A local man is currently preparing to be “champed” by multiple otherwise well-meaning uncles at tomorrow’s annual family Christmas luncheon. Even though Callum Hughes is now 27 years old, and the proud owner a recently renewed six-month rental lease on a small property in Watsonia, any illusion he is under about now being an adult will be shattered tomorrow after the first of many “champings”.
For the uninitiated, the once complimentary moniker of “champ” has now morphed into a condescending term that can be used by people wanting to go one up against someone they think is getting a bit ahead of themselves. According to Hughes, “It happens every year. I feel like I’m finally getting myself together as a fully functioning adult but then an uncle calls me champ and right back where I started.”
While Hughes believes that the majority of his uncles mean no harm when calling him “champ”, he’s not entirely convinced. He said, “Most of them don’t mean harm, but I reckon Uncle Rick knows what’s up. He always says it with a smirk too. If I ever challenged him on it, he’d just profess his ignorance I bet. So I’ll have to just get him back with some short stuff when the backyard cricket starts off.”
The Watsonia Bugle 