Mateship In Australia Essay

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Mateship in Australia: is the modern move towards individualism placing it under threat? They could be your sibling, neighbour or even a complete stranger, but a mate will always have your back. However, is this value slowly disappearing? Georgia Walker writes. The iconic Australian term has been around for over a hundred years, being traced back to the convict era, where inmates referred to their fellow prisoners as ‘mate’. To this day, the term is still used to describe a good friend, or someone who helps you out in a time of need. Mateship has always been an integral part of the Australian identity, a classic example being when we band together to help one another out in tough times. Whether it be at home or on foreign soil, history …show more content…

Poet Henry Lawson featured the topic in his poem ‘The Shearers’, where he says “The mateship born of barren lands, of toil and thirst and danger - The camp-fare for the stranger set, the first place to the stranger.” Tim Winton portrays some examples of mateship in his book, ‘Cloudstreet’, written in 1991. As the story progresses, two families, the Pickles and the Lambs, grow closer together whilst sharing a house. Winton portrays mateship in an interesting light in his book. While it is a subtle background theme, it is easily identifiable. As the story of the working class families rolls over 20 years, we see them grow and develop compassion towards each other. It seems that over time, the idea of mateship has changed. ‘Cloudstreet' was based on the post World War II period, and since then, our values of mateship and its definition have begun to change. For example, today, how many people would be willing to share their house with complete strangers? While it is possible that the value may not hold the same meaning as it once used to, it is safe to say that Australians will always help a ‘mate’ in

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