Nothing Like a Cold Beer
Recently I’ve been writing about Australia and all its natural wonders, in today’s post I’m going to discuss Aussie culture. Having spent time in the States I know how Americans react when hearing the word “Australia” or “Down Under”. Images of Kangaroos as pets, Fosters beer and prawns on the Barbie (not a doll but BBQ) and Crocodile Hunter flash before you but there’s a lot more to Australian culture than meets the eye.
Before the English turned-up the Aboriginals were the traditional landowners of Australia. Aboriginal culture has a strong spiritual connection with the earth and the sun. The English brought their own culture, which included bland food, posh accents, cricket and disease. Today, Australia looks very different from the country the English stumbled upon two hundred years ago. Immigration from Europe, Asia, Middle East and most recently Africa has made Australia’s cultural landscape more diverse yet it remains distinctly Australian.
What is Australian culture? Good question! The foundation of Australia culture is mateship, the Urban Dictionary defines it as “A bond between Australian men that runs deep – very deep! “ While women don’t necessarily use the term mateship the same bond amongst female friends still applies. Australians also are known to give everyone a fair go, tend to resent authority and have a pioneering spirit them makes entrepreneurial. The class structure operating in this country is quite different to that of other Western countries. Aussies tend to mix a lot more with one another regardless of income and socio-economic backgrounds.
Due to the weather, Australians spend a large percentage of their spare time outdoors playing sport. From swimming and running to team sports including Cricket, Rugby, Soccer, Tennis and Aussie Rules, Australian’s love and excel at sport. Another popular pastime for Aussies is barbequing and drinking beer.
Mick Dundee, Crocodile Hunter
Made famous by Mick Dundee in Crocodile Dundee, drinking beer and throwing a Prawn and steak on the BBQ is a very Australian tradition. Spending time at the beach is another popular past-time for Aussies. In Summer, beaches are inundated with families, surfers and bikini- and Speedo-wearing sun-worshipers. Another passion is cars, which for men is pretty much the same the world over. Growing up you are either a Ford or Holden (GM) man.
In addition to the sport and outdoor lifestyle there’s a thriving arts and music scene in Australia. Aboriginal art attracts buyers from all over the world with their unique style of painting. Australian music predominately rock and pop genres is growing in popularity overseas along with Aussie writers, including Peter Carey and Tim Winton who are gaining more exposure with their distinct style of writing.
Australia is a relatively young country, however as we continue to grow and attract people from abroad our look may change but hopefully our underlying values of giving everyone a fair go will remain the same. In my next post I’m changing continents and heading to the host city of the next Winter Olympics, Vancouver.
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My wife is the HR Director for the Australian and New Zealand part of a USA company. This company currently has a USA senior manager in Australia on secondment. H recently came to her and said he thought the Australian employees did not respect him because he was the brunt of their jokes and subtle jibes. She had to explain to him that his is the part of the Australian culture and that while the employees kept “taking the piss” it meant they liked and respected him. She also said that when they stopped “taking the piss” he had something to worry about.
I totally forgot about ‘taking the piss’ saying, for outsiders it must be very confusing. Also Aussies are victims of the ‘tall poppy syndrome’, we always cut down people who become successful!