I played at a 50th birthday party the other week, and the song requested in advance was "Still Call Australia ..." so we performed it (in accordance with our host's wishes, not by choice) and people stood up & had their hands over their hearts etc etc. The party-goers were also all Qantas empoloyees, and the song has been used in the past on tv ads for the airline, so that had a lot to do with it. But they didn't cringe - they loved it!!

I've never heard the song sung in folk contexts. That's no reason it SHOULDN'T be considered a folk song, but to my ears it just doesn't sound very real. It's like the difference between the cheery "Road to Gundagai" and John Dengate's song about his mother, who was born the year "Road to Gundagai" was written. John's song is "Bare Legged Kate" to the tune of "Bare Legged Joe" and it has a very profound effect on me - about what it was really like in Gundagai at the time.

To each their own - my mother was not born in Australia but absolutely loves the song.

--Callie