Basil is fitting in very well with the Maclean family - a code-writing donkey (I have a backlog of work he could be doing), that drinks Bundy rum (my husband Ian still has a sore head) and is interested in Australian outdoor life like surfing and rugby league. What’s not to like.

After we sat up last night talking about Australia, surfing and calming Basil’s anxieties about kangaroos, spiders, snakes and other “dangerous Australian creatures” the subject moved to something Basil was very interested in – rugby league.

Now we know that Basil is a hard-working, hard-living sort of donkey but when he heard about rugby league his immediate response was “now that is hard-playing.” He asked about the best rugby league teams and of course the response in this household is unanimous – the St. George Dragons.

Arncliffe is in the southern surburbs of Sydney, in an area known as the St. George district. The St. George Dragons take their name from the area and were one of the earliest 1st grade Rugby League teams, joining the competition back in 1920. The St. George Dragons are now synonymous with rugby league. The Dragons still hold the record for the most consectutive 1st grade premierships won - 11 straight between 1956-1966.

Well of course Basil wanted to know more, he wanted to see more, and when he found out that the current Dragons team was in the Finals this Saturday night then he was determined to be a part of the big game. “I’ve got tactics that these guys haven’t even thought of yet”, I heard Basil telling Ian. “I am an expert at ducking and weaving and could teach this Gasnier guy a thing or two.”

So off Basil headed with Ian and I in tow. Basil thought Ian could use his influence as a Life Member of the St. George Junior Rugby League to get him in the gate at training. And if all else failed Basil told me to “just bat your eyelashes and pretend like you’re one of the cheerleaders.” Oh great!

But guess what? Somehow we managed to get Basil in! There he is (on the left) on the eastern hill at the Dragons home ground. At one stage I saw him whispering in the ear of coach Nathan Brown and asking about VIP seats for Saturday’s game. “You know that I am good friends with Dick Cheney” he was overheard saying.

I suppose I should reschedule Basil’s flights to Nova Scotia until after Saturday night. He was due to leave Friday but unless we are pre-repared I have a gut feeling he will go missing again.

Tags: dragons, rugby, australia, st. george, rugby league, sydney, travel, tourism, basil