The Fight for Australian Culture - part three
A Brief Overview of the
Australian National Identity and Culture
Some multiculturalists claim that Australia has no culture of its own. This claim is made in order to provide them with an excuse to attempt to smother our cultural and national identity under the coarse blanket of multiculturalism (the argument being, in essence, "If Australia has no unique culture of its own, then the introduction of multiculturalism would not be doing any cultural harm to Australia").
This lie can be shown to be a very shallow proposition. Australia has a wide-ranging national identity and culture. In evidence of this, some examples are provided below:
POETS:
Henry Lawson, "Banjo" Paterson, Rex Ingamells, Ian Mudie, Mary Gilmore, Adam Lindsay Gordon, C.J. Dennis.
AUTHORS:
Henry Lawson, "Banjo" Paterson, Mary Grant Bruce, Rolf Boldrewood, "Tom Collins" (Joseph Furphy), "Steele Rudd" (Arthur Harris), Miles Franklin.
LITERARY LEGENDS:
J.F. Archibald, A.G. Stephens and The Bulletin; P.R. Stephensen and The Publicist; Rex Ingamells and the Jindyworobaks; The Australasian Sketcher; The Republican; The Lone Hand.
ARTISTS:
Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts, William Boyd, Sidney Nolan, Norman Lindsay, Walter Withers, Frederick McCubbin, Russel Drysdale.
SCIENTISTS AND INVENTORS: (4)
Fred Walker (Vegemite), James Harrison (refrigeration), Walter Hume (spun concrete pipes), A.P. McCormick (the "Coolgardie safe" food cooler), Richard Smith (the stump-jump plough), Lawrence Hargrave (engines and aeroplane design), David Warren (the "black box" flight recorder), Dr. Paul Wild (Interscan aviation landing system), Professor Graeme Clarke (bionic ear).
CULTURAL ICONS: (5)
Vegemite, Four 'n' Twenty meat pies, Goanna Oil, Hills Hoists, Akubra hats, thongs, the Coolgardie safe, R.M. Williams' boots, Victa lawnmowers, the Australian Military badge, the lagerphone, Drizabone coats; Federation architecture; gold prospectors, shearers, stockmen, swaggies.
BUSHRANGERS, REBELS AND REBELLIONS:
Ned Kelly, "Mad Dan" Morgan, Ben Hall;
Peter Lalor, Daniel Deniehy;
Vinegar Hill, Eureka Stockade, Lambing Flat, Buckland River, Barcaldine.
HEROES AND HEROINES:
Don Bradman, Albert Jacka V.C., the ANZACs, General Monash, Field Marshal Blamey, Bruce Kingsbury V.C., the men of the Kokoda Track, Nellie Melba, Nancy Wake, Dawn Fraser.
RECREATION:
Aussie Rules Football, bush barbeques, games of "two-up", mateship, the Henley-on-Todd Regatta, woodchopping contests, Surf Lifesaving Clubs.
NATIVE FLORA, FAUNA AND LANDMARKS:
Waratah, wattle, kangaroo paw;
Kookaburras, kangaroos, wombats, wallabies, Tasmanian tigers, Tasmanian devils, dingos, magpies, wedge-tailed eagles, Major Mitchell cockatoos;
Ayers Rock, The Olgas, The Daintree rainforest, The Great Barrier Reef, The Blue Mountains.
MUSIC:
"Waltzing Matilda", The Bushwackers, The Cobbers, Slim Dusty, Rolf Harris, The Seekers, Skyhooks, Australian Crawl, Redgum, Ted Egan, John Broomhall, John Williamson.
ENTERTAINERS AND CHARACTERS:
Ginger Meggs, Chips Rafferty, Jack Thompson, Brian Brown, Mo (Roy Rene), Paul Hogan (the early years, in particular), Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson (Barry Humphries), Chad Morgan (The Sheik from Scrubby Creek).
THE AUSTRALIAN CHARACTER:
Styled as easy-going, fair and democratic, having a healthy disrespect for authority, and a dry laconic humour.
LANGUAGE: (6)
A distinct rendering of the English language.
The "Australian language" has produced many native-born colloquialisms; for example:
This side of the Black Stump; to shoot through like a Bondi tram; gone walkabout; as game as Ned Kelly; you've got Buckley's hope; happy as Larry; as fit as a Mallee bull; back of Bourke; Bullamakanka; not the full quid; a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock; a few sandwiches short of a picnic; what do you think this is - bush week?; like a stunned mullet; it's on for young and old; don't come the raw prawn with me; pull your head in; things are crook in Tallarook; better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick; Australia for the Australians; on the wallaby track; up Woop Woop; she'll be apples; strike me pink; give it a burl; gone bung; stone the crows; waltzing Matilda; spitting chips; hard yakka; to souvenir; the Never Never; the Speewah; Geebung; blind Freddie; snags; troppo; ropeable; two-pot screamer; chunder; yabber; bonza; tucker; mozzie; furphy; galah; drongo; arvo; relo; cossie; pressie; g'day; cobber; no worries, mate; bewdy; fair dinkum.
The Fight for Australian Culture
Australian Nationalism Information Database - www.ausnatinfo.angelfire.com/~natinfo
