I had to look it up. I agree! Work, strenuous labour. The word is used especially in the phrase hard yakka. Yakka first occurs in the 1840s as a verb meaning 'to work', and it derives from yaga meaning 'work' in the Yagara language of the Brisbane region. Also a brand of workwear. 1930s - David K. Laidlaw begins a small clothing company in his parents’ house in Brunswick, Victoria. To come up with a name, he approaches Jim Cushen, an independent advertising agent, and together they settle on Yakka, derived from the Aboriginal word for work. The company narrows its focus to workwear and Hard Yakka is born.
Hello, That photo with all of the old cars near a steep hill, looks to be taken in the early 60s. A long time ago, we were enrolled at Long Beach State College. (CSULB, today) It was one of the biggest campus areas in the whole So Cal area. High on a hill, with 360 degree views of the surrounding areas from the ocean about 3 miles away to the local San Bernardino Mountains at the Northern view point. It was hard not to sit on the grassy hill and be amazed at the location. There were plenty of days of just sitting around after classes, talking, which led to a nice lunch and a warm grassy area nap. Ha! College students are always tired for some reason or another. At Long Beach State College, (as is, today) the long hike uphill was the norm from the lower campus parking lot. The upper campus lots were for faculty, college staff and of course, administrators. Jnaki To be medically compliant for all sorts of handicapping conditions, there were a slew of open parking spaces designated as such. But, those premier spots required window stickers or medical tags. Parking tickets here, were outrageous. In the year of 1967, I had a torn cartilage injury from a Belmont Shore Rugby Football Championship Game. I was on a down field run and saw the goal ahead of me, but one guy was getting ready to tackle me, head on. So, I gave him a juke to the left and then when he took the move, I headed in the opposite direction of right, to get around him. Well, the next thing I knew was that I was flat on my face as my left knee had torn the cartilage and I fell. We still won the game and I was in the hospital the following week up in the UCLA campus for a week. I could barely drive the El Camino to the local orthopedic doctor's office and my brother had to drive me to Westwood, to the UCLA campus for the surgery and stay. What that injury did was to allow me to miss a week of college classes, which was not good, but laying in a hospital bed was no compensation. Upon return, I could not walk up that long hill to the classrooms, so I applied for a medical condition exemption. That was the best thing ever! The parking spots were a few steps from the major walkway to the classrooms and I could almost drive right up to each class. Yesterday’s cars… versus today’s solar power covered shaded parking structures leave the crowded campus still low on spaces for all driving students. Centrally located with access from many freeways, it was considered a commuter's college. It was about 7 miles from my own Westside of Long Beach house. For my wife, it was about 10 miles commute from Orange County. But, the hill top campus still allows the complete 360 degree view of the ocean and all the way to the local So Cal mountain range that spreads to the Northern coastal areas. It was a wonder that I/we got anything done, with the distractions of the views, the solitude and my wife (girlfriend and fellow student). YRMV Note: When I had to park in the lower campus parking lot, it was lucky that one row and a few car parking spots away, my wife and her friend from high school, had always driven to the college together. They parked in almost the same row as me. I could see them as they arrived. Just a couple of young college kids waiting around for the long trek uphill to the top of the campus class buildings. Who could miss a funky 1962 Corvair cruising around looking for a valuable parking spot? HA… The campus was a perfect location for before class and after class surf sessions as the best close by local surf spots were minutes away. But, despite the empty bed, the El Camino offered little in the way of storage for the longboard security, so, I had to leave my board at a friend’s house in Seal Beach. By the time of our final graduating year, I was still hobbling and continued to have my handicapping medical exemption sticker/card. For a 20 something, I was in good condition. But, the surgery shook me up and set me back a step or two. Thank goodness we had the exemption, so the long uphill slog through any kind of weather was not a big worry or a big thing. YRMV
The Jalopy Journal
