Wake Up Australia

[Little Jo]

Hi Guys

I am not one for change just for the sake of change and would not like to see our flag changed from what it is now. I served under this flag for 10 years and it does not matter where you go in the world you will feel a tug at your heart strings when you see our flag flying. Ok it has the Union Jack in the corner which is British but we have the stars of the southern cross below it which is Australian. If you look at the official flag of Hawaii you will see they still have the Union Jack in the top left corner.

I was disgusted to see Aboriginals burn and trample our flag the day after Australia Day. I know they have grievances, but we are all Australian so do not dishonour our flag it is an insult to the Aboriginal soldiers who served, fought and died under our flag.

LEAVE THE FLAG ALONE AND BE A PROUD AUSTRALIAN.

Cheers

Tony

[easo]

The history of the australian flag

following federation as a new nation (the commonwealth of australia) on 1st january, 1901 the commonwealth government announced a federal flag design competition on 29th april, 1901. The review of review for australiasia, a melbourne journal, had initiated an australian flag competition in 1900, a unique event at the time. It was agreed that the entries received by this journal would be accepted in the government’s competition. The contest attracted 32,823 entries from men, women and children. An expert panel of judges assessed the entries using guidelines which included history, heraldry, distinctiveness, utility and cost of manufacture, on 3rd september, 1901, a public ceremony was held at the royal exhibition building, melbourne, where lady hopetoun, wife of the governor-general, opened a display of the entries in the competition. The prime minister of australia, sir edmund barton, announced that five entrants, who had submitted similar designs, were to share the honour of being declared the designers of australia’s own flag. They were: Ivor evans, a fourteen-year-old schoolboy from melbourne; leslie john hawkins, a teenager apprenticed to a sydney optician; egbert john nuttall, a melbourne architect; annie dorrington, an artist from perth; and william stevens, a ship’s officer from auckland, new zealand. The commonwealth government and the review of reviews for australasia provided ₤75 each and the havelock tobacco company added ₤50 to this making a total of ₤200 prize money, a considerable amount at the time. The five winners received ₤40 each.

The australian national flag features the five stars of the constellation of the southern cross and the commonwealth star, and the combined crosses of st george, st andrew and st patrick. The union of crosses represents australia’s early settlers. The commonwealth star with its seven points represents the unity of the six australian states and the seventh point stands for all australian territories. Under the flags act of 1953, passed unanimously by parliament, it was confirmed that our "stars and crosses" design be the chief national symbol by law, custom and tradition and that it be honoured with the title "australian national flag". The new status of the national flag was emphasized when the act of parliament received royal assent from queen elizabeth ii, on her majesty’s visit to australia in 1954. The australian rules of flag etiquette are designed to ensure that the national flag is displayed with the dignity befitting its status.

The australian national flag identifies a free and democratic people in a nation united in purpose. Our national flag belongs equally to all australians whatever their origins. Each of the symbols on the flag has a special meaning for australians. The stars of the southern cross represent our geographic position in the southern hemisphere; the commonwealth star stands for our federation of states and territories; the crosses represent the principles on which our nation is based, namely, parliamentary democracy, rule of law and freedom of speech.

In 1996 the governor-general, sir william deane, proclaimed 3rd september as australian national flag day, to commemorate the day in 1901 on which our national flag of "stars and crosses" was first flown. It is the right and privilege of every australian to fly the australian national flag.

[easo]

I am the national flag of the Commonwealth of Australia. I belong to you & every Australian, equally & freely.

I was conceived before the dawn of the century.

Designed by Ivor Evans, I was chosen over & above some 32,000 contenders.

Although I was never an orphan, I was adopted on that sparkling Spring day, the 3rd September, 1901, when I flew above the Exhibition Building in Melbourne. I was hailed & celebrated by people standing on the threshold of nationhood. They took me to their hearts.

In that official ceremony, in the presence of our first Prime Minister, I became the chief symbol of a new nation, embracing the ideals of self-determination, national sovereignty & personal freedom under God.

I have been hoisted aloft over many buildings, from humble homes to the Houses of Parliament. I have listened to every Prime Minister declare his allegiance to me, to our Monarch, & to our Constitution. I have witnessed the pledge of each one to protect & defend those freedoms we all cherish, even above life itself.

I am carried with pride in ceremonies & processions. I have draped the caskets of your national heroes carried to their last resting place. The caskets of Kings & Queens, eminent Statesmen, Generals, Admirals, humble Privates & the Unknown Soldier.

Wherever free men gather, wherever there is justice, faith, hope, charity & truth; there too, am I.

At the tender age of 14 years, I received my baptism of fire in World War I. I flew proudly in those early days as we heard the call to do battle alongside those of our own kin. I was carried up the steep hills of Gallipoli & I was there with the men in the trenches. I watched Simpson bring out the wounded on his doughy little donkey. I breathed the dust of the deserts & rode in glory with the Light Horse Brigade. I saw our finest sons fall & lie still. They had given their last full measure of devotion. The war was over for them forever, but I kept my lonely vigil over their graves & stayed to watch the flowers grow amid the crosses, row upon row, in Flanders Fields. Oh, young Australia, I was there with your fathers whom I longed to comfort. Look at me again.

Lest you forget.

You know me by my distinctive emblems.

The *Union Jack is the tie that binds us to your ancestors & rich heritage down through the centuries.

The upright red cross on a white field is the Cross of St George, Patron Saint of England. This Cross was there when King John set his royal seal on Magna Carta in 1215 & it was there when Simon de Montfort brought together the very first Parliament in 1265, making England truly the Mother of Parliaments.

I proudly wear two other crosses. The white diagonal cross on a blue field is the Cross of St Andrew, Patron Saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross on a white field is the Cross of St Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland. These three crosses which perhaps you scarcely understand, unite our heritage in this wonderful land & forge our future in an inseparable bond. The blazing Southern Cross marks our way ahead while the seven-pointed Federation Star joins our states & territories in a single, yet united, commonwealth. All this set in a field of blue - the blue of our southern skies & of the endless ocean washing our golden, sandy beaches & coral shores. We are the heirs to a culture, rich & diverse. We are the offspring child of a great empire. We have a glorious tomorrow. We are one.

Lest you forget.

I have been to many places. I have seen many things.

With our explorers, I’ve crossed the icy wastes of Antarctica & climbed the heights of Mt Everest. I look down with pride on our mighty sportsmen & women as they win honours for their country all over the world. At every official or memorable event in this land, I hold the position of honour.

Following World War I, we frolicked in our newfound liberty, growth, prosperity, increase & our common wealth. But far to the north, in Russia, a new tyranny spewed forth, slaughtering the rich & regal, the lowly & humble, usurping the sovereignty of nations not of its own. We watched from afar, protected by the border of oceans. Then came 1939 & once again, we heard the beat of the warmonger’s drums. Again, my heart went out to our brave soldiers, sailors & airmen. I was there with them. In the Middle East, in New Guinea, Borneo & many other places. I was trodden in the mud red with the blood of those brave young Australians so ruthlessly murdered in prison of war camps.

Lest you forget.

Finally, in ’45, peace at last. So we thought. With just a few short years rest, I was again carried into battle, caught up in further hostilities by those promoting war. I watched & praised the endurance & spirit of our volunteers in Korea. I, too, felt the sufferings of our brave sons & daughters in the forces in Vietnam.

Lest you forget.

I am well-known & remembered in many places. I am flown every day in the school at Villers-Bretonneux, in France, where grateful children & teachers do not forget their debt to Australian soldiers. I am many things to many people. To some, I am yesterday, today & tomorrow, an inseparable link in the chain that binds men to God & country. And because I am on the side of God through our great heritage, there are the God-less who seek to destroy me & replace those three Christian crosses with plants or animals, but they dare not. Why? Because today, I am everywhere. In the homes of the humble & the mansions of millionaires. I am in the cities, the suburbs & in country towns. From coast to coast, right across this great nation, I am raised with pride & dignity. Oh, my people, you have given so much to be Australian & I am proud that we are one. Bonded through trial & triumph. Look at me & remember our heritage & realise our great future. Together, we will grow, & all the world will know.

You must never allow those who seek to reduce diversity into dust, to grind our treasures into a melting pot. And as you consider the future of your own true identity, remember, I was there in your every hour of loss, your every moment of glory. So too, I will be there in all your tomorrows, though proud, loyal & glorious through all my short history, there is one thing for which I need you most of all. I cannot fasten myself to the flagstaff.

Lest you forget.

The above verse is from the song "The Voice of the Australian Flag", performed by Larry Hannigan.

http://www.larryhannigan.com/VOFproducts.htm

[easo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4VYM7BuEdk

I'm proud of it and I wear it every day.... In various colors and backgrounds.


Regards Easo

[hrpearce]

Thanks Easo I needed to read those posts.

[Stuart Kirkham]

It would seem that the most contentious issue about our flag is the Union Jack. I like our current flag but I do like the idea of Australia 'standing on it's own two feet'. Most people would like to retain the Southern Cross within the design of a new flag. The Southern Cross has become a very popular body tattoo amongst young Australian whereas the Union Jack and seven pointed star are nowhere to be seen.

Of all the designs for a new flag I have seen, this one tends to tick all the boxes. Souther Cross, green and gold, the most recognisable symbol of Australia, the Kangaroo and most importantly, 'neutral' in design.

http://wawyaa.com/?p=19740

[Dianaa]

Originally Posted by Little Jo

Hi Guys

I am not one for change just for the sake of change and would not like to see our flag changed from what it is now. I served under this flag for 10 years and it does not matter where you go in the world you will feel a tug at your heart strings when you see our flag flying. Ok it has the Union Jack in the corner which is British but we have the stars of the southern cross below it which is Australian. If you look at the official flag of Hawaii you will see they still have the Union Jack in the top left corner.

I was disgusted to see Aboriginals burn and trample our flag the day after Australia Day. I know they have grievances, but we are all Australian so do not dishonour our flag it is an insult to the Aboriginal soldiers who served, fought and died under our flag.

LEAVE THE FLAG ALONE AND BE A PROUD AUSTRALIAN.

Cheers

Tony

OK Guys I seem to be in the minority here, its just to me like many others including Ted Egan I want to see the Union flag removed from our flag's canton.

Tony's comment about the flag pulling heart strings is true, but after a period away from Australia seeing a red Qantas tail at some far off airport does the same for me even if I may be flying United or KLM at the time.

To me the Union Flag represents suppression and subjugation. I think about the Scots at Culloden, the banning of their national cloth and the stealing of their lands and gifting them to English Aristocracy. So we start with the flag of England's St George flying on top of Scotland's flag of St Andrew to form the Queen Anne Flag. The Scottish independance movement is still alive and well.

Then the English take the Queen Anne Flag and suppress and subjugate the Irish and similar to happenings in Scotland, the Irish lands are stolen and gifted to English aristocracy. During the "potatoe famine" the English landlords were exporting Irish grown produce for sale in England while the Irish were starving.* The Irish flag of St Patrick is then added underneath the Queen Anne Flag to form the Union Flag, and notice only the cross of St George of England remains untruncated, the other two crosses are reduced in half. The independence movement of Northern Ireland is alive and well.

We then come to Australia, each night we can look skyward and see the Southern Cross as represented in our flag against a blue background of our sky, unfortunatly a quarter of our view is obliterated by the Union Flag flying under our unbounded sky. I remember the Irish political prisoners transported to Australia for nothing more that demonstrating for the independance of their homeland, never to see Ireland again.

* Back the potatoe famine, our Government would do well to learn the lesson of the Irish as they allow the Chinese to buy up huge swathes of our prime agricultural land in an unregulated manner.

[Little Jo]

Hi Guys

I am impressed with the good debate going on here and the true feelings expressed by members from the commonwealth countries, we all have the same heritage and gripes. I was 7 years old when my family immigrated from Holland after WW2 for a better life. In those days as migrants we HAD TO PAY to come to Australia, As a new immigrant family in a country town in 1950 we were not welcomed by many who were still racist towards us at first. But they soon realized we were hard working and my parents made a good life for the family and I must say we have all turned out well, Australia has been good to us and we became Australian in all ways. I have never thought of myself as anything other than Australian and I am sure this goes for all other immigrants from Europe as well. Though I still fly the Dutch Flag on the 5th May to celebrate the liberation of out town by Canadian forces.

TRUE BLUE AUSSIE.

Cheers

Tony

[Tony Smith]

Originally Posted by Little Jo

:Ok it has the Union Jack in the corner which is British but we have the stars of the southern cross below it which is Australian.

Is it?? I'm surprised Lynn didn't pipe up here and mention the New Zealand flag and also claim ownership of the Southern Cross.

I remember being at a Wallabies Vs Springboks Rugby match a few years back and seeing the surprised/confused looks of each teams supporters who were decked out in green and gold and the Southern Cross, or gold and green and the Southern Cross.

The depiction, as a celestial formation, is used on around a dozen National, State or Regional official emblems from various countries around the Southern Hemisphere. This is what Wikipedia has to say:

"Beginning in the colonial age, the constellation Crux became used as a national symbol by several southern nations. The brightest stars of Crux appear on the flags of Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Samoa. They also appear on the flags of the Australian state of Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, as well as the flag of Magallanes Region of Chile, the flag of Londrina (Brazil) and several Argentine provincial flags and emblems (for example,, Tierra del Fuego and Santa Cruz). The Argentine Air Force acrobatic display team is called Cruz del Sur, the Spanish for "Southern Cross". The Southern Cross was written into the lyrics of "Advance Australia Fair" in 1901: "Beneath our radiant Southern Cross", and also included in the lyrics of the Brazilian National Anthem (1909): "A imagem do Cruzeiro resplandece" ("the image of the Cross shines"). The five stars are also in the logo of the Brazilian football team Cruzeiro Esporte Clube and the Brazilian coat of arms, and even featured as the name of the currency (the cruzeiro from 1942 to 1986 and again from 1990 to 1994. The constellation is displayed in all coins of the current series of the Brazilian real."

So our claim to it as solely Australian is utterly ridiculous. I wonder if any nations in the Northern Hemisphere would claim sovereignty as an emblem over say the Pole Star? The closest we would come to our own unique design using the Southern Cross is the Eureka Flag, which also represents the sentiments expressed here by many.

But what does really bug me is that you can't find Australian MADE flags anymore, they're all cheap imports from Asia that invariably have errors of some sort. It doesn't matter if you buy a current Official flag, a Boxing Kangaroo or even an Aboriginal Rising Sun, they all seem to be from overseas. Even going to your local Federal Member and asking for an Official Flag (which they are obliged to provide, did you know?), will result in you getting a cheap screen-printed nylon piece of rubbish that even has a tag saying "Made In C****"!