Dear all,

Australia Day.

It is Australia day here, unsuprisingly, in the land of Oz.

Strolling through Sydney, everywehere is crowded with flocking Australians, while bemused foreigners such as myself stare in wonder at all the flags and the overt patriotism.

Trying to get lunch is a formidable obstacle, a madness in itself, but fortunately I have made friends with a Latvian owner of a Bavarian restaurant and am able to find a table, and more importantly to be fed, in a reasonable time.

Queue jumping I know, but when hungry, the capitalist within more often than not convicts the socialist without.

Sitting back, I watch the milling throng, each person merrily waving a little plastic flag, or their faces painted in gold and green, the colours of the desert, and the lush lands that surround it.

I've never seen a country so at ease when expressing its own nationalism.

Established in 1988, Australia day has become a national event, of live concerts, yacht races and the consumption of vast amounts of alchohol.

On every street corner is a crude guitarist or two singing badly and not caring one whit about it.

The inevitable tributes to Rolf Harris tying his kangaroo down wafts sportingly through the burble and is reieved with equal abandonment of taste and civilised decorum.

It is a wonderful sight, though some would argue against such naked patriotism.

It seems that patriotism is fine in some cultures, and shivered at with undisguised loathing in others.

Britain is a splendid example with its complex mix of social and political histories.

The George cross, for example, seems to be fine in the wonderful sporting trysts of Rugby Union, Gods own game, and yet a symbol of thuggery, of distasteful and dubious loyalty to a discredited notion of monarchy when associated with English soccer (for those not from Britain, the Celts largely refer to rugby as football, and the round game as soccer).

But coming back to the subject at hand, Austrlia day, for the moment at least there is little concern at the overt patriotism on display in the metropolis of Sydney and probably all over the land of Oz.

For the moment at least, it is a time of raucous celebration, though always friendly and welcoming.

Even the police and perhaps more suprisingly the traffic wardens, stylishly called rangers in Oz, have little plastic flags attached to splinter wood poples stuck in the bum cheek pockets.

To give you some idea of the strength of the natiolism, here's a little excerpt from a hotel explaining Australia day:

'What's great about Australia?

There are many great things about this country:

The people - The life savers on the beach and the farmers in the bush; the larrikins; our sporting heroes, artists and visionaries; the volunteers who dedicate their lives to others; the spirit of pulling together in hard times and achieveing beyond expectation; the eminent Australians from all walks of life, the battlers and the ordinary Australians who are anything, but ordinary.

Our land - Fragile yet enduring. Harsh and extreme, lush and bountiful - a continent like no other. Our ancient land offers boundless opportunity, sustains us and makes us who we are.

Our diversity - A nation of difference and unity. People from the city, the country, different nations and backgrounds; we are one people living together. Through our diverse beliefs and experiences we learn from each other and grow together.

The indigenous cultures - The rich and resilient spirituality; the knowledge, art and history. Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples are part of Australia's identity and culture. Come and join all Australians on this Australia day.'

On such a day, Oz chooses to acknowledge those of its many citizens that have made outstanding contributions to its well being, either historically or presently.

Steve Waugh, a legend in his own lunchtime with regard to Australian cricket was accorded the title of Australian of the year. The fourth sportsperson to win this accolade in six years, which perhaps gives the outsider a smidgin of a clue to the Oz psyche.

However, creeping in among the some five hundred citizens of this remarkable celebration of patriotism, is the figure of one Billy Young, awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.

I will tell his story, and more impotantly the story of those that were not here to celebrate Australia day, in the next post.

yechydda,