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Doug Hendrie

Doug Hendrie

Doug Hendrie is a freelance writer.

Yes, my electric car makes me feel morally superior. Even better is burning off at the lights

Well, what if I need to drive to Lake Eyre towing a large boat? There won’t be any chargers on the Oodnadatta Track. Australians are full of flimsy excuses on EVs.

  • Doug Hendrie

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Introduced myna birds have become dominant in Melbourne gardens.

Pest birds have taken over my garden – I get why people are fighting back

Introduced myna birds and the native miner are ruling our backyards through sheer aggression and pack mentality. But there is a solution.

  • Doug Hendrie
Jerry Stiller as Frank Costanza, who preferred Festivus - a festival of grievance - to Christmas.

I’m glad you’ve come to my funeral. I’ve got a few things to tell you

Thanks to a local entrepreneur, you can now do your own version of the Pauline Hanson video: “Fellow Australians, if you are seeing this now, it means I have been murdered.”

  • Doug Hendrie
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Some say pet rats can’t breed with wild rats. I have 40 reasons to believe otherwise

When my kids’ four pet rats escaped, they made a new friend. He was burly. Brown. The bad-boy of backyard rodents.

  • Doug Hendrie
A pint of beer should not be $16.

$16 a pint, in this economy? Stuff that, I’m starting a moonshine side-hustle

In recent years, I made the mistake of acquiring a taste for expensive booze. I would find beers with exceptional can designs and phrases such as “NEIPA” and “hazy pale” which made me feel special. Now I can’t afford the cheap stuff.

  • Doug Hendrie
A big fan of "mateship": Former prime minister John Howard.

When it comes to eyebrows, you never want to go the full John Howard

There comes a time in a man’s life when your barber will pause for a moment after the traditional short back and sides is done.

  • Doug Hendrie
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Making friends seems more difficult as you get older.

If you’re a middle-aged bloke in need of new friends, good luck getting past the banter

There’s a good chance you’re in need of a friend infusion, but it can be hard when you only relate to others through a proxy.

  • Doug Hendrie
Many dogs enjoy a trip to their local.

Fine, your dog can come to the pub. But I’m bringing my kids and their rats

I’d prefer pub dog numbers to hover around zero. I like dogs, but I also like to choose when to engage with them, and dogs are not big on asking.

  • Doug Hendrie
Taylor Swift

Didn’t get Tay Tay tickets? Don’t blame poor old Ticketek

Like several million others, on Wednesday I had my hopes dashed. But for me, the fault doesn’t lie with Ticketek. I see it more as a nightclub bouncer doing its burly duty.

  • Doug Hendrie
Laughing Waters swimming hole, Melbourne.

Naked hippies in the Yarra? Eltham was a great place to be a teenager

What I like about Eltham is how resistant it is to change. Everyone leaves eventually, but most of them come back.

  • Doug Hendrie