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As young man I was often asked what is an Australian
like and what does it feel to be an Australian. When
faced with such a question, I am reminded of a time
when I was a young soldier passing through a country
town in Far North Queensland. I had stopped
overnight at a local pub in order to rest and move
on the next day. I registered at the front and went
to my room to drop my personal belongings before
going to the bar to quench my thirst.
I ordered a beer and drank it slowly surveying my
environment and the various paintings and pictures
on the wall. Some were of local identities, race
horses, scenes of a bygone era such as drovers,
steam trains, grazing cattle and the odd photo of a
Prime Minister of old. Whatever the case may have
been it added to the atmosphere of the country pub.
As I looked around, I noticed a couple of old blokes
eying me off, probably wondering where I had come
from and where I was heading. They were sitting at
the round tables playing cards and whispering
amongst themselves as if no one else was in the
room. To me they appeared as if they were in a world
of their own. At the other end of the bar there
were two non locals, alien to the local landscape
and to Australia. This was evident from their manner
of speech and their body language. It was obvious to
me that they were 'Pommies' who were on a tour of
Australia.
These two blokes were talking with a couple of local
lads, advising them how in their country everything
was better, from the service, beer, women, hotels,
country, their laws and their attitude to life. The
two local blokes listened passively for at least a
couple of hours making small headway and pointing
out the positive aspects of Australia, like its
beaches and shorelines, the mountains and its
people, the clean water and air Australia had to
offer and the carefree outlook on life in general.
This however had no effect on these two 'Pommies' as
they continued with their tirade and kept up with
their bragging of how great their country was. At
one stage I the so called one way discussion one of
the Aussies asked the question, 'if their country
was so great, why did they bother coming to
Australia'. The 'Pommie' in this case looked at the
Aussie and said that 'we have come here to educate
you in the fine arts of living'.
Well you could hear a pin drop on the wooden floor,
a floor that was in dire need of a bit of water and
a polish to bring out the shine from beneath the
dirt and grime. 'Whack', 'whack' and it was all
over. One of the 'Pommies' was on the ground holding
his jaw while the other knelt to help to his feet.
When the 'Pommy' was on his feet, the local Aussie
said to him:
'Cobber', we have stood here for two hours while you
rubbished this country and yet we said nothing
against you or your origins. 'The reason you got a
smack in the mouth is because of your ignorance and
your lack of appreciation for what Australia is all
about. Mate, we don't care where you come from, what
skin colour you have nor of the origins of your
culture. What we care about is that you when you
come to this country and make Australia home you
respect our environment and those that live here.
I had finished sipping my beer whilst observing the
whole episode unravel before my very eyes and only
at the end it, did it strike me that here in a pub
stuck way out in the outback, I had found the
essence of what an Aussie was all about. It embodied
everything that I had learned while serving the
Australian Defence Force. Mateship, being there for
your mates, doing it tough and not complaining,
giving it your best shot no matter what challenges
you are faced with in life, never giving up in the
face of adversity and at the same time being
compassionate about those close to you.
It brought home to me, what makes us Aussies stand
out from all other countries and what is our secret
in our tolerance of others. it was not just our
'fair go' attitude, 'fair crack of the whip', 'never
kick a bloke when he is down', 'standing up for the
battler' or all of them combined. It was a feeling
of belonging and being part of the Australian
landscape, no matter where we came from, what our
origins, culture was as long as we made Australia
our home. What makes the average bloke tick is what
has eluded many visitors to this country and I am
often asked to describe the average Aussie.
As the years went by and wisdom finally decided to
rest her weary soul onto mine, I began to understand
that beneath that tough Aussie exterior beat a heart
of gold. I applied these early lessons well when
faced with my own demons in life and there were many
I can tell you. It helped to understand why the word
multiculturalism, what its stood for but also that
it was not universally accepted by all Australians.
This was despite all the good work and planning that
went into the policies, the word in itself was far
too divisive to be palatable to an Australian
society.
Today, my mind always goes back to that little
outback pub where I understood the essence of being
an Aussie. Today, multiculturalism to me is but a
vehicle to becoming a good Australian citizen,
nothing more and nothing less. It's time now for
Australians no matter where their origins, what
their skin colour and/or culture to embrace
Australia for what it is and call it home.
Being born in Greece and coming to Australia in 1954
with my parents, father Vasili, mother Kaliopi and
little brother Phillip, Australia has always been
home. In fact I have always found that my heritage
has stood me in good stead amongst my peers and
colleagues no matter where I was at the time.
Australia is now no longer a multicultural society
but one race. Whether you have taken out citizenship
or not is not the issue.
What is expected of you is that if you are to live
and work in this country, you should be contributing
to its economic prosperity, to its well being,
defence and security as well as abiding by its laws.
Only then you have the right to be called an
Australian. If you fall outside those parameters it
must mean that you have just arrived in Australia
and you must be a New Australian.
The Voice from the Pavement
- Peter Adamis is a Journalist/Commentator. He is a
retired Australian military serviceman and an
Industry organisational & Occupational (OHS) &
Training Consultant whose interests are within the
parameters of domestic and international political
spectrum. He is an avid blogger and contributes to
domestic and international community news media
outlets as well as to local and Ethnic News. He
holds a Bachelor of Adult Learning & Development (Monash),
Grad Dip Occupational Health & Safety, (Monash),
Dip. Training & Assessment, Dip Public
Administration, and Dip Frontline Management.
Contact via Email: abalinx@netspace.net.au or via
Mobile: 0409965538
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