Sunday 26 February 2012

What makes it great to be an Aussie?

A few weeks ago I spotted this t-shirt on Made in the Now and I was going to include it in a Five For Friday but then I got thinking about the subject matter, so it gets a whole blog.

A poll of 15,000 people were asked ‘what makes it great to be an Aussie’. According to those 15,000 people, it goes something like this:

  1. Freedom

  2. Beer

  3. Lifestyle

  4. Sun

  5. Mateship

  6. Beaches

  7. Weather

  8. The people

  9. (Being an) Aussie, and

  10. Barbecues

Made in the Now tells us there was ‘daylight’ between the first and second answers, which is comforting. It’s good to know that as much as we love a joke, deep down we as a nation have our priorities sorted. The rest of the answers are really about the lifestyle we’re lucky to enjoy. The outdoors, spending time with friends, feeling comfortable wherever you are in the country.

Sometimes I do wonder why we go anywhere else...

I got thinking about what I think makes it great to be an Aussie. I agree with freedom, the weather, the people and the lifestyle. I’d round out my top 10 list with:

  1. Our political system, which is neither crippled by the chase for the non-compulsory vote nor rendered ineffectual by corruption.
  2. The Aussie sense of humour.
  3. Our genuinely international cuisine.
  4. Australia Day – a day dedicated to spending time with friends, having a drink, a swim, lighting the BBQ and eating good food.
  5. Our mystery and charm. When you travel the world, being Australian is an instant winner. Everyone loves you and everyone will tell you how much they want to go to Australia. How long this will last, I’m not sure, but I’ve had a couple of decades of it and I love it. I also love scaring people overseas with stores of just how deadly our country is; all that poison we’ve got just floating around.

And actually, come to think of it, I’d round out my list with ‘being an Aussie’.

So that’s my top ten ‘What make it great to be an Aussie’.

Jane actually posted a very similar blog on Australia Day - sorry for copy-cating Jane.

What would be on your list?

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