AUSTRALIAN

My parents brought me here as ‘ten pound poms’ when I was 2 years old. They returned to England 2 years later quite disillusioned, but my first memories had been formed in that short time. When I emigrated back to Sydney in 1986 I had this wonderful feeling that I was finally home. As the sun sets on Pittwater, and the surrounding bush lights up to green and gold, a man could be forgiven for thinking he had died & gone to heaven.

Australian, I’m proud to be,
So much I love my home,
Open spaces all around,
For citizens to roam,
There’s beauty all around me,
Strange animals abound,
From Kimberly to Great Divide,
They grace our sacred ground.

Now I was born an Englishman,
Four children and a wife,
Left Heathrow one cold morning,
To start another life,
Settled here in Sydney,
A stone’s throw from the sea,
Finest city in the world,
It’s where I want to be.

So here is where I’ll live my life,
To share true love with my new wife,
Smile at every bright clear dawn,
Sunday arvo, mow the lawn,
Watch SBS news every night,
How the politicians fight,
To others I will lend a hand,
As we all should in this dear land,
Do what I can for those in need,
The hungry I will try to feed.

I’ll try to laugh at everything,
Occasionally cry,
And when the party’s over,
Heave a long deep sigh,
Thank my God for everything,
Tell all I love goodbye,
On Sydney’s Northern Beaches,
A contented man I’ll die.