Banksia

When the words to "We are Australian"

http://users.bigpond.net.au/aussieconnection/chorus.htm

grab you.

jonni boy

because we have been to australia twice and feel that our 3 young daughters would have a better chance being brought up over there,we also enjoy the way of life and find that australian's are in general a nice and helpfull people.we like the climate and we like the oudoor lifestyle,we will be taking a good amount of money with us,do u want me to carry on.

Hutch

I can't believe he even asked the question in the first place. Manchester or Oz... hmmm ... tough call that. Not.

Badge

You cheeky bastard. Actually, all I know, is that in the years I met Australians, (and Kiwis, and South Aftricans) long before I ever visited, there was something about their outlook that was just me..they had the same attitudes, the same sportiness, the same laid back, pragmatic outlook on life, interest in rugby, not soccer, generosity of spirit, but laid back at the same time. I used to shake my head and say, "is it me?"

I spent some time on a US summer camp in 1993 and I spent all my time with the Australians, they were the most mature out of all the counsellors on the camp, I was abit embarassed to hang around with the Brit blokes as they were rude, unfit, socially awkward, and loutish - almost to a man, unfortunately, of course, which said alot about the selection process, not Brit people. I also noticed that the Aussies were much better at coping with life in general, they were popular with the kids, they knew about camping, outdoors, and just had that x factor. The Brits hang back and never really got involved which was abit embarassing. I was the only Brit with any versatile outdoor skills - but I'd had military training. There was one other UK bloke but he'd also had military trg too.

When I dated a Aussie girl in London, she told me all about Australia in fine detail and I knew I would do ''OK'' over here - I just knew. When I actually arrived for my first year, that year just confirmed it.

Badge

bondipom

Is that a part of bigpond that works. The song is what I hate about patriotism. Ugly and naff. It is also a Telstra ad. Next someone will post a link to Shannon Noll singing cmon Aussie.

bondipom

Why is it pathetic? Home is where you feel it, not soemthing that can be forced through time. There is ignorance and racism everywhere and like Stanton you seem be making the same type of sweeping ignorant statements whilst leaving out the obvious foibles of ones own nation.

Pollyana

Very true. Home is somewhere in your heart, somewhere you feel you can relax, and somewhere which is familiar to you..
I told The Bloke this week that I wanted to go "home" for a holiday later this year, and he got very worried about whether I would want to come back here afterwards. I pointed out that just because I feel the UK is "home" (because I spent 40 years there) doesn't mean I want to go and live there again.
Incidentally, he grew up in a small Queensland town, and even after 15 odd years in Brisbane, he still refers to his original town as "home".

Merlot

I have discovered recently that you are allowed to have a little bit of home in many places in the world, this is due to those that are there be it family or dear friends, rather than where you where born or raised. Home is a place where when you think about it you smile from the heart.

M

Badge

There's another line.

You may call something home, or refer it to as home but don't really care for it, or need it.

I still call the UK home, or at least the suburb where my father lives, "home", but it does not feel home, nor does the UK, it is a notional "home" dictated by the fact that might have been the place I turn up to when over that part of the world. Australia will always be home for me now, because it is my spirutual home, even if I am not in Australia.

And what G'day is saying I think, if you can be 10 years in a place and not call it home, then you need to be elsewhere ie. things *may* not be as good as they could be!!!

Badge

Ceri

Never, not in a million years. I'm Welsh who holds Australian citizenship, and not "Welsh Australian", the same as I have never been "Welsh Irish" ( mum is Irish - I feel as much Irish as I do Australian - zilch. You can not blow with the wind if you really do feel what true nationality is) . Some people putting on a fake identities just don't cut it with me, I just feel sorry for them.

I found it really odd when I was filling in the departing and landing cards going out and in of Aus this xmas , the part where it says on the card what nationality are you on your passport ( I've got to use my Aussie passport for entering and leaving Aus)... it killed me to write Australian. So unnatural for me to write that - I'm not ,I'm not !!!. So I b*ggered it up and wrote owstralian, getting into the swing of things lol


I don't see the need to pretend I'm something I'm not. You can't buy nationality, you can't just turn off who you are, and a piece of paper i.e. citizenship does not define a persons true nationality.

I always feel sorry for those who thinks that nationality is something you can go with which ever way the wind is blowing. No passion, no depth.

cheers

chocaholic

I quite like that "I, you, we etc are Australian" - but that Shannon Noll c'mon Aussie c'mon is trully trully gross!

Ceri

I must remember I'm a nice person, and should really tolerate some idiots on this board who come out with the same old " go home" - but never mind, yawn.

ozzieeagle

Interesting comments from ceri as follows

[BOLD] Never, not in a million years. I'm Welsh who holds Australian citizenship, and not "Welsh Australian", the same as I have never been "Welsh Irish" ( mum is Irish - I feel as much Irish as I do Australian - zilch. You can not blow with the wind if you really do feel what true nationality is) . Some people putting on a fake identities just don't cut it with me, I just feel sorry for them. [/BOLD]

Can you give me 5 identity traits, that are exclusive to Welsh people that Aussies dont have, Besides accent.

Reason I ask, Is The reason I fell Australian now, is probably because I've spent more than half my life here, I wouldn't call it acclimatising more like Assimilating. I have assimilated into the local culture and feel of the place, A slow gradual process which comes naturaly, To fight against assimilation is probably unnatural.

Wonder what the shrinks would say ?

Like another poster before me said, Last time I went back to England about 1989ish, It felt slightly foreign to me. Does Australia still feel foreign to you Ceri ?


(whats wrong with the vb code dammit lol)

Ceri

I won't even list them, it would be a lot longer than 5, but
you are missing the point of my meaning, it is not about traits . Many Australians feel the same about their land, as too NZ's , English, Irish, Scots etc etc feel about theirs. Then you get many people from the same lands who try so hard to be a part of that, and just have no true meaning what it is.
Now This is really to hard to explain. And you either get it or you don't.

you either have that in your heart - almost like a burning knife

you don't blow with the wind, you don't adopt something, ie go looking for it, and just pick it up and put it in your pocket.. just like that
Hiraeth

cheers

edit , Does Australia feel foreign to me ? No, it just feels like any other country to me, in which I'm residing in. It is not my country. Never will be.

Ceri

"Hey!" some people here have responsibilities, and I will go home "hey \!" when I decide to go home , and not when some moron on a forum, who has not the capacity to understand that I did not come here to emigrate to escape anything, or looking for the greener grass. " Hey" , like most people have on this forum. Hey, it was with the job to set up branches for the Aussies here ,Hey - I did not seek.

"Hey!"

it's quite catchy tune when you say enough "hey's" lol