Local SPRSL member, James Wright, shares some poignant personal observations about why Australia is such a special place to him.

” Good morning everyone. 

When Peter asked me to share some reflections about what Australia means to me, I sat down at my computer and began to type, and type , and type. I soon realised that a 5 minute reflection was potentially moving towards a 2 hour speech on the subject and none of us would want that, would we?   So I left it there and came back after a few hours in the garden, and I’m sure you’re happy to hear that I have narrowed my thoughts down to 7 things that make Australia special to me.   So here we go.

Good morning everyone. 

When Peter asked me to share some reflections about what Australia means to me, I sat down at my computer and began to type, and type , and type. I soon realised that a 5 minute reflection was potentially moving towards a 2 hour speech on the subject and none of us would want that, would we?   So I left it there and came back after a few hours in the garden, and I’m sure you’re happy to hear that I have narrowed my thoughts down to 7 things that make Australia special to me.   So here we go.

1 AIR

I spent many years travelling around the world working for a large multi-national company, and believe me, I’ve breathed in some pretty crappy air. There is, however, nothing better than reaching the door of a plane that has landed at Tullamarine from overseas, especially early in the morning, and taking that first deep breath of clean Australian air when the doors are thrown open and realising that you’re home.

Similarly, for those of us lucky enough to live in this neck of the woods, there’s nothing like breathing in the air at the beach on a day like today. 
Let’s never take clean air for granted.

2 SPORT   

I was born in Kenya, East Africa, to English parents who then immigrated to Australia when I was I was 7. I found myself in a Perth primary school class full of kids from a wide variety of backgrounds, mostly Australians with English, Scottish, and Irish sounding surnames, but also Italian, Greek and Vietnamese children whose surnames I couldn’t even pronounce. They all looked different but had the same Aussie accent. I was pretty confused about this and my own heritage having, to that point, being one of only a few white boys at my Kenyan school.

My doubt didn’t last long though, once I showed that I was prepared to have a go at anything, especially sport. In particular, I fell in love with this strange game called Aussie Rules. I went on to play over 400 games of senior football making many good mates along the way. 

I also learned that the opportunities to play different sports in Australia are endless, which is not always possible in other parts of the world.

And it has taught me so many lessons, like the benefits staying fit and healthy as I grow older, meeting new mates, learning how to lose graciously, learning how to win graciously, the value of teamwork and leadership. 

Let’s all try to encourage the next generation of Australians to get off their iPads and Play Stations and get out there and have a go. You never know.

3 SCHOOL 

Before my parents passed away, I sat down with them to record, in their own voices, the story of their lives.

This recording covered everything from them both growing up in the north of England, to moving to Kenya the day after their wedding, to living the last 50 years of their lives in Australia.

One of the questions I asked them was why did they move to Australia when Dad’s Kenyan engineering project came to an end?  They told me they could have moved back to England, or moved on to Canada, or South Africa. They both said that after doing their research, their decision rested on one thing. The quality of education in Australia.

 I recall my mother’s words clearly. She said: ‘Son, we couldn’t give you everything that you wanted, but if there was one thing that we could do, it was to give you a good education’.

And so they did, mum as a nurse dad as an engineer, both working long hours to get me through school.  

So, if we have any teachers here today, thank you from all the children you have taught. Your contribution is incredibly valuable to the future of Australia.

4 MATESHIP

What is mateship? I think that Australian mateship has been best described as this:  

‘In Australia, when you meet someone, you’re likely to be considered a friend until proven otherwise. Elsewhere, you’re considered a stranger until you prove yourself as a friend’. 

I love the way we default to openness, informality and trust.

I think the other key element of mateship comes out when we face hard times. Everyone whose lives have been touched by war, or other personal difficulties or tragedies in life, will know that mateship is what can keep us going when all may seem lost. 

Mateship is the willingness to lean on each other when needed, without thought of personal repayment, because that’s just what we do.

5 PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT

Despite our small population, we always seem to believe that we have the potential to be the best in the world. Whether it be in sport, business, science, the arts, community, or any other pursuit, Australians never believe that success is impossible. We just keep giving it a go and see how we go. 

I think a good demonstration of this has been in the lead up to next month’s Winter Olympics. Did you know that so far this northern winter, Australians have accumulated 26 medals in the World Cup snow sports circuit (13 of them gold), which ranks us in the Top 10 of all participating nations.

Not bad when you think that our mountains are pretty tiny and there’s not a lot of snow or ice here, is there….?

6 FAMILY

Whatever cultural background we come from, the love of family is one thing that binds us all. Whether we are a son or daughter, sister or brother, mother or father, grandma or grandpa, aunty or uncle, our desire to maintain our Australian quality of life for our family is what can give our lives purpose.

In a world increasingly fragmented by social media, I think we all need to show the courage to hold on to those values that help maintain the fabric of family life. I know it may be hard to convince a doom scrolling Gen Z child to put down their mobile phones and come to the dinner table, but it will be worth the effort in the long run!

And finally, 

 7   OUR CULTURE AND OUR VALUES

This is probably a sum of all the parts I’ve just gone through, and more.

Whilst I understand that our Values are not things we think about every day, unfortunately, they do seem to come to the surface after we’ve witnessed tragedies such as Port Arthur, Cyclone Tracy, droughts, floods, bushfires, and more recently, Bondi. 

They do force us to reflect on what kind of Australia we want to live in. 

So, this Australia Day, please take the opportunity to stop and reflect on what Australia means to you, and then go forward with a courage to protect what you see as good, and change what you believe is not.

Thanks for listening. Have a great day.“

Thanks James. Well said.