Happy Austalia Day
Our tummies are full, our hearts content as we settle down for the evening as another Australia Day draws to a close.
Today I am thankful -
that my family and I live in Australia, the lucky country, the land down under
that we live in peace and freedom
that Australia is friendly, welcoming and accepting of all nationalities
that we have a laid-back Aussie lifestyle
that our country is big, diverse and beautiful
that we can laugh at ourselves and still remain patriotic
that we have a unique Aussie sense of humour
and that we stand by our mates
And just to demonstrate that Aussies do have a laugh about themselves -
Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then on the way home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.
"This is an old land
For ever nurtured and nourished
by the spirit of the Rainbow Serpent.
The land of the Darug people,
Of the Darginung and the Dharawal,
The Gundungurra and the Guringai.
An old land.
This is the new land of the convict and the refugee,
Of the European settler,
Of the Asian and the African,
The American and the Islander.
It is the golden hope-filled land.
A hope-filled land?
This is the silent sun-baked land
Of the gibber plain and granite outcrop
Of the waterhole and the rain forest
Of native title and pastoral lease
Of skyscraper and empty reservoir.
A golden land?
This is a land battered and blackened by bush fire
But look! a land of grass trees green-shooting
in the still dark-smouldering ashes;
Of wildflowers in the sun-heat-blighted desert
And of cities glistened smog-free by an autumn wind.
A sacred land!
This is the Dreaming land, the land of spirit ancestors
Of campfire and corroboree, of rock art and cave painting
A land of mosque and temple, of prayer book and philosophy text
A land of tribal elders and politicians.
And how slowly we have learnt, 60,000 years slowly, how to live with this land
And how slowly we have learnt, 200 years slowly, not to abuse this land
And how slowly we are learning, day-by-day slowly, how to share this land.
We who are black of skin, and white and brown and yellow
And sunburnt pink
Native and newcomer
Blue-eyed and brown-eyed and black-haired and fair-haired
We will live in harmony in this land
Because this is the Land of the Rainbow Serpent
And we are the Rainbow People."
©RAF 26.01.2007
Aussie Aussie Aussie
Oi Oi Oi
Cheers,
Lynda
