Name that footwear!

Warm greetings to all students! And welcome to my first post on Learning Connection @ Mawson Lakes.

My name is Damien and I have just joined the team at Mawson Lakes Campus as an International Student Officer, located in the Learning Connection offices just inside the Sir Eric Neill Library (C Building on your maps).

I am here to support international students throughout their study and I can assist with student visa issues; work permissions; tax file numbers; letters for banks or Department of Immigration, applications for leave of absence or deferral.

If you have a question and you are not sure who can help you then come by and see me and I will do my best to assist you or refer you to one of our Learning Advisers or Counsellors.

I know that some of you have come from warmer climes and are currently experiencing an Adelaide winter for the first time so I would like to take the opportunity to introduce you to a humble Australian innovation known as the “Ugg” boot.

Ugg boots are made from genuine or synthetic sheepskin wool and are a type of cold weather footwear popular in New Zealand and Australia, you may well have seen someone wearing ugg boots already and thought to yourself “what are they?”.

The origin of the Ugg boot goes back to the early days of aviation when pilots in exposed cockpits required footwear that would prevent frostbitten feet and toes. It doesn’t get quite that cold in Adelaide I assure you but it can be quite chilly catching the bus to Uni in the morning or in the evenings studying and some of you may wish to invest in a pair of “uggies”.

Ugg boots are available from a number of retailers including large retail stores such as K-Mart, Big-W and also at nearby Junction Markets in Kilburn. You can even purchase a pair on-line! Genuine sheepskin ugg boots can be quite expensive, usually at least AUD$100, but they are prized for their comfort and warmth. Cheaper synthetic ugg boots usually cost around AUD$10-30 and are a cheaper but still warm and “comfy” alternative.

All the best
Damien

Picture of 'Uggies' from Fashionspot.wordpress.com