CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
A big chesty unit with a relatively well-maintained haircut and no facial hair is so out of place in a Townsville pub that fellow patrons have assumed he’s an AJ.
AJ, a derogatory term used almost exclusively in Townsville and Wagga, has been around since the early 1980s – in fact, so long has it been around that very few people remember what it stands for. Many believe it may be an acronym for ‘army jerk’ – which makes it offensive, depending on who’s saying it.
However, given their physical training and well-known tempers, using the word AJ in anything but a colloquial context would be considered relatively unwise.
In fact, so noticeably athletic-looking is the AJ when surrounded by the average North Queenslanders, that anyone that looks like they could run a couple kays carrying a bag of chook feed is presumedly a member of the armed forces.
“You army?” asks the bartender, noticing his lack of curves.
“Huh” asks the man, who’s sleeve tattoo ends in a perfectly straight line around his wrist.
“You AJ?” asks the bartender, who appears to be interested in how this man has kept such a healthy figure.
“Oh” says the nameless patron.
“Nah. I’m with the Cowboys.”
“Just had a shave too”
