In Melbourne on July 30, 1915, there was an enormous fund-raising support-the-troops Australia Day. One hundred years ago today "Clio" of Melbourne's Punch reported having been in the thick of it. She saw sale of the most Australian art form of all.
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"Getting off to town early to avoid the crush in trams and trains on Australia Day was not a bad idea in itself, but unfortunately it struck thousands of people at the same time, with a result that was somewhat temper-trying.
"There is no doubt that the mail for Egypt this week [for the serving soldiers, some on Gallipoli] will be something in the way of a record, for on Australia Day boomerangs and hand-painted gum leaves were in great demand to send to our men at the front. The gum leaves were rushed at, for being flat and light they are easy to slip between the pages of a letter. Those painted depicting the Australian flag and the silhouette of a soldier's head, were specially favoured, and sold at as much as five shillings each.
"Great fun resulted when Miss Dorothy Brunton [the shapely singer and motion picture actress] offered to sell her garters. Her offer to hand them over [ones she was wearing] right away sent the price jumping from £3 to £6, and, according to contract, the young actress took them off and tossed them down to the highest bidder – a young man in the second row of the stalls."
