First Ever British Driver?

[D-Type]

Regardless of the political nuances, the reality is that it was after Gallipoli that Australia became a nation

[Vitesse]

Bollocks.
Clauses 3 and 4 of The Commonwealth of Australia Act of 1900 established Australia as a "Commonwealth" as at Jan 1, 1901. Royal Assent was given on Jul 9, 1900.
Legally Australia was never a "Dominion" and was never refferred to as such, because it already had 6 Wesminster parliaments in operation, Australia was federated and never afforded dominion status because it already has the ability to pass it's own local laws. The Commonwealth of Australia was subordinate but never a dominion.

As an aside: Edwin Flack won an Olympic gold medal in 1896 for "Australia" some 5 years before the creation of the country, so that also blows your theory out of the water.

I did specify "Dominion status", status being the crucial word - that status meant self-government. And - mea culpa - it was New Zealand and Newfoundland which were entitled to call themselves Dominions after 1907, not Australia, which achieved it in 1901 when the Commonwealth was declared.

Looking from a perspective of about 1930 the "old Dominions" were: The Dominion of Canada, The Commonwealth of Australia, The Dominion of New Zealand, The Dominion of Newfoundland, The Union of South Africa and the Irish Free State. So - three Dominions, one Commonwealth, one Union and one Free State: but all with equal status within the Empire.

[GJD]

Regardless of the political nuances, the reality is that it was after Gallipoli that Australia became a nation

Well... yes... but my (Australian) wife saluted the Union Flag and sang God Save HRH at school assemblies in Oz in the 50's and 60's.

And... whilst the Australia Acts of 1986 supposedly abolished appeals to the Privy Council, such were still heard into the 90's.

Degrees of separation, I suppose.

There again, you might say that the major point of separation came during the Adelaide Test in the 'Bodyline' series of 1932-33 when Bert Oldfield suffered a fractured skull and the Australian Board of Control subsequently sent the famous cable to the MCC in which they asserted that unless Bodyline was stopped it was likely to "upset the friendly relations existing between Australia and England."

[Vitesse]

You are of course referring to leg theory ....

[GJD]

You are of course referring to leg theory ....

Indeed! another degree of separation...

I suppose you've heard the story ( I dunno if it's true) about Jardine knocking on the door of the Australian changing room after a day's play and asking to speak to the captain. Woodfull was duly summoned and asked "What can I do for you, Dougie?"

"One of your chaps called me a barstard on the field of play, today," said Jardine, "and I want him carpeted."

Woodfull turned to the players behind him and called out, "Listen up, you barstards. Which of you barstards called this barstard a barstard?"



'Barstard' deliberately mispelt to thwart the swear filter 'cos it would have mucked up the story! Sorry, mods.