Australian for Hat

G'day Mate! (from a Seattle resident (honorary adopted Aussie) proudly wearing his favourite hat, the Akubra!)

The akubra has beome a national symbol for millions of Australians, whether suave and respectable, or worn and battered. Wearers who appear as strong silent types suddenly become talkative and eloquent when it comes to their hats. Common to millions from every walk of life is the Akubra hat, from the outback to the cities, from the beach to the mountains.

The word "Akubra" comes form an aboriginal word for head cover. Without the skills of a rabbit shooter, there would be no akubras, for they are made of rabbit fur.

Since 1919 Australians have worn, lived, loved and died in their Akubras. These were the slouch hats that Aussie diggers wore through two world wars. They were the hats the rest of them took off in remembrance of those who didn't come back. They raised them to King and country and tossed them in the air when Bradman demolished the English at cricket.

Today 21 million hats later, they are exported all over the world yet they remain strangely Australian.

They represent that peculiar mixture of independence, dry humour, ruggedness and passion for the "fair go" that so marks the Aussie way of life.

Individuality is expressed in the way the hats are worn.