The [Australian] community encourages drinking to the point of addiction... it goes without saying that most leisure pursuits are accompanied by compulsive drinking, few would think of going to the cricket, football or tennis without an Esky full of cold cans and fewer would go yachting or picnicking without a trusty supply. For many, leisure equals drinking.
Jonathan King, Waltzing Materalism, 1976
"SURVIVORS! Amazing escape as two cling to esky!... They drifted in the shark and crocodile-infested waters for 12 hours before staggering on to a reef 20km away near Eagle Island later that day."
Sunday Mail Headline, 9 April 2000
THREE Townsville fishermen survived 12 hours floating at sea by ingeniously turning their Esky lid into a makeshift sail after their boat sank... "For the last 30 years that I've gone out to sea I've always had a big Esky in the boat," he said. "My thought has always been `if anything goes wrong there will be the box to hold on to' and on Saturday night it happened."
Esky saves three lives, The Courier Mail, 6 November 2007
Shaun O'Connor of Milton used the storm to carve a footpath snow angel and fill his esky. "We thought we'd come and put the beer on ice. It's never tasted better," he said."
Icy deluge lashes unsuspecting city, The Courier Mail, May 18 2005
Esky - Australian for cooler.
Mate, grab the esky for the footie. After, me oldies are having a barbie out woop-woop somewhere. Bit of a shocker, but we'll have a few coldies and a couple a snags and it'll be right.
Rightio mate, no worries.
In recent times there has been talk of a disposable esky, which is sure to be a sure fire winner with hard core piss swillers if not the environment.
An Australian icon is under threat this summer with the release of the first disposable Esky.
Esky Left out in the cold, Sydney Morning Herald, 19 January 1999
According to reports, Lion Nathon will soon be releasing a "Polar Pack" beer carton with the capacity to keep the beer within cold for hours longer than your standard carboard carton. Its secret? Extra thick cardboard and a reflective laminated polyester. Which, to be honest, would be a bloody ripper. Stuff the icon.
At a barbecue, picnic or any other outdoor event, you'll be able to enjoy a cold beer straight out of the carton and then simply dispose of the empty box. It certainly saves lugging the esky home.
Tony Jones, SA Brewing's head brewer, January 1999.
To top it off, we hosted our American lighting guy's Australian buck's party in Japan. We chained him to the esky and made him drag our beers around all night. We told him that it was standard practice in Australia. Keep it quiet, OK?
Fanning's rock memories, News.com.au, 25 November 2004
Take a break from drinking like the author of this article did - Read why and how in his book Between Drinks: Escape the Routine, Take Control and Join the Clear Thinkers