“AUSTRALIA TODAY IS GROUND ZERO for the climate catastrophe. Its glorious Great Barrier Reef is dying, its world-heritage rain forests are burning, its giant kelp forests have largely vanished, numerous towns have run out of water or are about to, and now the vast continent is burning on a scale never before seen. The images of the fires are a cross between Mad Max and On The Beach: thousands driven onto beaches in a dull orange haze, crowded tableaux of people and animals almost medieval in their strange muteness—half-Bruegel, half-Bosch, ringed by fire, survivors’ faces hidden behind masks and swimming goggles.”
Below is a video the song I Am Australian, a song written by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton. It features singers Dami Im, Jessica Mauboy, Justice Crew, Nathaniel, Samantha Jade, and Taylor Henderson. Below the video are the lyrics to the song so you can follow along as you watch the video:
I Am 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 shores.
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 bought 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 bushie, I’m a battler.
I am Australian.
We are one, but we are many
and from all the lands on earth, we come
We’ll 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’m 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’ll share a dream and sing with one voice,
“I am, you are, we are Australian.”
The song was written by Bruce Woodley of the Seekers and Dobe Newton of the Bushwackers in 1987. Its lyrics are filled with many historic and cultural references. Its popularity is such that there have been calls for it to become Australia’s national anthem, notably in 2011 by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. (Wikipedia)
The vast continent of Australia is burning on a scale never before seen. The images of the fires are a cross between MAD MAX and ON THE BEACH with thousands driven onto beaches in a dull orange haze. Click To Tweet
FEATURED IMAGE: The photo at the top of this page of Hell on Earth accompanied the article, “Australia Is Committing Climate Suicide.” Subtitled, “As record fires rage, the country’s leaders seem intent on sending it to its doom,” the opinion piece is by Australian novelist
