A challenge to finish a joke about an old fart and a lost sock has produced a wave of sharp punchlines from readers across the country, while other contributors have weighed in with memories of Paris, a pop star's early days and a cheeky celebrity stunt from 1950s Brisbane.
The joke that launched a hundred punchlines
It began when a reader threw down the gauntlet: complete the set-up "an old fart and a lost sock walked into a bar." The response was, by any measure, copious.
Marion Newall of Point Frederick led the charge with a cocktail-themed entry. In her version, the old fart and the lost sock approach a barman and ask whether he knows how to make a Naked and Famous cocktail. "Sure do," says the barman. When asked for the main ingredient, he replies: "Air freshener."
Dave Lewington of Heathcoat went for a groan-worthy portmanteau finish. His barman refuses to serve the pair at all, telling them to "blow away" because the establishment doesn't serve old windsocks.
Barry Lamb of Eastwood found the punchline in a physical detail. His barman points out to the old fart that the sock can't truly be lost if it just walked in. The old fart's retort: "It didn't walk in, it hopped." The implication — one sock, one hop — lands with satisfying timing.
A Paris detour and a pop star's humble beginnings
Away from the joke competition, readers have been sharing personal history. Daniel Low of Pymble recalled a post-conference tour to Paris in 2018 that took his group to Les Invalides. When the guide discovered there were Australians present, he not only pointed out a special memorial plaque but unlocked a section normally closed to tourists, giving the group what Low described as a "special tour" — an experience he credits entirely to the Franco-Australian connection.
Josephine Hill of Blackwall reached back even further, to the early 1960s in the United Kingdom, after the name Wayne Fontana came up in recent correspondence. Hill recalled that before he was known by that stage name, the performer went by Glyn Ellis and played every Friday night at St Bernadette's in Levenshulme, Manchester. "We danced all night as he put on a superb show," she wrote.
A Brisbane kidnapping — with full consent
John Crowe of Cherrybrook contributed a story from 1953 that sits somewhere between a student prank and an impromptu publicity event. When Hollywood actress Ann Miller arrived in Brisbane to promote the film Kiss Me Kate, Crowe's friend had access to a presentable Daimler. With a group of fellow University of Queensland students, they managed to spirit Miller away on opening night — with her full consent, Crowe was quick to note. "She was quite charming and enjoyed the prank," he recalled.
Fossils, famous and otherwise
The recent auction of Gus the T.Rex prompted Jim Dewar of Davistown to reflect on the broader controversy surrounding the sale of fossils. While acknowledging the debate, Dewar could not resist a parting shot: "I can think of several that could be moved on without complaint from anyone." He left the identity of those particular specimens pointedly unspecified.
