True blue

True Blue, is it me and you

Is it Mum and Dad, is it a cockatoo

Is it standin’ by your mate when he’s in a fight

Or just Vegemi-ite

True Blue, I’m a-asking you

John Williamson – True Blue

Australia Day Weekend. Time to spend with family and friends. And do that’s what I did. Including a complete make-over by an 8 year-old. “She’s a true blue!” her mother commented when admiring the end result. And I got the feeling, she wasn’t only referring to my make-up.

True Blue. I have to admit – the first thing that came to my mind: Madonna. Right? That cute little song from the eighties about true love with lots of doo-wops and lalalalalalala. And though the two of us, Madonna and I, did in fact look a bit alike at that moment, this was probably not what my friend meant.

True Blue. The colour of the sky and the sea. Of constancy and loyalty. Symbolizing trust and depth and faithfulness. Ok, so maybe not Madonna! More blue like the unchanging blue sky. Like the blue flowers in my neighbor’s yard. Someone loyal and faithful. Someone you can count on. A true blue.

True blue. Like the blue wren. Among the most beautiful birds in Australia, you can sometimes spot them in front of our staff room window. With their electric blue plumage they change into during mating season, this quirky little animal, though genetically promiscuous, apparently mates for life (not sure how the female counterpart feels about her new hot date changing from brilliant blue back to shabby brown once they hook up). Loyalty and faithfulness.

True blue. A well-known Australian folk song by singer John Williamson about cockatoos and vegemite and everything truly Australian. The real thing, no bullshit. Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was a true blue with his khakis and his love for wildlife. A dinki di genuine Aussie. Honest and true. Sadly he died by being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb in the Great Barrier Reef. 

True blue. True Australian. Sporting blue shirts and hats and chest tattoos, waving flags and chanting Waltzing Matilda on Australia Day. A stereotype probably, but I did share a bus ride with them making my way out of the city as quickly as possible on Australia Day. And clearly not the only passenger on that bus who felt somewhat intimidated by this rowdy bunch.

Having grown up in Germany, where German Unity Day only got introduced in 1990, any form of patriotism or national pride makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable. Sure, my kids all wore the German National Elf soccer jersey and I do like a good bratwurst, but that’s probably the extend of me displaying my nationality in public. No flags, no traditional garb, no national anthem. Not my thing. Canada Day is a bit easier, because it involves hanging out with friends, street parties and barbecues and who doesn’t like a cute ROOTS beaver on their shirt.

But a crowd of 20+ drunk people at 10 in the morning … that was a bit much. So I was glad to soon arrive at my final destination – my ride waiting for me at a bus stop a couple of stops later, picking me up for a day of hiking in the gorgeous Blue Mountains. 

True blue. Blue Mountains. What could be more genuine Australian than this World Heritage Region west of Sydney, about an hour’s drive away, and known for its stunning natural beauty. A National Park densely populated by eucalyptus trees, their finely dispersed droplets of eucalyptus oil mixed with dust particles and water vapour in the air, breaking the rays of light in a way that gives the range its characteristic blue tinge. The Blue Mountains. True Blue.

During the ongoing bushfire crisis, 80% of the Blue Mountains world heritage area has burnt. Hundreds of thousands of hectares of national park and bushland, habitat for animals like the quoll and the wallabie. Being aware of the devastation caused by the recent fires in the area, I braced myself for the worst, expecting scenes like the one a colleague of mine had posted on social media (Finchley Track).

Instead I got greeted by bush trails and bubbling creeks, overhanging rock ledges and steep cliffs, waterfalls and an endless lush tree canopy. True Blue – fair dinkum!

True blue. The Blue Mountains have been inhabited for thousands of years (over 22.000 to be exact) by the Indigenous Australian people of NSW, the Gundungurra and the Darug people. Australia as a continent for over 60.000 years. Long before the first British flag was raised on January 26, 1788 in Sydney Cove. And while Australia Day is a day of celebration and BBQ s and national pride, for many it is a day of mourning and of sorrow. It seems that Australia, just like Canada, still has a long way to go when it comes to indigenous reconciliation.

True blue. The Blue Flag of Australia with its British Union Jack in the upper left hand corner and seven white stars. Red. Black.Yellow. The colours of the Aboriginal Australian Flag of the original peoples of mainland Australia. 

In his acceptance speech for Australian of the Year Award 2014 – a speech that was inspirational and inclusive, yet created a lot of anger amongst certain groups of the population – the former Australian football player and anti-racism activist Adam Goodes, in my opinion, showed what it means to balance being a strong indigenous leader with being a proud Australian.

“The ultimate reward is when all Australians see each other as equals and treat each other as equals. To me, everything is about people and the choices we make. I believe it’s the people and the interactions between us that makes this country so special. Thank you so much and have a great Australia Day.” (Adam Goodes, 2014)