HEY, MATE, IT'S YOUR SHOUT! Then and Now No. 11

Extract from an Australasian colonial newspaper, with modern links

[To shout: to buy a round of drinks (Australian slang)]

THEN

135 YEARS AGO. An Anti-Shouting Society has been formed in Oamaru, the object of which is to discontinue the practice of "shouting" at the bars of hotels. The association is regularly constituted, and we notice the names of several influential persons on the list of members.

Each member is bound by a legal bond, under the penalty of £10, not to "shout" for any person, nor accept any drink that is not paid for by himself. The contract is to continue for twelve months. - Lyttelton Times, New Zealand, 1868.

32 YEARS AGO. A road safety organisation wants legislation to limit the "shouting" of drinks in licensed premises. The Victorian Motorists' Safe-Driving Association sees the move as a means of reducing the road toll and as a "desirable moral measure." - The Australian (Sydney), 1971.

NOW

Take time out to read the hilarious contents of these two websites:

• AUSTRALIAN DRINKING CULTURE
• AUSTRALIAN BEERS

and you can see a copy of the Lyttelton Times, September 27, 1851, HERE