Saturday, March 13, 2010

Le Tour de Labit


Long before cycling becomes a fashion that it is today with expensive bikes with multiple gears and suspensions, cycling was a way of life for everybody, young and old.

During those days, it was the Raleigh. It was the Merc of the bicycle world. You would want to be seen in one. Then came the chopper with the U shape handle. Every kids would want to be seen in one.

I guess most of the bikes we owned were practically hands me down. I remember during those days in Lenggong, we must have gotten our bikes from Kuala Kangsar - may be hands-me-down from our uncle.

No, no chopper, but for us kids in the early 70s, it was like having a car of our own. With it, our legs became longer, so to speak. We can cover more distance in shorter time and effort, and the whole town and the surrounding kampungs became our play ground.

We were no longer confined to Lenggong town itself.

I don't exactly remember how it began, but I do remember Lokman and I scheming it at school. We tried to get buy in from Eddy (Ridzwan), but he was not interested for some reasons - he was a good kid then unlike us. ;-)

So I guess it was left to the two of us.

I must have gone to Lokman's house first in an attempt to camouflage our our plan and we made our moves from there on, in a convoluted way back to the Jalan Teluk Batu heading to Labit, and further even though it added up more miles to our journey.

Our destination?

Sungai Perak!

Of course we could not tell our parents as the answer would be an empathic no, and hence I had to scheme my way towards Lokman's house eventhough it made the distance further away.

Kids on bicycles! What else you would expect them to do? We would race each other of course along the way. No wheelie and the likes during those days as the term rempit was unknown then. In sport, there was no way I could get the better of Lokman - he was the school runner and yours truly was practically the last kid out of the block during Std 1's Merebut Gula-gula.

As Lokman had stated when he related this story, "Aku dgn Rahman banyak nostalgia... . Antaranya jatuh basikal kat jalan Teluk Batu hala ke Labit.... Kalau lawan lari, Rahman memang ketinggalan coz dia masa tu montel...."

So to cut the story short, I decided to race Lokman thinking that we are equal on the bike, unlike on the track. As we were going downhill - and I am sure it was Lokman ahead, either I hit a stone on the road or a pothole and lost control of the bicycle and I had a close and personal introduction to the bitumen and the wonders of the hard modern road as designed by McAdams but as built by Malaysian contractors.

Kata Lokman, "Kau jatuh basikal masa tu kita tengah training utk racing tour d labit....Masa tu kau kan montel, kononnya nak overtake aku, tapi ada batu tengah jalan, apa lagi terguling le..."

(It reminded me of a Sudir's song Ding A Ding Gale - Nasib saya kurang baik, sudah langgar sama batu. In Sudir's case, polis mari tangkap baju; for me well...terguling)

Bleeding profusely on my knees and elbow, I picked up the bicycle which was still in one piece. I guess I was too, though the cut on the elbow looks really bad.

But then I guess I was 9 years old and I was a superman (even if Lokman may not agree since I was unable to overtake him). We did not abandon our mission and we went to Sg Perak and had our day swimming in it. The hurt and pain had gone and the joy of swimming in the real river of Sg Perak must have acted like a painkiller.

Mind you this was not some small river at the back of someone's house. This was the mighty Perak River, which two dams were built to generate electricity.

When this story was retold in the school forum, Saaya reminded us that we dropped by at his house that day and Lokman being the Mat Menyemat that he was, would still maintain his 'remos' by using the mirror at his house after we had our fun in the river.

Kata Saaya to Lokman, "Aku ingat lagi Lokman, hang dgn Rahman jatuh basikal tu, kalu tak silap aku mika gi Labit lepas tu kelik kot Temelong. Mika singgah kat rumah aku. Masa tu darjah 3. Hang nak tumpang sikat rambut. Hang ni masa darjah 3 dah pandai menyemat."

I guess to complete the story, we cycled back to Lenggong and eventhough we passed by my house first, I did not go back and instead went to Lokman's house. We managed to find some cottons and iodine to clean up the cuts and if I remember it correctly use a blue masking tape to cover the cuts on the elbow.

Upon reaching home, Mak saw the elbow with a big plaster and interrogated me.

Mak: Tangan tu kena apa?
Me: Jatuh pokok rambutan kat rumah Lokman. (yes, rumah Lokman, behind the clinic, has a rambutan tree).
Mak: Habih, mana rambutannya?
Me: Dah habih makan.

She did not ask further. But later that night, bapak saw the cut and thought it was quite bad. The clinic has already closed, and I guess the 'dressar' was already asleep, but Bapak woke him up and asked him to do dress up the wound on my elbow properly.

Until his death, he did not know the real story but I guess I must have told Mak recently.

Back at school the next day, of course Eddy had a field day mocking us for doing what we did. "Ha, tulah, orang dah cakap jangan pegi, nak pegi jugak. Tuh baru jatuh basikal," he said, matter-of-factly.

He was of course right. Had anything happened, I would not be floating as my degree of 'montel-ness' would have taken me deep into the river bed of Sg Perak. I am not sure Lokman would have been able to rescue his big-sized friend, even if he was a swimmer.

Luckily, nothing untoward happened and we lived to tell our tales.

But as Lokman had pointed out, he remembers our Labit tour very well and it became central to our memory of our childhood in Lenggong. Even friends like Saaya would remember it eventhough he didn't partake in our stupidity that day.
(Caption: Me when I was in Std 3 in front of our house in Pokok Jerai next to Simpang Labit. Innocent then, but mischievous nonetheless. What do expect of kids in a small remote town called Lenggong in the early 70s? But look at those trousers. I am sure the trousers was starched before they were ironed! It is shiny and crisp.)

The scars remains, as it was quite a bad cut. It serves as a reminder too; not much of our sense of stupidity but more of our sense of adventure back then.

Seperti kata Lokman tadi, "Itulah kenangan yg tak dapat aku lupakan dgn kau Rah(Man). Tapi malangnya kita terpaksa berpisah coz kau pindah ke Kuala tak silap aku.."

"The feeling is mutual, I can assure you of that, Lokman." [sambil kesat airmata]

EPILOGUE
Kids from the 70s Lenggong. Now of course bapak budak or hmmm, may be tok budak pun possible dah kut?

The pix shows yours truly with his best friends from those days at his office in Kuala Lumpur scheming and planning the 2009 reunion. Lokman is next to him, second from left, followed by Aboy, Joe (the friend from the Little Red Corvette), Zamri and Jie.

Thirty seven years on.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Life is a marathon

After two weeks not having to write, I was beginning to think that writing is a chore.

Well may be not; and I hope not anyway.

The fact that Streamyx is down at my home certainly did not help. Trying to write in the office would be a futile exercise. There are just way too many things that I need to do, to even try.

But I am reminded this morning, on the way to the office that today the SPM results would be out. I don't have anyone on my side taking - Arif last year and Akmal will be next year, and neither nieces nor nephews I guess.

I don't remember much getting my SPM results other than that it was posted to us by Bapak. So I didn't have my fun at school with friends getting my results. In fact it was a non affair to be honest. It was work as usual at Leederville Technical College where we were doing our matriculation and no one bothered much about SPM results.

It was all forgotten - it was the past and by then the matric represent the future.

SPM in hindsight did not represent the future to be honest. It should not be the highlight of our lives as students. Hopefully, there will be many more years at the uni which is where you would want to excel more a student that during your SPM.

And of course 30 years or more of working life.

Life is a marathon and not a 100-m sprint. It is a personal journey in itself and is only a competition within ourselves.

EPILOGUE

Uh oh, am I beginning to sound like a preacher? An old one at that. ;-)

What on earth I am talking about? I have no idea myself!

This is not to say SPM is not important. It is important, if only in providing the foundation for our later years.

Kenangan Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah


Oleh MOHD.AZLI ADLANazli.adlan@kosmo.com.my



SENJA itu Mohamad Anuar Abu Bakar, 60, seperti biasa ke Masjid Al-Wahidiah, Kampung Kuala Dal, Padang Rengas, Kuala Kangsar, Perak untuk mengimamkan solat Maghrib.

Tatkala hampir ke pintu pagar masjid, beliau merenung bangunan kayu unik berwarna kuning, putih dan hitam tersergam indah terletak bersebelahan masjid berkenaan.

Itulah Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah. Unik kerana ia satu-satunya rumah ibadah Islam di negara ini dan di dunia yang mempunyai dinding tepas iaitu diperbuat daripada kelarai atau anyaman buluh.

Kisah masjid itu cukup dramatik. Suatu ketika ia pernah menjadi nadi utama kerukunan dan simbol agama penduduk Kampung Kuala Dal.

Keadaan masjid tersebut agak uzur dalam tempoh lebih tiga dekad.


MASJID Ihsaniah Iskandariah semasa ia mula-mula ditinggalkan pada 1976 di Kampung Kuala Dal, Padang Rengas, Kuala Kangsar, Perak.


"Namun ketika ia hampir menyembah bumi, Jabatan Warisan Negara melakukan kerja-kerja konservasi untuk membaiki kerosakan struktur bangunan tersebut dan 'menghidupkan' masjid yang berusia 74 tahun ini.

"Terasa macam mimpi, saya dan beberapa warga emas Kampung Kuala Dal cukup bertuah kerana dapat menyaksikan tiga frasa masjid ini iaitu dari 1930-an sehingga 1976, zaman kesuraman dari lewat 1970-an hingga 2009 dan kini zaman kebangkitan semula," katanya kepada Kosmo! ketika ditemui.

Mohamad Anuar yang juga Pengerusi Masjid Al-Wahidiah antara individu yang begitu dekat dengan Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah dan Masjid Al-Wahidiah.

Datuknya, Abdul Wahid Abdul Daud dan ayahnya, Abu Bakar Ismail juga pernah diamanahkan untuk menjadi imam di masjid kampung tersebut.

Abu Bakar lebih beruntung kerana berpeluang menjadi imam di kedua-dua buah masjid.

Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah dibina di atas sebidang tanah yang diwakafkan oleh seorang bangsawan, Juragan Abdul Shukur Mohammmad Ali dan pembiayaannya sebanyak 8,000 pound sterling (RM40,000) ditanggung oleh Sultan Perak ke-30, Sultan Iskandar Shah pada 1936.

Sebelum itu, Sultan Iskandar telah bernazar untuk membina sebuah masjid jika salah seorang daripada anakanda baginda yang gering sembuh.


WAJAH baru Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah yang menjadi kebanggaan penduduk Kampung Kuala Dal.


Kampung Kuala Dal dipilih selepas baginda terlihat penduduk kampung berkenaan bersolat di sebuah madrasah yang usang ketika dalam perjalanan pulang berkelah di Lata Bubu tidak jauh dari situ.

Seni bina masjid tersebut diilhamkan sepenuhnya oleh Sultan Iskandar. Masjid tersbeut diinspirasikan daripada seni bina Istana Kenangan di Bukit Chandan, Kuala Kangsar.

Kenangan manis

Masjid yang diabadikan sempena nama baginda bercirikan seni bina tradisional Melayu Perak. Kesemua dindingnya diperbuat daripada panel kelarai bercorak intan yang dikenali sebagai dinding tepas atau tepus.

Antara keunikan lain masjid dua tingkat itu ialah reka bentuk binaannya yang menyerupai sangkar burung dan tingkapnya dihiasi ukiran serta bumbungnya kelihatan rata.

Masjid yang juga dikenali sebagai Masjid Lama Kampung Kuala Dal itu berbentuk empat segi dan tidak mempunyai kubah seperti masjid-masjid lain di seluruh dunia.

Semua struktur bangunan termasuk ragam dan kelarai dibina dan diukir oleh tukang-tukang kayu tempatan terkenal seperti Panjang Noh, Ngah Gadoh, Wan Ibrahim dan Kulup Ngah.

Masjid tersebut dirasmikan oleh Sultan Iskandar pada 11 Februari 1938 iaitu beberapa bulan sebelum kemangkatan baginda pada Oktober tahun sama.

Mohamad Anuar berkata, tingkat atas masjid tersebut dijadikan dewan solat yang boleh memuatkan 200 jemaah pada satu-satu masa manakala tingkat bawah dijadikan dewan perjumpaan, aktiviti kemasyarakatan serta persidangan pembesar negeri Perak.

Apakah kenangan manis Mohamad Anuar? Sebagai anak dan cucu bekas imam, sebahagian besar zaman kanak-kanaknya dihabiskan di sekitar masjid tersebut.

"Selain menjadi tempat beribadat hampir setiap masa, masjid tersebut memang sentiasa sibuk dengan aktiviti seperti kelas agama, kelas mengenal huruf dan membaca untuk golongan dewasa.

Kelas memasak, menjahit dan kraftangan anjuran Jabatan Kemajuan Masyarakat (Kemas) juga diadakan di situ.


KERJA-KERJA konservasi Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah siap sepenuhnya pada Julai 2009.


Sebuah pondok pengawal pernah dibina di perkarangan masjid tersebut pada zaman Darurat bagi memastikan keselamatan penduduk kampung daripada ancaman Komunis.

"Masjid semakin diimarah apabila tiba Ramadan. Kami berbuka puasa, bertilawah al-Quran dan solat tarawih bersama-sama.

"Selepas solat tarawih, sebahagian penduduk kampung akan meneruskan ibadat sunat seperti qiyammulail dan berzikir sehingga Subuh dengan cahaya pelita.

"Menjelang Syawal, arwah datuk dan beberapa penduduk kampung akan memasang panjut yang diperbuat daripada buluh dan tin susu di sekeliling perkarangan masjid bagi memeriahkan suasana," katanya.

Sepanjang ingatannya, Mohamad Anuar pernah berhadapan dengan satu pengalaman misteri semasa menemani ayahnya dan beberapa penduduk kampung lain berzikir dan beratib pada awal pagi Ramadan.

Katanya, ketika mereka asyik berzikir di tingkat atas Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah tiba-tiba lantai yang diduduki beralun-alun dan mengeluarkan bunyi seolah-olah turut berzikir.

"Saya terkejut dan ketakutan terus berlari mendapatkan ayah. Namun beliau dan beberapa penduduk kampung cuma bersenyum dan meneruskan aktiviti beratib. Peristiwa itu kekal misteri hingga sekarang," katanya.

Namun kegemilangan Masjid Lama Kampung Kuala Dal pudar apabila sebahagian strukturnya rosak teruk akibat dihempap dahan pokok durian sekitar 1976.


PEMANDANGAN tingkap Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah selepas kerja-kerja konservasi.


Kejadian itu menyebabkan sebuah masjid baru yang lebih besar dibina bersebelahannya di atas sebidang tanah yang diwakafkan oleh datuk Mohamad Anuar, Abdul Wahid.

Sebagai mengenang jasa dan pengorbanan Abdul Wahid yang juga pernah menjawat Ketua Kampung Kampung Kuala Dal, masjid baru itu dinamakan Masjid Al-Wahidiah.

Mohamad Anuar memberitahu, biarpun sudah mempunyai masjid baru, kenangan penduduk kampung terhadap Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah tidak pernah pudar.

Pelbagai ikhtiar dilakukan bagi menyelamatkan warisan kebanggaan penduduk kampung itu.

Sementara itu, Pesuruhjaya Pesuruhjaya Jabatan Warisan Negara, Profesor Emeritus Datuk Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid berkata, masjid berkenaan telah digazetkan sebagai bangunan warisan negara. Kerja-kerja konservasi dimulakan pada Disember 2008.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Belasungkawa: Sapurah Yaacob (Jan 1963 - 27 Feb 2010)


Life is short, very short - it goes without saying.

While we all knew that, we acted as if that we would live through eternity and when death comes a calling, it would jolt you to your senses (albeit for a period and then life goes on, I guess). I was away on vacation when I was informed of her condition. Three days in coma, she breathed her last on Saturday evening and was buried in Bangi on Sunday morning, and as I was away, I had to miss her funeral.

Sapurah was a colleague from my MRSM days, and while we seldom got acquainted during those days due to us being in different classrooms and homerooms, I do remember verywell our - perhaps - first conversation as I had written about the 2003 Raya gathering "The Best Time to Plant a Tree".

As for Sapurah, it was an interesting conversation on career, study and family life. It never occurred to this writer that was our first conversation after all these years and it was like old friends, right Sapurah? Good luck with the study. If you need info on Islamic banking at UIA, let this writer know.


As I have said, may be that was our first (decent) conversation, but we chatted about anything that day, just like old friends. There was no inhibition and reservation on our parts, and I must say it strike me enough for me to write about it two weeks later of the 1st Jan 2003 gathering.

When we decided to do a reunion magazine, she was one of the first to volunteer her pix album, and together we were able to scavenge it for suitable pix to be used in the magazine. She was always a willing contributor to the cause. You will see that better in the write up I wrote on the 1st Jan 2003 gathering below.

That was about to change that day, thanks to the organizers. He was told that the Sapurah, the two Aya’s, and Ku were instrumental in getting the gathering going. A thousand thanks to them. Atuk according to the website came as early as 7 am to book the place and Sapurah was like a superwoman carrying all the drinks while this writer behaved like on big shot, and watched. Shame on him!

A mother of 7, the youngest being nine years old. A mother of seven would need to be a superwoman. That's a reflection of her life I guess - dotting mothers to her children I am sure.

But beyond that I knew very little of her life, other than that she was a good person and mother. Perhaps what I had written about her would give you an example of the kindhearted person that she was. The above pix was her with her son during the 2003 Raya gathering.

I am sure many tears were shed by her friends that day to mourn her passing.

Moga Allah mencucuri rahmat keatas ruhnya and dimasukkan kedalam orang yang diredhaiNya.

Amin.

Alfatihah.

EPILOGUE

I could have researched (ie talked more to her close friends) and wrote a lengthier obituary, but I thought a timely one would be better that a late, lengthier one.

On the other hand, yet another death occurred on Monday morning (1 March 10). The wife of Orang Kuat MRSMKB76 Saudara Ku Hamid aka Atuk died suddenly and was buried in Kota Damansara by asar. She left behind 3 children.

My condolence to Atuk and hope he and his family will be 'patient' with His test. Alfatihah.

I am relieved to have been able to pay the last respect and visit a friend in his hours of sorrow, this time around.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Ratapan Anak Tiri


I remember watching this movie in Taiping, though I can't remember whether it was at the Lido or Cathay.

Most likely it was the Odeon, I think.

Whatever. It is not important.

With such a sad theme song, this movie was a blockbuster in Malaysia as far as I can remember. With this movie depicting the cruelty of the step mother, all children in Malaysia would be secretly praying that they would not have to undergo such life.

God forbids, that if it was fated that the mum would pass away, the father should not even think of remarrying.

But I remember the movie more than just the song and the tear jerker scenes. I am sure tonnes of tears were cried that year. I remember the movie due to the wonderful performance by the two sisters. I thought they would have won an Oscar themselves for the performance. Better still, even better than actually winning them, their performances were so real that you would be taken by them.

Cop, the more I think about it, that it was one particular little actress that would make the movie etched in my mind, so much so when I mentioned this to a friend Tjipto from Jakarta, he would blurted me of her name. That was more than a decade ago.

Faradilla Sandy.

A name I have not heard for nearly than 3 decades until in the late 90s.

I have since gotten VCD copies of the Ratapan Anak Tiri, RAT 2 and RAT 3, and the kids and I had watched and I am sure even today they would never fail to bring you to tears, especially the first movie.

I remember in the aftermath of the movie, while visiting someone from Lenggong doing an operation in Taiping hospital - I cant recall her name, but I believe that she was there doing an eye surgery, there it was this URTV magazine with lotsa of pix from the movie.

At that impressionable age (11 years old), I was in awe of Faradilla Sandy and of Jakarta.

She was so....well, never mind. Watch the movie yourself. I think I have VCD, if you want to borrow.

Enjoy the song by Emillia Contessa and Grace Simon



EPILOGUE

Sometimes I do wonder about the way some people would treat their mothers. I mean many of them are mothers themselves or would want to become one soon. But their actions are not reflective of this philosophy.

How would they like it when their daughters treat them the way they had treated their mothers? Have they not heard of the phrase "What goes around comes around?"

Ah well, I am lost for words, and I am seldom that way, if only on paper.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Submarines should have been made by software companies



You know many years ago when I was working for what I would consider to be the best small company in the world, I was 'bashed' by a client down South in Pasir Gudang. This was circa 1995.

He was adamant on giving me a piece of his mind on the software that I was peddling to him.

"You know, I don't understand on how you software company can get away with this. It's like someone getting away with murder. I mean your software has so many bugs and you guys tried to deceive your clients by coming up with workarounds. Just imagine if Toyota or Honda were to sell their cars and they were to tell the consumer that 'by the way, you can't make a right turn as the steering wheel can only make a left'."

"Or you were trying to tell them that the car could not brake."

"Do you think you would have sold a single car?"

This Mat Salleh manager working at this American company was not mincing his words. I have no choice but to listen to his blabbering, and at the same time stay polite and continue smiling. In this line of work, we have to stay cool, calm and calculated. Basically that day, I got kicked out literally from that company and lost the contract.

He and his twisted logic, and with a mind that would see the dark side of everything.

I think you have heard similar jokes about how our world would be different if cars were made by software companies. I guess I would not have to repeat here and insult myself in the process! ;-)

But with the spate of recall of Toyota and Honda cars recently, one would wonder if cars should have been made by software companies like ours.

Then again, how would you explain about the submarine which cannot dive.

Would you buy a car which cannot drive? Just for show in the garage or porch? I think I remember a story when I was a kid of a Mat Salleh who brought a car to Tanah Melayu when there was no road - or at least the road as we knew them today. Every morning he would be in the driver's seat and pretended to be driving.

He must be imagining driving on the streets of London, I guess.

In his case, his car would drive. But there was no road for him to drive on.

If however your submarine was made by a software company and it cannot dive, you should just pressed the reset button.

Or better still just do a Control-Alt-Delete.

After doing that, I am sure the kapal selam can selam one, I promise you.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Paul Hogan Show


As I have said before, in between studies, during the 80s, I love to browse the Humanity LIbrary as it has a rare book collections and of course music. (Cop, to be honest, it was in between usrah too may be.)

But I did study at home, like when I was too tired to go to the library (the Monash campus is about 10-15 mins walk from my house). Well, tired would be an excuse I guess; it's more likely that there was this TV show I would not want to miss during those days.

I used to have a small cassette recorder cum radio on the left of my table and an old 20 inch Black-and-white telly on the right that would be my companion during those days. When you were bored with the Bernoulli's Equation, my eyes would turn to the telly to refresh my mind.

One show that was very popular during those days was the Paul Hogan Show, obviously of the Crocodile Dundee fame to many. But The Paul Hogan Show was the reason Paul Hogan was a star in Australia in those days; long before Hollywood could not resist the charms of Paul Hogan, and so Crocodile Dundee was born.

To me he was more successful than Mr Bean, who can be quite gross actually. ;-)

Paul Hogan was never gross.

One thing I love this show in the old days is the parodies of well known shows or series (ala Naked Gun 2 1/2 starring Leslie Nielsen, but do note that Naked Gun was in the 90s!). After all, what else in term of entertainment did we have in the 80s? He would never failed to light up the small screen with his antics, and I would almost always sporting a smile.

And you would never got bored with the show as it had many sketches that would keep up glued and would at least bring a smile.

Some would compare him with the Benny Hill show as both would feature attractive ladies in revealing attire, but I think the Paul Hogan show is a bit more decent and would only use the ladies sparingly. Well, sort of!

To me it was the parodies that got me hooked long before Crocodile Dundee. Apparently it got LInda Kozlowski hooked up too!

According to the Wiki, the show ran from 1973 to 1984.

He would never failed to at least to light up those dreary days.

Here is the SWAT comedy sketch. You can always trust your SWAT Team. You think they have any resemblance to the local you know who?

I would prefer to have Capt Leo Wanker patrolling my neighbourhood anytime actually.

How this one? Starring one Clunk Eastwood as Dirty Giusseppe. I love (or should I say shock with) the Sound of Music scene and then with him cooly blabbering "I asked for Sophia Loren."

Ala Clint Eastwood - "Go ahead. Make my day!"

Pure classic!

But the last scene when he starts to shoot at the audience - it was exactly what happened during a 3D cowboy movie that I saw in 1981/85. As I have said before, I thought that that 3D cowboy movie was the best 3D movie that I had ever seen as you were part of the scene.

Much like the scene during this sketch, and it was more real as the bullets would be flying by you.

If you didn't find the clip funny, I would attribute it to either than you are so sophisticated and hard to please or that life was very simply then, so jokes were a bit stale. And I am very sure the term politically correct would be foreign to us then.

And this one from Crocodile Dundee.
Obviously Paul Hogan is an Ozzie legend.