lost in translationI love being Australian.
We are not a patriotic people, but that does not mean that we are not proud.
Not many Australians know the second verse of out national anthem, come to think of it I'd bet that not many know that there is a second verse.
Our national song "Waltzing Matilda" (which everyone knows the words to) is about a fugitive who kills himself rather than getting caught.
Ask me the name of our first Prime minister, and I couldn't tell you.
We are a people who can laugh at ourselves though, and why shouldn't we. This is a nation that started life as a jail for the English, Who now spend a fortune every year travelling to the place they sent their convicts.
One of our prime ministers drowned off the coast of Victoria, how did we commemorate him? A Statue? . . . no we built a public swimming pool and named it after him. The Harold Holt Memorial Swimming centre, in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern. This is quite an unusual memorial considering the nature of his passing.
And just the type of humour Australians are known for.
Every Australian Pantry contains a Jar of Vegemite ( And yes, we live on the stuff). This thick black salty paste that most visitors to our Land are forced to taste (and subsequently refuse to ever try again) is made from the stuff that's left over when making beer. Our national beverage (sorry Germany, it's ours now).
That's another thing we'll adopt anybody who has the slightest tie with the country. Russel Crow, New Zealand born, no matter he's Australian now. Some even claim Mel Gibson, yeah, he studied here, made Mad Max here but the guy is not Australian, Price Charles studied here aswell. . .funny we don't claim him as our own. We don't really recognise our own talent until they become popular overseas. (Silverchair, Nick Cave, many more but I have a mental blank) B.T.W, Steve Erwin is not the average Australian male, He's loved by children but gets on the nerves of most adults. Oh, and we don't get Dame Edna.
I love this place,
What other country would have a Public holiday for a horse race. And after winning the Americas cup our Prime minister at the time (Bob Hawk -womanising, heavy drinking lout) wept on national television and then told the nation that there was no need to go to work tomorrow.
Some Aussie Facts:
*First place in the world to give women the vote (1894)
*First country to beat America in America's cup
*Only country to attend every modern Olympic games
*First regular round the world airline service
Inventions:
*Rotary clothes hoist
*Bionic ear
*Secret ballot box (1856)
*Wine cask
*Boomerang
*The note-pad
*The electric drill
*Postage stamps (1838)
*Black-box flight recorder
*aircraft escape slide/raft
*two stroke Lawn mower
*Use of Lithium as treatment for Bi-Polar (Manic-Depression)
*Latex gloves
*Granny Smith Apples
*Polymer currency (plastic bank notes)
See told you we were proud.
Hugs
Lada
We are not a patriotic people, but that does not mean that we are not proud.
Not many Australians know the second verse of out national anthem, come to think of it I'd bet that not many know that there is a second verse.
Our national song "Waltzing Matilda" (which everyone knows the words to) is about a fugitive who kills himself rather than getting caught.
Ask me the name of our first Prime minister, and I couldn't tell you.
We are a people who can laugh at ourselves though, and why shouldn't we. This is a nation that started life as a jail for the English, Who now spend a fortune every year travelling to the place they sent their convicts.
One of our prime ministers drowned off the coast of Victoria, how did we commemorate him? A Statue? . . . no we built a public swimming pool and named it after him. The Harold Holt Memorial Swimming centre, in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern. This is quite an unusual memorial considering the nature of his passing.
And just the type of humour Australians are known for.
Every Australian Pantry contains a Jar of Vegemite ( And yes, we live on the stuff). This thick black salty paste that most visitors to our Land are forced to taste (and subsequently refuse to ever try again) is made from the stuff that's left over when making beer. Our national beverage (sorry Germany, it's ours now).
That's another thing we'll adopt anybody who has the slightest tie with the country. Russel Crow, New Zealand born, no matter he's Australian now. Some even claim Mel Gibson, yeah, he studied here, made Mad Max here but the guy is not Australian, Price Charles studied here aswell. . .funny we don't claim him as our own. We don't really recognise our own talent until they become popular overseas. (Silverchair, Nick Cave, many more but I have a mental blank) B.T.W, Steve Erwin is not the average Australian male, He's loved by children but gets on the nerves of most adults. Oh, and we don't get Dame Edna.
I love this place,
What other country would have a Public holiday for a horse race. And after winning the Americas cup our Prime minister at the time (Bob Hawk -womanising, heavy drinking lout) wept on national television and then told the nation that there was no need to go to work tomorrow.
Some Aussie Facts:
*First place in the world to give women the vote (1894)
*First country to beat America in America's cup
*Only country to attend every modern Olympic games
*First regular round the world airline service
Inventions:
*Rotary clothes hoist
*Bionic ear
*Secret ballot box (1856)
*Wine cask
*Boomerang
*The note-pad
*The electric drill
*Postage stamps (1838)
*Black-box flight recorder
*aircraft escape slide/raft
*two stroke Lawn mower
*Use of Lithium as treatment for Bi-Polar (Manic-Depression)
*Latex gloves
*Granny Smith Apples
*Polymer currency (plastic bank notes)
See told you we were proud.
Hugs
Lada
