Parishioners of St. Linguine’s Basilica (well, it felt Italian enough) were left choking on incense and incensed as the Australian Hon. Chris Bowen, Energy Minister and apparent carb enthusiast, made a grand late entrance to Sunday mass … clutching a steaming bowl of gnocchi.
Witnesses say Bowen, possibly thinking the Spirit had already descended and the mass had wrapped up, parked himself in the front pew, whipped out his fork, and began communing not with the Divine... but with ricotta-stuffed dumplings.
We at Ratty News believe in forgiveness, flavour, and showing up on time. We do not, however, endorse interrupting sacred rituals for potato pasta.
Whether it was hunger, haste, or a divine misunderstanding, Mr. Bowen has cemented his place in the Ratty archives as the first minister in history to mistake a Mass for a food court.
And so it was that the isolated bush town of Dusty Gulch invited Mr Bowen and Prime Minister Albanese to enjoy a pasta meal with them....Les the Roo Shooter stated: “You turn up late with carbs to a sacred affair in Dusty Gulch? You best hope it’s your Last Supper, mate.”
Read more: Gnocchi at Mass and Net Zero Nonsense: Minister Bowen’s Blunder Goes Bush
While We’re Watching Bikinis, They’re Taking Wickets.... What’s Our Excuse? Time to Bat Like Bradman
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 969
User Rating: 5 / 5
While we're distracted, they are cleaning us up. Time to stop playing defence and bat like Bradman. Read on before the umpire pulls the plug...
This is a story about a broken bikini strap, a game of beach cricket, politics, and Artificial Intelligence. Intrigued? You should be.....
Back in the late '70s or early '80s ... when Australia still had its sunburnt sense of humour intact and the beach was a place for fun, not Instagram filters .... the Aussie cricket team took some well-earned R&R in the Whitsundays.
Whitehaven Beach, in the Whitsundays of Queensland, that stretch of impossibly white sand and aqua water, was the scene. It was the kind of spot where thongs are footwear, not a social statement, and no one would’ve heard of a selfie stick, let alone cared.
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 1005
User Rating: 5 / 5
Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, is a time for Americans to honour the men and women who have died in military service to the United States. This day is marked by ceremonies, parades, and tributes, reflecting the nation's respect and gratitude for those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Much like our ANZAC Day, it is a day to genuinely honour those who fought and perished to defend our right to freedom.
Memorial Day in the United States and ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand are both national days dedicated to remembering and honouring military personnel who have served and sacrificed for their countries. While these special days share a common purpose, they differ in their origins, customs, and modern significance. Comparing these two observances provides a way to look into how different nations honour their fallen heroes and reflect on their military histories.
This post explores the history in both and how they are the same yet different.
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Monty
- Hits: 1160
User Rating: 5 / 5
In early 1982, two troubled nations collided on a cluster of windswept islands in the South Atlantic.
For 74 days, Britain and Argentina fought a short, brutal war over the Falklands - or as Argentina calls them, the Malvinas.
The conflict was brief, but the shockwaves rippled across both nations, exposing the ways of how political power often ignore the will of ordinary people.
At the time, Argentina was ruled by a military junta, the latest in a series of authoritarian regimes that had plagued the country for decades. Half a world away, Britain was also in crisis. Margaret Thatcher’s government faced economic turmoil, industrial unrest, and plummeting popularity. The sudden attack on the Falklands gave her a chance to show strength.
Read more: The Falklands War: Fought Over Pride, Politics and the Ghosts of Empire
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Ratty News
- Hits: 1079
User Rating: 5 / 5
Read more: Diego Garcia: The Great Crumb Caper of the Indian Ocean
- Details
- Written by: Op-Ed Shaydee Lane
- Hits: 994
User Rating: 5 / 5
Today we’ve got a curious tale to share... part sport, part history, and part heart. It begins, as so many good stories do, with a wartime memory.
My 92-year-old Mum still remembers the first time she tasted ice cream... proper American ice cream... during World War II. The Yanks had arrived in droves, bringing chocolate, charm, jitterbug records, and a strange new summer game called softball.
That’s where this story begins: in the swirl of war, sport, and shifting summer traditions. One side of the Tasman would fall in love with softball. The other already had a national romance... in whites, with an Australian National hero..... Don Bradman. But Mum's brother, Uncle Pete, fell in love with softball.
Read more: Cricket, Softball and a Yank Invasion: A Tale of Two Summers
Page 24 of 254
-
The Devil Doesn’t Need…
The Devil Doesn’t Need a Deal - He Just Needs Your Vanity A short video…
by Op-Ed Monty241 hits
-
Dare to Jump -…
With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics underway and the Opening Ceremony just wrapped…
by Op-Ed Shaydee Lane377 hits
-
Budgies vs the Smuggler:…
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Special Aerial Edition By Roderick “Whiskers” McNibble, Chief Nibbler & Aeronautical…
by Op-Ed Ratty News252 hits
-
Orwell Didn’t Fear Strong…
George Orwell, Leader Worship, and the Question We Still Refuse to Ask In 1944, George…
by Op-Ed Monty364 hits
-
From Knees to Standing:…
From Knees to Standing: What Gina Rinehart’s Rise Says About Australia A company on the…
by Op-Ed Monty559 hits
-
Big Brothers Come in…
During the darkest days of World War II, when the world teetered on the edge…
by Op-Ed Monty311 hits
-
The Rum Rebellion: The…
The House That Changed Hands and Still Stood for the same corrupt regime By The…
by Op-Ed Ratty News336 hits
-
Captain Bligh - The…
Few figures in maritime history are as polarising as Captain William Bligh. Often portrayed as…
by Op-Ed Flysa379 hits
-
Sunday, Bloody Sunday -…
On Bloody Sunday 30 January in 1972, peaceful protesters in Derry were gunned down by soldiers…
by Op-Ed Monty366 hits
-
Dusty Gulch Gazette –…
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Reference Guide Purpose: A canonical reference for writers, artists, and collaborators…
by Op-Ed Ratty News179 hits
-
The Legend of Dusty…
Dusty Gulch Gazette – Chapter 2 Shadows in the Frangipani By Roderick Whiskers McNibble, Chief…
by Op-Ed Ratty News435 hits
-
Slaughter at Laha -…
In early 1942, the Japanese launched their invasion of the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia)…
by Op-Ed Monty707 hits
-
Tribes, Identity, and the…
Before Everything Became Political I grew up in a small rural farming community in New…
by Op-Ed Shaydee Lane458 hits
-
The Self-Destruction of Party…
Political parties were meant to serve the people, but in today’s climate, they resemble warring…
by Op-Ed Shaydee Lane414 hits
-
Australia Day 2026 -…
Australia Day 2026: A Quiet Line in the Sand I began writing something cheerful. Something…
by Op-Ed Monty467 hits
-
Cook Didn’t “Invade” -…
It's time to move beyond guilt-or-glory myths. History is never simple, and it should never…
by Op-Ed Monty1213 hits
-
The Search for Meaning…
Why modern activism feels less like justice and more like identity I was watching Rebel…
by Op-Ed Monty436 hits
-
Riding the Boundary as…
By The Boundary Rider, Dusty Gulch Gazette Part bush philosopher, part realist, part stubborn old…
by Op-Ed Ratty News469 hits
-
The Boundary Rider Steps…
A Stranger on the Line: Meeting the Boundary Rider By Roderick “Whiskers” McNibble, Dusty Gulch…
by Op-Ed Ratty News475 hits
-
The Aussie Poets
So many people from all walks of life have shaped our Aussie way of life,…
by Op-Ed Flysa444 hits
-
“Australia will be there”…
As Australia Day approaches, I am reminded of a moment not long ago when ANZAC…
by Op-Ed Happy Expat480 hits
-
Australia - Crikey, She's…
Another 26th of January is on our doorstep. Only a few more sleeps before we…
by Op-Ed Monty505 hits
-
Who We Let In…
Australia's White Australia Policy was a set of laws designed to restrict immigration by people…
by Op-Ed Flysa487 hits
-
Project Iceworm: Missiles, Ice…
Frozen Whiskers and Secret Missiles By Roderick “Whiskers” McNibble, Senior Foreign Correspondent, Dusty Gulch Gazette…
by Op-Ed Ratty News539 hits
-
Chapter One - The…
By Roderick Whiskers McNibble, Chief Nibbler & Correspondent Date: Some dark night in Dusty Gulch,…
by Op-Ed Ratty News492 hits
-
If Free Speech Falls,…
Iran’s Self-Rescue and the Moral Test for a Silent West When calls for rescue come…
by Op-Ed Monty542 hits
-
Wonder Needs No Permit:…
Albo, the Old Testament, and the Strange Shape of Freedom Prime Minister Anthony Albanese thought…
by Op-Ed Monty512 hits
-
When the Piper Finally…
BREAKING: Albanese Appoints Malcolm Turnbull as US Ambassador – “Time to Pay the Piper” Edition! Canberra,…
by Op-Ed Ratty News532 hits
-
When Bikinis Make News…
If you use a t shirt to promote some sort of " I am a…
by Op-Ed Shaydee Lane549 hits
-
The Bikini That Broke…
Albanese, the Bikini, and the Death of Aussie Larrikinism Following the horrific massacre at Bondi…
by Op-Ed Monty1587 hits
-
A City on a…
On the 10th of January 2011, a catastrophic deluge unleashed an unprecedented "inland tsunami" across…
by Op-Ed Monty512 hits
-
Field Report Part Two:…
Knees Up, Feathers Down: Trevor the Wallaby and the Great Knee Caper of Dusty Gulch…
by Op-Ed Ratty News457 hits
Who's online
We have 386392 guests and no members online
Online
We have 386392 guests and no members online
Hmmm....
-
Lest We Forget The…
Only minutes before midnight on Christmas Eve, 1953, the engine driver of the Wellington to…
by Op-Ed Bruce Rugby355 hits
-
Australian Prime Minister Is…
Sadly, the beautiful country of Australia has become a bastion of progressivism. The country’s government…
by Op-Ed Guest Post382 hits
-
The 4th of July…
Independence Day, also known as the Fourth of July, is one of the most significant…
by The PR Blog1220 hits
-
The Aussie Election -…
In a rare confluence, Canada, Britain, and Australia held elections within a week of one…
by Op-Ed Guest Post1263 hits
-
Operation Downstream: The Rise…
RATTY NEWS EXCLUSIVE Operation Downstream: The Rise of the Feathernet Underground By Roderick (Whiskers) McNibble,…
by Op-Ed Ratty News1313 hits
-
The Easter Bunny and…
Magic happens everywhere and goodness, wonder and delight can be found alive and well throughout…
by Op-Ed Ellan Vannin1419 hits
-
Diego Garcia and the…
Tucked away in the remote heart of the Indian Ocean lies a tiny archipelago that…
by Op-Ed Monty1468 hits
-
Operation Wombat: Dutton’s Downfall…
Factional ferrets, backstabbing bandicoots, and the great Teal tango - how the Libs turned on…
by Op-Ed Ratty News1473 hits
-
Taiwan, Pelosi’s Attention Getting…
It is beyond belief that the speaker who tore up the copies of Donald Trump’s…
by Op-Ed Michael Bresciani1910 hits
-
My Son Hunter -…
I want to share this with you because it has to be one of the…
by The PR Blog1911 hits
Australiana
- View all
- Australiana
- View all
- collection
- eddie
- feature
-
Thursday February 08
Shearing in Australia -…
In the 1880’s shearers wielded a lot of influence on our country. Despite us not…
5705 hits
-
Wednesday March 01
Ned Kelly's Mother -…
At the beginning of March, 2023, I join Monty in celebrating Irish month. There are…
7453 hits
-
Thursday December 29
Ned Kelly
One of the most famous and best known characters in Australian folk lore, Ned Kelly…
7960 hits
-
Saturday January 14
John Monash - the…
General Sir John Monash is one of the truly great Australians. He was an Australian…
7485 hits
-
Friday July 14
Eddie and Me -…
Nearly 30 years has flowed under the bridge since I last owned a dog. That…
6571 hits
-
Monday March 04
Against The Wind
These are episides from Against the Wind , a 1978 Australian television miniseries. It is a historical drama…
5870 hits
Help cover our monthly costs
Search
Collections
-
On Board the Wunderlust…
I think it’s safe to say that adventures of the more daring kind are often…
by Op-Ed Chaucer16353 hits
-
Orthon of the Azores…
Speckled about the steep slopes are clumps of small, fieldstone cottages. Their crumbling mortar and aging stones are victim…
by Op-Ed Chaucer2962 hits
-
Eddie and Me -…
Nearly 30 years has flowed under the bridge since I last owned a dog. That…
by Op-Ed Chaucer6571 hits
Latest Posts
- The Devil Doesn’t Need a Deal - He Just Needs Your Vanity
- Dare to Jump - Soar Like an Eagle
- Budgies vs the Smuggler: Drop Bears, Drone Doom, and the Battle for Dusty Gulch
- Orwell Didn’t Fear Strong Leaders - He Feared the Death of Truth
- From Knees to Standing: What Gina Rinehart Teaches Australia About Resilience
- Big Brothers Come in Different Forms....