Move out of the way Big Pineapple – Adelaide’s getting its own Australian Army slouch hat complete with Rising Sun badge on the front smack dab in front of the Gilles Plains and Hampstead RSL.
According to the ABC, the RSL had originally planned to build a regular old shelter, but a local councillor, whose father worked on Australia’s first “big thing”, the giant Scotsman in north Adelaide, put forward the alternative plan.
Measuring 16 metres long, six metres wide and nine metres high, the hat will pull double duty as a photo op and shelter for the club’s outdoor events.
There were fears earlier this year the project had blown its budget despite being funded by $140,000 from the State Government.
But Council says the hat should now be up and running by December thanks to a cheaper fibreglass design instead of the previously planned steel. Deputy Mayor Matt Osborn is worried it will lessen the hat’s gravitas though.
“I’m sure that the 161 people who voted for this project would agree that the last thing the community wants is to see a tacky giant hat be built because there wasn’t enough money to do it properly,” Cr Osborn said.
A giant hat tacky? We think he’s missing the point.
