Straylya Day

It's that time of year again. Pop over to the Ducktionary for a quick rundown on Australia Day.

Official Australian national anthem:

Advance Australia Fair

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Girt is not someone's aunt but an archaic word meaning surrounded by. Australia is an island nation and thus surrounded by sea. The Southern Cross is a constellation seen in the southern sky. It's on our flag. The Commonwealth of ours is the Commonwealth of Australia.

In the light of recent unpleasantness and the hatred our current Prime Minister John Wanker Howard does much to encourage, I'd like to remind all my fellow Australians of this section of the second verse:

"For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair."

And this from the Telstra ad & Judith Durham:

"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."

Fucking don't forget. Or I'll come round your place and rip yer bloody arms off.

Unofficial Australian national anthem:

Waltzing Matilda

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
And he sang as he watched and waited 'til his billy boiled
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Along came a jumbuck to drink from the billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?".

Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?"
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?",
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?".

Up jumped the swagman, leapt into the billabong,
"You'll never catch me alive," said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by the billabong,
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by the billabong,
"Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me?"

Yep, it's chockers with colloquiallisms and archaic stuff. Translation.



Official Australian flag on the left. Aboriginal Australia's flag on the right.

Aboriginal Australia's flag: red for the earth, black for the people, yellow for the life-giving sun.

Official Australian flag: Union Jack (UK/Great Britain's flag), the Star of Federation and the Southern Cross, a constellation of the southern hemisphere's sky.

The New Zealand flag is similar to the official Australian flag. Just whip off the Star of Federation (bottom left) and the wee star and Bob's yer Kiwi uncle.

Okay. Happy Straylya Day. I'm off.