Do you recognise the man on this sticker? More Greek-Australian men growing up in Melbourne forty years ago might – more than they care to admit.
The sticker has the words: “Oakleigh Wogs Forever. Book Out Now! Only on Ebay!” and has a picture of a young man in tight jeans and even tighter t-shirt holding his cap and sitting on the bonnet of his Holden with the number plate, JFB 321.
Neos Kosmos spotted the sticker stuck behind a padlocked wire fence used to enclose horses and sheep, at the Collingwood Children’s Farm, near the corner of Yarra and Clarke streets, Collingwood, on Sunday 20 September, at 12.26pm.
A quick Google search showed there was a booked released on 1 April 2019 with the book titled “Oakleigh Wogs Forever” by author Madwog
for sale on ebay. Whether it’s fiction or not, the review states: “The tale is set over two days in 1979 and depicts an altercation between the Oakleigh Wogs and the Broady Boys that spills onto Melbourne’s streets.”
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Judging by the book’s summary, it is a colourful tale to say the least, where some might find the contents highly offensive. But, the author states that: “If I sell one copy to some feral from Melton, I’ll retire a happy man.” He also states that: “Proceeds from this sale will not go to drought stricken farmers!” and it would be a good read “with olives” and during lockdown.
The Oakleigh Wogs was a gang of boys and men from non-English speaking backgrounds, particularly Greek, popular in the 1970s and 1980s. They got their name from the south-east Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh, which had, and still has, a large population from Greek ancestry.
READ MORE: Lockdown in Oakleigh – a Melburnian Greek girl returns to her roots
The group could be a naughty, unruly lot and had run-ins with the law. So, it was only fitting then that the sticker promoting the book is right next to a rusty sign that reads: “Land for Wildlife , Voluntary Wildlife Conservation”.
