The Love of Country What a Story

 Pardee wrote me a letter about 'The Kiss" how much he enjoyed it. And he gave a detailed description of the parts he loved. This paragraph about India touched my heart. Even that he came here so young he is still touched by his birth land. Probably it has been nurtured by family and traditions but even so it is a profound thing this love of country. this yearning for place and being which transcends so much of who and what we are.

"Finally the love of one’s land. I've been living in Australia all my life, came here when I was 1, so my senses came to a light in Australia. I love Australia, it is my home, and it has given me so much, a good start to life. However my love for India cannot be explained. It’s like my body in here in Australia but soul is in India. I guess after all India is indeed my birthday place. As much as I love Australia, India is still close to me. "

Pardee is writing about the insight he gained by reading "The Kiss" about Australia . In writing the book I wanted to capture something of the Australia I used to know when I was growing up. That complex narrative of egalitarianism, frontiers ism, mate ship, prejudice, family, relationship, history etc that made the Australian character. We all carry our countries around in our back pockets, but more than that we carry the memory and the footprint of where we came from (Our Forefathers) before we/they came here. This is the Australian way and Australia strength.

I was at a farewell the other night for a work colleague leaving. We had know each other for two years, we often worked together talking about amongst other things;tomatoes, politics, football, Macedonia, and Australia we enjoyed each other company and our ages were not that different. I was honoured to give a brief farewell speech. In reply Peter thanked us but then he became emotional as he remembered his father in Macedonia who had died last year, he had not seen him for some years. It was a very touching and telling moment. Thanks Peter.

When I used to speak to Peter, and when I speak to my mates from other lands at work, they all have two things in common. They love where they came from and they love it here. It is hard to put their feelings into words and hard for us to understand who have only lived in one place. I guess the nearest analogy is when we were young and playing the courting game the heartache sometimes with the parting of a partner and the joining with another. it tears at your heart, and even all these years later it still brings some moments of deep reflection.

Thanks to all who were here before, thanks for all those here, thanks for all those that are to come. You have made Australia Great.

What a story!!!!!!!