Spirit Of The Southern Shore
Words
and music Pat Drummond
A list of 14 of the guiding national
values that people over the years have told me were important
reflections of our national pysche. I like to think of them as
a short checklist by which we may evaluate how well our national
institutions are mirroring our national aspirations at any given
time.
There's more to us than you may realise;
more than our oceans and our desert skies.
I have seen it shining in your eyes
and felt it in your hand.
I've heard it singing in the poet's pen
and seen it touch the heartstrings of our hardest men
It gave us courage once, and will again,
The spirit of our land.
Unbounded Energy; A Mateship's
Loyalty;
The Guts to 'have a go'; the Grace to 'take a fall'.
A Sense of Sacredness; of Never Settling for Less;
A Sense of Humour to laugh in the face of it all.
Chorus; This is the Spirit
of our inner landscape.
This is the dream that I've been striving for.
I am Australian. Proudly Australian.
In The Spirit of the Southern Shore.
Beyond the brolgas and the
kangaroo;
More than the Olgas; more than Kakadu;
Our spirit lies within the hearts of you
committed to this lore.
I've seen it sparkle in the artist's hand;
I've heard it in the voices of this Southern Land
and if the time has come to take a stand...
we should know what we stand for.
'Fair Dinkum' Honesty; 'True
Blue' Integrity;
The Stoic Courage of 'The Battlers' on the land.
A Dream of Dignity, Freedom and Equality;
And the Compassion, to lend somebody a hand
Chorus
Resilience to meet the challenges
wherever they may lead;
A place for every man and woman, every colour and creed;
A land where affluence will never turn it's back upon need;
This is what binds us under Southern Stars
The Spirit of Australia.
Back To Long
Journey Home Tracklist / Back to Pat Drummond Homepage