G'day yet again,

Callie: I agree totally. I was hovering around commenting on the song itself, but decided to restrict my comments to interpreting the words and phrases that might be pretty foriegn to a Finnlander.

I think Alistair's song won a competition during the '90s and I feel it is a bit like those songs of the '60s Folk Revival that purport to solve all the world's problems at a stroke. However, there are some good lines and sometimes we have to live with a few inconsistencies in life.

It isn't a song I would sing by choice - but there are not a lot of good traditional songs on race relations, either. We desperately need to start a dialogue in a country where the Prime Minister isn't game to apologise for 2 centuries of atrocious behaviour (among occasional specific examples of good faith and honest endeavour) because it might be grounds for a compensation claim!

Things were hard for everyone and this forged what is good in the Australian spirit. I love our traditional songs because they are about living despite the problems. There is not much philosophy - it is a luxury for any country dweller.

Regards,

Bob Bolton