John Lees of Castlecrag has allowed accuracy to get in the way of a good story: “I really don’t know how the actor Fredric March could ever have been ‘ Fredric March III’ (C8). He was born in 1897 as Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel. His father was John F. Bickel. He obviously changed his name for professional reasons as many entertainers do. But he could never have been Fredric March III as there was no I or II.”
Double doctors (C8) are de rigueur in Europe, according to (Dr) Herman Beyersdorf of Bangalee: “In Germany it is quite common to address people who have two doctorates as Herr (or Frau) Dr Dr, although I don’t think I ever came across anybody with more than two.”
This is true, going by the account of Fiona Friedrich of Penang, Malaysia: “Years ago I knew a lovely executive from Europe. Her husband was very well-qualified, and wished to be addressed as Professor Doctor Doctor so and so. Apparently, it’s a thing in Switzerland.”
Staying with the health profession, Ros Turkington of Rockdale says that “when men started rising in the ranks of nursing, there came the ‘problem’ of what to call men when they got to the rank of Sister. They were first called Mister Sister, and there was a Mister Sister Lister at one hospital my sister worked at.”
Chips Mackinolty of Darwin learned a valuable lesson during his border crossing (C8): “As a 12-year-old, my family did a massive European road trip, which included crossing Poland and hitting the USSR. The border guard ordered us out of the car and proceeded to search the vehicle. Armed to the teeth, she suddenly called a stop, brandishing an exercise book. Turned out it was my book of Russian language. I had been labouring over it in the month leading up to the trip. I put my hand up, and she went through the book, yelling corrections. Lesson complete, she waved us through.”
“Like Steve Hulbert’s story of the lead crystal baubles (C8), my resin replica set of Lewis chessmen, bought in Glasgow, got the folk at both Heathrow security and Sydney customs quite excited, but the pieces did arrive safely home,” reports Peter Merrotsy of Port Kennedy (WA). “My Greek marble chessboard, however, was confiscated by the over-zealous and officious security team at Frankfurt – I wonder whose home the chessboard is in now?”
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