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Advance Australia Fair

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The National Anthem booth at the 2005 Floriade, Canberra
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The National Anthem booth at the 2005 Floriade, Canberra

Advance Australia Fair is the official national anthem of Australia. Composed by Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its' status as the official anthem until 1984. Between that timeframe, the song was used inside of Australia as a patriotic song and to announce the news from the Australian Broadcasting Commission. In order for the song to become the anthem, it had to face a vote between the Royal anthem God Save the Queen and the "unofficial anthem" Waltzing Matilda. Other songs and marches have been influenced from Advance Australia Fair, such as the Australian Vice-Regal salute.

Contents

History

Advance Australia Fair was composed by Peter Dodds McCormick in the late 19th century, and first performed by Andrew Fairfax at a Highland Society function in Sydney on St Andrew's Day, (30 November, 1878). The song quickly gained popularity and an amended version was sung by a choir of 10,000 at the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. In 1907, the Australian Government awarded McCormick £100 for his composition.

Before its adoption as Australia's national anthem, Advance Australia Fair saw considerable use elsewhere. For instance, during World War II, Australia's national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, used it to announce its news bulletins. It was also frequently played at the start or end of official functions.

It emerged as the most popular choice for the national anthem after an opinion poll in 1974 (the Australian Bureau of Statistics polled 60,000 nationally).

At the same time as the 1977 referendum, a national plebiscite was held to choose the National Song. Advance Australia Fair received 43.6% of the vote, fairly convincingly defeating the three alternatives: Waltzing Matilda (28.5%), Song Of Australia (9.7%), and the then-current national anthem God Save the Queen (18.7%).

Advance Australia Fair was adopted as the national anthem on 19 April, 1984 by a decision of the Labor government of Bob Hawke, although it required a proclamation by the Governor-General for the decision to become official. The proclamation was signed on the same day by Sir Ninian Martin Stephen, the Governor General.

Australian National Anthem Quest

The Government of Australia decided that the country needs an anthem that could represent Australia with "distinction," so in 1973, a contest was started. The Australia Council for the Arts organized the contest, which was dubbed as the Australian National Anthem Quest. The contest was held in two stages; the first seeking for lyrics and the second for music, each having a 5000 AUD prize for the winning entry. On the recommendation of the Council for the Arts, none of the new entries felt worthy enough, so the contest ended with the suggestions for Advance Australia Fair, Waltzing Matilda and Song of Australia. [link]

Criticisms

The anthem attracts occasional discussion in Australia, with allegations that both the tune and lyrics are mediocre, lacklustre or uninspiring. Another complaint is that it is not as popular or well known as other national songs, particularly Waltzing Matilda. In particular the word "girt" (the passive form of the verb "to gird") meaning 'encircled' or 'surrounded' is criticised as obscure.

The opening of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 highlighted the fact that most of the large audience was unfamiliar with the second verse of the anthem, sung by Julie Anthony (the first verse was sung by Human Nature).

Alternatives

Other tunes that have gained recognition in the popular mind as patriotic songs include the pop ballad I Still Call Australia Home, by Peter Allen and the reggae-influenced rock song Down Under by band Men At Work. Also gaining popularity is I Am Australian by Bruce Woodley (better known as a member of The Seekers).

As part of New Year's Eve 2004 celebrations, Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of the City of Sydney, commissioned a dance remix of Advance Australia Fair with a verse of Waltzing Matilda in it, receiving mixed reactions. A previous remix of the song, released in 2003 by comedian Adam Hills, set the song lyrics to the music of Jimmy Barnes's Working Class Man.

A major rival for "Advance Australia Fair" is Waltzing Matilda, which is often regarded as a much finer tune and which has been part of the Australian imagination almost since its composition 110 years ago. Many non-Australians simply assume the tune is Australia's anthem. However, "Waltzing Matilda"'s lyrics, detailing the exploits of an itinerant who steals a sheep and then drowns himself in an effort to avoid capture by the police and the local squatter (land-owner), are regarded by some Australians as unsuitable as an expression of Australian values, and, indeed, as unsuitable topics for discussion in a national anthem. Nevertheless, its long-lasting popularity suggests that other Australians have a lingering sense of identification with the romantic figure of the swagman, his precarious existence, his stubborn defiance of authority and his working-class status.

Lyrics

The lyrics of Advance Australia Fair express relatively uncontroversial Australian self-beliefs and aspirations.

For its adoption as the national anthem, the second, fourth, and fifth verses were dropped from the "official" version, as they emphasised the British aspects of Australia's heritage, along with the virtues of Britain, and three lines were changed, in order to promote non-sexist language and to reflect the fact that Australia is no longer a 'youthful Commonwealth'. For example:

Advance Australia Fair - The official version

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"
Beneath our radiant Southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

McCormick's original lyrics

Australia's sons let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"
When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Britannia rules the wave!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"
Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this youthful Commonwealth
Renowned of all the lands;
For loyal sons beyond the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"
While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"
Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Britannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a English soul.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

'Missing' Verse?

Despite McCormick's original composition only having five verses, there is claim that a missing sixth verse has been discovered. The sixth verse, unlike the others, had a overtly Christian overtone. While it has been performed in public before, the first performance in recent memory of this verse was during the Global March for Jesus in 1998. [link] The verse went as follows:

With Christ our head and cornerstone, we'll build our nation's might
Whose way and truth and light alone, can guide our path aright
Our lives, a sacrifice of love reflect our Master's care,
With faces turned to heaven above, Advance Australia Fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing, Advance Australia Fair.
Some people think this was the original version, but it was not McCormick's own (see above). The explicitly Christian has been misabtributed to McCormick, dispite its' exclusion from the original compositiobn. It is not known who the true author of the verse is, nor when it was first penned and used. The most recent known performance of the verse was at a special service at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, on July 10, 2005 with Prime Minister John Howard present.

External links

  1. redirect[[Template:Portal]]
National anthems of Oceania and the Pacific Islands
National anthems: Australia • Cook Islands • Federated States of Micronesia • Fiji • Kiribati • Marshall Islands • Nauru • New Zealand • Niue • Palau • Papua New Guinea • Samoa • Solomon Islands • Tonga • Tuvalu • Vanuatu
Regional anthems: American Samoa • French Polynesia • Guam • Hawaii • New Caledonia • Northern Mariana Islands • Wake Island • Wallis and Futuna

 

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