Glyn Ellis and played every Friday night at St Bernadette's in Levenshulme, Manchester. "We danced all night as he put on a superb show," she wrote.
A kidnapped star and a fossil with a future
Adding to a running collection of memorable celebrity encounters, John Crowe of Cherrybrook recalled a student caper from 1953. When Hollywood actress Ann Miller came to Brisbane to promote the film Kiss Me Kate, Crowe and a group of University of Queensland students — aided by a friend with a presentable Daimler — managed to spirit her away on opening night. Crucially, Miller was in on it. "She was quite charming and enjoyed the prank," Crowe recalled.
Finally, Jim Dewar of Davistown weighed in on the recent auction of Gus the T.Rex, acknowledging that fossil sales remain controversial. With characteristic dryness, he observed that he could personally think of several fossils that could be moved on without anyone raising a complaint — leaving readers to draw their own conclusions about who, exactly, he had in mind.
