"H"
People in Perth and I presume Australia pronounce the letter 'h' much differently than in the civilized world. For instance, if a Perthonian was saying "the letter h" if would sound like "the letter haych". If a Perthite was saying "whip" it would sound like "hwooip". If a Pertharian were saying the name of the actor that played Wesley Crusher on 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' it would sound like "Hwil Hweeton".
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This weekend in Australia the AFL kicks off it's season. AFL is the acronym for Australian Football League. It is neither American Football (NFL) nor European Football (soccer) but rather Australian Football. It is a hybrid of rugby and netball and it is very popular in most parts of Australia except for Sydney for some odd reason. Melbourne seems to be the AFL 'mecca' although Perth has two teams and one of which is supposed to be good. In Perth you either cheer for the West Coast Eagles or the Freemantle Dockers. The Eagles are a good team, from what I'm told, and have a chance to win the Garadanalaloo Trophy (or whatever the real name is). On the other hand, the Dockers are named after the heavily unionized port workers that occasionally like to shut down the city when they have a minor gripe with their employer. I haven't decided my allegiance yet but I'm leaning towards the Eagles. It'll be nice for a change to cheer for a team that makes the playoffs.
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Speaking of Sydney and Melbourne...the dynamic between Australia's two largest cities is pretty interesting. Sydney is the largest city and is the financial capital of the country. Melbourne is the second largest city, a very cosmopolitan place and is considered the cultural capital of Australia. The similarities between Australias and Canadas major cities is really spooky. For example:
Toronto/Sydney
Largest population, financial center of the country, not really sure that any other city actually exists in Austrlia and don't really care.
Montreal/Melbourne
Second largest city, cultural center of Australia, the most popular past-time is to complain bitterly whenever there is a perceived preferential treatment for the city above.
Ottawa/Canberra
Federal capital city, quiet family atmosphere, nobody would live there if the government was located elsewhere.
Edmonton/Adelaide
Lot's of summer festivals, large manufacturing center, leads the country in mullets per capita.
Vancouver/Brisbane
Very wet climate, 3rd largest city in the country, both cities suffer regularly anticipated damage and yet fail to prepare adequately: Brisbane when it floods and Vancouver when they lose in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Calgary/Perth
Economy largely based on resources boom/bust cycle, have strong feelings of 'western alienation', the last time they voted for a liberal was, well, never.
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