THE EDITORS were having breakfast in a Sydney suburban cafe. They were entertained by a colourfully attired Mexican loudly telling his table, and incidentally the whole cafe, the stories of his bullfighting.

Each story contained the graphic words “500 kilos of raw beef charging at me…” as each time he stood up holding out an imaginary cape.

But the crowning line came when this flamboyant North American made several attempts to give the waitress a tip.

Almost the whole cafe clapped when she finally exclaimed in her central European accent, “This is Australia, mate, and it’s a free country! Take it home, give it to your mother, and tell her I was kind.”