Honest Joe Real Estate

The fifteenth biennial Real Estate championships were held in Penrith last weekend and the grand champion was Honest Joe Blake.

Prizes are awarded in several categories including Highest Priced Lemon, Highest Priced Swampland, Least Likely Investment, and Most Outrageous Gazump.

This year the vote was unanimous and Honest Joe, who took the prize for the Least Likely Investment became grand champion.

Mr Blake successfully sold the Nepean Motorway Bridge.

Twice!

After negotiating with rival groups of Japanese businessmen he sold it to the Ohashi Corporation after assuring them that it could be floated down the Nepean River by barge, thence by sea to Japan.

Next day he sold it again to businessman Mijikai Ita Ni-Mai who wants to leave it in position but has a yen to install toll gates and turn a quick profit.

Anyone knowing Honest Joe's whereabouts is requested to telephone the event organisers so he can be presented with his award.

Penrith police are also anxious to interview Mr. Blake.

The Ohashi Corporation probably doesn't exist, though it could. It's a fairly common Japanese name and is used here only because it translates as "big bridge".
 
Mijikai Ita Ni-Mai, on the other hand, isn't a name at all. It translates roughly as "two short planks" and around our place if somebody is a bit "mijikai" it means they're pretty thick.