Let the games begin…
Thanks for registering your workplace for Australia Day
at Work! You are now the official team captain for this
Australia Day work event so remember to get everyone
at work involved so that you can hit it for six!
Add an extra element of fun and entertainment to your
Australia Day at Work celebrations by challenging your
workmates to some Aussie party games.
Contents
Office cricket.................................................................................... 3
Aussie word search......................................................................... 4
Thong throwing competition........................................................ 5
Aussie quiz......................................................................................... 6
Aussie celebrity heads..................................................................... 9
2
OFFICE
At your Australia Day at Work event, remember to round up the team to play a
quick game of workplace cricket to be in the running for the major prize.
After all, you’ve got to earn that tea break!
What you need
How to play
•
1x Soft ball (perhaps a scrunched up piece of paper)
•
1x Inflatable cricket bat (Included in toolkit)
•
2x Rubbish bins
•
An umpire to officiate and record the scores
1. Before you start you’ll need to collectively
agree on a scoring system that suits your
office layout. For example, the photocopier
and printer might be worth 4 points, the
manager’s door and coff ee machine 6 points.
2. Make a short pitch by placing a rubbish
bin at opposite ends of the wicket.
3. One player bowls the ball to the batter – gently!
4. If the batter hits the ball (again, gently) they
have to run – each run between the wickets
scores one point.
5. If the bowler hits the wicket (rubbish bin) behind
the batter, the batter is out.
6. If the batter hits the ball they can be
run-out at either end of the wicket.
7.
A one-handed catch off the wall or ceiling, as
well as a direct hit to the manager is out!
8. The batter must retire after scoring 30 points.
9. The bowler has a six-ball over and the task is
rotated so that all players have a chance to bat,
bowl and field.
10. Each wicket taken by the bowler or a fielder is
worth 5 points to their score.
11. Once all players have had their turn, the
umpire tallies the scores, announces the
winner and awards the prize.
12. Take a photo of your team playing and
upload to social media using #AustraliaDay
to be in the running for the major prize!
3
Aussie Word
Find and circle as many Aussie words as you can in 5 minutes.
What you need
How to play
•
Pens
1. Give each competitor a word search sheet and pen.
•
Timer
•
Word search sheet for each competitor
2. Set the timer for 5 minutes and
say “Ready. Set. Search!”
•
Prize (optional)
3.
Each competitor has 5 minutes to fi nd and
circle as many Aussie words as they can.
4. At the end of 5 minutes competitors put down
their pens and count the number of words they
found.
5. The competitor with the most words
found is the winner!
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4
AUSSIE WORDS LIST
KANGAROO
MATE
LAMB
BEACH
ECHIDNA
SAUSAGE
FLAG
COCKATOO
ULURU
TASSIE DEVIL
EMU
PAVLOVA
TOMATO SAUCE
BLOW FLY
EUCALYPTUS
PLATYPUS
BBQ
LAMINGTON
VEGEMITE
BUDGIE SMUGGLERS
SHACK
CITIZENSHIP CEREMONY
THONG THROWING
Thong throwing is a noble sport believed to have stemmed from the convict era.
Back then, convict players would throw their thongs at the guards. If they managed to score
a direct hit to the head they’d be crowned the ultimate thong throwing champion
(and spend a year in solitary confinement).
Nowadays, thong throwing has been modernised for the office environment.
The aim of the game is to score as many points as you can by throwing the thong
at a rubbish bin – not your boss! The person with the highest score wins.
What you need
How to play
•
Something to mark a line where players throw
from, such as masking tape
1.
•
Empty rubbish bin/s (as many as you like
depending on how complex you want your
game)
A thong (supplied in your decoration pack)
2. Allocate points to each bin and consider
giving half-points if a player hits the
outside of the bin, but the thong doesn’t go
in.
Each player gets five consecutive throws of
3.
the thong on their turn.
•
•
Someone to umpire and record
each player’s scores
Place your bin/s at diff erent distances
from the marked throwing area.
4. Each time a player gets their thong into a
bin (or hits the bin) their score is recorded.
5. After a player has had their five throws,
their score is tallied.
6. When each player has had their turn, scores are
compared and the person with the highest score
is crowned the Modern Day Ultimate Thong
Throwing Champion (and no solitary
confi nement this time!).
7. Umpire announces winner and awards prize.
5
AUSSIE
Never mind the citizenship test – we’ve got a fair dinkum quiz to
help you find out just how Aussie you really are.
The person who answers the most questions correctly is the most dink-di Aussie!
How to play
4. After 5 minutes the quiz master calls out the
answers and players self-mark.
2. Players have 5 minutes to answer as many questions
as they can.
5. Quiz master announces winner and awards prize.
1. Each player gets a copy of the quiz and a pen.
3. The questions are a mix of multiple choice, true
or false, and open-answer questions – players
circle or write their answers below.
Questions
4. What is the floral emblem of Tasmania?
1. By 1935, all states of Australia marked
January 26 as Australia Day, but which state
still called it Anniversary Day?
–––––––––––––––––––––––————————
5. Which Australian male is pictured on the
current$100 bill (designed in 1996)?
_____________________________________
A) Sir Edmund Barton
2. What was Ian Fraser awarded Australian of the
Year for in 2006?
B) Sir Joseph Banks
C) Sir John Monash
A) Pioneering neuro-endoscopy surgery
D) Sir Douglas Mawson
B) Improving the youth mental health sector
C) Campaigning for equal rights for Australia’s
disabled community
6. Who was the first Australian actor
to win an Academy Award?
D) Creating vaccines for the prevention
and treatment of cervical cancer
A) Geoff rey Rush – for ‘Shine’
B) Peter Finch – for ‘Network’
C) Judy Davis – for ‘Husbands and Wives’
3. Which Australian band has a street in
Melbourne’s CBD named after it?
D) Cate Blanchett – for ‘The Aviator’
A) Powderfinger
B) The Cockroaches
C) AC/DC
D) Sherbet
6
7. What Australian capital city completes this line
from rock anthem Khe Sanh sung by Jimmy
Barnes?
‘Well the last plane out of ___________ almost
gone’
15. Where did the word ‘billy’ originate from?
8. Which political leader resigned his position on
Australia Day 1995?
A) Alexander Downer
A) Originally a bucket or container used to carry
water around farms
B) Philip Ruddock
B) Scottish dialect word meaning ‘cooking utensil’
C) John Hewson
C) Named after a notable convict turned tea blender
inthe early days of the colony
D) Kim Beazley
D) Tea that was imported from India came
in a cylindrical tin called a ‘billi’
9. In which year was Vegemite first sold in
Australia - 1923, 1933 or 1943?
16. Who is the Lamington named after?
———————————————————
———————————————————
10. Which artist created a series of paintings
focusing on bushranger Ned Kelly?
17. The Kangaroo and the Emu hold the shield in the
Australian coat of arms. Why?
A) Arthur Boyd
B) Pro Hart
C) Sidney Nolan
———————————————————
D) Ken Done
11. Which Australian city was named the
nation’s temporary capital at Federation
in 1901?
18. Which former Australian cricket
captain was born on Australia Day?
———————————————————
———————————————————
19. Who was the author of popular children’s
books, Blinky Bill?
12. National Wattle day is the first day of
which month?
A) January
B) April
———————————————————
C) October
D) September
20. In what year was the first episode of Play School
aired?
13. Australia has the largest sand island in the world.
What is it named?
A) 1976
———————————————————
B) 1966
14. What year did colour television broadcasts
debut in Australia?
D) 1978
C) 1968
A) 1970
B) 1972
C) 1974
D) 1975
7
Answers
1. New South Wales
2. D) – Creating vaccines for the prevention and treatment of cervical cancer
3. C) – AC/DC
4. Tasmanian Blue Gum
5. C) – Sir John Monash
6. B) – Peter Finch
7. B) – Sydney’s
8. A) – Alexander Downer
9. 1923
10. C) – Sidney Nolan
11. Melbourne
12. D) – September
13. Fraser Island
14. D) – 1975
15. B) – Scottish dialect word meaning ‘cooking utensil’
16. Lord Lamington, the 8th Governor of Queensland, from 1895 to 1901
17. Because they cannot walk backwards
18. Kim Hughes
19. Dorothy Wall 20.
B) – 1966
8
Aussie Celebrity
Be the first to guess your Aussie celebrity’s name to win the game!
What you need
•
A celebrity name card for each player (provided on
the following pages)
•
Double sided tape, or similar, to stick the card to
each player’s forehead
•
Prize (optional)
2.
NB: Audience members answering the question must
limit their response by answering either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or
‘too difficult/unknown’.
How to play
1.
The starting player asks the entire audience/other
players any question that gives a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer
For example: Am I a famous sports player? The aim
is to receive a ‘yes’ answer in order to ask more
questions.
Players sit in a row facing the audience, or if
everyone in your office is participating, sit in a
circle facing each other.
If the answer is:
NB: It’s important that players don’t see the celebrity
name written on the card stuck to their forehead.
You might need to anoint a Game Master to ensure
everything runs smoothly.
•
Yes – player asks another question
•
No – player’s turn is over and play rotates to the left
•
Too difficult/unknown – player asks another
question
3.
The first player to correctly guess their celebrity
name wins the game. If a player takes a guess and
it’s incorrect, the player’s turn is over and play
rotates to the left.
Customise the game
In addition to the 36 celebrity cards provided, 18 blank
cards are included so you can create additional celebrity
names or develop your own unique names, for example:
9
•
Friends, co-workers and family members
•
Type of sports
•
Items you might find at an Australia Day party!
Cate
Blanchett
Bindi
Irwin
Dame Nellie
Melba
Deborah
Mailman
Jessica
Watson
Quentin
Bryce
Jessica
Mauboy
Kitty
Flanagan
Geoffry Rush
Gina
Rinehart
Megan
Gale
Olivia
NewtonJohn
Mary,
Crown Princess
of Denmark
Ita
Buttrose
Germaine
Greer
Michael
Clarke
Arthur
Boyd
Pat
Cash
10
Banjo
Paterson
Liam Hemsworth
Ned Kelly
Burke and Wills
Patrick
Rafter
Kevin
Sheedy
Paul
Keating
Hugh
Jackman
Barry
Humphries
Edmund
Barton
Grant
Hackett
George
Gregan
Phar Lap
Kath and Kim
Skippy the Bush
Kangaroo
Blinky Bill
Nemo
Hamish Blake
11
12