Australia Day and Reasons Why We Celebrate

Tuesday the 26^th January (any year) is Australia Day – a public holiday in Australia

and a great cause for celebration!

There are many reasons why we Australians love our country – and not all of it is because of the obvious reasons such as our right to enjoy democracy, our freedom of speech, the right to vote, the right to marry whomsoever we wish, the right to follow a religion of our choice, to wear whatever clothing we deem fit, our health research with most of our doctors and scientists working to make this country perfect. And this is why and what we celebrate on Australia day.

On a deeper note I/we love our country’s self-deprecating humour, the ability that in the main, we can all laugh at ourselves. Our history of mateship still exists – it is here and it exists. We love our country’s quality of self-reflection, her generous heart, her ability to change and a big plus is the abundant fresh food, particularly the seafood and beef and lamb and pork and wine and beer and the rum!

On the lighter side I/we love (thanks to a returning aussi sheila to the land-down-under to remind me of our uniqueness!) vegemite, rosellas, passionfruit, surfers, thongs (both types!) sunshine and sea, ute's, bikinis, money that you can tell the dollar value from 5 metres away, steering wheels on the right side of the car, and fringes, fish and chips, boardies, custard tarts, Speedo’s, bare feet, Kookaburras, cockatoos, G'days, waves, how ya goin' mate's, cossies, vanilla slices, lamingtons (lammos), the great Australian invention the Pavlova, (Pav.) trifle, raspberries, budgie smugglers, bikes, walking, surfboards, meat pies and sausage rolls, dead horse/tomato sauce, staffies and labs, public transport, snorkelling, body surfing before breaky, lifeguards, the ferry, a relaxed dinner, no tipping, old friends, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, paddling in the sea, the barbie at home or the boat club– anywhere is good! prawns and crayfish and oysters and flathead tails and and .....

And naturally there’s much more...however I will add these as go I along

Below are the words to a famous poem called “I love a Sunburnt Country” which most Australian school children would have learned at school and in the main identify with - these colourful and descriptive words were written by Dorothea Mackellar (1908: written 1906)

Please enjoy reading this small slice of information and marvel at the uniqueness of our country.

copyright: a.a.gallagher

26th January 2010

Subject: Fw: airline lunches (please read)

             Airline Lunches

I put my carry-on in the luggage
compartment and sat down in my
assigned seat.

It was going to be a long flight from Perth.
'I'm glad I have a good book to read
Perhaps I will get a short sleep,' I thought.

Just before take-off, a line of diggers
came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats,
totally surrounding me.
I decided to start a conversation.
'Where are you blokes headed?' I asked the
digger seated nearest to me.

'Puckapunyal. We'll be there for two weeks
for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan.
After flying for about an hour,
an announcement was made that
lunches were available for five dollars.
It would be several hours before we reached Melbourne,
and I quickly decided a lunch would
help pass the time..

As I reached for my wallet,
I overheard a soldier ask his mate if
he planned to buy lunch.
'No, that seems like a lot of money for
just an airline lunch.
Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks.
I'll wait till we get to Pucka.
His mate agreed.

I looked around at the other soldiers.
None were buying lunch.
I walked to the back of the plane
and handed the flight attendant a
fifty dollar note.
'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.'
She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly.
Her eyes wet with tears,
she thanked me.

'My young bloke was a digger in Iraq,
it's almost like you are doing it for him.'

Picking up ten lunchboxes,
she headed up the aisle to where the
digs were seated.
She stopped at my seat and asked,
'Which do you
like best - beef or chicken?'

'Chicken,' I replied, wondering
why she asked.

She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute
later with a dinner plate from first class.
This is your thanks.

After we finished eating,
I went again to the back of the plane,
heading for the rest room.
An old bloke stopped me.
'I saw what you did.
I want to be part of it.
Here, take this.'
He handed me twenty-five
dollars..

Soon after I returned to my seat,
I saw the Captain coming
down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked,

I hoped he wasn't looking for me,

but noticed he was looking at the numbers
only on my side of the plane.
When he got to my row he stopped, smiled,
held out his hand, and said,
'I want to shake your hand.'

Quickly unfastening my seat-belt I stood and took the Captain's hand.
With a booming voice he said, 'I was an army pilot a long time back.
Once someone bought me lunch.
It was an act of kindness I never forgot.'
I was embarrassed when applause
was heard from all of the passengers.

Later I walked to the front of the plane
so I could stretch my legs.
A kid who looked about 18 was sitting about
six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine.
He left another twenty-five dollars
in my palm.

When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to depart.
Waiting just inside the aeroplane door was a man who stopped me, put
something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word.
Another twenty-five dollars!

Upon entering the terminal,
I saw the soldiers gathering for their
trip to up to Puckapunyal.
I walked over to them and handed
them seventy-five dollars.
'It will take you some time to
reach Pucka. It will be
about time for a sandwich.
God Bless You Blokes.'

Ten young blokes left that flight feeling
the love and respect of their fellow Aussies.
As I walked briskly to my car,
I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were
giving their all for our country.
I could only give them a couple of meals.
It seemed so little...

A digger is someone who,
at one point in his life, wrote a blank
cheque made payable to
'AUSTRALIA'
for an amount of
'up to and including my life.'

That is Honour, and there are way
too many foreigners in this country
who don't understand it.'

I Love a Sunburnt Country

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded Lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens,
Is running in your veins;
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies -
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains,
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me.

The tragic ring-barked forests
Stark white beneath the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
An orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the crimson soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart around us
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold;
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand -
Though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown Country
My homing thoughts will fly.

******

Now for our National Anthem

Advance Australia Fair

This original version was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us all sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

Although part of the original version the following verses are not commonly heard, as the sentiment of some verses is, on the whole, disapproved by most Australian Governments. And I can see why they would disapprove – maybe we should have stuck with “God Save The Queen” or indeed gone with the popular choice of the day which was “Waltzing Matilda”

When gallant Cook from Albion sailed,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Britannia rules the wave!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Should foreign foe ever sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Britannia the shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains the let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

                                             ******

Another oldie but goodie which is dear to our collective hearts as it epitomizes our basic attitudes

Carrying a Swag

(The following is the original version
of what is commonly known as Waltzing Matilda)

Written by Banjo Paterson (1903: written 1895)

(The following is the original version
of what is commonly known as Waltzing Matilda)

Written by Banjo Paterson (1903: written 1895)

Oh there once was a swagman camped in the billabongs,
Under the shade of a Coolibah tree,
And he sang as he looked at the old billy boiling,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Walzing Matilda and leading a water-bag,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

Up came a jumbuck to drink at the waterhole,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he put him away in his tucker-bag,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"

"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

Up came the squatter a-riding his thoroughbred,
Up came the policemen - one, two, three,
"Whose is the jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?
You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"

"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag,
"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"

Up sprang the swagman and jumped in the waterhole,
Drowning himself by the Coolabah Tree,
And his voice may be heard as it sings in the billabongs,
"You'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me!"

"Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda, my darling,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"
Waltzing Matilda and leading a water-bag,
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?"