artwork & content Copyright Jean Burman 2007
We are one, but we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We share a dream and sing with one voice:
I am, you are, we are Australian. - Judith Durham
Australians the world over have just celebrated another Australia Day (January 26). What was once only one day of celebration… has now become a whole weekend of celebrations and ceremonies… fun and festivities… sun… surf… backyard barbies… and beer.
It’s mid-Summer here… so more often than not… tents are hauled out dusted down and pitched by a creek in favourite camping spots across the country. Then with snags tossed on the barbie and a damper in the fire, the sheilas wait for the billy to boil, while the blokes crack open an ice cold tinnie. Okay… that’s the stereotype… but if we’re honest it’s pretty close to the mark! Others still, head to the beach.
Basically whichever way we celebrate it… Australia Day is a time when friends and family get together and celebrate what it is to be Australian. (But just what it is to be Australian has been the subject of much debate in recent years) However… it seems the good old Aussie standard of friendship, openness, tolerance and a fair go for all is still valued strongly by most Australians.
Australia Day is also a day when those born overseas can take the oath of allegiance (now called The Pledge) and become “one of us”. Here is what all new Australians promise to do
“From this time forward, under God, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey”
It’s disheartening then (and decidedly un-Australian) to hear the nonsense of a group calling themselves British People Against Racial Discrimination (all Australians citizens who have taken The Pledge) kicking up a storm in Australia and taking it to the UN, complaining about the use of the word “pom” in reference to the people of England. An endearing term in the eyes of most aussies, “pom” is not an acronym for Prisoner of Mother England as has been suggested… but rather… a reference to the pomegranate (a fruit with rosy cheeks) dating back to the First Fleet. I always thought the word pom came from ”pompous” but look how wrong you can be! *wink*
Aussies have always had affectionate nicknames for those with whom they share a friendly camaraderie (rivalry). I do however concede that some of the adjectives preceeding the word could be seen by some as somewhat offensive… like “whingeing” or worse. But for the most part… you don’t see the kiwis and yanks getting their knickers in a knot about being called by their colloquials! >smile<
Disheartening also to hear of the latest nonsense from Australian citizen Sheikh al-Hilali who believes that Muslims have more right to be in Australia than the descendants of convicts. He hasn’t been here long enough to know (much less care) that a great many Australians came here of their own free will as free settlers after the First and Second Fleet…and that those who can claim convict heritage… are very often proud of it.
Aussies come in all different shapes and sizes… races and creeds… and from all countries of the world. There are those of us who were here already… and those who came in chains with the first fleet… those who came as free settlers in the 1800s… and those who came as migrant workers in the 1950s. There are those who came in sinking boats in the 1970s…and those who’ve found their way here since. I count among my friends good people of many differing ethnic backgrounds… all of whom live in this country with the right attitude… and that is to make a positive contribution and to live in peace with their fellow Australians.
What I don’t understand is why some immigrants come here to become Australians… and then continue to bear old grudges and carry forward old greivances (and sometimes the fanatical beliefs) of their mother country… by inciting hatred, and racial and religious division among their differing ethnic groups… and between (and against) ordinary Aussies. They choose not to live as Australians in the Australian way despite the promise they made to do so.
So why are they allowed to stay?
Struth…we’re all Aussies here Mate!
Hello everyone…
