Latest news with #JoshPugh
Mercury
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Mercury
Australia's democracy sausages sizzling 12,000km away in New York City
Don't miss out on the headlines from Federal Election. Followed categories will be added to My News. Australia's greatest election tradition has made it all the way to the streets of New York City in an epic mashup of cultural icons we never saw coming – Aussie democracy sausages served out of a US Halal food cart. As quintessential yellow cabs whizzed by on Manhattan's third avenue, Aussies voting at the Australian Consulate ahead of the federal election were treated to a taste of home with the traditional sausage and onions on bread. Curious New Yorkers, always lured by a line, also got in on the action and their verdict – 'America should do this too'. The event, hosted by Australia's New York Consul-General Heather Ridout and Aussie Josh Pugh, who runs the America Josh expat guide, saw a huge spike in voter turnout over the two days it was held. 'This is the biggest polling centre in America for Australian voting, we'll have thousands of people vote at the consulate so Americans have loved our sausages and in fact I think they could adopt it, they'd probably have an American hotdog democracy sausage,' Ms Ridout said. 'The reason behind it was to really celebrate Australian democracy and how special we know it is. 'The reaction has been amazing, Americans love it as much as Australians.' Mr Pugh, an Aussie who has lived in the US for almost a decade and runs the expat survival guide America Josh, said it had been special to bring a little taste of Australia to the Big Apple. 'I think a lot of New Yorkers especially would love it,' he said. 'Because I think when people vote here in New York it's synonymous with long lines and standing in the weather all day and having to wait as opposed to Australia where the first thing that comes to mind when you think of voting is getting a sausage afterwards. 'It absolutely won't be the last time this has been an absolute success to put it lightly, we've had hundreds of Aussies come past we've had people seek it out and actually plant their voting around making sure they can get a sausage so we will be back…'. Aussies Melanie Gong, who moved to the US six months ago, and Matthew Vernon, who arrived a year ago, were among the hundreds of voters who timed their trip to the election booth with the sausage sizzle. 'We just saw it on Instagram and we had to vote and I've been dying for a snag,' Mr Vernon said. 'It's great. It's been a couple of months since we've been home and it's good to have a sausage.' Originally published as Australia's democracy sausages sizzling 12,000km away in New York City
BBC News
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Shrove Tuesday's Atherstone Ball Game to be started by ex-football captain
A woman picked to start a traditional Shrove Tuesday ball game which dates to the 12th Century said it was "amazing" to be chosen for the Chetwynd will begin the annual Atherstone Ball Game on Tuesday and hundreds of people will then grapple in the Warwickshire town's streets for the heavy still has the ball in their possession after two hours is crowned the winner."It's such a big thing for Atherstone - everybody loves the ball game, it's one of the biggest days of the year," Ms Chetwynd said. "I'm a little bit nervous but I'm sure it'll be fine on the day."The medieval game honours a match played between Leicestershire and Warwickshire in 1199 when teams used a bag of gold as a ball, which was won by Chetwynd, a former captain of Atherstone Ladies and Nuneaton Borough's women's football team, helps out at the annual the past she said she was "usually in the background" but this year would "be a little bit different". At last year's event, Atherstone-born comedian Josh Pugh threw the special ball from a balcony window to start the game at 15:00 event is run privately by a committee responsible for the safety of those 2023, the game was marred as several people suffered nasty injuries and Warwickshire Police issued a safety of this year's event, Ch Supt Mike Smith said the force was "generally pleased" with how last year's game was held and they would be supporting this year's."Policing the event requires a delicate balance; protecting a historic event that means a lot to the local community whilst holding to account those who use the game as an excuse for criminal violence and vandalism," he added. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
