Quote:
Originally Posted by jjjnettie
My family were originally from Wollongong. Living right next to the Steel Works in Cringella. In my brothers class, he was the only one who had English as his first language. Our neighbour across the road was a German lady, her family escaped from East Germany through a tunnel under the Wall. There were Greeks, Italians, Poles, Hungarians. Everyone making a small safe haven within the community. Keeping their values, their customs and most importantly, their cuisine alive.
Marvelous!
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sounds like the making of a great street party!!
Fossil made a good point, what happens in 10 years when these athletes cant compete at the same level? will they be removed from the country, as they didnt go through the same process as everyone here?
TBH, i think it sullys the good name of Australia. Speaking as someone who is very well travelled, and lived on 3 continents, i can give an outsiders view on the land down under.
Australia, in the eyes of the rest of the world, is really quite an insular place, probably the most insular place in the world, people who are well known here and famous, are relatively unknown in the rest of the world (except your heavy hitters in the Sports, Music and the Arts etc) and TBH, thats not a bad thing, and only really comes about because geographically speaking, Australia is so far away from the rest of the world (anyone who has flown to Europe or the UK will testify to this, the plane journey in itself is harrowing at best, 23 hours in a seat) But, i dont think this is any bad thing, Australia is like the Switzerland of the Southern Hemisphere, its keeps itself to itself, and doesnt really get involved with fights, some 10 hours or so over open ocean, and i think its one of this country strengths, the multiculturalism has opened the door here for some great cuisine, wine etc. and growth. and the views here are pretty liberal, but at what cost?
Oz is known for its sporting prowess, you ALWAYS punch above your weight, and are known for producing a good athlete, and are lways competitive in good spirit, despite being the third least populated place in the world (per capita against area) and beaten only by two African countries, that sit mostly in the Sahara !!
But more importantly, Australia is known worldwide for its "True Blue, Fair go, give a guy a fair shake of the stick" attitude that has served it very well, this latest news, i think, go completely against some of the things, that this nation was founded on, and it sticks in my throat.
as i said earlier "everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others"
