Hats off to making Constitution fun

The North West has been treated to coffee and a slice of constitution by former lawyer John Christensen and his wife Marg as they travel around Australia.

The couple have spent the past year traversing the country and presenting a talk called Hats off to our Federal Constitution, which aims to present a serious subject in an entertaining way by using hats as props and singing songs.

Mr Christensen is very conscious hearing the word “constitution” often induces severe eye-glazing and jokes, so much so that sometimes people say they would love to hear about it but have been looking forward to a dental appointment booked for the same time.

“Sometimes when people come up to me after a presentation, I can tell they were surprised to find it interesting,” he said.

In the talks, Mr Christensen identifies the forces at play in the movement to federation, some of the personalities involved, the hurdles that had to be overcome and he emphasises federation was never inevitable.

Ms Christensen said the couple were happy to talk to any group and usually there would be between 15 and 20 in attendance, though with schools much larger numbers may be involved.

“It is such a wonderful experience being able to engage with people where they live — we are so impressed with what we have seen people doing in some very small places,” she said.

The couple presented their talk at Broome Library on Tuesday, August 21, Broome Senior High School on Thursday, August 23 and Hedland Senior High School on Monday, August 27.

They are due to present at Paraburdoo Library on Monday, September 3.