One jacket to rule them all: Bob Hawke's famous 'America's Cup' outfit resurfaces

When Australia won the world-renowned yacht race the America’s Cup in 1983 for the first time in history, then-PM Bob Hawke famously declared on the TODAY show, “I tell you what, any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum!”

But making the moment even more memorable was the former PM’s attire, as he proudly donned a white jacket emblazoned with the kind of patriotic patterning regularly produced for tourists in gift shops around the country.

The jacket features the word “Australia”, along with a mosaic of the national flag and a map.

Three decades on it has been revealed the unique clothing did not belong to the former politician.

The jacket’s rightful owner, Perth architect Paul Burnham, told the TODAY show he had snuck into the media room at the Royal Perth Yacht Club where Mr Hawke was conducting media interviews, and had the jacket passed along to Mr Hawke.

“It hasn’t been washed since then. It’s showing a few signs, it’s a bit grubby these days,” Mr Burnham laughed.

The jacket is on permanent display in the Western Australia Maritime Museum, however Mr Burnham wore it especially for his TODAY show appearance.

“It’s mine, I designed it, I wanted it and I had it made. I conceived it when I was an architect student at the University of Western Australia.

“I used to wear ridiculous clothes and very loud jackets, and I wanted the loudest and the most ridiculous jacket, so I had it made. I wanted to do something really silly and I think I achieved it,” Mr Burnham laughed.

It’s fair to say he never anticipated his “silly” jacket would become such a historic piece of fabric.

“The last time I had it out was my daughter’s history lesson at school, a show and tell on Australian prime ministers, so the museum kindly let me take it out and use it,” he said.

“It’s not the ideal fashion statement,” Mr Burnham smiled.