The Nation

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Rugby Australia’s new Marketing Pigeon stood on the shoulder of Wallabies Coach Michael Cheika during the half time break and delivered a stirring speech. Mr Pigeon, who’s only been in the job a few weeks, flew and cooed his way into the dressing room and interrupted Cheika as he was spraying the boys. “Coo!”...

LOUIS BURKE | Culture | CONTACT Broadcast network SBS has announced that the next season of their daring expose into the lives of Australians doing it tough will be taking a much needed turn. Heralded as ‘unnecessary’ and ‘exploitative,’ the original Struggle Street gave a voice to disadvantaged Australians in the types of low-income areas the show’s target audience are too scared to drive around. Now...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact For reasons unbeknown to The Advocate, society has been left reeling yet again at the news that an over-privileged, privately-educated son of somebody important turned out be an arsehole. The Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has this week admitted to wearing blackface for a third time, telling reporters in Ottowa that he's not exactly sure...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact A Betoota Heights big unit and tricode football star who needs no introduction is still rolling through the streets of our cosmopolitan desert community while many others in his cohort elected to leave for bigger things in the east. Denham Pearson has had a Toyota Lolux, a Toyota Hilux and after a near-drowning experience,...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Left with not much else to do this afternoon besides think about things, a local man failed to surprise himself when he realised his most reliable and practical mate drives a Subaru Brumby. Miles Tanner is a firm believer that a man's car is a reflection of the man himself. As he's a coy Aires...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Earlier this year, Li 'Nathan' Qiang arrived in Burnie with a suitcase full of dreams - and bugging devices. The prospective University of Tasmania student had his destiny derailed by Beijing, however. His Melbourne-based handlers at the Chinese consulate approached him on the Spirit of Tasmania in June. During that faithful crossing of Bass Strait,...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact An International business student turned spy for the People's Republic of China isn't a country boy. He knows the ins and outs of agriculture, he can tell the difference between Santas and Droughties. But you need to know more than that to join the Nationals. So the 25-year-old student, Zhang 'Brett' Wei, is going to country...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact Someone's spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to get him to where he is. His teachers have spent thousands of hours educating him. Eddie Pearson has been given every advantage in his short life but he plans to throw it all in the bin. Students across Betoota have started their final studies for the high...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact A man who clearly has rocks inside his head where his brain should be laughed off that very suggestion earlier this month after signing a 5-Year no deposit finance agreement with his local Jeep dealership. Coupled with a 40% balloon payment at the end of the loan, Betoota Heights town planner Michael Butler couldn't help...

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact A Chinese spy moonlighting as an international student has been given the challenge of infiltrating the Katter Australia Party, which means he's effectively being forced to learn Slim Dusty's entire back catalogue. Slim released 118 records during his time on this planet. 60 studio albums, about 40 compilations, a few live albums and a handful...