The " Streaker's " defence !

Somewhere about the mid point of last century an " Ashe's test " was being played at the Sydney Cricket ground.  A male spectator stripped off his  clothes and ran naked across the pitch in front of thousands of onlookers - and so commenced a custom that still prevails today when a mix of alcohol and boredom takes control of the human mind.

Of course this " Streaker " was grabbed by the police and hustled away, and the next morning a bemused magistrate asked why he had performed this strange act.

The accused thought for a moment, and then proceeded to provide an answer that immediately entered the national lexicon and served as an explanation for every act of lunacy that defies any other logical reason.

"  It seemed like a good idea at the time " he offered - and that went into the history books as " the Streaker's defence " !

This week a Sydney court is examining the circumstances of why two young men climbed a crane on a Sydney building site on Australia day last year.   It was a risky venture, given that both had been celebrating with alcohol and unfortunately one lost his footing - and fell to his death.    The court is unable to supply the " why " to the decision to climb the crane - and once again the most likely answer must be the " Streaker's Defence ".

The strange and bizarre seem to be a fact of life.   The police were astonished to encounter a Mitsubishi Magna at 4-30 am on the Newell highway - and noticed that it had only three tyres.    This resulted in a chase that led to the driver's arrest - but it remains a matter of conjecture as to why any sane person would take a vehicle missing a tyre for a ride of a state highway.

Newspaper accounts and court records seem to provide an endless litany of what can only be described as " acts of insanity " that seem attributable to the sort of reasoning that led to that epic dash across the Sydney Cricket ground  that will soon see it's centenary.

We humans are impulsive types.   Unfortunately, there is sometimes a fine line between a stroke of genius - and tragedy !   What is amusing if it turns out the way we imagine can cause death if it goes only slightly amiss -  and the aftermath seems so illogical when examined in the cold, hard light of a court of enquiry.

At least that " Streaker " from a by-gone age left his mark on the history books.  This contrasts sharply with what became known as the " Mussolini defence " - when the dictator was facing execution - and wistfully noted - " At least I made the trains run on time " !

At least that is a claim that few others in positions of power have been able to achieve !