Monday 26 January 2009

Australian Day, a cause for celebration?

1. Willie Gordon is co-owner & operator of the Guurrbi Tours, and avery great guide.
see also what Judy has to write about him.

2. Eric Deermal and my daughter. He is an elder, a very wise man.

 
 
 
 
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3. My daughter and RMcI the artist
4. My two half Aboriginal grandchildren

Today is Australian Day, a lot of people are celebrating. I wonder if many Aboriginals are as happy as the white people.
As you all know my daughter's first husband is an Aborigene, and she has two children by him. She still sees her MIL and all the other Aboriginal relatives. She has just finished a book about the life of RMcI, who is an Aboriginal painter.
Of course we talked a lot about the fact that both Aboriginals and European settlers were traumatized. I leave it to you to have your thoughts about these problems. I can only say that I am glad that Kevin Rudd was so brave to offer his excuses. Another thing is, that at the opening of the Olympic Games of 2000, a song was sung, the lyrics of which say exactly what all Australians must feel. It always brings tears in my eyes.


Extra information, which I got from Gordon:See survival day

Lyrics I Am Australian
VARIOUS
(Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton)
I came from the dream time, from the dusty red soil plains,
I am the ancient heart - the keeper of the flame,
I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come,
For forty thousand years I'd been the first Australian.
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.
I came upon the prison ship bound down by iron chains
I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man, I became Australian.
I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian.
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.
I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira, and I paint the ghostly gums
I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian.
I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains
I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land, I am Australian.
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.!!!

29 comments:

SaraG said...

Awesome post and pictures!!
Thanks for sharing your part of the world with us.
Take care

George said...

What a fascinating post. Thanks for informing us.

Carol Murdock said...

Wil........how beautiful,in the lyrics, if you substitute American for Australian, it fits us too.
Yours Grans....are simply GRAND !

Jane Hards Photography said...

Timely post for the day. What a tresure to see such a
wonderful image of a lovely man.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful lyrics. Happy Australia day.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

happy Australian day!

Anonymous said...

Hi Reader Wil - I always enjoy your wonderful pics - and love that one of Willie!

I just wanted to point out that Willie Gordon is actually the co-owner & operator of Guurrbi Tours. He's rightly very proud of his business, so I didn't want people to think he was an employee.

Keep up the great work!
Judy

soulbrush said...

this is so interesting, and i enjoyed reading your blog too. i share a lot with australians as i was born in south africa. hugs.

Reader Wil said...

Thank you all for your comments. Thanks Judy, you are right: Willie Gordon in the operator and he is getting famous. He is also a very great guide with a lot of humour. I shall change it in my post and write that he is the operator! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

A knit-tied family. thanks for sharing these photos and the story and the song, I wasnt aware. Happy Monday-Tuesday! :)

Dina said...

Thanks for these pictures and explanations, Wil.
And thanks for the song. I too read it with tears.
Yes, I am aware that many Indigenous people regard Australia Day as "Invasion Day" for commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet and that yesterday Indigenous Professor Mick Dodson made news by calling for a change of date for Australia Day.

Guy D said...

Fascinating, thanks for sharing.

Cheers!
Regina In Pictures

Rositta said...

A visit to Australia is in my future. We have something in common, I have three half aboriginal grandchildren, albeit Canadian aboriginal from the Dene tribe from NWT...ciao

Janie said...

Great pics and interesting thoughts on Australia day. Hope you had a nice celebration.

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed reading this post and seeing all the pictures.

Tash said...

So much beauty, talent and spirituality in your family. Wonderful post & thanks for sharing the beautiful photos esp. those of your grandchildren.

elizondo said...

Those are great thoughts for thinking about the Aboriginals. They are not any different from us, but humans also.

Pls. join me at Saturday Footwear Fever!

Indrani said...

The song is really touching!

Brenda said...

Thank you for this post. I enjoy learning about other parts of the world, that I may never get to see. Your pictures are always very beautiful.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Absolutely beautiful post - if only everyone were as far-sighted as you, Reader Wil. Those children are a delight and the header is wonderful, as usual.

Arija said...

Race relations have been frought with pitfalls in most counties where more than one race has settled. I thinf that song would have been a better national anthem than the one we have.

Smart Mouth Broad said...

You have a beautiful family. Thanks for teaching us about Australia.

Jeanette said...

Gday Wil,, wonderful post about Australia.. And beautiful ptotos of Willie and your grandchildren...Ive left an award at my place hope you can come by and pick it up...Jen

Dick said...

Interesting post, nice pictures.

Rune Eide said...

I remember that opening and it was very touching, as was reading this text. The Europeans have much apologizing to do - all of us. Until we understand this background of many hundred years of history, there can be no global understanding and no peace.

PS Thank you for the comment! Since you have lived in Norway you know the importance of that song.

Anonymous said...

G'DAY reader Wil,Willie Gordon is a verry well known man,and he does his job verry well, I know,'nd I am still greatfull for the things he thought us 'nd the anwserer he gave.
A good reason for celebrating liberty,a little bit...comes in One,
after all we are all just HUMAN HEY.
Like Black and White Cockatoo we can live together don't we...
THNX for shearing access to this BLOG greatings Blondie

Gordon said...

You should be an ambassador for my country; I have learnt so much from your blog. Thank you.

Some Indigenous Australians also regard the day as Survival Day. In Adelaide a "free family day event where everyone can celebrate the strength and spirit of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of this land" was held at Tandanya.

Survival Day - Free All Day Event

Colin Campbell said...

I like that song much more than the current lame national anthem, which many kids struggle to sing. Nice story.

Barbara Martin said...

Thank you, Wil, for posting this very nice post with beautiful photos.