Giddy Up!

Cloudy? Foggy? In Los Angeles? How perfect! Our city known for it's sunshine, pulled one out of the bag for our day at the races, delivering traditional Melbourne Cup weather, making all of us feel right at home.

Ladies trotted in like show ponies, with feathered hats & gorgeous dresses flowing behind them, while the stallions proudly wore crisp suits & ties.

The vino and champers flowed freely as we enjoyed Aussie Pies and Sausage rolls making a small compromise by adding ketchup instead of Tomato Sauce. We were chomping at the grub and champing at the bit!

Every half hour, race goers gathered to watch local races at Santa Anita, selecting their steeds from the form guide, cheering on their fillies, followed by the award ceremony.

After each horse race, guests prepare for the next race, choosing to select their steeds, by throwing away their form guides, and peering into an esky instead.

Big ones, little ones, uni clawed, double clawed - CRABS! All numbered and eager to be lead to the starting gate. Punters could be heard discussing the elements of each thoroughbred.

Predictions were made, and concerns were raised especially considering the uneven weight distribution of the uni-clawed crab, suggesting it would run in circles. The one armed bandit proved to be the first winner of the day much to the delight of it's supporters and the others nearby who had gathered around to watch our unique races.

Every 15 minutes, prizes and booby prizes were given to 1st and last place respectively. Everything from board games, Yellowglen bubbly, DVD's, CD's, Neutrogena products and Aussie treats were handed out to the winners and those with last place.

As dusk settled above us and the air developed a fine Melbourne chill, we gathered our winnings in our arms, and rode into the sunset.

For all of our upcoming events please visit AustraUSA

No part of this article or articles on this page or on AustraUSA may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Author and AustraUSA.com and AustraLAevents.com

We're gonna have a little fun todaaaay ...

In true American style, 4 gals from AustraUSA piled into a 2 door Mustang, with knees up around our earlobes, we try to be as classy as possible in our precarious position as we headed to NBC studios in Burbank along the 101 to see the Ellen Degeneres Show.

As soon as we arrived, we are corralled into a confined area and arranged into tidy rows which were painted onto the ground. We fought the urge to "mooo" in the herd as we proceeded single file to get branded, er, I mean receive our number. It was quite fitting that we were simultaneously overwhelmed by the smell of manure from the freshly fertilized gardens nearby.

After our security checks and lining up for an hour, we wait in line again to be escorted to the restrooms. Once escorted back, we join another line, sit and…. Wait! For 2 more hours! To amuse ourselves during this time we played ‘Spot the Ellen Lookalike’, of which there were many, and of which we were a little scared. Some of them were Ellen VERBATIM! Her Hair, her clothes, her shoes, her walk.

TV screens scattered along the wall by the waiting area played the current Ellen episodes for our enjoyment. Far more considerate than many other TV shows in LA. When the time came to head into the studio, we were once again corralled according to our branding number and forwarded in an orderly fashion into the studios via the Riff Raff Room.

The 4 of us were given our own podium seating with only 4 chairs - our own private seating area just behind Stryker (the DJ)! No sooner than the cattle were in the pen, the music blew through the speakers shaking the floor and it was time to… DANCE! 1 song… then another, then another, then another… The Aussie girls continued to rock on for another 2 songs before Ellen finally entered the stage beginning her monologue about talking.


First up? Amy Brenneman from Judging Amy. (we didn’t know who she was either). Then she interviewed the reporter who was reporting on his own home burning down in the California “FIRESTORM”. During each add break, we danced and frolicked and dance competitions were held. Back on the air, Stryker begins cooking a hamburger in his DJ booth in a Sunbeam rocket grill. THEN! Ellen gave away a Sunbeam Grill to everyone in the audience!

As the show was aired the next day, the 4 of us were in a featured in closeup, applauding furiously as Ellen entered the studio.

No autographs please, we need to roll.


For all our upcoming events please check the event calendar at AustraUSA

All Ellen Photographs are available HERE for Members Only



No part of this article or articles on this page or on AustraUSA may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Author and AustraUSA.com and AustraLAevents.com

Beside the Big Pond

Oh I do like to brunch beside the bigpond

Oh I do like to chat and sip some tea

I crack jokes and drink some wine

with these Aussie friends of mine

Beside the bigpond, my friends and me.

Sunday, October 7th, 2007 - Laguna Beach, Orange County




For more information on AustraUSA please visit our website at http://www.austrausa.com/

No part of this article or articles on this page or on AustraUSA may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Author and AustraUSA.com and AustraLAevents.com

Common Sense is makin' a comback!

Below - our members watching
in the Audience at the Dr Phil Show
"We're not here to watch television. We're here to MAKE television" exclaimed the crowd 'warmer' followed by 2 swift groin thrusts, a side kick, a backwards moon walk and a booty shake.

Giving away Dr Phil weight loss solution hand books and Dr Phil mugs, our warm up guy had the studio audience in a frenzy in order to get their hands on a freebie.

We were sitting front and center (right in front of Robin - the good Doctors wife) in our VIP seating. A great position to view every tender moment, every finger pointed, every falling tear.

Today's topic? Childhood obesity.

So it was a little difficult to make the transition from frenzied, cheering audience member to become a serious and concerned one. One sideways glance at my friend next to me and it would be all over. That dreaded hysterical laughter at an inappropriate time left me feeling like I was sitting in the principal's office with Dr Phil as the Headmaster.

But as the show began, it was pretty apparent that there was nothing to giggle about. This isn't just TV, these are people's real lives, dealing with very real problems. One child weighed more than a baby elephant, while other children were so obese, they were suffering from diabetes, and many other illnesses expected to be found primarily in aging adults, from cholesterol issues and blood pressure to even more serious diseases.

"This year, common sense is makin' a comeback!", Dr Phil tells his first guest after she folds her arms over her ample belly and unequivocally denies she was directly respsonible for her daughter's weight problem.

The odd thing that struck our members, was the fact that during the ad break, The Doctor appears to stare off into space, while his guests sit and sob next to him. But what did we care, we had since left the studio after the taping and were now chowing down at The Grove. After all that talk about food, we were STARVING! and we rather amused by it too.

But we must have been on our best behaviour, because the Dr Phil show called again today and asked when we would be coming back... seems the good doctor, loves us Aussies. Now that's what I call common sense!

All the photos and videos are online for AustraUSA Members only! Remember to log in first.

Up Coming events for AustraUSA:

Australians in LosAngeles, Orange County California and St Louis, Missouri!


Sunday 7th October 10:15am - Brunch at Laguna Beach
Sunday 21st October 10:30am - Getty Villa Tour, Malibu
Sunday 4th November - Pre-Melbourne Cup Celebration Redondo Beach
Sunday 11th November 1:30pm - Ladies Fashion Day, Laguna Hills
Sunday 2nd December - Christmas Celebration - SAVE THE DATE

No part of this article or articles on this page or on AustraUSA may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Author and AustraUSA.com and AustraLAevents.com

Wazza from Westwood

You might think that the 26th of August was just an ordinary Sunday in Los Angeles.

It's probably exactly what a wandering Aussie thought too, as he was heading off to play a game of tennis in the Westwood Park. Until, there before him in the swaying heat of the horizon, 10 Peter Garretts thrust around to the sounds of The Power and the Passion.

As he ventured closer to the mirage, the Garrett clones were replaced by a flock of laughing kookaburras; the Australian flag soaking up the breeze behind them. Australian voices filtered through the trees and the sounds of didgeridoos stretched around him, welcoming him in.

Like a stunned mullet he staggered into the Aussie Oasis and exclaimed "Where the bloody hell am I?"

"You're at the AustraLA Annual BBQ!" The 100 strong crowd replied.

It seems the bush telegraph hadn't quite reached Wazza from Westwood by way of Wagga Wagga but now that he was there, he was determined to join in on the fun.

Replacing his racquet for a silver spoon and a big blue egg, Wazza found himself running for his life in the Emu Egg and Spoon Race, tossing boomerangs, and taking a didgeridoo lesson under the shade of a Coolabah Canopy from SportsMart.

IndidgDance entertained the cheering crowd with traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait dances and songs, telling stories of Kangaroos, Emus and Mozzies.

He tucked in to the hot Four'N Twenty Pies, chasing them down with Pavlova and Lamingtons, taming his Aussie taste buds. With his belly full, Wazza leaned up against the trunk of a gum tree, closed his eyes, and savored the tastes and sounds of home...

Storm clouds rolled in above his head, announcing themselves with a crack, snapping Wazza from his Australian dreams, to find himself sitting all alone.

The Kookaburras had vanished, and the dancing Garrett's had faded away.

"Where the bloody hell am I?" He exclaimed for the second time that day. As he glanced down, he found an empty Four'N Twenty wrapper resting in his hand.

For more information on AustraLA Events please visit http://www.australaevents.com/ or email info@austraLAevents.com




Our next events:

Thursday 27th September 10am - VIP tickets to the Dr. Phil Show

Friday 28th September 7:30pm - AFL Grand Final and Aussie dinner

Sunday 7th October 10:15am - Brunch at Laguna Beach

Sunday 21st October 10:30am - Getty Villa Tour, Malibu

Sunday 4th November - Pre-Melbourne Cup Celebration - SAVE THE DATE

Sunday 11th November 1:30pm - Ladies Fashion Day, Laguna Hills

Sunday 2nd December - Christmas Celebration Orange County - SAVE THE DATE

No part of this article or articles on this page or on AustraUSA may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Author and AustraUSA.com and AustraLAevents.com

Beautiful Souls

It was the last thing I expected to say at 4pm that afternoon. In fact, at about 2:30 that same day I was muttering the exact opposite, with the assumption that I had just paid $8.50 to feel thoroughly depressed and miserable.



8 AustraLA'ers were about to watch 3 Australian prisoners live out their last hour of life in a Thai jail before their pending execution.




A real pick me up!




There they stood. The 3 of them. 3 separate cells. David, Justin and Beth. Miserable and scared. Nothing in their cell except a thin bamboo mat for a bed, a bamboo chair and a pot for a loo. They were dirty. I could almost smell the stench. But I could smell their fear.



Amidst the despair, they found comfort in each other's presence, and lifted our spirits with humour at their darkest hour. Finding the beauty in themselves and recognising one another as beautiful souls, forgiveness freed their spirits.



As they lived out their last breath in front of our eyes, I wiped the tears from mine.



"BRAVO!"

8 beautiful souls!

Upcoming Events for Australians in Los Angeles and Orange County -
Aug 3 - Dodgers Game
Aug 12 - Dim Sum
Aug 26 - AustraLA BBQ and Cultural Day
Sept 28 - AFL grand final Party
October - The Getty Villa
4 Nov - Melbourne Cup themed day
Dec - AustraLA Christmas party

No part of this article or articles on this page or on AustraUSA may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Author and AustraUSA.com and AustraLAevents.com

I went to Rove LIVE in LA, and all I got was this lousy lacker band . . .

Cast onto the sidewalk like a bunch of desperados, we stand in line and wait for 3 hours in the scorching heat of the day just to see Rove film his weekly TV show in LA.

There were a few bursts of "Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi's" as the 100 strong crowd attempted to amuse themselves to pass the time, others chatted, and others closed their eyes while standing.

Eventually, we were herded through gates and into pens and like cattle, we were branded on our hands with either a red smiley face, or a blue 'thumbs up' or was it a thumbs down? Perhaps one was to distinguish grade A Aussie beef and the other for the cannery.

Then, in a long holding pen, we sat on cold metal benches, patrolled by wardens with red jackets and walkie talkies.

As another hour or two passes, the initial excitement of the prospect of heading into the studio dissipated and once again we waited.

In the mean time, some of our members cruise the aisles with AustraLA Events Signs and begin chatting to the crowd. Everyone chatted to their neighbours, saying G'day and doing the usual expat sniff. "Where are you from in Australia?" "How long have you been here" Before long, a line of strangers became group of mates getting together and having a yarn.

It seems we had forgotten why we were there in the first place, and when it came time to enter the studio, it was as if someone had ended the party.

We were seated inside the PRICE IS RIGHT studio, then we were forced to practice our crowd cheers.

Level 1 - Clapping

Level 2 - Clapping and woo and yeah. The woo for the women and the yeah for the men.

Level 1 - Genuine Laughter

Level 2 - Fake Laughter

As our throats became hoarse, we were joined by those who had 'reserved seats'. Studio execs, talent scouts, Aussie Nikki Whelan and David Spade with drink in hand.

Now I have to be rather honest here, but by the time Rove came out, we were bloody buggered. We'd been going now for about 5 hours, and those studio chairs were so comfortable in comparison with those metal benches, I caught a few people taking a kip.

Rove's opening line? TOILETS.

Rove's opening line to his first Guest David Duchovney? "Nice Arse."

Rove's end to the same interview? Grabbing his guest on the ass.

Our mate Mr. Spade only made it to the first commercial break before he made a dash for stage right... possibly to "shout for Ruth".

Mid way through, all those in reserved seats bailed for the exits, never to return.

Then it was Hamish and Andy who brightened the crowd with their daggy recount of their experience on the streets of LA. As the city of Angels is home to 100's of gangs, these boys thought they'd start their own.

And what would an Australian Gang be called?

The GANGAROOS!

The Gang colours?

'Gang Green' and gold!

The Gang Sign?

Visiting some pretty scary people, The boys went on a recruiting drive across LA. Finally recruiting the Gang Leader - Bob Sagat.

It is here that AustraLA proposes Bob Sagat is initialted into the Gangaroos, by participating in our Annual Aussie BBQ. What does he have to do to pass the test? Dance like Peter Garrett and laugh like a Kookaburra at the same time?

Others Rove guests included Michael Vartan and Radha Mitchell, Claire Danes, Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart Simpson) and then they finished it off with a performance by Good Charlotte.

After the show, Rove and his cronies stuck around for question time and by the time we exited the building, the sun had set and our clocks were pushing closely toward tomorrow.

As I collected my camera and phone from security, I was left with a parting gift... a lousy lacka band.

Upcoming Events for Austrlians in Los Angeles and Orange County -

Aug 3 - Dodgers Game

Aug 12 - Dim Sum

Aug 26 - AustraLA BBQ and Cultrual Day

Sept 28 - AFL grand final Party

October - The Getty Villa

4 Nov - Melbourne Cup themed day

Dec - AustraLA Christmas party

Frankie at Franklins

Sunday 22 July - Aussie Movie Matinee at Landmark Theatres - West Los Angeles


Our collective bums winded the leather sofas as we made ourselves comfortable - Air whistling from cushion seems. Wafts of popcorn drizzled with cheddar made its way up our nostrils and gourmet pizza tapped along our taste buds. The darkness soon swallowed us whole.


Thick Australian accents engulfed our ear drums making us giggle. Do we sound like that?


Soon, the lives of a typical atypical quirky Australian family unfolded before us. A British mother with a love for the spotlight, a teen in love, torn between his emotionally needy mother who wont let go, and the needs of his intellectually challenged brother, Mark, who was also falling in love.


Then there were those recognisable faces. Like a best friend, a father, a long lost relative. What were their names? Rebecca Gibney! Lead scrubba. Frankie J Holden! The divorced father of the teen boys, and security guard at Franklins supermarket.


A whisper floated into my ear "This must be old! Franklins doesn't exist anymore!" Then another "That's Sydney!"

Tangled with phrases we hadn't heard in years, this Aussie family's 'coming of age' story came together with darkness, reality, and sprinkle of comedy, ending with a surprisingly squeaky clean conclusion one wouldn't expect for such a tumultuous family.


As the credits rolled and the sofas filled their lungs once more, our own Aussie family made its way out of the darkness, and back into the LA groove.

I tawt I taw a puddy tat

Purring at the sight of Aussie beer and pawing at the hot Four'N Twenty Pies, these Geelong fans knew that The Cats would always land on their feet once they leapt into the air during the first bounce. Call it animal instinct. Over 300 AFL fans joined AustraUSA Events and On The Rocks in Redondo Beach for a Grand Final Party - The largest gathering in Los Angeles.

The Cats tossed the ball around like a toy mouse laced with catnip - hungry for the kill, and toying with the other team - all for the devious pleasure of the team and the fans scattered across different time zones, cheering them on.

But this wasn't the only cause for celebration. At half time, party-goers jumped from their seats as gifts and prizes were hand balled into the buoyant crowd. Each prize becoming a chance to score a mark, until it came to a prize to heavy to launch into the crowd. A 42" plasma TV went to the lucky winners below when they turned in the lucky ticket.

As the Toohey's New and the 'Kangarooter' Bombora cocktails were lapped up by the crowd, the previously mousy Port supporters gathered a little more courage, daring to cheer their team, or boo the opposition. But it seems nothing was going to make these Cats hiss as Geelong managed an outstanding victory of 133 points over Port's meagre 44, leaving Port to choke on a furball - er football.

Meow.

Sausage Rolls and Sea Lions

Sunday 15th July 2007

Sunday's event was little beauty. We had the SeaLab in Redondo Beach to ourselves for a private party led by our event leader - our very own Shark Hunter. Well not really - he rescues all sorts of marine life and was recently on the news for SEALab's conservation efforts. He was nibbled by Rays, fed the fish fingers (his own) at the Halibut pool... and after a quick count, we were pleased to find none were missing , and he even wrangled sharks with his BARE HANDS! May I mention here that one of our members (who shall remain nameless) managed to get bitten by a horn shark, and even caught it on video! And when we say horn, we are not subscribing to the language of Kath and Kim. It really has horns.

After our private tour of the sea lab, feeding Halibut (spooky things that tango sideways), sharks and other sea creatures, we took to our kayaks and headed out to see the sea lions performing on a vacant pontoon in the bay. Besides the stink, they were fascinating to watch... barking, playing and sunning themselves. But you had to keep an eye out for the tour boats and the wake they left behind them. Waves seem like Tsunamis in a little kayak. Strangely, it was the Coast guard who conveniently floored it right next to us, that nearly put us head first into the drink.

Nothing quite like an afternoon out on the sea to work up an appetite, and strangely, we had developed a craving for seafood... But this was soon forgotten when we heard about the Aussie Pub down the road. We savoured (scoffed) the tastes of Four'N Twenty Pies and Sausage Rolls, and washed them down with Tooheys 'nectar'. A great end to a fabulous day.
Our next event for Australians in Los Angeles, and Orange county is :

Friday July 20th - Aussie Movie night.

Visit http://www.australaevents.com/ for all event details.