IT STARTED with a few choice clicks of the ol’ tongs and a good scrape and swipe of oil.
The sausages were primed. The onion had been chopped. A beer was in hand. It was time.
A history-making moment, local dad Dave McClean rolled the Weber out in anticipation of the silly season, when the heat of summer hits and the missus breathes a sigh of relief that the oven didn’t need to go on for dinner each sweltering night.
As the gas was cranked and the hotplate sizzled away following a liberal splash of beer, the first snag and pile of onion hit the barbie. This was the scent of summer.
“Yeah mate, it’s a bit of a tradition ay,” Dave said.
“Top moment, busting out the barbie for summer the first time,” he said, with a couple of tears in his eyes (which we’re still not sure was from sheer triumph or raw onion).
Soon enough, the friendly faces of neighbours popped up over fences and deck balconies, keen not to miss the achievement.
“Havin’ a BBQ there ay Davo?” called Simmo.
“Yeah smells pretty good mate,” chimed Bazza, “Where’d ya get ya snags from?”
“Want a hand Davo? Got a slab I can bring round too ay,” Jonno yelled.
Before he knew it, there were about 20 people at his place, the ladies doing the most work whipping up salads, the kids running amuck in the neighbour’s pool, and mates in arms critiquing snag techniques and adding the odd bit of beer to the hotplate for a ‘bit of extra flavour, ay’.
“Aw yeah look we were just gonna have a quiet family dinner, but y’know when they come round with more snags, beer and a bunch of good yarns ya can’t say no, can ya?” Davo said with a smile.
“And to be honest, probably best they get in now before we get overrun with Christmas beetles ’cause they never go too good with hot BBQs, and before the silly season really gets going and we spend most arvos pissed as parrots I reckon…”
Our reporter stayed for a snag in bread….and a bit of wombok noodle salad.
The Absent Beer 