From the mother-and-calf humpback skeletons that hang like talismans over Sydney's Darling Harbour to the living whales which swim up and down the continent's coasts on their twice-annual migratory routes, there's a real and emotional attachment to these southern leviathans.
The introduction of Andrew Flintoff brought an end to their fun and Gambhir fell, caught by Stuart Broad at third man, attempting to hack England's talisman back over his head for six.
Shevchenko has been his country's talisman for over a decade, with a national record 48 goals.
London mayor Boris Johnson said: "It seems fitting to have such a gleaming talisman to watch over our city during this fantastic Olympic year – it hopefully will bring us luck in the medal tables this summer".
John Manzoni was given the £190,000-a-year job as the government's first ever chief executive of Whitehall, despite criticism of his safety record at BP following the Texas refinery explosion and his last company, Talisman, being fined over 50 alleged health and safety violations connected with fracking.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said it seemed "fitting to have such a gleaming talisman to watch over our city during this fantastic Olympic year".
From a personal point of view, it was great to see her prove that more experienced players can still get better with age! Striker Kelly Smith has been a talisman for us over the years, understandably so, because she is one of the best players in the world.
Repsol is taking over its Canadian competitor Talisman, which it has said it is buying for $8.3bn€6.6bnbn).
The fast-rising cause of civil rights needed an icon, a talisman, that could win over even the stubbornest conservative.
The way it's embedded in the very land has made it a talisman of southern England over the centuries.
