We are Australian

I love this song makes me proud to be Australian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBI3xiDzxMM

Here are the words if you want to sing along.

Lyrics by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton, music by Bruce Woodley (member of the Seekers singing group) Sang by The Seekers

WE ARE AUSTRALIAN

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've been the first Australian.

I came upon the prison ship, bowed 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..

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.

Why am I proud?

One of my ancesters, his wife and two children were free settlers from Wales and arrived at Port Adelaide, South Australia upon the ship Henry Porcher, 1st July 1838. Before coming to Australia my ancestor was a soldier in the Army. He joined the South Australian Police Force on 12th December 1838 as a Sergeant and was one of the first policeman in South Australia. He resigned on the 1st April 1852. Some of his many children (there were 9) spread around South Australia mainly becoming farmers.

I can only imagine how hard it was leaving your home land and coming to a strange land that was in no way like England. We are the flatest, dryest continent in the world. This is a harsh country and many children died early in life in the country areas and the outback. I have a keen interest in Family History and have a deep understanding how hard it must have been. When looking up birth and death records many settlers/pioneers had lots of children but only a few survived.

I remember many stories my grandmother told me of her hardships as a young married woman. Not heard of in the world we live in now. I have a strong respect for my ancestors who worked hard and tirelessly and fought in the wars (in which many, many Australians died) to make our country what it is today. We are still fighting wars for freedom today.



My grandmother on her 90th birthday. The local paper did a write up on her life. Rest in peace, Grandma, you are never far from my thoughts. 1906 - 1998

Last year I was disappointed to find out that my son's school does not teach Australian History. My son was bringing home projects to do about other countries but when quizzed at school one day about Australian history only a very few students knew the answers. We approached the Principal and a little bit has been added to the cirriculum. This is so sad. As parents we have taught our own children about their ancestors and the struggles they endured to make their life better.



Thankyou to all my Ancestors, I appreciate what you have done for me and the many sacrifices you made.


Tania