WHAT ARTICLES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ? LET US KNOW : EDITOR @ GEMCELL . COM . AU
THE TRANSPORT ISSUE
think about it , searching for a lanky nerd sporting a red and white striped top ( with matching beanie ), was pretty bizarre to begin with . But then came the hidden ‘ extras ’ when you hit the eighth hour of the road trip and really needed something to test the ol ’ noggin ’. Can you spot a dog walking a man ? A cat eating fish and chips ? A wizard flying a kite ? Or a man dressed as a frog eating chips while beatboxing on one foot ? Yep , top-level entertainment right there .
ROAD TRIPPIN ’ 80S-90S STYLE
IF YOU WEREN ’ T PLAYING EYE SPY , TALLYING COLOURED CARS AND BELTING OUT INXS DURING FAMILY ROAD TRIPS , I ’ D SERIOUSLY QUESTION IF YOU EVER REALLY LIVED IN THE 80s-90s . IF THAT ’ S THE CASE , HERE ’ S A SNAPSHOT OF THE JOY YOU MISSED . IF YOU WERE THERE TO LIVE IT , BREATHE IT , BUY THE T-SHIRT , ENJOY THE STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE .
EYE SPY An oldie but a goodie – eye spy might seem like a bit of a baby ’ s game , but believe me , it ain ’ t for the fainthearted ( or short-fused ). With enough road trips under your belt , kids with an eye for detail and a tendency to push boundaries practically turned professional . Exhibit A : “ Eye spy with my little eye , something beginning with ‘ t ’...” – the pros would surpass the obvious of ‘ tree ’, ‘ tractor ’, ‘ tyre ’ and dig deeper to uncover ‘ turnpike ', ‘ trespasser ’ and ‘ tetanus ’... you know … if you saw a barbed wire fence and considered the possibilities .
TALLYING COLOURED CARS Another classic attempt from parents to hone their kids ’ maths skills in the guise of a game . “ Here ’ s a pen and paper ,” they said , “ draw some columns ,” they said , “ see how many white , red , blue , green or yellow cars drive by .” Sure Mum , I
can ’ t think of anything more riveting , honestly , you ’ ve outdone your parenting skills once more . ( Spoiler alert : white always won , closely followed by red ).
WHERE ’ S WALLY BOOKS If you were one of those kids with the rare and unique ability to look down while travelling in the backseat , sometimes for hours on end , then the Where ’ s Wally book series was made for you . When you
THE ALL-IMPORTANT SOUNDTRACK You haven ’ t lived if you weren ’ t forced to endure your folks ’ taste in music during a 15-hour road trip . Classics in our Toyota Corolla ( no air-con , bubbling tinted windows , sheepskin seat
covers … eat your heart out ) included none other than the legendary Meatloaf , The Travelling Wilburys , Midnight Oil and INXS . Of course , when us kids needed some chill time , Tracy Chapman was wheeled out , closely followed by Crowded House . But it was the comedy cassette tapes that remain the true , glorious champions of the 80s-90s road trip era . So next time you ’ re hitting the road , do yourself a favour and dig up a copy of The Twelfth Man , along with Roy and HG ’ s Wide World of Sports – there ’ ll be laughs a plenty and the long , winding car-trip hours will fly by . n
APR – MAY 2022 GEMCELL . COM . AU 41