Richard Youl wrote:
> The 'Australian Independent Radio' news at 11am, reporting on the open day running of the Metro Tunnel in Melbourne stated that the event was embraced by members of the public, train chasers and "GUNZELS"!
Gunzels has been in increasing use since at least 1996, when Billy Connelly used it when stepping on to a tram in Melbourne -- one of my fave scenes in my DVD of his "Billy Connelly's World Tour of Australia."
It has been in the Oxford English Dictionary for quite some time. Go to: https://www.oed.com/dictionary/gunzel_n?tl=true
And of course, this comprehensive entry from the FAQ of the old Usenet newgroup Misc Transport Urban Transit, an FAQ that I maintained for some years:
> GUNZEL - a transit, especially train fanatic. GUNZEL. According to Bob
Merchant, editor of the Australian enthusiasts' journal "Trolley
Wire," the term was first used by Sydney Tramway Museum members in
the early 1960s to describe certain enthusiasts in the state of
Victoria (Australia) who took their hobby a bit too seriously. The
term comes from the film "The Maltese Falcon" in which Elisha Cook
Jnr, played Wilmer, Sydney Greenstreet's twisted gun-slinger (gunsel
in American gangster slang). The film has been described as one in
which there wasn't one decent person in the whole film. The gunsel in
the film was what we would describe today as a "Gunzel", a bit thick
to say the least. Before Puffing Billy (a heritage steam train in the
ranges outside Melbourne) issued their "Gunzel Pass" a few years back,
their president, Phil Avard, checked with the STM as to the meaning of
the word and its origin. Phil, being a bit of a film buff, understood
immediately and the pass was issued. Originally, one did not call a
person a Gunzel to their face as it was a bit derogatory. The term
Gunzel in the Australian sense was first used by Dick Jones, Don
Campbell and Bill Parkinson, all of whom are still members of the STM.
The term has since been picked up by New Zealand, UK and some US
railfans. See also ANORAK.
Merchant, editor of the Australian enthusiasts' journal "Trolley
Wire," the term was first used by Sydney Tramway Museum members in
the early 1960s to describe certain enthusiasts in the state of
Victoria (Australia) who took their hobby a bit too seriously. The
term comes from the film "The Maltese Falcon" in which Elisha Cook
Jnr, played Wilmer, Sydney Greenstreet's twisted gun-slinger (gunsel
in American gangster slang). The film has been described as one in
which there wasn't one decent person in the whole film. The gunsel in
the film was what we would describe today as a "Gunzel", a bit thick
to say the least. Before Puffing Billy (a heritage steam train in the
ranges outside Melbourne) issued their "Gunzel Pass" a few years back,
their president, Phil Avard, checked with the STM as to the meaning of
the word and its origin. Phil, being a bit of a film buff, understood
immediately and the pass was issued. Originally, one did not call a
person a Gunzel to their face as it was a bit derogatory. The term
Gunzel in the Australian sense was first used by Dick Jones, Don
Campbell and Bill Parkinson, all of whom are still members of the STM.
The term has since been picked up by New Zealand, UK and some US
railfans. See also ANORAK.
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