Judith Durhams ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR A Lyric For Contemporary Australia

A Message From Judith Durham

We Australians proudly and emotionally love our country, and most will accept the national anthem in spite of the
lyrics imperfections, which can trigger disrespect, thereby diminishing the potential power of the song which
otherwise truly has very appropriate anthemic music.
As you may already know, the first line of the anthem is the butt of many jokes. Most recently Australians all let
us ring Joyce was showcased in the movie Kenny; while schoolchildren through the years have innocently sung
Australias sunsets ostriches or Australians all eat ostriches!! I have spoken to many intelligent young adults
who say that throughout their school years they sang the anthem without knowing the meaning of the entire
song! I see this as such wasted potential, when good music can be a lifelong indelible vehicle for expressing
heartfelt emotions, meaningful goals and uplifting affirmations especially in impressionable children.
In the existing lyric, even more importantly, there is no reference to the original owners of this land. In the very
first stanza, the phrase for we are young and free is ambiguous, and the whole anthem insensitively ignores
indigenous Australians and their ancient heritage, which we can all be so proud of. It is perhaps not surprising to
find out that a large percentage of indigenous people nationwide always remain seated for the existing anthem,
refusing to sing it because its words are meaningless or offensive to them.
Indeed our anthem, therefore, has the effect of somewhat dividing the nation, rather than uplifting and uniting us
patriotically as much as we see anthems of other countries (such as America) inspiring their citizens. Waltzing
Matilda, a song that is so much loved internationally, could probably do a better job in not only uniting
Australians of all cultural backgrounds, but also uniting Australia with other countries.
Advance Australia Fair was actually written by a Scotsman, and was first performed in 1878; so his expression
girt by sea is now a vestige from an era when formality and poetry were part of everyday culture. Those words
should really be replaced, to stop the continual heartbreaking derision, ridicule and sarcasm.
Only last Friday for example, curiosity about the title of a play took me to For We Are Young And Free by Lorin
Clarke, in its last performance during the Melbourne Comedy Festival (www.forweareyoungandfree.com.au). Sure
enough, the opening line was spoken by a young actor playing the part of composer Peter Dodds McCormick,
lamenting to the audience that he is so much criticized today for such lyrics as girt by sea and young and free!!!
He tries to explain that he wrote Advance Australia Fair more than 170 years ago, never intending his song to
become Australias official anthem one day, and even suggests Aussie Aussie Aussie Oy Oy Oy could be just as
effective now!!!
In Melbournes Herald Sun 02.02.06, it was actually a Letter To The Editor about girt by sea, surely one of many
through the years, (see enclosed photocopy) that suddenly motivated me to simply try to change that phrase and
one or two other phrases such as young and free. My supposedly simple goal has now resulted, more than a
year later, in the enclosed unexpected three and a half verses.
During the process, I was phoning about thirty men and women and boys and girls from all walks of life,
intermittently taste testing the evolving words. I spoke to home makers, 93 year olds, teenagers, young adults,
students, school teachers, academics, accountants, executives, indigenous leaders, black activists, other singers,
other composers, other authors and even unsuspecting taxi drivers!! (some with English as a second language).
All of the above now say that the revised lyric is 100% acceptable and even beautiful all say they would be

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happier to sing it and wouldnt mind having to learn the words the teachers tell me they would rather teach it to
their pupils (because it is easy to understand) than face the difficult task of teaching the official words of the
anthem and everyone sees the proposed revision as an affirmation to which all Australians could emotionally
and joyfully aspire from generation to generation.
It has been particularly thrilling for me to also be told by Aboriginal friends and associates that they would be
happy and proud to stand beside non indigenous Australians and sing the revised anthem: for example Dr Jacqui
Huggins (Deputy Director Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit University of QLD, Co Chair Reconciliation
Australia); Joy Murphy AO (Senior Woman Elder Wurundjeri People); activist Robbie Thorpe; and also musicians
and songwriters Kutcha Edwards, Boori Pryor and Lou Bennett.
It might be worth noting that, at one stage during the last few months, I also put quite a bit of effort into trying to
change the ambiguous title, but I could see it was becoming a whole process in itself and might have weighed
down the possibility of universal acceptance of the more urgent divisive lyric changes required. Nevertheless, it
was a revelation to find several different interpretations of the meaning of the phrase Advance Australia Fair . . .
That realization hit me on speaking to a teacher whose regular task it is to teach the existing anthem. In the class
she asks children what they think the title means and is always faced with some very confused answers.
Subsequently we were both surprised to discover my personal interpretation is different from her own.
To date I have come across the following varied responses:
a)
Fair as in fair of face meaning nice looking to many older white people like me;
b)
Fair meaning a fair go to the above mentioned teacher, and to many others;
c)
Fair meaning light complexion to many indigenous Australians, believing the title was
probably chosen in support of the White Australia Policy;
d)
The phrase Advance Australia Fair is mostly sung parrot fashion, as many couldnt think of a
meaning at all;
but I personally think Australians are now used to the title, irrespective of any particular interpretation.
Nevertheless, in due course perhaps the government could publish an official meaning, so that non-indigenous
and indigenous classrooms can confidently and unequivocally teach a universally acceptable affirmation.
In closing, I have recently recorded a privately funded demonstration CD to include with this letter (two copies
enclosed). Track 1 is an a capella version, and on Track 2 I have taken the liberty of recording a new piano and
voice arrangement. My dearest wish one day, would be to incorporate the new arrangement as the finale in a
collection of songs I have composed about each capital city of Australia, The Australian Cities Suite (working title),
to be recorded with Orchestra Victoria for release at the end of 2008. The Lord Mayors Charitable Fund is
supporting this project, raising much needed funds not only on their own behalf, but also to benefit Orchestra
Victoria and Motor Neurone Disease Association for which I am National Patron with Sir Gustov Nossal.
My most immediate duty, however, is to humbly submit the revised National Anthem for your consideration. It
has been with a great sense of responsibility that I have worked hard on this objective as far as I could with no
expectation of commercial gain. I now take pleasure in sending this package to you care of His Excellency The
Governor General, in anticipation that it will be safely forwarded to you personally on my behalf. I do so hope you
like the proposed new lyric, with its potential as an inspiring unifying force if the new version could one day be
approved at an official national level.
Yours sincerely,

Judith Durham OAM