A Temporary

Australia's Nino—

West Samoan

HIS real name is John Patrick O’Grady—of the Public Health Department, Apia, Western Samoa; but to thousands of Aus tralians he is Nino Culotta, the bloke who wrote the literary riot of a decade, They’re a Weird Mob They’re a Weird Mob is the im pressions of Nino, a New Australian whose culture-contacts with the old variety in pubs, on the surfing oeaches, the racecourse and on the job as a bricklayer’s labourer, are hilarious. Most of Nino’s troubles are language troubles. “It was very depressing,” he says, after hearing three men in a cafe discuss horse racing, “I understood nothing Yet my boss had said that Australians spoke English, and he was a know ledgeable man”.

The book first hit the bookshops in Novemoer and has already run into three editions. It also has been lunnmg as a serial in the Daily telegraph. Before Nino’s identity was revealed, a number of DT readers wrote letters to the editor wanting to fight the Italian b— tor his presumption.

Krt Joh^, Patric K (“Nino”) O’Grady is «>O, with a wife and three grown sons—one a producer in a radio station; one a bricklayer; and the third a RAN lieutenant in the fleet air-arm.

O’Grady Snr.’s business is that of !w r r i 5 CIS V bu , t his llfe has not been devoted entirely to that. He enlisted Wot h TT as % P riv ate in World War ll—and ended as a captain— .?/orean<to. harmaClSt ° n the old He returned to peace and a

pharmacy job but a couple of years ago he felt he needed a more active ife, quit for six months and took i job as a bricklayer’s labourer. It vas here that he met Nino, the New Australian —and believing that a few Australian would write a book ibout being a New Australian some ime, he decided to do it for him.

In May, 1956, he and Mrs. O’Grady irent to Western Samoa, when he oined the Public Health Depart lent for the usual three years term. )n the way they lingered a while n New Zealand, where O’Grady dished up his novel before sending ; back to his eldest son to place if e could. The book was accepted by . Ure Smith —and the rest is istory. The story is that when told I its phenomenal success lately, ’Grady, said, I “don’t believe it.”

Well, it’s true enough, Nino ’Grady; for Australians it’s the ;st best-seller for a long time.

The book is more than a parody ! the Australian scene and the ipact it has on the newcomer: it lows real insight into human Lhaviour and emphasises that Aus alian phenomenon—made mate tip. But a lot of its charm is in e extraordinary Australian nguage, and for foreign consump >n this is a disadvantage. However, :e Dennis’ Sentimental Bloke of earlier age; and Lawlor’s Summer the Seventeenth Doll, of the pre nt, Nino and his tribulations seem ted to survive that obstacle to come part of the literature of the ition.

Lhe report is that O’Grady is en ding Samoa and the Samoans. We n’t know whether Nino will visit a,t Territory—but there is cer nly plenty of scope there for the netrating O’Grady eye, and the 3rady sense of fun.— JT.