Lamingtons and Billy Tea - Some Australia Day Thoughts and other bits

Cheat's Billy Tea - I am using teabags today

I must say I am shocked, shocked I tell you! Less than two weeks after Christmas, the Easter bunnies were already in the shops. Today they were joined by Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns.

I am also very surprised – pleasantly, by how many of you are reading this blog – 43.5 K this month. Would have thought reading other people’s travel adventures would be rather like watching other people’s holiday slides in those pre –selfie days. I usually don’t like other people’s traveller’s tales, either because they make me jealous or make me feel bad because they’ve done a much better job – better photos and so on, or because they are just pleasant and pretty, like tourist brochures, with no mention of the hazards and ugliness you might encounter.

I do like them when they are exceptionally funny like “Molvania– A Land Untouched by Modern Dentistry” [with apologies to any country which might see itself in the fictitious land described in this book]. Its purpose is to send up a particular style of modern travel writing, rather than any actual place. Bill Bryson’s “The Lost Continent Travels in Small Town America" still strikes a chord although it's been many years since it was first published and I also enjoyed the more recent “There’s no Toilet Paper on the Road Less Travelled” a collection of other people's travel disasters collected by Doug Lansky.  Yes, some people have even more unfortunate or more hilarious experiences than I do, both of which tend to make me feel better.

Well, before we go on to yet more travel adventures - don't worry we are almost at the end of that trip, I just want to say a big Hi! to Aussies out there, wherever they may be. I know the day we’ve celebrated so far has been very controversial and hurtful to our indigenous people and I don’t want to go there today, nor down that overly patriotic road which says, my country Über Alles or ‘my country Right or Wrong’ – Australians are usually quietly proud of their country and have a lot to be proud of .

They include people like our scientists such as first Australian of The Year and Nobel Prize winner, Sir Frank McFarlane Burnet who found out among other things, why transplanted organs were rejected or those such as Fred Hollows, a wonderfully humble man, who worked tirelessly to bring sight to countless people around the world including indigenous Australians. Although he is now deceased, the Fred Hollows Foundation continues his work. 

What I would celebrate also – any day will do, though I know most Aussies just don't want to give up that last summer long weekend – which is indeed very Australian - is the fact that so many people from widely different backgrounds and countries have managed to come together at all, and for the most part, stand united against injustice and oppression. Some even go much further. These are the people who are generally among those nominated for Australia Day Awards, though there are also many who work away quietly whose names we never know.

This year’s Australia Day Award Winners - among many worthy contenders, included Local Heroes Vanessa Bretell and Hannah Costello, who through their two Stepping Stone Cafes in Canberra provide support and training to migrant and refugee women who might otherwise have difficulty in the job market – either because of lack of language skills, lack of qualifications or lack of support, having moved or been forced to move to an entirely different country and culture. Their work not only provides vital support and opportunities but also fosters a sense of community and belonging.

The Young Australian of the Year is Katrina Wruck, a young indigenous woman who also happens to be an industrial chemist. She not only developed a method to clean contaminated water using a type of mine waste, but also encourages young Aboriginal people to enter the sciences. 

The Australian of the Year Award went to a sportsperson, whom I normally don’t applaud all that much, because about the only thing most people overseas know about Aussies, is their sporting prowess, but very little about the other things which Australians do.

This sportsperson Neale Daniher, was well known and loved in football circles when he was stricken with Motor Neurone Disease (MND),  a disease which affects the nerves in the brain and the spine, gradually causing the sufferer to waste away and lose muscle which affects they way they walk, talk eat and speak. and for which there is presently no cure.  

Despite failing health, Daniher has raised $115 million for research through his advocacy and creative fund -raising efforts on behalf of FIGHT MND a charity he co - founded to provide hope and comfort to sufferers and their families and so that those who come after him will have a better chance of living a full and healthy life. I especially liked  what he said at the end of his acceptance speech and hope his words will continue to inspire others as well as myself.

“… no matter the odds, no matter the diagnosis, we all have the power to choose to fight, to choose our attitude, to choose to smile, and to choose to do something. “

Currently about 2 Australians a day are diagnosed with MND and about two Australians a day die from it. Average life expectancy after diagnosis is only around 27 months.

The Senior Australian of theYyear, eighty – four-year-old, former teacher Brother Thomas Oliver Pickett is also a wonderful example of humanity and humility. Like thousands of other Australians, most of them unsung, he volunteers his time to charity and doing kind things for other people. In his case it is about Wheelchairs for Kids, which he co -founded in 1986 and which builds and donates wheelchairs to children all over the world who lack mobility. Sometimes these are necessary because the children have been victims of disease or injury, but many others have lost limbs through man – made tragedies such as war and landmines.

So far he and his army of volunteers have built more than 61,500 custom wheelchairs but they want to build even more.  As well as sending adjustable wheelchairs which grow with the child, his organisation sends physiotherapists to ensure that they are fitted correctly and yet another army of quiet achievers all over Australia crochets a blanket for each child and sends a teddy bear to go with it. Now if that isn’t a global achievement, I don’t know what is.

On Australia Day we also celebrate the large number of people from other countries who have become citizens that year – almost half a million in 2024. At the ceremony, usually held by local councils, they are given a native tree to plant which is not only a very fitting symbol when coming to a new country but a  necessary one, given the extensive habitat loss Australia experiences, but also to provide shade and water and soil retention in future. 

In stark contrast, one of the less commendable events on Australia Day, was a rally of Neo Nazis at the Adelaide War Memorial. They must be extremely ignorant or stupid to be demonstrating in front of the very edifice which honours Australian soldiers who were killed  defending Europe against Hitler and his fellow Nazis. They would surely be turning over in their graves to see this hateful ideology rearing its ugly head again.  Fortunately the 20 or so participants have now been roundly condemned and charged. We should also remember, that while that small number of people have managed to grab the headlines, they are not representative of the vast majority of Australians who are kind, law abiding citizens either just struggling to get a roof over their head and food on the table or trying to make the world and their communities better places. 

Let’s acknowledge the wrongs of the past and continue to help our original Australians attain better health and educational outcomes, but let’s not encourage those who would foster division and anger, but only those who bring us together and makes the whole country a kinder, better place. 

Advance Australia Fair, indeed, as it says in our National Anthem. Here it is for those who are unfamiliar with it. 

So, What’s a Lamington? *

Lamingtons are basically squares of sponge cake dipped in chocolate icing and rolled in desiccated coconut. The original recipe, which first appeared in Queensland in 1900 was believed to have been named after Lord Lamington, then Governor of Queensland, whose chef made them from left over sponge cake to feed unexpected guests. Below is a shareable Lamington Recipe courtesy of Copilot [Microsoft Bing AI] if you want to impress Aussies on Australia Day. Tastes pretty good to non -Australians too!

Some people also add jam before dipping it in chocolate sauce or serve them with cream but they are quite delicious on their own. All those good Country Women would be shocked, but you could even start with a simple bought sponge cake or sponge cake mix if you wanted to save time.

Ingredients

For the sponge cake:

• 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120ml) milk

For the chocolate icing:

• 4 cups (500g) powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup (35g) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (120ml) boiling water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

For the coating:

• 2 cups (200g) desiccated coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. Prepare the sponge cake:
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Add vanilla extract and eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder, then add to the mixture in three parts, alternating with the milk. Begin and end with the flour mixture.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
3. Prepare the chocolate icing:
• Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder into a medium bowl.
• Add boiling water and butter, then stir until smooth and glossy.
4. Assemble the Lamingtons:
• Cut the cooled sponge cake into squares (about 16 pieces).
• Dip each square into the chocolate icing, ensuring all sides are well-coated. Let any excess drip off.
• Roll the chocolate-coated cake in the desiccated coconut, ensuring it's evenly covered.
• Place the finished Lamingtons on a wire rack to set.

Enjoy!

·         See the earlier post for how to make other Aussie Classics such as Billy Tea and Damper