Australia Day

On Australia Day this year I did not don the flag, nor the green and gold, because I just don’t know what to think or feel about Australia Day anymore. I feel such conflict about the day, and the vibe about the day around the nation. I mean, what is it that we are celebrating?

It has seemed to have evolved into a day where bogans get their bogan on, by draping themselves with the flag, cape style. People, who I suspect also had reindeer antlers on their cars in the lead up to Xmas, have two flags positioned on their car windows.

What is Happy Australia Day really saying?

I don’t for a second consider myself unpatriotic. I’m anything but! I go to great lengths, and spend a lot of time and money, to support our cricket team and tennis players, and our musical talents, around the world and at home. I go out of my way to see Aussie movies, the good and the bad. I love all the amazing things that being Australian means: freedom to be who you want to be, the opportunities, the freedom to travel, the access to education, clean drinking water to wash our cars, and the possibility to work at owning a house and all that.

But I am constantly disappointed by the ‘Us v Them’ theme that continues in this country, throughout the generations. The “We’re Full” sentiments, the anti-asylum seekers and immigrants theme that fills people's dialogue and the press pages, the racial tensions and hatreds, the ignorance of each other in our community. The neglect and bigotry towards our Indigenous population. The blatant absence of tolerance.

Celebrating Australia Day, in it’s current form, seems to snub our multicultural richness, which is one of the elements that makes our country so great. But it also disregards the presence of our Indigenous brothers and sisters in such a bold and heartless manner. The day commemorates white settlers arrival on Australian soil, heralded as the birth of our nation. An annual stab in the chest for the millions of years of Indigenous culture and habitation upon the very same land. We are celebrating the Invasion Day, as it is often referred to.

I actually think this dilemma, rather than any issues with the monarchy or Queen Lizzie, et al, should be the antecedent for us to become a republic. To become our own nation, our own identity, as a whole nation, a whole people. We need to work through all this racial angst and identity crisis, this multi-culturalism mishmash and segregation, and the undercurrent of hate and distrust for anyone not deemed “Australian”. But we also need to do this to once and for all accept our Indigenous history, and our Indigenous people. Acceptance, unity.

Until this disgraceful blight on our integrated culture is mended, it will be Hottest 100 Day for me.

Radelaide Test '12

The Adelaide test match every summer is always an amazing trip, probably due to the fact that so many interstate cricket fans converge on the City of Churches for a crazy week away. It's a great catch up test, with so many of the crew from Waving The Flag and it's many past tours running amuck!

Being our destination for our roadtrip, we were well warmed up to check into Sheila HQ, at the Oaks Embassy on North Terrace. Jess, B and I went to get supplies on the first night, and in the heat and the blocks of walking required, sampled a few pubs and beers, between our grocery shopping. Having our shopping trolley nicked when we were in having a beer meant we needed a taxi for the last leg...oops!

Day 1 at the beautiful Adelaide Oval had us parked on the Clem Hill, in the shade for the first session. One of the world's pretty venues to watch cricket, this test may indeed have been the last year the Oval will get this title, with major redevelopment ahead for the ground to transform it back into an AFL venue. Shame.

Taking advantage of Member's Tickets for the middle session, B, Jess and I fled from the sun and heat, and took shelter behind the stands at the Pimm's tent area. Watching the middle order continue some great form for the Summer, Punter and Clarke finished the day seeking 150s each, and we headed for a night of drinking at the Queen's Head in North Adelaide.

Chick Pink Day on Day 2 saw the Hill peppered with Flagger Sheilas in their shirts, and allowed us to see Aussie Captain and former Captain clock 150 and then 200 each, in two stellar innings.

Having stood for both double centuries, with Lunch dividing them, we then once again sought the shade of the Member's and refreshing jugs of Pimm's. Radelaide is so hot, and last week was no exception! As the shade crept back over the Hill, we returned again for the last half of the final session as India was sent in to bat after an Aussie declaration at 7/604.

Australia Day fell on Day 3, and with a much bigger crowd, we have Kim to thank for ensuring we all had a little spot on the Hill for the day. We arrived just in time for the Indian anthem, being their Republic Day, and then the Australian anthem, before the start of play.

With the radio playing Triple J's Hottest 100 in my ear, 2 early wickets took away the option of it being Tendulkar's Day. Another very hot day, once the shade disappeared from our patch of grass I escaped to the shade of the Member's stand to see Kohli get his maiden century, Siddle bag a 5 wicket haul, and to hear two back-to-back Boy and Bear songs in the countdown. What a great day!

This night was the Blender Party back at Sheila HQ, and our little apartment was filled in ebbs and flows of people, as the blender produced technicolor alcoholic concoctions all night. With the tennis on the TV, and then final songs of the countdown, it was a big night as always.

So much so that I took a rest day for Day 4, and listened to bits and pieces on the radio, willing it not to end on the day I was incapacitated! I seem to always need a day off for a test match these days!

As luck would have it, Day 5 started with Australia needing just 4 wickets to claim the series against India in a whitewash. This too just under an hour, with 10,000 people there to watch the Aussie's affirm their return to form.

We ended the day with a tram trip down to Glenelg for celebration drinks and lunch at a pub along the beach. Radelaide put on the gorgeous weather for a walk down along the water, before we headed back into town. A great 5 days, as always, and a sensational 289 run victory for Australia.

Belgian Beer, Aussie Beer

For a Sunday Session in the middle of the long weekend, I headed in to the Belgium Beer Garden, to mark Melissa's birthday - who's birthday was actually when we were at the Sydney Test, so this was a Melbourne gathering.

Meeting Rick there, and then joining the line for a beer, we settled in to the packed beer garden. Springer, Dan and Laura all joined us for a decent afternoon session, in Melbourne's blazing sunshine and heat.

The next day I made the trek out to Elsternwick for Rick's annual Australia Day BBQ. Feeling very much like a trip on the tube and train combination in London, it was an hour trip out to the 'burbs, to a sun drenched backyard. With Rick behind the grill, the tennis and cricket on the TV inside, and Triple J's Hottest 100 on the radio, it was a perfect setting.

Melissa joined us late in the afternoon, after another one of her work trips, and we saw in the top 10, with little surprise at the top few tracks on the countdown.

Australia Day in London

Since my last post I have curled up in the squishy chairs at Electric Cinema in Notting Hill to see Memoirs of a Geisha (with a glass of red and a brownie to die for - very good!), and then saw Fun with Dick and Jane the next night after a few jugs of sangria.

On Wednesday, after a little work trip out past Cambridge, I met up with Nat, Cam, Kimberley and Caitlin to see Australia Day in Australian time, in appropriately. Nat had managed to find us a place with both Boags and Coopers! Jackpot!

It was all wrong having Australia Day in the bitter cold, and having to work! All wrong. Although ducking off to the pub for a meat pie and wee pint helped!

And then at beer o'clock, some of us from work hot-footed it into the city for a celebratory night at the Shaftsbury Avenue Walkabout. Emy, Laura and I met Charles inside, after a tiny line up (nothing too serious at all!), and got stuck into the beloved Carlton Cold. Nat and Cam, and then Kimberley joined us, and Niny and some of her mates too.

I am surprised I have a voice today, given the belting out of classics like Working Class Man, You're The Voice, and Land Downunder that was going on. Hee hee. I had such a fun night! (More photos.)

Needless to say, I am feeling very rough this morning. Trying to piece together details of the night, trying to avoid having a chuck on the tube...all signs of a good night! Hee hee!