The federal government has joined the USA and the UK in a landmark deal that will cost us $90 billion for nuclear submarines but there are other doable ways to save lots of money.
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The nuclear deal called AUKUS, standing for Australia, United Kingdom and United States, would be replaced by HOLAUS, standing for Holbrook and Australia because there's a perfectly almost-good half submarine in the southern NSW town that could be restored.
A periscope and control room has also been installed at the submarine, along with a new section known in naval terms as the duck's arse.
The work cost around $115,000 and was made possible by a grant from the federal government and the Greater Hume Shire Council.
The fact the 90m-long decommissioned hull of HMAS Otway from the Navy is set in concrete in the main street shouldn't be a deterrent because it already has put one of the Navy's Oberon-class submarines back in service courtesy of a spare part taken from the Otway's hull.
A section of the steering mechanism, the part was the only one available in Australia and would have cost the Navy a lot of money to replace.
It was a surprise to Holbrook council when a Navy officer phoned to ask whether they could have back the steering crosshead out of the hull to repair one damaged in HMAS Otama.
The Navy said the crosshead was "not the sort of thing you would keep in spares..." and the only one in captivity was the one inside Otway's hull.
The Navy took a big truck and two cranes early one morning, picked it up, asked that it be kept fairly quiet, and off they went.
So, Holbrook saved the Navy an incredible amount of money so they could well take the whole hull back.
All that's needed is a crew of classic car restorers who know what they're doing and a good few spare parts but the Holbrook community mightn't like their top tourist attraction being ripped up.
But one thing is for sure. Otway restored would be on par with the French subs the government has canned because they'd be obsolete by the time we got them.
GREAT IDEA
The council is looking at naming the new sports precinct after Sir Jack Brabham as an extension of the adjacent park.
That's a great idea.
A young Sir Jack started his road racing career at Gnoo Blas at the opening meeting in 1953 in a small Cooper 1100 and after that was a regular competitor in Orange for six years, winning a string of titles.
His last race in Orange, before going back overseas for his assault on Formula 1, was in the South Pacific Championship in January 1959, an event he won for the second time, setting a lap record of 102mph (163kmh) in his Cooper Climax.
Later that year, he won his first world championship after pushing his car over the line in the United States Grand Prix at Sebring after running out of fuel with only several hundred metres to go in the final race of the series.
Sir Jack was the first Australian to win a Formula 1 world title, the first of three, and he not only drove the cars but he is still the only driver to win a world championship in a car he built himself.
Sir Jack was the first racing driver to be knighted, was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1966, was Australian of the Year in 1966, was appointed a Knight Bachelor in 1978 and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AM) in 2008.
He was also inducted into the International Motor Sports Hall of Fame in 1990 and was named an Australian National Living Treasure in 2012.
The late Sir Stirling Moss told the BBC Sir Jack was one of the best known Australians in the world.
He said we had Don Bradman and a few other guys but very few people in the world had achieved what he had achieved in his sport.
Sir Jack and Lady Margaret were guests at the Gnoo Blas Classic car show in 2010 and he was here in September 1985 when Orange Sportsground was renamed Sir Jack Brabham Park.
A tribute to him held in Brabham Park in May 2014 after his death was attended by more than 200 people.
WHAT A JOKE
It's time we took around the hat to buy the commercial TV stations a clock.
You might as well throw away the guides because none of the programs ever kick off anywhere near the advertised time, meaning if you want to switch channels to watch another program, you either miss the end of the one you're watching or the start of the one you want to watch.
Shows are regularly up to 18 or 20 minutes later than the advertised starting time because the ones before them like 60 Minutes,
The Block and SAS just keep going and going with all their commercials so, it's beyond a joke.
If the TV stations want us to watch their shows, then they should run them on time.
Running late is no doubt a deliberate move to try to keep you there but it makes you want to kick in the screen.
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