The Spirit Of The Southern Shore

Words & Music: Pat Drummond (4.24)

(from an idea by Peter Hansen and Colonial State Bank Promotions Staff)

Dateline: Parramatta, NSW.

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.