OPINION: Grumpy Old Man Syndrome blues, dad’s day and a pizza antidote

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I suffer from fits of GOMS — Grumpy Old Man Syndrome. And last week I had another minor attack on Father’s Day. It was brought on by the impossibility of securing my usual Sunday morning cafe table. You know the sort of thing where other GOMS-like people get together and put the world straight. “I’m sorry sir, we’re all booked out.” “Booked out?” “Yes, it’s Father’s Day.” “Oh.” GOMS set in at this point and I wondered who invented Father’s Day. I was sure it was done with a commercial benefit in mind. I am going to resist any comparisons to Mother’s Day and its origins but the best I can do with Father’s Day in Australia is to suggest it was first promoted during the 1930s. Some reports say it started in Perth, while others suggest it began in Newcastle, New South Wales. The genesis of the style of Father’s Day we have in Australia came from the US and a woman called Sonora Dodd. She wasn’t motivated by financial reward, though. She simply wanted to honour her father and others like him. She was one of six children her father had raised. Her mother had died during childbirth with the youngest of her siblings. Ms Dodd’s version of Father’s Day was first held in June 1910. It’s curious that Australia (and New Zealand) should decide to celebrate Father’s Day on a different date. I guess (tongue firmly in cheek) it’s all about when the best financial rewards are available. The Australia/New Zealand explanation could be that it falls between Mother’s Day and Christmas Day, giving everyone plenty of time to save for all three. The reality, however, is that most countries celebrate Father’s Day on different dates, and the tradition of honouring fathers is much older than the early part of the last century. For example, the ancient Romans held ceremonies for their dads. For the record, I searched, but I couldn’t find a country that has enshrined a public holiday for Father’s Day with all the trappings including a day off work. And in case you’re wondering, food is now the most popular Australian Father’s Day gift. I may have suffered a bout of GOMS on Father’s Day but I recovered splendidly because last Sunday night’s pizza with the family was just the tonic.