My Top 10 Fair Dinkum Legends

It's that time of year again. That's right, the ol' gal is another year older.

And i'm not talking about the lady in the photo who by the way isn't a member of my family.

Any resemblance to a distant second cousin is purely coincidental.

So fire up the Webber, crack open the West Coast Cooler, fill up the Esky, burn some Safeway snags and go the tonk with your Grey Nichols Twin Scoop in a game of backyard cricket.

It's Australias Day to celebrate all that is being Australian. No-one exactly knows what it means to be Australian but as it changes every day but it doesn't matter. As long as you live in the big brown land, can appreciate the delight that is a Chicken Parma and say to your mate "yeah mate if she asked me..i'd have a crack" then your Aussie enough for me.

So to celebrate our day. i was bored last night and came up with my top 10 Fair Dinkum Australian Legends. Now i was bored and with that fatigue sets in so the choices may not agree with everyone. If you don't agree then make up your own top 10 list and send it to me. I'll post them.

So here are my Top 10. Enjoy

10. Steve Bradbury - At the 2002 Winter Olympic Games he won the gold medal in short track speed skating after deciding pre-race to stay at the back of the pack and watch the action unfold in front of him. At the final corner he was last before the other three competitors crashed into each other allowing steve to pass them and win the Gold.

9. Tony Barber - From his rythmic gymnastics displays of side stepping and fist pumping at the start of every episode of "Sale of the Century" to the disaster that was "Jeopardy" and the quiet torture that was "Wheel of Fortune" Tony has been giving away BMW's and AAT Tours to Alice Springs for over 30 years. He's released some forgerful albums as well and played at numerous Tatts Pokies venues around the country.

8. The D Generation - Where do you start with these guys. They came together at Melbourne University only to become the most successful comedy troupe in this nations history. Our funny bones have be smashed from pillar to post for over 20 years thanks to the genuis of these guys. From "Fast Forward" to "The Late Show" and yes "The Panel" to movies such as "The Dish" and "Crackerjack" no -one will ever come close to the impact the D Generation has had on Australian Comedy

7. Kerry Packer - A giant not only physically but in business but in real life. We loved hearing about how he bought Channel 9 for a third of the price of what he sold it for three years earlier. We loved it when he was breaking the house at the Vegas Casinos and we loved his no nonsence way of life. He gave us World Series Cricket which in turn gave us Australian Idol runner up Shannon Noll singing "Cmon Aussie Cmon" it's ok Kerry, we'll forgive you for that last one.

6. Professor Graeme Clark - A scientist? You betchya! His life long dedication to creating the cochlear implant (otherwise known as the Bionic Ear) allowed profoundly deaf people around the world to benefit from his 10 years of research and dedication. Now a global company, Dr Clarke still plays an active part in his quest for better techniques to help seriously deaf people hear the magic of the world around them, with the exception of when Australian Idol is playing on TV.

5. Cliff Young - When a 61 year old farmer from rural Victoria wearing tracksuit pants with holes cut into them for ventilation wins the first Westfield Sydney to Melbourne Ultra Marathon the whole nation was saluting this unsung hero. he was a quietly spoken man who loved the country life. The media couldn't get enough of him and well the ultra marathon slowly faded away a few years later. Still the sight of an old man shuffling down the street with thousands of people cheering him is reason enough to be here.

4. Jimmy Barnes - No one has made as much of an impact at Aussie 21st birthdays like Jimmy. How many times towards the end of a 21st has a crowd formed a circle , arms draped over each others shoulders and in a drunked stupor belted out the lyrics to "Khe Sahn" What would an Aussie 21st be without it? Kudos to his work in Cold Chisel and his two best solo albums "Working Class Man" and "Freight Train Heart"

3. Paul Hogan - The qunitessntial Aussie guy. A former painter on the Sydney Harbour Bridge who turned his hand to comedy. His work on "The Paul Hogan Show" rates as one of the most consistently funny shows to be shown on TV. I loved it as a kid and i still love it now. For me, my favorite comedy sketch of all time was his "World Series War" skit. Add to the fact he made two Crocodile Dundee films too many and told Americans we love shrimp on a barbie, it still doesn't compare to seeing him as Leo Wanker.

2. Bruce Samazan - He became a staple on Australian televisions in the early 1990's with his work in "Neighbours" and "EStreet". His general poor acting and floopy haired image made hime the perfect recipient of the 1992 Most Popular Male Peronality at the TV Week Logie Awards. Since then his work on the small screem has decresed to random episodes of "Beauty and the Beast" and the occasional "Where are they now" type show. With his real passion being real estate, Bruce still makes the list as he lived the Australian dream and is now getting bagged for it every single day since he was 23. Good onya Samaz, you're a legend if you still get your name in the papers more than the hot blonde from "Paradise Beach"

1. All of Us - Sure it may be the soft option but if you don't like it you can go and get stuffed! From the local butcher to the shady bloke at the footy club who can get stuff "hot from the docks" we are all fair dinkum legends in my book. Every Australian, wether born here or overseas has added a small dimension to this great story that is our country. We love to have a good laugh and we are always helping each other out when its really needed. We may not agree with each other all the time but at the end of the day it doesn't rally matter. As long as we can have a drink and a chinwag afterwards then all is forgotten.

Happy Birthday Australia.

Sab and i made lamingtons for our kids. We'll keep you updated on the verdict. By the way they look like shite. Literally.