Who Are Aborigines?
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Thursday 18 October 2007 |
 Aborigines are Australia's indigenous people. Recent government statistics counted approximately 400,000 aboriginal people, or about 2% of Australia's total population. Australian Aborigines migrated from somewhere in Asia at least 30,000 years ago. Though they comprise 500–600 distinct groups, aboriginal people possess some unifying links. Among these are strong spiritual beliefs that tie them to the land; a tribal culture of storytelling and art; and, like other indigenous populations, a difficult colonial history. "The Dreamtime" Aboriginal spirituality entails a close relationship between humans and the land. Aborigines call the beginning of the world the "Dreaming," or "Dreamtime." In the "Dreamtime," aboriginal "Ancestors" rose from below the earth to form various parts of nature including animal species, bodies of water, and the sky. Unlike other religions, however, aboriginal belief does not place the human species apart from or on a higher level than nature. Aborigines believe some of the Ancestors metamorphosed into nature (as in rock formations or rivers), where they remain spiritually alive. |
posted by Tabitha @ 9:54 am  |
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Elections put the "racy!" in democracy
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Wednesday 17 October 2007 |
 FINALLY, the election is called. Hurray for democracy! Now instead of being bombarded with ads about how great the Coalition government is, we'll be bombarded with ads about how great the Coalition government is AND ads about how much Kevin Rudd sucks! Yippee!
 Meanwhile, is anyone else a little concerned by the general smugness of those who intend to vote Labor? Maybe I just read too much of the Sydney Morning Herald letters page, but there seems to be an attitude that Rudd will inevitably prevail and Howard will be embarrassingly trounced. Hmmm. I'm not 100% sure about that, actually - I was so crushed by the last federal election result that I feel like it's a good idea to mentally prepare myself for Howard's return to power. It'll take the full six weeks to erect a Smug Shield mighty enough to deflect Alexander Downer's victorious smirk.
Addendum: Apparently Howard and Rudd are planning to debate this Sunday at 7.30pm. Come on, guys... that's Idol time! (And can Labor please can it with the requests for YouTube debates? It just reeks of an embarrassing "Aww, dad"-like attempt at being cool.) |
| posted by Tabitha @ 7:56 am |
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Australian Culture Food
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Friday 12 October 2007 |
Australian Food, the cocktail of different culture is famous for its miscellany rich cuisines. Traditionally Australian cuisines were based on British cooking from its conception. Later Australian-cookery was enriched with multi-cultural contribution made by German, Italian, Greek, Asian and South African immigrant communities. The inhabitants of Australia are fond of both veg and non-veg foods consisting pies, roasted cuts of meat, grilled steak and chops, and other forms of meat generally accompanied by vegetables For centuries the native Australians are using the fruits and plants growing in their local lands to make mouth-watering delicacies like, Calamari seasoned with lemon myrtle, Lemon myrtle linguine tossed with local scallops and prawns, Native spinach fettuccine with Springs Smoked Salmon with creamy bush tomato and macadamia sauce etc.
 Some of the essential ingredients of Australian delicacies are :-
Lemon myrtle: Fresh leaf or ground dried leaf of the Lemon Myrtle tree
Mountain Pepper: ground leaf or berries of the mountain pepper tree
Native spinach: Local spinach growing in coastal areas
Bush tomatoes: small tomato-like fruits, also called desert raising
Macadamia nuts: a nut, native of Australia, now grown in other places
Wattle seed: A small, oval, black variety of the Acacia seed. Wattle seed is used in
Some of the traditional Australian bakeries are:-
Damper: A damper is traditional yeast-less Australian bread.
Lamingtons: A chocolate coated cube of sponge cake rolled in desiccated coconut usually served with whipped cream and afternoon tea.
Pavlova: This is a confection of sugar and egg white meringue, covered with delicious whipped cream and seasonal fruits.
Anzac Biscuits: A hard and crisp biscuit of rolled oats and molasses
Soldier's Cake: A long keeping boiled fruit cake
Some of the typical Australian desserts are as follows:-
Anzac biscuits
Frozie cup
Lamingtons Pavlova
Vanilla slice
Wide variety of Australian seafood and barbecues are also popular at weekend family gatherings. |
| posted by Tabitha @ 10:42 am |
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Australia Canberra Culture People
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Wednesday 10 October 2007 |
 Australia Canberra Culture People basically consists of the Ngunnawal tribes who inhabit the capital city of Canberra for centuries. Canberra, which gradually came to be known as the “Ngunnawal land” bears archeological evidences about this tribal habitation at the Birrigai Rock Shelter in Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and in the rock paintings of Namadgi National Park.
The Australia Canberra Culture People date back to as early as 1820s when the Europeans first started settling on the land. The frequent interactions between the so-called cultured Europeans and the uncivilized, uncultured aboriginals led to regular feasts, corroborees and other cultural exchanges between them. Apart from Canberra, the lives of these tribal people in other parts of Australia were terribly affected by the European settlements. The aboriginal life and land patterns as well as movements were severely disturbed and a large part of them killed in diseases like tuberculosis, smallpox and influenza imported from Europe.
 The Australia Canberra Culture People survived on sheep grazing. Canberra, a good sheep grazing station, offered large, open pastures for the purpose. The natives lived in the country for a long time, earning their livelihood by selling various sheep possessions. Gradually, their total counts decreased owing to diseases and hunger, followed by a decline in their language and culture.
Seasonal food items such as bogong moths were what the Australia Canberra Culture People consumed. These insects are found in large numbers in Canberra during the summer time and people moved all around, searching for them.
The Ngunnawal tribes in Canberra had a distinct culture and lifestyle of their own. Their way of life may appear weird to the modern population, but then, their culture was no less prosperous than ours. Had not the Europeans interfered into their lives, they could have existed for some more time, contributing further to the development of aboriginal civilization. |
| posted by Tabitha @ 10:40 am |
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Culture Shock Australia
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Saturday 6 October 2007 |
 “Culture Shock Australia” is a book which speaks in detail the everyday life of the Australian people. In the book, the author Ilsa Sharp is very optimistic towards life and her approach, very confident and positive. In fact, the accounts in this book can stimulate a novice to visit Australia and have a close look at the lifestyles of the local inhabitants.
“Culture Shock Australia” is an in-depth analysis and study about the unique culture of the land. The writing reflects the extensive research that the author has underwent in an attempt to offer typical pictures of the Australian daily domestic lives. The author’s immediate understanding of different domestic situations is also revealed within the pages.
The author begins the book with a first-hand impression about the Australian topography, and then goes on to describe the people in general. To the author, the Australian people appear to be simple and an easy-going lot, who talk straight. A detailed analysis of their customs, attire, language and accent follow next.
The natural and environmental conditions in which the Australian population thrives also surface in the writing. There is a vivid description about the lifestyles of all those living in the country sides and the resources they utilize for a better survival. Not only this; the author also scrutinizes the typical inner character and mindsets of the Australian people in great detail.
“Culture Shock Australia” also examines the Australian social structure. In scripting carefully as to how the society functions in Australia, the writer incorporates information about the form and type of government existing there, the common social ‘do’s and don’ts’, as well as the nature and role of the Australian press. |
| posted by Tabitha @ 10:37 am |
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Australian Community Foundations Today
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Thursday 4 October 2007 |
A list of current Australian Community Foundations, with links to their websites where applicable and information on their legal status, is available from Philanthropy Australia’s Community Foundations Gateway. There are currently:
 26 established community foundations with Public Fund and DGR status
- 2 incorporated community foundations
- 1 in the process of incorporating
- and at least 10 more communities in the process of conducting feasibility studies
Support for Australian Community Foundations - Philanthropy Australia has a part-time Community Foundations Officer
- Philanthropy Australia and FRRR have jointly developed a Community Foundations Kit for Australian communities wishing to establish community foundations
- A Community Foundations Forum is held on an annual basis
Community Foundation Sample Documents are also available for download- A very successful forum was held for community foundations in Albury NSW in August 2007. The event was attended by Directors and Executive Officers from around the country. There was much valuable information presented and exchanged. A particular highlight was the launch of the Border Trust’s Community Leaders network
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| posted by Tabitha @ 8:16 am |
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Australian Beer Culture
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Wednesday 3 October 2007 |
First let me say that I know next to nothing about the beer tradtions in Australia. I've never been there; the closest I've ever come is a few pints of Fosters, which I've been assured is most definitely NOT Australian for beer as the ad campaign would have us believe.
Here are some Australian beer drinking terms that I lifted from Koala Net:
 Amber fluid : beer
Bogan : person who takes little pride in his appearance, spends his days slacking and drinking beer
Bottle-o : liquor shop (originally a man with hessian bags going around picking up beer bottles in the 50's and 60's)
Butcher : small glass of beer in South Australia - From the theory that a butcher could take a quick break from his job, have a drink and be back at work
Coldie : a beer
Grog : liquor, beer ("bring your own grog, you bludger")
Handle : beer glass with a handle
Longneck : 750ml bottle of beer in South Australia
Middy : 285 ml beer glass in New South Wales
Pint : large glass of beer (esp. in South Australia)
Piss : beer. Hence "hit the piss", "sink some piss"
Pot : 285 ml beer glass in Queensland and Victoria
Schooner : large beer glass in Queensland; medium beer glass in South Australia
Skull/Skol (a beer) : to drink a beer in a single draught without taking a breath
Slab : a carton of 24 bottles or cans of beer
Stubby : a 375ml. beer bottle
Tallie : 750ml bottle of beer
Throw-down : small bottle of beer which you can throw down quickly
Tinny : can of beer
XXXX : pronounced Four X, brand of beer made in Queensland |
| posted by Tabitha @ 10:02 am |
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Community Foundation Growth in Australia - Early Years
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Australian growth of community foundations has been slower than that in the US, due to a number of cultural and legal factors including:
- different cultural attitudes towards wealth
- lack of regulation requiring Australia trusts and foundations to report publicly
- lack of clear and available information about foundation formation
- the dominance of trustee companies in the establishment of foundations
Australia did have similar organisations, such as the Greater Melbourne Foundation of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund, operating before the establishment of community foundations. The first “US style” community foundations in Australia were started by the ANZ Bank in the 1980s following a visit by an ANZ staff member to the US. The first Australian community foundation was the Victorian Community Foundation, established in 1983, followed by the Queensland Community Foundation in 1986. However, following a restructure at the Bank, and various internal policy decisions, both foundations were “recreated”; the Melbourne Community Foundation was created as an independent entity in 1987 and in Queensland the Public Trustee Office was given both the Board of Advice and the name for the Queensland Community Foundation. |
| posted by Tabitha @ 8:13 am |
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Modern Culture
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Tuesday 2 October 2007 |
Some would even argue that because Australia is so young it also lacks culture. I once heard an Englishman joke, that a container of yogurt had more culture than Australian's. This is unfair, while Australia shares a strong cultural connection with England it has developed a unique culture. For instance, the English tradition of the Fish and Chip Shops is available in nearly every Australian town. That is of course, if the town is large enough to support the first two business that are established in any town, the Pub and the General Store. In nearly every fish and chip shop in Australia a Souvalaki is available. This is due to the enormous Greek communities that resides in Australia. Melbourne has the largest Greek community in the World, outside Greece. Also present in any fish and chip shop and unique to Australia is the Dim Sim. This has its beginnings during the 1800s when waves of Chinese immigrants flocked to Australia in search of Gold. The Dim Sim is either steamed or fried and is probably most similar to a meat and cabbage dumpling. While the fish and chip example may seem subtle and not really an extremely convincing example of culture, it must be remembered that subtleties are what makes a people unique.
 Australia is one of the most urbanized countries in the world yet has a strong connection with the bush. Australian literature, art, and folklore is significantly about stories of settlers hardships on the land, bushrangers that roamed the countryside stealing, squatters who searched for new land to settle and farm, sheep sheerers, and miners hoping to strike it rich. These examples of Australian expression have one common theme, they are all stories of hardships, of ordinary poor people searching for something more from life. They are stories of battlers (a famous saying in Australia is "Aussie battler") and Australian's have a strong desire to support the under dog or battler.
Australia often draws its identity from the land. It was said in the past that, Australia rides on the sheep's back. Times have changed, and by the way the photo looks its the other way around. |
| posted by Tabitha @ 9:48 am |
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Australian Rhinosquirrel
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Monday 1 October 2007 |
Very rare, and also dangerous |
| posted by Tabitha @ 8:03 am |
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