The new Australian $5 note is dropping this week, so I thought it was only fair that I’d give the new design the Straya Cash treatment.
You might recall the 'cringe tidal wave' the new design was met with a few month back. It left many scratching their heads at the bizarre blue window and questioning why the new note had E. coli bacteria plastered all over its design (eventually it was agreed that it was wattle).
Many were inspired by the Straya Cash project, sharing their own $5 note designs to social media. Personally, I don't mind the new design, I just feel the mock-up that was released with the announcement didn't do it justice.
My design is much is the same vein as the original Straya Cash and Shrapnel projects. It Includes famous icons like Shannon Noll, Lee Lin Chin, and the Halal Snack Pack to name a few.
Perhaps the most important inclusion is a lesser known legend who got tactile markings included on the 'real' notes, helping blind people tell the difference between a lobster and a pineapple. That superstar is a blind 15 year old named Conner.
Connor McLeod isn't a legend because he is blind, he is a legend because he saw an injustice and took action to make it right. Despite being told there would be no tactile markings for blind people, he garnered support on Change.org and tapped into something you could call 'the Australian Way'.
So when you next buy some dimmies and get a new fiver in change, feel the bumps, and think about how Connor has changed our banknotes forever. His spot on Straya Cash is a recognition of his ripper idea.
Front
Features: Nollsy, Lee Lin chin, Chiko Roll, Dunny, Connor Mcleod, Mike Nolan (window)
Back
Features: Halal snack pack(HSP), Mulligrubs, Onion eating hologram, Hills Hoist
Found a photo of the original:
