The Bush Tucker Man Bash Akubra sombrero

[NorthmostAustralia]

I tried to recreate the iconic hat worn by Major Leslie Hiddins during the abc tv series the Bush Tucker Man particularly the one worn in season Two and three as the 1986 documentary and season one the hat looks quite different. In the series Les describing native Australian bush food or "bush tucker" and tells stories of Survival and exploration. Unfortunately often the European in these situations had no understanding of the bush food and country. He learned a lot from local aboriginal people who have lived off the land for 65,000 years in Australia. The hat is a Akubra Sombrero. I bash/ shaped the hat with a kettle and a spray bottle. I made a hat band out of kangaroo leather which you make stock whips from.
I hope to get many years and adventures while wearing it as an archaeologist in northern Australia.
Love to see others Akubra Sombreros and comments.

 

[NorthmostAustralia]

The white spots on the hat were marks I put on with chalk to try and make it even dimensions. It seems to have worked well as guides. I forgot to wipe off before photographing the hat.

 

[Arnold Layne]

Do we know the history of this bash?

Altho you would never see this crease being worn here in Blighty I have stumbled upon it quite often in my long life, mostly in your part of the world. Ex military types gone back to Walzing Matilda or farming, an opal miner once but without the kick at the back. It is uniqely Australian.

I also have a friend who flies here every year to see The Levellers play at their own music festival 'Beautiful Days' here in Devon. He's mixed race, first nations Australian who always wears his fathers Coober Pedy with this type of crease. I wonder if it goes back further than the second war.

You wear it well btw.

 

[NorthmostAustralia]

Thank you for the kind words. I live in Cairns Australia and am an archaeologist and have seen a lot of north Queensland and the Northern Territory and have come across similar on old stockman but rarely. I did meet les once as a kid on the Atherton tablelands he is a legend. Les said it goes back to the start of the 20th century “Sir Sidney Kidman. If you get back into the archives you can see that the ringers and the drovers back in that era used to shape their hats very similar to this.” I have seen similar in pictures from 1920s. But not with the back the way Les Hiddins bash it. I also see a similarity to the Montana peak so maybe the yanks influenced it?