Mateship

In 1999, Australia held a referendum asking the people if they wished to become a republic or not. Leading up to the vote, much of the debate surrounded the use of the term 'mateship' in the preamble, rather than focusing on the nitty gritty of what a republic would mean for the average joe. At the time, I felt the exclusion of the word was a positive thing. Mostly as I felt the world was far to 'folksy', also as many women believed the word had masculine connotations. After the events of the past few weeks, I would now question if that term should have remained in the preamble (despite the fact Australia voted No to a republic).

Most people would be aware that Victoria has recently experienced the worst bushfires known to have occured in Australian history. What many may not be aware of is that the northern parts of Queensland have been dealing with torrential rain and subsequent flooding over the past 6 weeks. Despite what this says about the diversity of the Australian climate and landscape it is the support of the Australian public to both these events in the midst of a financial crisis which has made me rethink the term 'mateship'. In excess of $50 Million dollars has been raised for the bushfire victims with the most notable dontations coming from Northern Queensland flood victims. A government grant was issued to people living in areas affected by the flood waters, which many of these reciepents then donated on to bushfire victims. I can't really think of a word which embodies this type of national spirit or generosity in the face of such adversity other than 'mateship'.