Perth, Australia's hoon capital
Having returned repeatedly to Perth, Western Australia over the last two decades, I've seen a lot of changes. The place practically doubled in population, became ethnically and culturally way more diverse, and is now far more aggressive and fast-paced.
But one thing that remained constant was the preponderance of hoons. While all cities are afflicted by hoons, Perth has always seemed to have more than its fair share. And they are particularly proud of their stupidity and recklessness, even into middle age and beyond.
Here's an example: When I was last living there, a coupla years back, I was walking through Mt Lawley, not far from Railway Parade. There were two young blokes, probably in their late teens or early twenties, walking ahead of me on the footpath. All of a sudden I heard the almighty revving of an engine. I turned back and saw a sedan of some sort speeding up as it approached the corner ahead of us. The driver pulled a hard left around it, skidding wildly to the far side of the road.
The young blokes were mighty impressed and showed their approval with hoots and cheers. I caught a brief look at the driver's face. He was clearly thrilled that he'd made such an impact. But what struck me was his age. He looked at least 45 years old, probably several years older.
I've seen many hoons over the years, but the one common thread was that they were all young. And here was someone twice their age exhibiting the same moronic behaviour - and proudly. Perth clearly has an entrenched hooning culture when its quasi-codgers are doin' it!
That's why this latest example of unrepentant automotive idiocy in Perth is no surprise. Maybe this bloke is that old hoon's son?
