Dandenong Lions Club’s Ananda Mendis cooks sausages for a line of hungry Greater Dandenong residents.– Shaun ‘Banjo’ Inguanzo
IF the great Banjo Patterson were alive to experience a Greater Dandenong sausage sizzle – what would he say?
Surely he’d retire the recitals of his immortal classics, even the Man From Snowy River, to have a good crack at personifying the humble sausage.
Because for anyone who attended Australia Day festivities at Dandenong Park, Bunnings Sandown, or Noble Park RSL last Friday, it was obvious that barbecues ruled the day.
The humble snag and accompanying meat patties and vegie burgers, managed to unite thousands of residents of different races, religions, cultures and opinions by appealing to one of our most common human desires – hunger – and thus proving we are not so different after all. The almighty sausage possessed a magnetism that made people queue peacefully, wait in line without pushing and then enjoy an afternoon of entertainment among a crowd of those who would otherwise be strangers.
So without further ado, here’s a fair crack of the old whip to recreate Banjo Patterson’s lust for capturing a moment in time, albeit in today’s Australia.
There was movement in the city, for the word had passed around,
That snags, and patties too, were on today,
And the onions plus some sauces – amid a crackling barbie sound,
Sent a crowd of hungry patrons on their way.
All arrived at Dandy Park from the places near and far,
As the Lions Club then mustered all its might,
For the people love a barbie where the celebrations are,
And so formed a line to lead them to delight.
There were people there, from black to white, of many cultures, too.
The barbecue’s strong lure was too great.
All queued and standing patiently, the line it slowly grew,
Of those soon to end their hungry state.
Thin slices from a bread loaf were placed gently into hands.
Snags fell into soft white cradles they had made.
The sauce it ran quite freely like a colt across the land,
And people tucked into a dish of Aussie fame.
The volunteers held patient as they cooked away that day,
And produced more than one thousand tasty snags.
The iconic meal bound people in a certain kind of way.
It might one day be fixed upon our flag.
Just a plain and humble sausage, charred a bit around the edges,
Could be quite like anyone on any given day.
Nothing speaks Australian like a stick of meat in bread,
Especially on Australia’s chosen day.
