We are Australian

WE ARE AUSTRALIAN

Bruce Woodley

Judith Durham

I came from the dreamtime 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'd been the first Australian.

I'm a teller of stories

I'm a singer of songs

I am Albert Namatjira

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

[chorus]

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 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

[chorus]

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.

" Sleep Australia Sleep " + " One Small Change "

The song " Sleep Australia Sleep ", released on the 5th of February 2020, addresses the incompetence of the Scott Morrison's government towards Australia's recent environmental crisis. Paul Kelly explained, "'Sleep, Australia, Sleep' is a lament in the form of a lullaby. Paradoxically, it can also be heard as a wake up call – a critique of the widespread attitude amongst humans that we are the most important life form on the planet. I believe we've reached a tipping point now where this attitude is doing terrible harm to all life on earth." 

"Sleep, Australia, Sleep"

Sleep, Australia, sleep
The night is on the creep
Shut out the noise all around
Sleep, Australia, sleep
And dream of counting sheep
Jumping in fields coloured brown
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Sleep, Australia, sleep
As off the cliff the kingdoms leap
Count them as they say goodbye
Count down the little things
The insects and birds
Count down the bigger things
The flocks and the herds
Count down our rivers
Our pastures and trees
But there's no need to hurry
Oh, sleep now, don't worry
'Coz it's only a matter of degrees
Fog, Australia, fog
Just like the boiling frog
As we go we won't feel a thing

Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?
Sleep, my country, sleep
As off the cliff the kingdoms leap
Count them as they pass on by
Our children might know them
But their children will not
We won't know 'til it's gone

All the glory we've got
But there are more wonders coming
All new kinds of shows
With acid seas rising
To kiss coastal mountains
And big cyclones pounding
And firestorms devouring
And we'll lose track of counting
As the corpses keep mounting
But hey, that's just the way this old world goes
Sleep, my country, sleep
As we sow so shall we reap
Who'll rock the cradle and cry?

One Small Change:   

One Small Change, was made by children at the two-teacher Cappabue National School,                                                                  near Bantry in Co Cork, as a response to polluted beaches.

We can make a difference in our own small way.
It’s one small change: we can do that today.
Our mind’s getting bigger while the world’s getting smaller,
but saving the Earth’s becoming a tall order.

From the minute you wake from your nightly nap,
you can make little changes, like turning off the tap
while brushing your teeth in the bathroom.

You can cycle or walk your way to the classroom,
cut down the fuel you use to get to school...
In your lunch box cut down the plastic.
See? These things aren’t too drastic.

Spread the word, get vocal. Make it go global.

When buying food stay local.
Never mind the dishwasher, do it by hand.
But I hate washing up.
Ah, come on, it’s grand.

Just one small change in the little things we do:
we’ll show you how, and now it’s up to you.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.

Since we found out the Earth was sick,
we knew we had to do something quick.
The Earth is our family and our friend,
we need to mend it before it ends.

This is our home, so don’t destroy it.
Everyone should do their bit.
Ice caps melting, seas getting high.
Homes will be flooded, polar bears will die.

The sun’s getting hotter, the rain won’t fall.
I’m afraid we won’t survive at all.
Recycle the plastic, please – it’s free –
you don’t want that ending up in the sea.

It’s like people use this planet as a bin.
Pick up your trash: that’s where you begin.
Temperatures are rising, we are realising
we must act now. There’s no compromising…

Just one small change in the little things we do:
we’ll show you how, and now it’s up to you.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.

If you cut down flowers and trees you contribute
to the mass extinction of the bees.
Think of the creatures that don’t have a say.
There has to be a better way.
There’s no higher being to save the Earth.
We’ve got to do something before we get cut.

At school we know what to do. But my question is, Do you?

Just one small change in the little things we do:
we’ll show you how, and now it’s up to you.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth.
It’s our future. It’s our Earth. We need to protect it for what it’s worth...

" Who's gonna Stand Up and Save the Earth "

"Who's Gonna Stand Up?"

Protect the wild, tomorrow's child
Protect the land from the greed of man
Take out the dams, stand up to oil
Protect the plants and renew the soil

Who's gonna stand up and save the Earth?
Who's gonna say that she's had enough?
Who's gonna take on the big machine?
Who's gonna stand up and save the Earth?
This all starts with you and me

End fossil fuel, draw the line
Before we build one more pipeline
End fracking now, let's save the water
And build a life for our sons and daughters

Who's gonna stand up and save the Earth?
Who's gonna say that she's had enough?
Who's gonna take on the big machine?
Who's gonna stand up and save the Earth?
This all starts with you and me

Damn the dams, save the rivers
Starve the takers and feed the givers
Let's build the green and save the world
We're the people known as EARTH

Who's gonna stand up and save the Earth?
Who's gonna say that she's had enough?
Who's gonna take on the big machine?
Who's gonna stand up and save the Earth?

This all starts with you and me

A Wise Storyteller

A Wise Storyteller

In a little town, far far away, there was a little old woman whose years were beyond counting. This old woman was famed as a wise storyteller, and many would make the trip to this little secluded place, just to ask for her advice.

One day, a young woman, her beautiful faced twisted by sadness and tears, approached the old storyteller. 

"May I ask a question?" She asked her, as they sat in the market square. It was quiet, early morning, and only they were there.

"Of course, child." said the storyteller as she carefully marked her place in her book. "Tell me what brings such hurt to your eyes."

"My problem," said the young woman painfully, "is that I am good-for-nothing, I just don't... fit in with anything. I've tried so many careers, and wasn't suitable for any of them."

The wise old woman slowly nodded and stroked her pipe.

"I've lived in many places and never did I feel I belonged." 

The old woman smiled.

"I've dated many men but have never found my true love."

"I've-" 

"Let me stop you there..." Said the storyteller, lifting a hand to halt the onslaught of worried words.

The woman quieted, breathing heavily.

"... and tell you a story. Isn't that why you came here?" She smiled and took a puff on her pipe.

"It may surprise you, perhaps hard to even imagine looking at this old face, but a long time ago, I was in a similar situation as yours. I too felt different from everyone else, and nowhere did I seem to belong. But I did not have a wise old storyteller to ask for advice, and so I went on a long journey to find the answer my soul sought.

Long indeed was the journey. I crossed streams and rivers, hiked up hills and mountains, found forgotten places and wondrous creatures and men, but never did an answer I found. Until one day.
On that day, while walking through a field next to a village I cannot recall the name of anymore, there was a little brick wall, perhaps 5 foot tall, next to a little house. But that was not what caught my eye, no. What caught my eye were three archery practicing targets on the wall, and in the exact bullseye of each of them was an arrow, stuck as firmly as could be."
 

The old lady stopped for a little puff on her pipe while the young lady did a little jig of impatience with her feet.

"In all my journeys, I have seen many great archers, so I know it to be a hard discipline. I was amazed to find such talent at such a humble place. Then I noticed a little girl peeking at me from the cottage door. Come I bade her and she did. And I asked her: "Dear child, do you know who is the archer who put these arrows in those targets?" She blushed and answered that she was that archer.
I was even more amazed and asked her how she became such an extraordinary shot at such a young age. She blushed further and, in a whispering voice, admitted that she had stuck the arrows in the wall and then painted the targets around them..."

The old woman chuckled softly while the young woman made a puzzled face. 

"I don't understand..."

"That was the moment I learned about the essence of things, my child. You cannot find a place to own you before you own yourself. You must recognize who YOU are, and build a place around you that suits you. In other words, find what you truly wish for and build a life around it. Make life work itself around you, instead of trying to find where you belong. Perhaps the place you belong to is a place you are yet to create."

The young woman thanked her for her wisdom, dried her tears, straightened her back and walked purposefully away.

We can all learn a lot from that wise storyteller.