Reproduced (albeit in edited format) below is the first post on the Aussie Mossie blog dated Wednesday 11 May 2005. I read it now and cringe!
WELCOME TO THE AUSSIE MOSSIE
I cannot stand mossies. And it seems I am not the only one. Those nasty buggers that bite and cause you to scratch yourself - yep, they are a real pain.
But there is one kind of mossie that appears in human form and that is really quite harmless. And that is the Mossie that surrenders to the will of God, thereby attaining peace.
These more cuddly Mossies can be found in just about every town and city of every country on planet earth. In Australia, these Mossies used to trade with the natives centuries before there was any sign of Captain Cook on the horizon. These Mossies treated the locals with respect, dealing with them on equal terms.
The Mossies then came with their camels during the 19th century and helped occupy outback Australia. Burke and Wills may never have returned, but their accompanying Mossies made it back safely.
We apparently had a run-in with some Mossies at a place called Gallipoli early in the 20th century. It wasn't as if we hated them. We were just following orders from the Poms. Our politicians relied on faulty British intelligence, and thousands of our young men died on the cliffs and in the sand. Yet the Mossies we fought were so respectful toward us, and we toward them.
After World War II, more Mossies arrived from Central and Eastern Europe. Yugoslavs, Albanians and Turks from western Thrace (in Greece) joined the great wave of migrants from a Europe ravaged by war.
During the 1950's, the White Australia Policy didn't stop migrating Mossies from Cyprus and Turkey. Thousands arrived and worked as labourers for BHP and other large companies. Their kids and grandkids are still here. One of them runs a large telecommunications company that is a major sponsor of ARL and AFL football [ED: The poor chap passed away some years back. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun].
A Turk at the heart of footy - now that is what i call a fairdinkum Aussie Mossie!
During the 1960's and 70's, quite a few skilled migrants came here from the Middle East and the Indian sub-Continent. My folks were in the latter group. Then during the 1980's, more Mossies arrived from Lebanon escaping the civil war and the Israeli invasion.
During the 1990's, we opened our doors to refugees from Bosnia, not all of whom were Mossies. These traumatised refugees established businesses and worked hard. One of them, a cool dude named "Ito", is a famous cartoonist from Mostar who has won numerous awards for his work in newspapers in Bosnia and the former Yugoslavia.
And then there were the Kosovars who enjoyed our hospitality while their leaders were worting out the finer details of a political settlement.
In recent times, we have seen waves of asylum seekers from Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq arriving at our shores. Many are Mossies, but many aren't. Their plight remains uncertain [ED: Until a new government removed those blasted Temporary Protection Visas].
The Aussie Mossie is here to stay [ED: You obviously haven't read Andrew Bolt's blog lately]. It was an anglo-Australian Muslim who first coined the term 'Aussie Mossie'. And it is therefore my honour to dedicate this site to Dr Yusuf Reeder, the inaugural editor of the Aussie Mossie newsletter ...
And who am I? Well, my name is Irfan Yusuf. Friends call me 'Irf' or 'Evan'. I've heard worse pronunciations, one poor chap even calling me 'earphone'. My parents blessed me with a name which literally means "profound spiritual recognition of God's presence" ...
So what else would you like to know? My occupation? Well, I am happy to declare that I solicit on a regular basis. Although I prefer to do so before a judge or commissioner. Apart from lawyering, I also write. The Aussie Mossie is not my only blog.
I used to have some involvement in a conservative youth movement called the NSW Young Liberal Movement. I left in disgust after the Movement was hijacked by a bunch of wackos. One day I will consider re-joining. [ED: Yes, I'll re-join when I am reincarnated as a funnelweb spider]
I have been a candidate for local council (in Bankstown) and federal parliament (for the Sydney metropolitan seat of Reid) [ED: Laurie Ferguson narrowly defeated you by a mere 17,000 votes!!]. I have also campaigned for John Howard, Jackie Kelly, Ross Cameron, John Fahey, Charlie Lynn, Tony "Maaaaaate" Abbott and a host of other luminaries. [ED: Do we look like we give a shite?]
Anyway, avagoodweekend, and don't forget the aeroguard in case you are attacked by some REAL mossies! [ED: Yes, very funny. Hohoho]
Urgggh!
Words © 2005-09 Irfan Yusuf
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