The Voice of the Australian Bush
By Natalie Cook
He’s a member of the Outback Club, travelling down the Three Chain Road in his ute to the nearest Hat Town with the Boys from the Bush in a free country thanks to the Spirit of the Anzacs.
Country music legend Lee Kernaghan has become an iconic storyteller of the Australian spirit and bush life through his award winning songs.
Kernaghan's connection to quintessential Australian life is one of the main reasons he is regarded as a hero of the Outback.
With dust on his boots and mud on his Ute, a picture of Lee or a mention of one of his songs, immediately conjures images of the genuine Aussie bloke who works our great land, or fights for its freedom. He is a hero demonstrating Australia’s important
…show more content…
His songs are a narrative of his personal knowledge and wisdom from growing up in the bush, the stories of the people he’s met and the places he’s been.
On Australia Day 2008, Lee Kernaghan celebrated his proudest moment of his life when he won Australian of the Year. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd presented the award paying tribute and thanking Kernaghan for his dedication to helping others:
"Lee Kernaghan's music resonates with every Australian by connecting us all to the spirit of the bush, but more importantly he gives hope and pride to those on the land when they need inspiration most,” he said.
In 2004, LK was awarded the Order of Australia Metal (OAM) for his services to rural and regional Australia. This is because he has raised millions of dollars with his Pass the Hat Around tours in Australia for those struggling with drought, floods and bushfires. His participation in the ‘Spirit of the Bush’ tours has contributed to lifting spirits for farming families doing it tough in the
The repetition of the word, 'bush' in, " Bush all round - bush with no horizon.." creates a vivid visual image of the bush setting and emphasises the loneliness experienced by the drover's wife and her family. The family's loneliness is reinforced in, "...The everlasting, maddening sameness ...longs a man to break away and travel as far a way as trains can go...". This juxtaposes the traditional perception of the bush,which is that of beauty and pleasure, and depicts a tedious environment incapable of nurturing curious thought,an another hardship on the family. This is ironic as this iconic story symbolises Australia, it does this by portraying the country side in a negative light. Therefore, the harsh environment highlights the determination of Australians in the face of
What is it about heroes that make them who they are? The Australian history is full of gallant, dauntless people who have a great deal of perseverance. Ned Kelly was a remarkable man, he was bold, brave, astonishing and saved those who were in need. The novel ‘Black Snake-the Daring of Ned Kelly’ reveals a man who stood up for the good and against the bad; he at no time ever took from the poor only the rich. Ned Kelly had a quite a few times to show his malevolent side but chose to lead his life into the light not the dark.
Then it was the outback pioneer, battling the bush to build a new nation prior to the First World War. The Anzac legend – bold and ferocious males, unwilling to bow to military discipline, never flinched in battle defined the evolution of the image of Australian masculinity. Professor Manning Clark in his opus A History of Australia imaged the bronzed and noble Anzac as males involved in sex orgies, having violent scuffles, and in Egypt burned belongings of local people, brawled, got drunk and rioted and patronised brothels. Hero and larrikin, ratbag and rebel, the Anzacs ... ...
The soldiers are remembered for maintaining courage and determination under hopeless conditions. The ANZAC legend owes much to wartime correspondents who used the Gallipoli landing to generate a specifically Australian hero. Among the many reports, which reached Australia, were those of Ashmead-Bartlett. His Gallipoli dispatches described Australians as a 'race of athletes ... practical above all', whose cheers, even in death, 'resounded throughout the night'. Ashmead-Bartlett helped in...
‘The Drover’s Wife’ opens with a vivid visual image of the house which becomes a character in itself, the lexical word chain “round timber, slabs, and stringy bark, and floored with split slabs” shows us the poor, rough materials used to build only what is necessary to survive. Thus, we can visualise the simplistic nature of the lives the drover’s wife and her children live in their environment. Strong visual imagery is employed to depict the landscape; “Bush all round – bush with no horizon, for the country is flat. No ranges in the distance… No undergrowth”. The repetition of “no” emphasises the lack of distinguishing features, the land is monotonous and contains “nothing to relieve the eye”. The environment is isolated; they are alone “There is nothing to see, however, and not a soul to meet”. This helps the audience to develop an understanding of the isolation and loneliness of Australians living in the bush during the Colonial
An Akubra hat clutched by roughened hands, boots worn to the sole and a distinct, robust figure silhouetted against a crimson sky. The 1900s considerably shaped the face of Australian literature, which presented iconic ballads and romanticised poems of heroic Bushmen taming the elements, which we recognise today. While these pioneers were at the forefront of Australia’s identity, one area often overlooked is the perspective of the Indigenous. Now envision land, your land, soil on which you grew, learnt about your origins, seized by foreign men. This wasn’t a peaceful integration, it invasion day. Two prominent poems that explore this view are Ambrose by Roberta “Bobbi” Sykes and Beggar’s Choice by Bruce Dawe. Sykes narrates the disruption
The Anzac Legend is the source of the Aussie Fight and bravery that will live on for future generations to understand and to acknowledge their courage and bravery.
Peter Weir’s 1981 film Gallipoli can in every sense of the phrase be called an ‘Australian classic’. The impact and effect this film has had upon the psyche and perspective of several generations of Australians has been significant. Whilst it can be argued that every Australian is aware of the ANZAC legend, and the events that occurred on the Turkish beaches in 1915, Weir’s film encapsulates and embodies a cultural myth which is now propagated as fact and embraced as part of the contemporary Australian identity. The film projects a sense of Australian nationalism that grew out of the 1970’s, and focuses on what it ‘means’ to be an Australian in a post-colonial country. In this way Gallipoli embodies a sense of ‘Australian-ness’ through the depiction of mateship and through the stark contrast of Australia to Britain. A sense of the mythic Australia is further projected through the cinematic portrayal of the outback, and the way in which Australia is presented in isolation from the rest of the world. These features combined create not only a sense of nationalism, but also a mythology stemming from the ANZAC legend as depicted within the film.
‘In a Dry Season’ by Henry Lawson paints an image of the typical harsh and unforgiving Australian outback as well as it’s monotony. He attempts to illustrates its true nature and not romanticise about the sparse landscape or the difficulty of growing crops. He demonstrates the integrity of the bush characters which is heightened compared to lesser individuals. “The least horrible spot in the bush, in a dry season is where the bush isn't - where it has been cleared away and a green crop is trying to grow.” The word “horrible” reinforces that fact that the bush isn’t a hospitable place.
Woody Guthrie is undoubtedly an incredibly important and influential artist in American history. Even if an American (like me) is not familiar with his work or life, the name “Woody Guthrie” is nearly universally recognized across the country. That being said, almost every American has heard at least some of the music that Woody Guthrie created such as “This Land is Your Land”. Many artists (including Bob Dylan) have been directly influenced by the work of Woody Guthrie, carrying on the sound and spirit of his music in their own work. Woody Guthrie’s musical voice has echoed across generations, influencing countless artists and activists who have come
"The Bush" is an iconic term in Australia. What is it about 'the bush' that is so special to Australians?
...ands the troubles and trials Bahamians are faced with and capture his audiences’ attention through catchy lyrics as he explains to the government, a social yet economical issue.
His songs, which might be considered as simple, actually have deeply philosophical meaning to contemplate on. For instance, the song “Our Love” which he performed tells about the power of love over any biases, stereotypes and differences. Like the song “Our Love”, there are many lyrics which reaffirm the belief in life and love, as well as depict the challenges and struggles on the way. That is why everyone can connect to the songs, finding one aspect of life or another which one has experienced, as
Utah Phillips was influenced from a young age to engage in unions and since then he was very passionate about the power people in unison can be. He sang many songs of people coming together in solidarity. He truly believed in the values his songs taught. Utah Phillips was a staple of any folk music festival and he is missed by the many fans he unified throughout his 40-year
Significance is defined as being “great or important, to be worthy of attention or noteworthy” But what does that mean when it comes to being a significant member of a nation? It does not mean that you had to have explored our lands, built great cities or have run the country; it just means that you had to have helped shape Australia as a nation and form our identity. Andrew ‘Banjo’ Patterson did this and it is why we remember him as a noteworthy and significant Australian.