On race

Early this morning a woman climbed in around 2:30 am at Star City casino and ordered a satellite suburb on the outskirts of Sydney. After a lousy Sunday night I could have kissed her in gratitude.

It wasn’t that she was 34 weeks pregnant which struck me, or the fact she’d just won $5000 on the pokies, or that a heavily pregnant woman was out gambling late at night with three young children at home. Nup, it was her enlightened attitude on race.

“I only gamble when I’m pregnant,” she explained. “In my culture it’s considered that pregnancy either brings good luck or bad luck. So with each of my pregnancies I’ve gone to the Casino and usually I win.”

When she claimed this practise had the imprimatur of her husband I was reminded of Rodney Dangerfield's character in Easy Money. After his wife complains about his gambling he retorts, “You only hate it when I lose!”

The passenger’s parents were a Vietnamese mother and a French father. And her husband’s heritage was Thai and Chinese.

When I joked that her children were ‘Asian salads’, she laughed, “That’s it, but you know what? When people ask what they are I say they’re Aussies. Not because it’s easier to explain but that’s just what they are, Aussies.”

That’s modern Australia.

Comments

[Rainer the cabbie]

They are Aussies, no doubt. Not only that, but well equipped to deal with the future as they have two cultures in their upbringing.
And the best of luck to them.
I have lived in this country for 28 years but would never pretend to call myself an Aussie. A member of the Australian society, and proud of that, yes, but never a real Australian as you have to be born and educated in this country to totaly take claim of that title.
P.S. You gotta love this Lady's culture, no wonder that a lot of them are always pregnant, considering the baby bonus the Casino brings them. ;-)

[Missy]

As a part native Australian,(I find it hard to call myself an Abo with so much white mixed in), with stock from the first fleet, immigrant blood from Ireland 100 years ago living with a second generation Australian, I like this lady. Love this country, love your fellow Aussies and respect your's and everyone's culture = being an Australian. [Wave flags and sound patriotic songs about blokes drowning in billabongs] Yes, we are a contradictive lot.