Sir Les Patterson, Australian Cultural Attache, New Images

One can understand why Barry Humphries' creation, the Australian Cultural Attache, was not popular with Australian diplomats abroad. Les didn't do much for the image of Australia, they complained. He wasn't politically correct. He was crude, drunk, sexist, racist. You name it.  But he could be very funny.

I won't claim that Sir Les was my mentor or role model, but he did make me laugh, and certainly provided the perfect model for any aspiring Cultural Attache- on what NOT to do or say. He remains an icon and one of Australia's greatest cultural exports! We did try to create new images of the UK and Australia during the newIMAGES campaign (and I think we succeeded), but Sir Les is indestructible.

(from Les Patterson's Australia, Melbourne, 1978)

Officials in the Arts Councils in the UK and Australia are not likely to be so generous with their grants in future, I fear.

Long live Sir Les! Bravo Barry! We need you now.

Barry Humphries is also a marvelous artist and poet, for the record. He has the ideal qualities for a Poet Laureate.

Whilst I am on the subject of newIMAGES, I would like to quote what Sir Roger Carrick had to say about our efforts to help modernise the bilateral relationship between the UK and Australia. Sir Roger was British High Commissioner to Australia, 1994-1997. These generous comments come from his book Rolleround OZ, Reflections on a Journey around Australia, Allen and Unwin, 1998 (page 150):

Edward Gilly (centre)