Longtime Noosa resident and one-time Hastings Street chef, popular surfer and golfer Ray Egge was born in the United States, where his 11-year-old grandson Dylan looks out across the Pacific Ocean and pines for a Noosa he’s never known and a grand-dad he misses so much.
Ray’s daughter Brooke was born in Noosa Shire, in Cooroy, in 1977, but has spent most of her life living in America, where she married and has two sons.
They now live in Mission Viejo, Southern California. Faced with the daunting task of having to do a school project, eldest son Dylan decided to do his on the Land Down Under, with a major focus on Noosa, where his mother was born and his grandfather lives.
Being 11 years old, much of the project’s emphasis was on Australian cuisine, including Vegemite sandwiches, which didn’t get a huge rap.
Dylan wrote: “We have a dish that has been passed down from my family and it’s called Vegemite sandwiches. Australians love them, but for Americans it’s not good at all! Trust me, you want to stay away from them as much as possible.”
But he did see fit to include instructions for the preparation of a Vegemite sanga, for the brave or foolhardy: “A Vegemite sandwich has two slices of buttered bread and Vegemite. Other ingredients can be added like cheese, lettuce, avocado or tomato.”
TimTams and Crispy Cremes rated a more favourable mention, and a photograph, but Dylan saved his most lavish praise for Noosa.
“My mom grew up in Noosa Heads. It has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The beaches are also great for surfing. Australia is called the land down under because it is below almost all other countries. I think I got lucky that my mom was raised in Australia.”
To present his Australia/Noosa project, Dylan togged himself up in green and gold with a kangaroo cap and an Aussie flag eye-patch under his sunnies. Says family friend Susie Osmaston, who forwarded the project to Noosa Today: “Dylan did such a good job that in about 10 years we should expect to see an influx of eager young Southern Californian surfers.”
As long as they don’t want to put a shrimp on the barbie, that’ll be OK.
