AUSTRALIA DAY
A FAIR DINKUM MILLENIUM DAYFOR ALL AUSTRALIANS OF GREEK ORIGINS
Everyone has a point of view as to how they see Australia day in the new
millennium. It is certainly a far cry from the generations of
Australians of a bygone era. That bygone era being post WW2 and the
arrival of millions of migrants escaping the horrors of WW2. This
article skims only the surface and does not accurately reflect all of
the feelings of what Australia day may mean to those of the past and
certainly not the views of the younger generation of Australians of
Hellenic heritage. Rather it’s more of a reflection of just how far the
migrants of this great nation have matured and contributed to it.
As young
immigrants in the 50’s and 60’s we who were of Hellenic stock did not
understand exactly what Australia Day meant, nor its true meaning as it
is known today. All that we knew was that Australia day was a special
Day for the Anglo Saxons (or the "Anglezi" as we called Australians) and
that the "Anglezi" stood to attention and saluted the flag. The word "Anglezi"
symbolised all those of Anglos Saxon background. The "Anglezi" were not
seen as Australians for we felt that the only true Australians’ were the
Aboriginals that were living in Australia long before the white man
came. This, migrants knew from their schooling back in Greece.
In the 50s and
60’s, while at school, we as youngsters, with the Australian flag flying
high on the school mast we would start the day by standing to attention;
neatly in our rows outside in the school yard in front of the headmaster
with the school band playing, sang "Long the Queen, Long may she reign
over us" etc. The anthem to the Queen had emotional strains attached to
it and it gave one a sense of belonging to something greater than our
own. It was a nice and easy song to remember and one wonders why in 1984
it was changed to Advance Australia Fair which many of us found it
difficult to remember all the words.
At Greek school
which was mainly at the local church. St Constantine’s and Helen in
Praharan (the original collapsed in the authors day), we would proudly
sing the Greek National anthem with pride and with emotion. I guess
because we were young, impressionable and not being any wiser, did not
understand the Australian national Anthem as well as the Greek. After
all, education and culture began at home. As youngsters, we were in a
bind. At school If you did not conform or try and learn the national
anthem, there was always corporal punishment in the form of the leather
strap and you would be looked upon as an outcast; while at Greek school
or at home, if we did not learn the Greek alphabet and memorize the
Greek anthem, we would also receive a hiding. No matter which way you
looked at it, we could not win either way. Talk about a "Spartan"
upbringing?
On reflection it
was no surprise that cultural conflict would emerge its ugly head and
divide families. This cultural divide began to grow within us causing
cultural and family disharmony at home with the children who were
learning English and in many cases interpreting for their parents. The
parents as role models felt inadequate and ill at ease to see the
changes occurring on a daily within their families. Their fears on
today’s standard would be seen as cultural baggage, a heavy and fearful
baggage borne out of the atrocities witnessed during WW2 and passed onto
their children. Therefore Australia Day in the home of most Greek homes
was replaced by chores, reading and writing Greek, learning the cultural
aspects of the Greek language and religion. Those whose parents who were
more enlightened would allow their children to partake in Australian day
activities conducted by the local council or school and thus exposing
their children to the Australian way of life early, without the fear of
losing their Greek identity.
The meaning of
Australia and what it meant to Australians of Hellenic origins took on a
new meaning in the 70’s. A fresh wave of thinking was coming to the
fore, a wave of wanting to be part of Australia, wanting to be an
Australian and to enjoy all the trapping of what it meant to be an
Australian was washing over the Australians of Greek heritage. Free
education, removal of barriers, job equality, cultural integration as
against assimilation, immigrant acceptance by the wider Australian
community, intermarriages and a host of many other changes that opened
all doors to the new generations of migrants whose parents had arrived
in the 50’s and 60’s. This change was almost immediate and with the
doors all being opened, the Greek migrants began to spread throughout
the various suburbs of the major cities of Australia. Mind you, a
nucleus always remained in one form or another within the major cities
that one could rightly call the Greek area.
Yes they wanted to
be Australians and yes they wanted to feel Greek at the same time. Some
embraced the Australia way of life completely immersing themselves in
all things Australian and forgetting their Hellenic heritage, but the
majority had the wisdom ad foresight to value both culture without one
dominating the other. Australia day had come to mean a whole new meaning
to Australians of Greek heritage. No longer feeling inadequate or second
class citizens, for at long last they truly felt part of the fabrics of
Australian society. From that decade onwards, Australia Day was
celebrated by Australians of all cultures without the fear of being
looked upon as a leper or an outcast. The Australian Greeks sympathized
with their aboriginal brethren who saw Australia Day as a day of
invasion hoped that some form of reconciliation would take place as they
considered them the original Australians and not the Anglo Saxons who
had invaded the country.
As the years went
by, so did the remaining barriers and cultural differences. It became
chic to be considered an ethnic to some, while to others they felt it
was too divisive. For many in Australian society, you were looked upon
as an Australian by birth, Australian by citizenship, an Australian of
long term residence or you retained your identity with the old country
and did not integrate. The latter however were few in numbers and it was
more of not having the capacity or the knowledge to integrate without
losing the cultural heritage rather than embracing the Australian
culture. Australia day however by this time had reached its peak and
became the established
holiday celebrated
by all Australians no matter their origins or heritage. A day where all
Australians could stand up and be counted as one people, one nation,
under one flag, without fear or favour.
The 80’s also
brought many changes, like the changes in the Australian Anthem,
reconciliation, Allegiance to Australia and not the Queen of Great
Britain. Those in the Australian Defence had to be discharge on one day
under the old allegiance (to the Queen) and reenlist in the Australian
Defence Force the next day with our allegiance to Australia. A mere
formality some may say, but looking back to those days of confusion, the
author remembers the odd one or two who took advantage of this
administrative ambiguity and either resigned or were discharged for not
reenlisting under the new conditions. It was a most confusing time for
many of us who were serving the nation in one capacity or another. These
changes of course had no bearing on Australia day other than learning
how to remember the new national anthem, Advance Australia Fair.
From the author’s
point of view, he found it rather odd that the national anthem was being
changed at a time when we still retained the union jack on our flag. It
was even more peculiar find that the new national anthem was created by
Peter Dodds McCormick, a Scottish born composer and it was felt that the
original owners of the land were not being acknowledged. Many of those
with the larrikin spirit and sense of false sense of bravado (including
the author) wanted to sing Waltzing Matildas instead as we felt that it
symbolised the Australian character, was emotional and it had ties to
the Australian landscape. Despite submissions and objections from
various communities, it was not to be and Advance Australia Fair became
the official anthem sung on Australia Day at all official functions and
events. With the flags of both nations flying proudly in the gentle
breeze, Advance Australia Fair is now played at every major event that
is hosted or held by Australians of Greek origins.
In essence
Australia Day in the new millennium means many things to many people.
Australians of Hellenic origins and are now to be found in every sphere
of Australian society, whether it’s in the industrial and construction
sectors, public service, professional spheres, academic world,
political, defence or in the agricultural and farming areas, they and
their families are contributing to the strength of the Australian
nation. It is the authors belief that it is a time to reflect and
remember those who have gone before us, the original owners of this
land, its beauty and its landscape, to feel free, secure, to raise
families, to enjoy life and to thank our lucky stars that we live in a
land where being an Australian means to belong to one nation no matter
where our origins may lie.
As for the authors personal view,
he believes that we as Australians have come a very long way and as a
nation, we are on the verge of greatness. Alongside that greatness will
also come the emotional and maturity awareness, that we are truly are a
unique people borne, (no
longer tied to the mother country wherever that may be) out of a
struggle to survive in an alien environment tamed by generations of
migrants that has created an Australia Day for all.
Peter Adamis
|
DOMESTIC TERRORISM
REACTION
AND ALTERNATIVE CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Peter Adamis 24
September 2014
Over the past few months we have seen
Australia leading the coalition and the alliance of the willing
in the MH17 air disaster over the Ukraine and the recent
initiatives by our government towards reacting to the ISIS/ISIL
acts of barbarism on a savage scale. In addition to these
overseas incidents we have also lead the world on combating
alleged terror threats on our doorstep which has attracted a
worldwide positive reaction.
These initiatives by Tony Abbot are a
welcome change from the world leaders who appear to pontificate
and procrastinate in the face of the rise of ISIS/ISIL in the
Middle east. Top marks to Julie Bishop (Foreign Minister) and
Scott Morrison (Minister for Immigration and Border Protection)
have also come out on top in securing our borders and overseas
image. Australia has finally come out on its own and world
leaders are looking closely at our government responses to the
acts of terrorism on our doorstep.
I have said this on previous occasions
that Tony Abbott will become one of our greatest Prime
Ministers' and will rise to the occasion in the face of
challenges facing this nation and that of the world. he has not
disappointed me or the Australian people. Not since World War 2
have both sides of the political fence come together in a
bipartisan manner to combat this rise n world terrorism and it
warms the cockles of my heart to see our Prime Minister, Tony
Abbott and that of the Labor Opposition leader Bill Shorten
jointly denounce the barbarous acts of violence and terror that
threatens our Australian way of life.
However, despite our success on the
world stage, I am becoming somewhat concerned at the domestic
scene and the enthusiastic responses to alleged terror threats
by our law enforcement agencies. I wonder what kind of alleged
threats were made to bring this type of reaction. People make
veiled threats against politicians all the time without really
carrying it out. It's called letting off steam. In this case I
am referring to the recent anti terror raids in Brisbane, Sydney
and the alleged threats against the Prime Minister Tony Abbott
in Melbourne.
One can assume rightly that our
security and defence organisations with their analysts have been
working diligently overtime in massing information. Information
that has been gleaned from human intelligence, various
department feeds and organisations, overseas data, domestic
community feedback and that of our own eavesdropping techniques.
(Good reason for George Brandis (Attorney General) for beefing
up our anti terror laws and the
collection and storage of meta data)
All of which is funnelled, filtered, checked, analysed and
scrutinised for any potential threats or anomalies that appear
out o place or threaten our way of life.
Therefore when we see our law
enforcement agencies reacting to an alleged plot or threat, we
become alarmed as the event has startled us out of our normal
life patterns and reacted accordingly. Whether we have strong
feelings of privacy, justice, right or wrong, we are still
affected by the sudden impact on our immediate environment and
that of our way of life.
Therefore, when such incidents occur, I
do hope that coroners and investigators conduct a thorough job
in reviewing the evidence and all the information and whether
the force being used was equal if not more to the alleged act or
threat of terror being made and that the after incident report
is not become a white wash, leaving the public in the dark.
I say this because I question whether
these counter terrorism tactics are the kernel of things to come
then I fear for our Australian way of life and good old Aussie
humour and banter. I love having a joke just like anyone and
will on the odd occasion make a remark that may appear offend
someone but in the knowledge that there is no malice and/or
intent in my remark.
I never want to see a climate of fear
replace the good old Aussie way life where we call a spade a
spade, where everyone has a fair crack of the whip, looking out
for that little Aussie battler and never kicking a bloke when he
is down. This way of life is precious and nowhere else in the
world with the exception of Canada and New Zealand can citizens
feel free to live a way of life free from bigotry, racial
tensions and fear of their neighbours. We are so fortunate that
we take things for granted, so much so that we the public at
times may over react to the tactics being used by our law
enforcement agencies.
However I am sad to say that the terror
threats being made on line by ISIS/ISIL are to be taken
seriously and we the public must be prepared to change and adapt
to the changing fortunes of our own environment without those
changes impinging too much on our way of life. What those
changes are is far too early to tell, but I am of the opinion
that they are on their way.
Therefore, I do hope that our law
enforcement agencies are educated in the diverse community
behaviours and attitudes and do not become cocky, overzealous
and take matters into their own hands without any obligation to
those they target. I am aware that some twenty years ago if not
more, the Victorian Police Force in their wisdom implemented
Community policing programs to educate their ranks in
understanding diverse communities, their cultures, behaviours
and way of life along with programs in understanding Mental
health issues.
I am aware that within the Australian
Defence Force e there are some good initiatives being taken up
by military commanders and educating the personnel under their
command in diverse cultures with emphasis on understanding the
Islamic culture and their way of life. In one particular case,
one commander took the initiative and invited a local Imam
(Muslim cleric) to Q and A sessions with his soldiers. The
outcome exceeded his expectations and it turned out to be a win
win situation for both the officers, soldiers and for the Imam
who came to understand the ethos of a an Australian soldier in
this particular case.
We must also not forget that serving to
look after Australia's interests are military, and law
enforcement officer of the Muslim faith, who live amongst us and
contribute to our way of life. Let us not judge those of that
faith harshly in light of the recalcitrant and evil extremist
followers of the discredited ISIL/ISIL followers. Muslim leaders
throughout the world are uniting against ISIS/ISIL as they have
come to realise that it has nothing to do with the Islamic faith
but an abomination to world peace.
By all means keep our streets free of
fear and terrorist threats, but I do hope that the groundwork
has been conducted prior to taking out any alleged plot, threat
or act of terrorism. There are far too many unanswered questions
at the moment, but in the absence of those unknown questions,
all that I can see is a climate and an environment of:
UNWARRANTED SHOCK, HORROR,
AWE,
HARASSMENT FEAR AND
INTIMIDATION.
I also hope that our law enforcement
agencies are answerable to a higher authority, if not then they
can over time become a law unto their own and answerable only to
the elite. That would be a sad state of affairs and
UN-AUSTRALIAN. Having said the above, I would like to add that I
have always been of the belief that we have one of the most
highly trained and educated law enforcement and military
personnel in the world. Personnel who strive for the best in
their fields and always with the best interests of Australia
first.
As Australians we should be thankful
that that there safe guards built into the systems that identify
recalcitrant members and when found are soon dealt with
expeditiously in an effective many and steps taken to overcome
any misuse of power. After all these men and women entrusted
with our security and safety take their duties and
responsibilities seriously. However gong by the recent scandals
and abuse in certain Australian Defence Force circles, this
sadly was not always the case. Still where evil lurks so does
the long arm of the law and angel of retribution.
In closing, I would like to add that we
should not live in a state of fear but that we must adapt to
meet the challenges in order to maintain our Australian way of
life. If that is to mean that some privileges are to be
curtailed in the short term to safeguards or interests in the
long term, so be it. To achieve all of the above, we must have
faith in those whose job is to safe guard our economic security,
institutions, and way of life.
Therefore in order to move forward with
confidence, let the unknown forces that dwell in the realms of
darkness be ruled by the light of knowledge and wisdom. We who
live in this country, we call home, Australia; must always
remember that no matter what our origins, faith, colour and
community standards are, we are all Australians.
Authors note:
Apologies to the purists for any errors of grammar and
punctuation, for these are only the opinions
of an ordinary bloke. |