The song is telling how Australians have many stories of origin. From first nation to convicts, settlers and bushmen, immigrants and all the other ways our people have come to call Australia home. It's a unifying song that many would prefer to have as our National Anthem... as opposed to the current archaic version that fails to include a large part of our history and people.
As an Aboriginal Australian, I love this song. Its the song of our country. All of our histories, ancient and young and our shared identities and love for this great land. This brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it. It should be our National Anthem. I am of the Gunditjmara Nation and Im also Australian. Edit: Im utterly moved by the responses to my comment. Ive made an effort to respond to you all. Thank you for the likes and comments. Much love to you all. My fellow Aussies. : )
@CharKi so well put! I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Agreeable sentiments indeed... It doesn't matter how you got here... Just love this land and she will return it tenfold... She's not always the easiest to get along with but she is strong and caring. In times of great need, Aussies come together and get the job done. Our spirit will not be denied. If you're Australian and this song doesn't give you goosebumps then you need to see a doctor for a heart scan... make sure you actually HAVE one! If you're reading this and you are in one of the 2022 flood affected zones in SE QLD or Northern NSW.. or you know someone who is... Our thoughts and hopes are with you. Sending strength, love and light... and best wishes for your safety. Soldier on, Aussies!
Always brings tears to me every time I hear and song. I love Australia and for what we stand... -scratch that bit- what we once stood for. From the first land carers to who some of us are now.
I'm American and I teared up listening to this song... I have loved the Seekers since I was a little kid. Their music and their voice and Judith, OMG, her voice gives me goosebumps.. Gorgeous..
Advance Australia Fair doesn't do it.....I mean I will stand up and sing if I'm at a sporting event, but only out of respect. This song makes me cry everytime, I work in childcare and put this song on in front of my kinder kids and educators, they wondered why I was crying and I said "listen to the lyrics" they understood then and got emotional too.
I'm a political refugee from apartheid South Africa. To have been welcomed into Australia is the greatest blessing on this earth. I am Australian! 🇦🇺 ❤️
It’s a VERY special song to us. It’s the story of our land. When he says “for 40,000 years I’ve been the first Australian”, he’s talking about our indigenous Aborigine forefathers. When he talks about the one who came on the prison ship, he’s talking about the British people who were sent as convicts for ridiculous crimes, that were forced to build infrastructure before being freed. They talk about the wonderful immigrants that brought so many cultures to our country, with hope for better lives in a new land. And they talk about the earth, the sky, the sea… everything that makes Australia what it is. ♥️ This song makes me cry every time, especially today as Judith Durham (the female singer) has passed away. Rest in Peace, Ms. Durham. Your beautiful voice that graced us for 60 years will be missed terribly.
Can’t listen to this song without it bringing a tear to my eyes. As a child of immigrants, I’m so proud to call Australia home. The Seekers are amazing and Judith Durham has the voice of an angel.
This song really should be our national anthem. My mother is an indigenous Australian and my father is from an immigrant family, and I love that both sides of my family are represented in this amazing song (unlike our current anthem).
Unquestionably this should be our National Anthemm. It encapsulates everything about our Country and people, our history and our future. It always gives me a lump in my throat and huge pride in being a part of this great country
as a First Nations person from Australia, this is a fabulous song that describes us and our country well. Yo, you cover so many Australian artists we'll have to make you an honorary Australian lol...
Vale Judith Durham, the lead singer of The Seekers. She passed away on Friday 5th August, 2022. My condolences to her family and friends. What a beautiful singing voice. May she Rest In Peace. 😔
I was sad too. I once came across a copy of The Australian Womens Weekly with her wedding on the cover C 1969, and it was dated the day I was born! I bought it for that reason but only realised later years just how important she was to our music history. So sad to lose her and ONJ in the same month. may they both be singing in heaven
This song needs to be our national anthem instead of the dead dirge we have now. It talks to First Nations people and immigrants and convicts - it does mention the land itself but it is mostly about our human history - our current one just rambles about ‘being girt by sea’ etc. c’mon Aussies, we need to campaign for this. It is a seriously good national anthem! It brings tears to my eyes when I hear it. It is emotional and powerful. It’s about unity.
It should definitely be our national anthem....but it probably needs another verse or two (while it's very inclusive its also a little locked into its generation) - and a few updates (40,000 years for a start...we're up to 65000 and still counting). Tweak this song and it could be the best national anthem on the planet!
@@andrewholliday251 for a start, there are no indigenous, Abos are boat people like the rest of us. We are all as important, form my abo mate i call China, to Choc, my wog mate, to Con the fruiterer, to Charley my Viet mate, Sadiq my egyptian mate, to my Pommie mate William! Not to mentoin Pat my Irish cobber, and Mirror my Ukraine mate we did our apprenticeship together. The minute we actually start listening to this song, and realise we are Aussies, pure and simple, the better off we are! Surely we dont want to be like the bloody Sepos, black yank, irish yank etc, they are so divided it;s unbelievable! Aus is the multicultural model for the world, lets not bugger it up! Jesaulenko you Beauty!
We are NOT BRITISH. British are weak… we are strong. He have a unique character. admired by others , but greatly misunderstood. We are people who will laugh at an insult, then help the person who composed the insult. It is of little value or meaning to us. We know who and what we are. We are proud without arrogance. We are not boastful nor brittle. We give without expectation of acknowledgement. Our humour glosses over our pains, woes and losses. … as we take another step forward into a new day, with hope.
Judith Durham is 78 now. She was close to 70 when she sung that song in that video. She never lost her voice and the seekers repertoire is huge . They ARE legends
Judith Durham is a national treasure, one of the best singers ever. The Seekers are my all time favourite group and This song should be our national Anthem
First verse is about our aboriginals- ' for 40,000 years I've been the first Australian'. Second verse talks about convicts and settlers. Our first settlers were convicts. England used us as a prison. Some convicts were sent here for the term of their natural life. Some were sent 7 years for stealing a little bread. Gradually convicts that had done their time recieved land and freemen arrived. One of the verses talks about famous Australians. Albert Namatjira was a famous aboriginal who painted landscapes. 'Clancy on his horse' refers to a beautiful Australian bush poem about a man in a city office dreaming about his friend Clancy , somewhere droving ( driving) cattle. Ned Kelly was one of our bushrangers or outlaws, remembered fondly for his stand against the police. There have been movies made about him. And 'I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, refers to another one of our unofficial anthems 'Waltzing Matilda'. Hope this helps with some of the references. Great reaction.
Interestingly enough, Albert Namatjiera earnt a good living off of his talents. The Australian govt wanted to tax him for monies earnt but they couldn't as he was not classed as a citizen of Australia. First nation people's were classed flora and fauna which was very sad but Albert beat them at their own game.
I am Australian… I was an immigrant from Wales and so lucky that my parents wanted better for us in the 70s. I have travelled extensively with my work but always sigh a relief when landing back in this beautiful country. I am officially an Australian I have a piece of paper that tells me I am, which I treasure.
Sounds like you love and respect the country and its people, If only everyone that came here had that sane outlook we wouldn't have all these problems of the "modern" world, It feels like almost as if we're becoming less and less human with each and every passing generation...
Lyrics and the meaning behind them all... Aboriginal point of view: I came from the dream-time (Dreamtime is an ancient Aboriginal belief of how the world began, our religion, if you will) From the dusty red-soil plains (Australian soil, is naturally red; the more towards the centre of the continent you go, the darker the red. The coast and valley soils are dark and black.) I am the ancient heart (We are an ancient people.) The keeper of the flame I stood upon the rocky shores I watched the tall ships come (The tribal people of Eora, where modern day Sydney is today; stood on the large rocky cliffs & watched the British ships arrive) For forty thousand years I've been The first Australian.... (Aboriginals have been here for what they thought at the time was over 40,000 years. Recent research has proven it's well over 60,000 years. The oldest people on Earth.) A convicts point of view: I came upon the prison ship Bowed down by iron chains (A citizen of the United Kingdom, here for whatever crime of a certain amount of time or even for life.) I fought the land, endured the lash (They cleared the harsh landscape to make settlements, Endured the lash refers to lashes or being whipped, convicts were publicly whipped when misbehaving.) And waited for the rains (Waiting for the rains for their crops, wheat and barley, mainly for food and rum.) I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife On a dry and barren run (It's a dry, hot, barren continent, it's a hard run for yakka.) A convict, then a free man, I became Australian (The convicts came over for all sorts of crimes from murder, treason [Usually high treason against the crown] to petty treason or stealing bread, some convicts were here for only a few years others were sent for life. Some chose to stay when their time was up. They were given land and grants to help the settlement grow and to establish the first colony in Australia called "New South Wales" Named after the country of Wales [A constituent country 1 of 4 of the United Kingdom], and due to the colony being in the southern hemisphere, it is hence South of Wales. NSW is now a state 1 of 6 [not including 3 internal territories or the 7 external territories] of the Commonwealth of Australia.) An Australians point of view: I'm the daughter of a digger (A digger is a famous Australian term for our WWI soldiers, most notably the ones that were deployed to fight the Ottoman Turks at Gallipoli. Modern day Gallipoli, Turkey) Who sought the mother lode (Who sought out for a greater life, to make money for herself in very hard times) The girl became a woman On the long and dusty road (Slight bit metaphorical but also true...She grew up in harsh times Australia. But we also did have long and dusty dirt roads, no asphalt back then, before WWI.) I'm a child of the Depression (Self explanatory, she grew up during the depression) I saw the good times come (She [The generation] saw change in the nation, from war, the depression to cultural change, to federal change) I'm a bushie, I'm a battler (A tough country girl from the bush) I am Australian Facts and additional info: I'm a teller of stories I'm a singer of songs (Aboriginal people passed down culture and wisdom through songs, dance, stories, and paintings rather than writing) I am Albert Namatjira And I paint the ghostly gums (Albert Namatjira was an Aboriginal-Arrernte man whom painted many things and was the first indigenous person to have a wide range of Australian and overseas fans, one notable fan was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whom he met with on few occasions and he was awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal in 1953) I'm Clancy on his horse (A poem written by Banjo Paterson. The poem is about offering a romantic view of rural life. One of his best works.) I'm Ned Kelly on the run ( Ned Kelly, was an Australian born, Irish bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. Born to Irish convicts, he was one of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout with the police.) I'm the one who waltzed Matilda (the term Waltzing Matilda, is Australian slang for "Walking on foot[Waltzing] with ones belongings in a Matilda [Swag], slung over ones shoulder. A famous Australian song was written, by Banjo Paterson, using the slang "Waltzing Matilda".) I am Australian Australia, the continent and the people.. Australians, and, more notably, Aboriginals, are very spiritual beings, we connect with the land as we don't own the land, the land owns us. I'm the hot wind from the desert (Australia is a very hot, barren, arid continent.) I'm the black soil of the plains (Australia, along with a few other countries have what is called black soil, in parts of the country. Black soil is incredibly fertile soil) I'm the mountains and the valleys (We have large mountains and very deep valleys.. Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley, just to name one of each.) I'm the drought and flooding rains (Australia could be in drought for years on end, then suddenly rain will fall for weeks to months on end, due to the ground being so dry the water doesn't soak in at first and it runs and floods...) I am the rock (Uluru), I am the sky The rivers when they run (We have natural rivers throughout Australia) The spirit of this great land I am Australian (Again, we are all very spiritual with our country, this continent has a mind of its own.) I hope this helps some shed light on the lyrics and the meaning behind the song!
I would also add that the digger and mother lode refers to the Gold rush. This was a major push of immigration to Victoria in the 1850s. Bendigo and Ballarat and most of our inland towns were formed from this time. It also started the Chinese immigration to Australia.
This should be our official Australian anthem. I am so proud of this song and equally as proud that the Seekers were famous long before John and Jimmy and continue to be recalled from many parts of the world....just not we Aussies. Judith is one of the best and unique singers you will ever find. Bruce Woodley wrote the song....such a brilliant song writer! I remember watching them in the early sixties on our black and white tv with my father holding up a microphone to the speaker of a modern reel to reel tape deck because all the family just loved them so much. Thank you for your reaction. You must do some more of them! 🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘
My sisters and I loved The Seekers and would watch them on our black snd white telly. We loved watching them, and Johnny Farnham, on Bandstand with Brian Henderson.
@@stephanieyee9784 Ah Bandstand! Seems like yesterday doesn't it? How time has flown. Yet I think we were blessed being part of it all! Music was timeless.
"What does it mean to be Australian? I'll put on The Seekers". You got it right there mate ! This song was written as an alternative to our old fashioned national anthem some time in the late 1960's. I'd love to have this as our Anthem & so would a lot of others.
I love a sunburnt country A land of sweeping plains Of ragged mountain ranges Of drought and flooding rains I love her far horizon I love her jewelled sea Her beauty & her terror This wide brown land for me
Dorothea Mackellar's "My Country" written in 1905 at age 19 while homesick in England, and first published in the London Spectator in 1908 under the title Core of My Heart. You quote the second and best known stanza.
@@leannemassari4378 If it's so obvious why didn't you give her the credit she deserves in your post? Were you trying to claim it as your own poem to those who didn't recognise it? If you quote someone else's work, please include their name in the future .
I think it loses much of its impact without the first verse The love of field and coppice, Of green and shaded lanes. Of ordered woods and gardens Is running in your veins, Strong love of grey-blue distance Brown streams and soft, dim skies I know but cannot share it, My love is otherwise. and only then on to I love a sunburnt country ...
Its the story of different australians from different generations. The dreamtime and the indigenous australias that have been here for 40,000 years. The convicts that came from england on the tall ships The ones that battled through the great depression and the world wars The ones that immigrated post war or in the time since Its about the origin of almost every australian in one song. Brought together with respect. I dont think ive met anyone that doesnt love this song.
To me as a first generation born Australian, my parents are Dutch immigrants. I love Australia. I love the land. I love the first nations people. I love the diverse and wonderful people that make up Australia. This to me as our anthem. Everytime I hear it , it stirs my emotions of gratitude for such a beautiful and sacred home. Currently with the the division in our country because of bad politics, I listen to this now with you, and I cry with mixed emotions. The seekers are a legendary band. Peace be to all Australians and all people of Earth. 💫💜🇦🇺💫💜🌎💜
As a proud Englishman I have to agree with you ….. my sister died in Australia several years ago and it’s been on my bucket list since then to go to Australia and find her final resting place …. Somewhere around the Port Douglas/Cairns area ….. R.I.P our Sylvia …. We didn’t always see eye to eye … but as my sister I was always proud of you and loved you dearly ❤️🦊🇬🇧
@@flyingfox7854 you should do it man. I'm the inverse - born and bred in Oz - went to UK when I was 16 - finished my schooling there - married an English girl - had three English kids who all have kids now - long story but came back to Oz when I was 51. These days I go back every few years. When I see vision of UK these days I tear up...
First generation Aussie here, typing through tears. So proud of my wonderful, if imperfect, country. So very glad my parents moved here from post WWII Europe! *happy tears*
Judith Durham passed away yesterday evening. For us Aussies who grew up listening to The Seekers, it's the end of an era and we say goodbye and rest easy to a truly great Australian legend😢
Australia lost a National Treasure from The Seekers yesterday. I was born in 1968. Mum and Dad played The Seekers records constantly when I was a child. I'd dance around the lounge room, sometimes with Mum, other times with Dad, beautiful happy days. I lost my beloved Dad in September last year and my beloved Mum in February this year. To lose them has been excruciating. And now the lovely Judith Durham. Rest well and in peace Judith xx 🇦🇺❤
Because it was written after AAF was establishedi think. No Pollie has had the balls to change it since, and no guarantees they'd allow it (though surely you'd think they would). Sure is a crying shame that it isn't though.
It certainly is. It's amazing that she had a stroke just prior to this farewell tour and was still recovering. She was half standing/half sitting on a stool here to support her.
John Winton. Well said Sir. Judith Durham is the 'Voice of the 60's, and the voice of that generation too. Instantly recognised, and never matched, ever.
Coming from an Aussie - this should be our national anthem. Sad news update! Judith Durham - the female - singer passed away in the last couple of days. She had such a beautiful voice and she was much loved. A great band.
I always loved I am Australian and Song of Australia. I am Australian is especially outstanding if you're overseas, hear the song and the introduction with the didgeridoos. Brings you straight back. As for our present totally uninspiring anthem, many of us never bothered to learn the words. Boring. Did anyone ever find out who Gert Bycee is?
@@ziggystardust52 I don't really understand what you're trying to say, but if you're saying that someone arrived unannounced at her home to interview her, the response sounds reasonable.
@@monique8641, do you really not know what Gert Bycee or, using the actual words ‘girt by sea’, means? If so, it’s not surprising that my comment is incomprehensible to you.
@@ziggystardust52 Gert Bycee is an old joke - as old as the anthem. It spread like wildfire when the anthem was first announced - and a decent proportion of the population was singularly underwhelmed at the choice of anthem. Just as Gert Bycee is an old joke - everyone knows what "girt by sea" means. The comedians had great fun with it over the year. I still don't know who was interviewed in a beach shack - unless you were trying to make a joke about Gert being interviewed in a beach shack - which was a comment which leapt out of nowhere really.
I got 7ho in Hobart to play this song when the USS Enterprise sailed into port to re equip and for r and r. One of many aircraft carriers to visit Hobart.
Nick ... The song is basically a short human and geographical history of what defines Being uniquley Australian is ... i love your reactions because you speak your truth ... keep doimg what you are doing man ... youre a legend ... Tony
As of August 5, 2022 we will no longer hear that angel voice live but we have all the recordings she made. RIP to one of the best Australian musicians we have ever had.
Magnifique. As an aussie living abroad. I love hearing this song. That's our anthem. 😍 Its about aborigines, the earth, the first settlers and the building of the country as it is today. Its about being unified with eachother, yes, but also being one with nature. Just being a part of it and everyone. Thanks for appreciating this anthem that we love to scream our lungs out to when it's played. 😂Much love from AussieAbroad. 💙💚💜
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were popular during the 1960s with their best-known configuration as: Judith Durham on vocals, piano, and tambourine; Athol Guy on double bass and vocals; Keith Potger on twelve-string guitar, banjo, and vocals; and Bruce Woodley on guitar, mandolin, banjo, and vocals The group had Top 10 hits in the 1960s with "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "Morningtown Ride", "Someday, One Day" (written by Paul Simon), "Georgy Girl" (the title song of the film of the same name), and "The Carnival Is Over" by Tom Springfield, the last being an adaptation of the Russian folk song "Stenka Razin". It is still one of the top 50 best-selling singles in the UK. Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described their style as "concentrated on a bright, uptempo sound, although they were too pop to be considered strictly folk and too folk to be rock." Peace out.
Judith's voice is just amazing - you can pick it in a second. The guys are amazing and often underappreciated. This was a part of their 50-year anniversary tour. Nothing fancy, just incredible singing and musicianship. This song describes the original inhabitants, then the various waves of immigration more recently. We all, together, are Australian.
This is what the Australian anthem SHOULD be... The Seekers... I remember long drives to visit my grandparents with my Mum when I was little - listening to the one tape Mum had of The Seekers over and over - 10 hours (done in one day) in the car.... I could sing so many of their songs... I remember complaining about it to one of my aunties and her buying Mum 2 more Seekers cassettes....
Remembered you had reacted to this and have come back to it upon hearing the news that the lead singer Judith Durham has passed away. Such a wonderful talent with an amazing voice.
"I Am Australian" (or "We Are Australian") is a popular Australian song written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley of the Seekers and Dobe Newton of the Bushwackers. Its lyrics are filled with many historic and cultural references, such as to the "digger", Albert Namatjira and Ned Kelly, among others. Its popularity has allowed it to join the ranks of other patriotic songs considered as alternatives to the Australian national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair". It is commonly taught in primary schools. In the years since the song's release, there have been calls for it to become Australia's national anthem, notably in 2011 by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. Peace out.
Awesome song. Your reactions are spot on. I'm of Polynesian/ Melanesian & various UK heritages, born in the South Pacific during the 60's but raised in Australia from the 1970's onwards. This song is a wonderfully apt compilation reflecting the heartbeat of all of us called to be apart of this Great Southern land. The cherry on top is watching The Seekers perform it! They were a home-grown folksy sounding band who had hits in the 60's - 70's predominately and achieved globally success. Thanks for doing this reaction video :D
I cry every time I hear this song. Kids learn this at school. I used to cry when they sang it too. They played this on the plane when we landed back in Australia after 9/11 and everyone on the plane were crying their eyes out.
"I am Australian" . Writer(s): Bruce Woodley, David John Antony Newton I came from the Dreamtime From the dusty red soil plains I am the ancient heart The keeper of the flame I stood upon the rocky shore I watched the tall ships come For forty thousand years I've been the first Australian I came upon the prison ship Bound down by iron chains I fought the land Endured the lash And waited for the rains I'm a settler I'm a farmer's wife On a dry and barren run A convict then a free man I became Australian I'm a daughter of a digger Who sought the mother lode The girl became a woman On the long and dusty road I'm a child of the Depression I saw the good times come I'm a bushy, I'm a battler I am Australian We are one But we are many And from all the lands on earth we come We'll share a dream And sing with one voice I am, you are, we are Australian I'm a teller of stories I'm a singer of songs I am Albert Namatjira And I paint the ghostly gums I'm Clancy on his horse I'm Ned Kelly on the run I'm the one who waltzed Matilda I am Australian I'm the hot wind from the desert I'm the black soil of the plain I'm the mountains and the valleys I'm the drought and flooding rains I am the rock I am the sky The rivers when they run The spirit of this great land I am Australian We are one But we are many And from all the lands on earth we come We'll share a dream And sing with one voice I am, you are, we are Australian We are one But we are many And from all the lands on earth we come We'll share a dream And sing with one voice I am, you are We are Australian I am, you are We are Australian
@@ThatSingerReactions Our hostory was basically 40,000 years of Aboriginal occupation of the land, several nations came by but Britain (as they loike to do back then) in 1788 settled here and sent their criminals here to serve their time. They colonised the country and became Australia. I'm not sure about it becoming an Australian Anthem, if you ask people you get mixed reviews....some say it should be Wlatzing Matilda, some say this, some say "I still call Australia Home" and a whole heap of Cold Chisel fans would say anything by Jimmy and the Band!.🤣
Explaining the lyrics, the reference to seeing "the tall ships come and for 40,000 years I was the first Australian" is in reference to the Aboriginals and how long they have been in Australia and seeing Europeans come. "Tied down by iron and chains" is in reference to the convicts that came from England to Australia in the early days of English settlement from 1788. The third verse saying "I'm the daughter of a digger" and "a child of the depression" is in reference to a young girl who is the daughter of an ANZAC soldier who most likely fought in WW1, if not WW1 then probably the BORE War in South Africa (more likely WW1 considering she grew up during the depression, if it was the Bore War she would likely be in her 20s when the Depression of the 30s came around provided the parents had a child straight away). After that it is describing the landscape, the different cultures of people in Australia and certain people. Albert Namatjira was an Aboriginal painter, Ned Kelly was an infamous outlaw during the 19th century who was executed for several crimes including murder
Convicts and settlers came from Scotland, Ireland and Wales also i.e. Ned Kelly's family being Irish. It was British settlement so all the populations of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Have loved ‘The Seekers’ since I was little. First album I ever owned was ‘The Carnival is Over’. It was around 1969 and I was about 4 years old. Judith Durham has the voice of an angel. They should make this our national anthem imo. 👍🇦🇺❤️
It doesn't matter what country our ancestors came from, or how they got here, if you're an Aussie, you're an Aussie, black, white, pink, purple, whatever, we're Australian 💜. If you were born here, you're not responsible for the past. If you immigrated here, then welcome. So tired of the blame game for past generations. 😒
Our society has nothing to apologize for... Our politicians, specially those of the Liberal/National coalition have very, VERY much to apologize for, even to this present day. No greater group of self-serving arseholes and ne'er do wells could you find than the Australian Federal Government of Scott Morrison.
Oh wow! There's a difference between being sorry for past atrocities and being responsible. So tired of ignorance being perpetuated to assuage the feelings of privileged white people.
Thing is though, we should still recognise that the actions of the past have present consequences. It doesn't mean guilt, it just means taking the appropriate steps to ensure that we solve these problems and help Australia become what we want it to be.
Australia is a country of immigrants. From its start as a penal colony to where we are today. I’m an immigrant, courtesy of my parents! It’s is considered to be the most successful multicultural society in the world. So we are one but we are many. We come from different backgrounds but regardless we are generally a United country. We certainly have our share of social issues but as a whole we work together for a better tomorrow. Anyone who chooses to make Australia their home does so with hope in their heart and I’d like to say they’re rarely disappointed. I love the simplicity of the lyrics because it captures how we see ourselves. It doesn’t have to be complicated, we might come from different cultures and experiences but we are one. 52 years after my parents moved to the other side of the world I’m so proud to call Australia my home and I know how fortunate I am. One decision all those years ago by my parents now sees two more generations of our family calling this country home. My grandchildren are growing and thriving here and in one of life’s wonderful coincidences my daughter in law is also an immigrant who used to call America home! As the sone says, we are one but we are many. By the way the Seekers were hugely successful in the 1960s and 70s. My mother loved Judith Durham so hearing her sing always reminds me of my mother.
I discovered this song today for the first time and then found your reaction to it right afterwards. The song is So powerful and moving, it struck me right away and put tears in my eyes! I’m not Australian but it made me want to be !Perhaps it is a smaller piece of all of us being one family under God, the Father of all of us - a yearning for us to be part of His Kingdom.
Thank you for watching and sharing your reaction to this. Your understanding is brilliant and thank you for being so respectful to our country, our heritage and our diverse culture. We're from all over the earth. There is such diversity here, which can be challenging sometimes, but on the whole, we're a bloody good mob of people. x
I feel so blessed to have grown up with the music from the 60's & 70's. The Seekers were another great Australian folk pop band from the 60's. They had so many great hits including "A World Of Our Own", "I'll Never Find Another You", "Georgy Girl", "The Carnival Is Over", "Morningtown Ride".
Our nightingale has flown to the next plane of existence. The magic combination of these four will never be heard live again…rest in peace, Judith Durham 5th August 2022.
Aahh fills my heart. This song is about the people our history, the land we live on. It’s all intertwined. There is something about this country, when you leave the city and just breath in the nature, you get feels from the land and it makes you feel connected. It’s a very spiritual country. Sorry I can’t explain the feeling better than that. ♥️🇦🇺
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels that indescribable feeling. Our country definitely has its own spirit, bloody hard to describe but I get what you mean🤔🙂
There is no way any Aussie listening to this is not shedding more than a tear or two, it is impossible for us to hear this & not cry. The Seekers where our national treasure, Ms. Durham has left us now but they all will be in our hearts forever.
This is the origins, history, birth and evolution of Australians as a whole and the country itself. They dropped many names, but unless someone is aussie or steeped in history, they wouldn't recognise the names who where influential in shaping the country and its personality.
The female singer is the late, much missed, Judith Durham, who sang for 50+ years despite having a degenerative lung condition following childhood measles. Six months before this concert, which was both a farewell tour and a 50th anniversary celebration, she suffered a brain haemorrhage which doctors said should have taken her speech, we are forever grateful it didn’t. She sadly passed from a lung infection almost 10 years later as they were discussing how to commemorate their 60th anniversary. This song, and a video montage made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (the ABC) became a symbol of hope and unity during Australia’s long Covid lockdown. There are so many Seekers songs to listen to, but The Carnival Is Over from this same concert is such a fitting finale to a great career.
This song is US. It perfectly sums up what it means to be an Australian- from our indigenous Australians to modern Australia and our amazing natural landscapes. This is our song for our country. Gives me goosebumps hearing it! 💗
I am a daughter of convict blood and First Nations when the great great great grand dad got shipped to Australia and he went with an aboriginal woman . Through my history it’s gone back and forth marrying white fella and aboriginal . Aussie history is complex yet simple like your kin . Anyway this is an incredible song and only the seekers could do it justice xoxox
Aussie's adore this song as it a true representation of us all. When Quatas playsthis when you're returning you know you're returning home to it's wonderful welcome . It's an explanation of wnho are as a Aussie.
I am English, but this song is magnificent............. it sums up everything that makes a true citizen love his(or her) country. If I were Australian, this would make me stand up and be proud of my country. The Seekers have been stars for many years, and Judith Durham is blessed with the voice of an angel, no wonder Aussies see her as a priceless national treasure! Your reaction, too is genuine and enjoyable......excellent!
it explains what it is to be Australian, we feel and understand every word of this song. It is us, no matter where we come from or when. It is everything, our land, past famous persons, the everyday person, hardships we always endure and always will, but it all makes us Australian. May I suggest another song, also much loved, "True Blue" by John Williamson, it has been around for many decades, but it was also sung at Steve Irwin's memorial service at his Australia Zoo, after he was killed by a stingray. True blue is an Australian expression which means you are through and through an Australian
This epitomises the Australian identity as not being about where you snd your family come from. It's about what you Are. On Australia Day this year my Vietnamese friend in her Australian accent asked what we were having for lunch. My Maltese friend was not happy that he couldn't buy a Chiko Roll for lunch. A Thai friend celebrated her 5 year anniversary of becoming an Australian citizen. We are All Australian.
I am Australian.... started off with the original indigenous “First” Australian.. then the arrival of the fleet who “became” Australian.... No matter who we are, we are one “Australian”....
I remember when same sex marriage was finally legalised in 2017 in Australia everyone in parliament broke out singing this song and it made me cry so much 🖤
Thank you for choosing this song. Powerful and emotional. It encapsulates our history so well. A story of our first peoples, The Aboriginals and then from around 250 years ago the origin of British settlement and then onto people coming from all the lands on earth. I loved your genuine interest and inquiring mind.
The song is telling how Australians have many stories of origin. From first nation to convicts, settlers and bushmen, immigrants and all the other ways our people have come to call Australia home. It's a unifying song that many would prefer to have as our National Anthem... as opposed to the current archaic version that fails to include a large part of our history and people.
Well I remember when we sang Waltzing Matilda at the school assembly and that was basically a national anthem.
Gotcha and makes sense love this
No one should have to sing "Girt by sea".
@@carlwebster4217 Not sure a song about a suicidal sheep thief is the appropriate choice as our national anthem. 😆
YES!!! Tears as I watch this, always. I would 💯% vote for this as our anthem!!
As an Aboriginal Australian, I love this song. Its the song of our country. All of our histories, ancient and young and our shared identities and love for this great land. This brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear it. It should be our National Anthem. I am of the Gunditjmara Nation and Im also Australian. Edit: Im utterly moved by the responses to my comment. Ive made an effort to respond to you all. Thank you for the likes and comments. Much love to you all. My fellow Aussies. : )
Beautifully put. One people, one nation under our Southern Cross. Love of family, love of country. Respect for all.
@CharKi so well put!
I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present.
Agreeable sentiments indeed... It doesn't matter how you got here... Just love this land and she will return it tenfold... She's not always the easiest to get along with but she is strong and caring. In times of great need, Aussies come together and get the job done. Our spirit will not be denied.
If you're Australian and this song doesn't give you goosebumps then you need to see a doctor for a heart scan... make sure you actually HAVE one!
If you're reading this and you are in one of the 2022 flood affected zones in SE QLD or Northern NSW.. or you know someone who is... Our thoughts and hopes are with you.
Sending strength, love and light... and best wishes for your safety.
Soldier on, Aussies!
should be our national anthem
Always brings tears to me every time I hear and song. I love Australia and for what we stand... -scratch that bit- what we once stood for. From the first land carers to who some of us are now.
Do you realise your entire Australian audience is tearing up while watching this
oh yeah
Yeah
Sitting in bed wiping a proud tear away while listening to this, such a great song
I'm American and I teared up listening to this song... I have loved the Seekers since I was a little kid. Their music and their voice and Judith, OMG, her voice gives me goosebumps.. Gorgeous..
Advance Australia Fair doesn't do it.....I mean I will stand up and sing if I'm at a sporting event, but only out of respect. This song makes me cry everytime, I work in childcare and put this song on in front of my kinder kids and educators, they wondered why I was crying and I said "listen to the lyrics" they understood then and got emotional too.
I'm a political refugee from apartheid South Africa. To have been welcomed into Australia is the greatest blessing on this earth.
I am Australian! 🇦🇺 ❤️
It’s a VERY special song to us. It’s the story of our land. When he says “for 40,000 years I’ve been the first Australian”, he’s talking about our indigenous Aborigine forefathers. When he talks about the one who came on the prison ship, he’s talking about the British people who were sent as convicts for ridiculous crimes, that were forced to build infrastructure before being freed. They talk about the wonderful immigrants that brought so many cultures to our country, with hope for better lives in a new land. And they talk about the earth, the sky, the sea… everything that makes Australia what it is. ♥️ This song makes me cry every time, especially today as Judith Durham (the female singer) has passed away. Rest in Peace, Ms. Durham. Your beautiful voice that graced us for 60 years will be missed terribly.
Many Aussies think this song ,should be our national anthem! It tells about the real Australians! Ken
Well said Mez :)
Further studies have shown that the aboriginal people have been here 60,000 + years
@@oloop1244 bit of an academic argument. 40k or 60k, either is a bloody long time.
Yes, RIP Judith
Can’t listen to this song without it bringing a tear to my eyes. As a child of immigrants, I’m so proud to call Australia home.
The Seekers are amazing and Judith Durham has the voice of an angel.
i know how you feel, this song always brings a tear to my eye
❤️❤️🇦🇺
This song unites all Australians no matter where you came from ❤️
The song does the same to me too, it hits right in the feels, I'm proud to be an Aussie
Me too
This song really should be our national anthem. My mother is an indigenous Australian and my father is from an immigrant family, and I love that both sides of my family are represented in this amazing song (unlike our current anthem).
While the current one is so 'meh', its still better than God Save the Queen (which we had to sing every morning in primary school).
Unquestionably this should be our National Anthemm. It encapsulates everything about our Country and people, our history and our future. It always gives me a lump in my throat and huge pride in being a part of this great country
This is the spirit of Australia 💚💛
Yes
as a First Nations person from Australia, this is a fabulous song that describes us and our country well. Yo, you cover so many Australian artists we'll have to make you an honorary Australian lol...
He teared up too...! So he must be !
Spot on
The history of Australia isn't a perfect poem, but it rhymes. Please continue your culture until the sun explodes.
Canberra would probably disagree however screw them
One of the best inclusive songs about our beautiful song
Vale Judith Durham, the lead singer of The Seekers. She passed away on Friday 5th August, 2022. My condolences to her family and friends. What a beautiful singing voice. May she Rest In Peace. 😔
Even in her later years she never lost that amazing voice...RIP
She had one of the most beautiful voices in the world.
I was sad too. I once came across a copy of The Australian Womens Weekly with her wedding on the cover C 1969, and it was dated the day I was born! I bought it for that reason but only realised later years just how important she was to our music history. So sad to lose her and ONJ in the same month. may they both be singing in heaven
@@bitey6709 no mate, the World's premier voice, none better!
@@markhill9275 JD - The voice of an angel
This song needs to be our national anthem instead of the dead dirge we have now. It talks to First Nations people and immigrants and convicts - it does mention the land itself but it is mostly about our human history - our current one just rambles about ‘being girt by sea’ etc. c’mon Aussies, we need to campaign for this. It is a seriously good national anthem!
It brings tears to my eyes when I hear it. It is emotional and powerful. It’s about unity.
It should definitely be our national anthem....but it probably needs another verse or two (while it's very inclusive its also a little locked into its generation) - and a few updates (40,000 years for a start...we're up to 65000 and still counting). Tweak this song and it could be the best national anthem on the planet!
@@andrewholliday251 for a start, there are no indigenous, Abos are boat people like the rest of us. We are all as important, form my abo mate i call China, to Choc, my wog mate, to Con the fruiterer, to Charley my Viet mate, Sadiq my egyptian mate, to my Pommie mate William! Not to mentoin Pat my Irish cobber, and Mirror my Ukraine mate we did our apprenticeship together. The minute we actually start listening to this song, and realise we are Aussies, pure and simple, the better off we are! Surely we dont want to be like the bloody Sepos, black yank, irish yank etc, they are so divided it;s unbelievable! Aus is the multicultural model for the world, lets not bugger it up! Jesaulenko you Beauty!
Dead dirge. Exactly. We need something that celebrates our people - all of them.
@@markhill9275 what a load of dribble, if you had half a brain you’d be dangerous
We are NOT BRITISH. British are weak… we are strong. He have a unique character. admired by others , but greatly misunderstood.
We are people who will laugh at an insult, then help the person who composed the insult. It is of little value or meaning to us.
We know who and what we are.
We are proud without arrogance. We are not boastful nor brittle.
We give without expectation of acknowledgement.
Our humour glosses over our pains, woes and losses. … as we take another step forward into a new day, with hope.
Judith Durham is 78 now. She was close to 70 when she sung that song in that video. She never lost her voice and the seekers repertoire is huge . They ARE legends
I am so proud that my Dad named me after Judith
She'd only just recovered from a serious stroke prior to this performance I seem to remember. She is amazing.
@@zybch she's a real aussie icon 🙂🙂
Judith Durham is a national treasure, one of the best singers ever. The Seekers are my all time favourite group and This song should be our national Anthem
My dad didn't listen to much music but he did listen to The Seekers. I grew up listening to and loving them.
First verse is about our aboriginals- ' for 40,000 years I've been the first Australian'. Second verse talks about convicts and settlers. Our first settlers were convicts. England used us as a prison. Some convicts were sent here for the term of their natural life. Some were sent 7 years for stealing a little bread. Gradually convicts that had done their time recieved land and freemen arrived. One of the verses talks about famous Australians. Albert Namatjira was a famous aboriginal who painted landscapes. 'Clancy on his horse' refers to a beautiful Australian bush poem about a man in a city office dreaming about his friend Clancy , somewhere droving ( driving) cattle. Ned Kelly was one of our bushrangers or outlaws, remembered fondly for his stand against the police. There have been movies made about him. And 'I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, refers to another one of our unofficial anthems 'Waltzing Matilda'. Hope this helps with some of the references. Great reaction.
Ned Kelly invented the first bullet proof vest.Made entirely of iron.So heavy he could barely stand but his leg weren't covered so they shot his legs.
Wow I'm getting a great history lesson here. Never taught me this in school love this
Interestingly enough, Albert Namatjiera earnt a good living off of his talents. The Australian govt wanted to tax him for monies earnt but they couldn't as he was not classed as a citizen of Australia. First nation people's were classed flora and fauna which was very sad but Albert beat them at their own game.
@@ThatSingerReactions This is the same song with all the Aussie Visuals ruclips.net/video/rjkrjYitgeA/видео.html
@@kellyhartley2693 , Albert Namatjira was my idol when I was a tiny kid. His paintings of the Australian landscape are so beautiful.
I am Australian… I was an immigrant from Wales and so lucky that my parents wanted better for us in the 70s. I have travelled extensively with my work but always sigh a relief when landing back in this beautiful country. I am officially an Australian I have a piece of paper that tells me I am, which I treasure.
Sounds like you love and respect the country and its people, If only everyone that came here had that sane outlook we wouldn't have all these problems of the "modern" world, It feels like almost as if we're becoming less and less human with each and every passing generation...
Welcome aboard Bev. my folks have been here for a bit, but everyone is welcome to join us :) We love you Jimmy Grants.
It is a feeling Bev, and once you have it, it is yours :D
Arrived in 61, from Wales with family,
So proud of my parents, to travel half way around the world to make a better life for us .
Gutsy!!
You mean, even when you travel... You Still Call Australia Home? ;)
Lyrics and the meaning behind them all...
Aboriginal point of view:
I came from the dream-time (Dreamtime is an ancient Aboriginal belief of how the world began, our religion, if you will)
From the dusty red-soil plains (Australian soil, is naturally red; the more towards the centre of the continent you go, the darker the red. The coast and valley soils are dark and black.)
I am the ancient heart (We are an ancient people.)
The keeper of the flame
I stood upon the rocky shores
I watched the tall ships come (The tribal people of Eora, where modern day Sydney is today; stood on the large rocky cliffs & watched the British ships arrive)
For forty thousand years I've been
The first Australian.... (Aboriginals have been here for what they thought at the time was over 40,000 years. Recent research has proven it's well over 60,000 years. The oldest people on Earth.)
A convicts point of view:
I came upon the prison ship
Bowed down by iron chains (A citizen of the United Kingdom, here for whatever crime of a certain amount of time or even for life.)
I fought the land, endured the lash (They cleared the harsh landscape to make settlements, Endured the lash refers to lashes or being whipped, convicts were publicly whipped when misbehaving.)
And waited for the rains (Waiting for the rains for their crops, wheat and barley, mainly for food and rum.)
I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife
On a dry and barren run (It's a dry, hot, barren continent, it's a hard run for yakka.)
A convict, then a free man, I became Australian
(The convicts came over for all sorts of crimes from murder, treason [Usually high treason against the crown] to petty treason or stealing bread, some convicts were here for only a few years others were sent for life. Some chose to stay when their time was up. They were given land and grants to help the settlement grow and to establish the first colony in Australia called "New South Wales" Named after the country of Wales [A constituent country 1 of 4 of the United Kingdom], and due to the colony being in the southern hemisphere, it is hence South of Wales. NSW is now a state 1 of 6 [not including 3 internal territories or the 7 external territories] of the Commonwealth of Australia.)
An Australians point of view:
I'm the daughter of a digger (A digger is a famous Australian term for our WWI soldiers, most notably the ones that were deployed to fight the Ottoman Turks at Gallipoli. Modern day Gallipoli, Turkey)
Who sought the mother lode (Who sought out for a greater life, to make money for herself in very hard times)
The girl became a woman
On the long and dusty road (Slight bit metaphorical but also true...She grew up in harsh times Australia. But we also did have long and dusty dirt roads, no asphalt back then, before WWI.)
I'm a child of the Depression (Self explanatory, she grew up during the depression)
I saw the good times come (She [The generation] saw change in the nation, from war, the depression to cultural change, to federal change)
I'm a bushie, I'm a battler (A tough country girl from the bush)
I am Australian
Facts and additional info:
I'm a teller of stories
I'm a singer of songs (Aboriginal people passed down culture and wisdom through songs, dance, stories, and paintings rather than writing)
I am Albert Namatjira
And I paint the ghostly gums (Albert Namatjira was an Aboriginal-Arrernte man whom painted many things and was the first indigenous person to have a wide range of Australian and overseas fans, one notable fan was Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whom he met with on few occasions and he was awarded the Queen's Coronation Medal in 1953)
I'm Clancy on his horse (A poem written by Banjo Paterson. The poem is about offering a romantic view of rural life. One of his best works.)
I'm Ned Kelly on the run ( Ned Kelly, was an Australian born, Irish bushranger, outlaw, gang leader and convicted police-murderer. Born to Irish convicts, he was one of the last bushrangers, he is known for wearing a suit of bulletproof armour during his final shootout with the police.)
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda (the term Waltzing Matilda, is Australian slang for "Walking on foot[Waltzing] with ones belongings in a Matilda [Swag], slung over ones shoulder. A famous Australian song was written, by Banjo Paterson, using the slang "Waltzing Matilda".)
I am Australian
Australia, the continent and the people.. Australians, and, more notably, Aboriginals, are very spiritual beings, we connect with the land as we don't own the land, the land owns us.
I'm the hot wind from the desert (Australia is a very hot, barren, arid continent.)
I'm the black soil of the plains (Australia, along with a few other countries have what is called black soil, in parts of the country. Black soil is incredibly fertile soil)
I'm the mountains and the valleys (We have large mountains and very deep valleys.. Blue Mountains and the Hunter Valley, just to name one of each.)
I'm the drought and flooding rains (Australia could be in drought for years on end, then suddenly rain will fall for weeks to months on end, due to the ground being so dry the water doesn't soak in at first and it runs and floods...)
I am the rock (Uluru), I am the sky
The rivers when they run (We have natural rivers throughout Australia)
The spirit of this great land
I am Australian (Again, we are all very spiritual with our country, this continent has a mind of its own.)
I hope this helps some shed light on the lyrics and the meaning behind the song!
Just one point, digger and mother lode refer to the gold rush, digger became a word for solider later.
Great explanation of this Aussie classic, well said.
@@mickjones8970 Cherrs, Mick! 🤝🏻👍🏻
Well said!
I would also add that the digger and mother lode refers to the Gold rush. This was a major push of immigration to Victoria in the 1850s. Bendigo and Ballarat and most of our inland towns were formed from this time. It also started the Chinese immigration to Australia.
This should be our official Australian anthem. I am so proud of this song and equally as proud that the Seekers were famous long before John and Jimmy and continue to be recalled from many parts of the world....just not we Aussies. Judith is one of the best and unique singers you will ever find. Bruce Woodley wrote the song....such a brilliant song writer! I remember watching them in the early sixties on our black and white tv with my father holding up a microphone to the speaker of a modern reel to reel tape deck because all the family just loved them so much. Thank you for your reaction. You must do some more of them! 🦘🦘🦘🦘🦘
Agreed!!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Adelaide South Australia 🇦🇺
Agreed mate. Perth WA
Lets start a petition
My sisters and I loved The Seekers and would watch them on our black snd white telly. We loved watching them, and Johnny Farnham, on Bandstand with Brian Henderson.
@@stephanieyee9784 Ah Bandstand! Seems like yesterday doesn't it? How time has flown. Yet I think we were blessed being part of it all! Music was timeless.
I AM Australian... Croatian Heritage...I Am.. You are... We are Australian... ♥ the seekers.
Same here, a very proud Australian from English heritage who married a girl of Italian heritage. That is what makes us all Australians. 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
Greek heritage, I feel the same as you
my wife has Croatian parents who escaped Tito in the 50s. Both passed away now, but they loved loved loved this song.
"What does it mean to be Australian? I'll put on The Seekers". You got it right there mate ! This song was written as an alternative to our old fashioned national anthem some time in the late 1960's. I'd love to have this as our Anthem & so would a lot of others.
Our current anthem wasn't around in the 60s, not as an anthem anyway. We were singing God Save the Queen!
Advance Australia Fair has only been the anthem since 1984.
I love a sunburnt country
A land of sweeping plains
Of ragged mountain ranges
Of drought and flooding rains
I love her far horizon
I love her jewelled sea
Her beauty & her terror
This wide brown land for me
Dorothea Mackellar's "My Country" written in 1905 at age 19 while homesick in England, and first published in the London Spectator in 1908 under the title Core of My Heart. You quote the second and best known stanza.
@@A_nony_mous well der! Obviously 🤦♀️
Arguably the best about-country poem there is. Possibly the best poem there is out of the poems I've heard.
@@leannemassari4378 If it's so obvious why didn't you give her the credit she deserves in your post? Were you trying to claim it as your own poem to those who didn't recognise it?
If you quote someone else's work, please include their name in the future .
I think it loses much of its impact without the first verse
The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes.
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins,
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.
and only then on to
I love a sunburnt country ...
RIP Judith. Rest peacefully knowing your music lives on
As LONG as there is MUSIC in Australia, Judith Durham will ALWAYS be #1. May God Bless the QUEEN of Australian Music.
Its the story of different australians from different generations.
The dreamtime and the indigenous australias that have been here for 40,000 years.
The convicts that came from england on the tall ships
The ones that battled through the great depression and the world wars
The ones that immigrated post war or in the time since
Its about the origin of almost every australian in one song. Brought together with respect. I dont think ive met anyone that doesnt love this song.
Perfect description 👌 This proud Aussie approves ❤ 🇦🇺 👏
To me as a first generation born Australian, my parents are Dutch immigrants. I love Australia. I love the land. I love the first nations people. I love the diverse and wonderful people that make up Australia. This to me as our anthem. Everytime I hear it , it stirs my emotions of gratitude for such a beautiful and sacred home. Currently with the the division in our country because of bad politics, I listen to this now with you, and I cry with mixed emotions. The seekers are a legendary band. Peace be to all Australians and all people of Earth. 💫💜🇦🇺💫💜🌎💜
@@emilyhunt4368 I'm mongrel breed Dutch and Scottish born in aussie lol
@@NoName-fr6mp I'm a bitsa lol
Beautiful song. So proud to be an Australian. This should be our national anthem 🇦🇺❤
ken oath.
Sad news judith Duran passed away 05 08 2022 rest in peace
As a proud Englishman I have to agree with you ….. my sister died in Australia several years ago and it’s been on my bucket list since then to go to Australia and find her final resting place …. Somewhere around the Port Douglas/Cairns area ….. R.I.P our Sylvia …. We didn’t always see eye to eye … but as my sister I was always proud of you and loved you dearly ❤️🦊🇬🇧
@@flyingfox7854 you should do it man. I'm the inverse - born and bred in Oz - went to UK when I was 16 - finished my schooling there - married an English girl - had three English kids who all have kids now - long story but came back to Oz when I was 51. These days I go back every few years. When I see vision of UK these days I tear up...
I should add that my grown-up children and grandchildren (all British), my wife, and my mum all live in the UK.
First generation Aussie here, typing through tears. So proud of my wonderful, if imperfect, country. So very glad my parents moved here from post WWII Europe! *happy tears*
RIP Judith Durham. An absolute Aussie Icon. ❤️
Judith Durham passed away yesterday evening. For us Aussies who grew up listening to The Seekers, it's the end of an era and we say goodbye and rest easy to a truly great Australian legend😢
Rest In Peace Ms Judith Durham ❤️ one of Australia’s most prized possessions. Thank you for your gorgeous voice and beautiful aura. Rest easy ❤️❤️❤️
This song is what makes me proud of being Australian. This song brings me to tears. Every word they sing i feel it 🇦🇺
Australia lost a National Treasure from The Seekers yesterday. I was born in 1968. Mum and Dad played The Seekers records constantly when I was a child. I'd dance around the lounge room, sometimes with Mum, other times with Dad, beautiful happy days. I lost my beloved Dad in September last year and my beloved Mum in February this year. To lose them has been excruciating. And now the lovely Judith Durham. Rest well and in peace Judith xx 🇦🇺❤
I love how by the end you were singing it too.
That's the key; this is how you become Australian.
Why is this not our National Anthem ? Instead of that god awful Advance Australia Fair (whatever than means !!)
Agreed, this song always brings a tear to my eye.
Agreed, enough said 👍👍
Because it was written after AAF was establishedi think. No Pollie has had the balls to change it since, and no guarantees they'd allow it (though surely you'd think they would). Sure is a crying shame that it isn't though.
Absolutely. It shits on that bs one we have now.
Agree
I’m a “paper Aussie” and sob like a baby (with pride) whenever I hear this. So proud to be an Aussie in this magnificent country. So lucky! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Yep me too, the proudest day of my life, was when I was allowed to serve our fantastic country.
Lol what is a paper Aussie? Do you mean your citizenship papers,🤣🤣🤣..welcome,you are still an Aussie.🥳🥰
Paper Aussie is still an Aussie
@@Wrathlon 👍🏼👍🏼❤️🇦🇺🇦🇺
@@louiserawle8999 👍🏼👍🏼🇦🇺🇦🇺❤️
Judith Durhams voice has long been acknowledged as one of the finest.. ever.
And this performance was live. Its so wonderful to have artists who can enunciate well, and don't need 'assistance' to keep pitch.
It certainly is. It's amazing that she had a stroke just prior to this farewell tour and was still recovering. She was half standing/half sitting on a stool here to support her.
John Winton. Well said Sir. Judith Durham is the 'Voice of the 60's, and the voice of that generation too. Instantly recognised, and never matched, ever.
Rest In Peace ❤️
@@codycannone2464 A lost treasure that will never be forgotten.
As an Australian, this song gives me chills, it makes me emotional, and it's a better anthem than the one we officially recognise
Agreed
Coming from an Aussie - this should be our national anthem. Sad news update! Judith Durham - the female - singer passed away in the last couple of days. She had such a beautiful voice and she was much loved. A great band.
I always loved I am Australian and Song of Australia. I am Australian is especially outstanding if you're overseas, hear the song and the introduction with the didgeridoos. Brings you straight back. As for our present totally uninspiring anthem, many of us never bothered to learn the words. Boring. Did anyone ever find out who Gert Bycee is?
@@monique8641, someone tried to interview her in her beachfront shack, but she told them to f off.
@@ziggystardust52 I don't really understand what you're trying to say, but if you're saying that someone arrived unannounced at her home to interview her, the response sounds reasonable.
@@monique8641, do you really not know what Gert Bycee or, using the actual words ‘girt by sea’, means? If so, it’s not surprising that my comment is incomprehensible to you.
@@ziggystardust52 Gert Bycee is an old joke - as old as the anthem. It spread like wildfire when the anthem was first announced - and a decent proportion of the population was singularly underwhelmed at the choice of anthem. Just as Gert Bycee is an old joke - everyone knows what "girt by sea" means. The comedians had great fun with it over the year. I still don't know who was interviewed in a beach shack - unless you were trying to make a joke about Gert being interviewed in a beach shack - which was a comment which leapt out of nowhere really.
My island Home by Christine Anu is another tear jerker that's unique to our Australian heritage and culture
yas! Request it! :)
It would be so good if you did My Island Home
I got 7ho in Hobart to play this song when the USS Enterprise sailed into port to re equip and for r and r. One of many aircraft carriers to visit Hobart.
If u do review this song get the Warumpi Band version. The original👍
Warumpi Band
Goosebumps when Judith fires up. Yes 'She can sing'! The Carnival is over probably best showcases her voice.
ruclips.net/video/jxK2-MMQ9TE/видео.html
A very proud Aussie here.
Americans know Georgie Girl because of the movie.
Morningtown Ride and Another You are another two songs that wonderfully illustrate the range of Judith's voice and her beautiful vocals.
Nick ... The song is basically a short human and geographical history of what defines Being uniquley Australian is ... i love your reactions because you speak your truth ... keep doimg what you are doing man ... youre a legend ... Tony
As of August 5, 2022 we will no longer hear that angel voice live but we have all the recordings she made. RIP to one of the best Australian musicians we have ever had.
Magnifique. As an aussie living abroad. I love hearing this song. That's our anthem. 😍
Its about aborigines, the earth, the first settlers and the building of the country as it is today. Its about being unified with eachother, yes, but also being one with nature. Just being a part of it and everyone.
Thanks for appreciating this anthem that we love to scream our lungs out to when it's played. 😂Much love from AussieAbroad. 💙💚💜
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop quartet, originally formed in Melbourne in 1962. They were the first Australian pop music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States. They were popular during the 1960s with their best-known configuration as: Judith Durham on vocals, piano, and tambourine; Athol Guy on double bass and vocals; Keith Potger on twelve-string guitar, banjo, and vocals; and Bruce Woodley on guitar, mandolin, banjo, and vocals The group had Top 10 hits in the 1960s with "I'll Never Find Another You", "A World of Our Own", "Morningtown Ride", "Someday, One Day" (written by Paul Simon), "Georgy Girl" (the title song of the film of the same name), and "The Carnival Is Over" by Tom Springfield, the last being an adaptation of the Russian folk song "Stenka Razin". It is still one of the top 50 best-selling singles in the UK. Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described their style as "concentrated on a bright, uptempo sound, although they were too pop to be considered strictly folk and too folk to be rock." Peace out.
And they are still very loved.
Judith Durham wasn't on vocals, she was on Angel impersonation duty.
@@greyscott5734 🤣🤣Annd here I thought angels were on Judith impersonation.
As a patriotic Aussie this song easily brings me to tears almost every time I hear it 🇦🇺 🇦🇺🇦🇺
Same here......and I'm a bloody kiwi🤙🤙🤙🤙🤙👍🏻
This is more representative of Australia then our National Anthem is
R.I.P. Judith. You will be missed personally, but your music will live on forever.
And yes. It’s the anthem most Australians would prefer.
Judith's voice is just amazing - you can pick it in a second. The guys are amazing and often underappreciated. This was a part of their 50-year anniversary tour. Nothing fancy, just incredible singing and musicianship. This song describes the original inhabitants, then the various waves of immigration more recently. We all, together, are Australian.
Thankyou for showcasing our wonderful Seekers and what should be Australia’s National Anthem 🇦🇺
This is what the Australian anthem SHOULD be... The Seekers... I remember long drives to visit my grandparents with my Mum when I was little - listening to the one tape Mum had of The Seekers over and over - 10 hours (done in one day) in the car.... I could sing so many of their songs... I remember complaining about it to one of my aunties and her buying Mum 2 more Seekers cassettes....
The first or second LP my parents bought was "The Seekers Greatest Hits". We all got to love it through repetition. :)
Remembered you had reacted to this and have come back to it upon hearing the news that the lead singer Judith Durham has passed away. Such a wonderful talent with an amazing voice.
I'm literally crying 😭🇦🇺 this song evokes soo much love and pride for my beautiful country. I wish this was our anthem.
RIP
Judith Durham
3rd July, 1943 - 5th August, 2022
Your voice will go on forever.
"I Am Australian" (or "We Are Australian") is a popular Australian song written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley of the Seekers and Dobe Newton of the Bushwackers. Its lyrics are filled with many historic and cultural references, such as to the "digger", Albert Namatjira and Ned Kelly, among others. Its popularity has allowed it to join the ranks of other patriotic songs considered as alternatives to the Australian national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair". It is commonly taught in primary schools. In the years since the song's release, there have been calls for it to become Australia's national anthem, notably in 2011 by former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett. Peace out.
Awesome song. Your reactions are spot on. I'm of Polynesian/ Melanesian & various UK heritages, born in the South Pacific during the 60's but raised in Australia from the 1970's onwards. This song is a wonderfully apt compilation reflecting the heartbeat of all of us called to be apart of this Great Southern land. The cherry on top is watching The Seekers perform it! They were a home-grown folksy sounding band who had hits in the 60's - 70's predominately and achieved globally success. Thanks for doing this reaction video :D
I cry every time I hear this song. Kids learn this at school. I used to cry when they sang it too. They played this on the plane when we landed back in Australia after 9/11 and everyone on the plane were crying their eyes out.
Telling the story of how diverse the people and the land is Australian
RIP Judith Durham. You and your voice will remain an Australian icon forever.
An American teaching Australians history...
You I admire for showing our Aussie music..
"I am Australian" . Writer(s): Bruce Woodley, David John Antony Newton
I came from the Dreamtime
From the dusty red soil plains
I am the ancient heart
The keeper of the flame
I stood upon the rocky shore
I watched the tall ships come
For forty thousand years I've been the first Australian
I came upon the prison ship
Bound down by iron chains
I fought the land
Endured the lash
And waited for the rains
I'm a settler
I'm a farmer's wife
On a dry and barren run
A convict then a free man
I became Australian
I'm a daughter of a digger
Who sought the mother lode
The girl became a woman
On the long and dusty road
I'm a child of the Depression
I saw the good times come
I'm a bushy, I'm a battler
I am Australian
We are one
But we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We'll share a dream
And sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Australian
I'm a teller of stories
I'm a singer of songs
I am Albert Namatjira
And I paint the ghostly gums
I'm Clancy on his horse
I'm Ned Kelly on the run
I'm the one who waltzed Matilda
I am Australian
I'm the hot wind from the desert
I'm the black soil of the plain
I'm the mountains and the valleys
I'm the drought and flooding rains
I am the rock
I am the sky
The rivers when they run
The spirit of this great land
I am Australian
We are one
But we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We'll share a dream
And sing with one voice
I am, you are, we are Australian
We are one
But we are many
And from all the lands on earth we come
We'll share a dream
And sing with one voice
I am, you are
We are Australian
I am, you are
We are Australian
Thank you for this
Man hearing the history there is just so amazing to me
Love it, this is who we are.
No song expresses just what it is to be an Aussie like this beauty.
Cheers cobber👍
@@ThatSingerReactions Our hostory was basically 40,000 years of Aboriginal occupation of the land, several nations came by but Britain (as they loike to do back then) in 1788 settled here and sent their criminals here to serve their time. They colonised the country and became Australia. I'm not sure about it becoming an Australian Anthem, if you ask people you get mixed reviews....some say it should be Wlatzing Matilda, some say this, some say "I still call Australia Home" and a whole heap of Cold Chisel fans would say anything by Jimmy and the Band!.🤣
@@ThatSingerReactions forgot to tell you that includes you too our adopted son ❤
As a proud Aussie, it's hard fornme to listen to this song without some happy tears welling in my eyes.🇦🇺
Explaining the lyrics, the reference to seeing "the tall ships come and for 40,000 years I was the first Australian" is in reference to the Aboriginals and how long they have been in Australia and seeing Europeans come. "Tied down by iron and chains" is in reference to the convicts that came from England to Australia in the early days of English settlement from 1788. The third verse saying "I'm the daughter of a digger" and "a child of the depression" is in reference to a young girl who is the daughter of an ANZAC soldier who most likely fought in WW1, if not WW1 then probably the BORE War in South Africa (more likely WW1 considering she grew up during the depression, if it was the Bore War she would likely be in her 20s when the Depression of the 30s came around provided the parents had a child straight away). After that it is describing the landscape, the different cultures of people in Australia and certain people. Albert Namatjira was an Aboriginal painter, Ned Kelly was an infamous outlaw during the 19th century who was executed for several crimes including murder
Convicts and settlers came from Scotland, Ireland and Wales also i.e. Ned Kelly's family being Irish. It was British settlement so all the populations of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
as an immigrant to this wonderful country, I still have tears in my eyes every time I hear this song, and sing it with all my heart.
Have loved ‘The Seekers’ since I was little. First album I ever owned was ‘The Carnival is Over’. It was around 1969 and I was about 4 years old. Judith Durham has the voice of an angel. They should make this our national anthem imo. 👍🇦🇺❤️
It doesn't matter what country our ancestors came from, or how they got here, if you're an Aussie, you're an Aussie, black, white, pink, purple, whatever, we're Australian 💜.
If you were born here, you're not responsible for the past. If you immigrated here, then welcome.
So tired of the blame game for past generations. 😒
Our society has nothing to apologize for... Our politicians, specially those of the Liberal/National coalition have very, VERY much to apologize for, even to this present day. No greater group of self-serving arseholes and ne'er do wells could you find than the Australian Federal Government of Scott Morrison.
Oh wow! There's a difference between being sorry for past atrocities and being responsible. So tired of ignorance being perpetuated to assuage the feelings of privileged white people.
Thing is though, we should still recognise that the actions of the past have present consequences. It doesn't mean guilt, it just means taking the appropriate steps to ensure that we solve these problems and help Australia become what we want it to be.
I'll be honest. If I see someone who is purple, I'd probably assume they weren't human, let alone Australian.
Love your comments, you should enjoy this...
ruclips.net/video/L2fGVbMYp54/видео.html
I'm an old Aussie girl and this is another song that I can't help but cry... especially in todays' times 💕
Australia is a country of immigrants. From its start as a penal colony to where we are today. I’m an immigrant, courtesy of my parents! It’s is considered to be the most successful multicultural society in the world. So we are one but we are many. We come from different backgrounds but regardless we are generally a United country. We certainly have our share of social issues but as a whole we work together for a better tomorrow. Anyone who chooses to make Australia their home does so with hope in their heart and I’d like to say they’re rarely disappointed. I love the simplicity of the lyrics because it captures how we see ourselves. It doesn’t have to be complicated, we might come from different cultures and experiences but we are one. 52 years after my parents moved to the other side of the world I’m so proud to call Australia my home and I know how fortunate I am. One decision all those years ago by my parents now sees two more generations of our family calling this country home. My grandchildren are growing and thriving here and in one of life’s wonderful coincidences my daughter in law is also an immigrant who used to call America home! As the sone says, we are one but we are many. By the way the Seekers were hugely successful in the 1960s and 70s. My mother loved Judith Durham so hearing her sing always reminds me of my mother.
I discovered this song today for the first time and then found your reaction to it right afterwards. The song is So powerful and moving, it struck me right away and put tears in my eyes! I’m not Australian but it made me want to be !Perhaps it is a smaller piece of all of us being one family under God, the Father of all of us - a yearning for us to be part of His Kingdom.
We are one and I’m proud to be Australian 😊🇦🇺
Thank you for watching and sharing your reaction to this. Your understanding is brilliant and thank you for being so respectful to our country, our heritage and our diverse culture. We're from all over the earth. There is such diversity here, which can be challenging sometimes, but on the whole, we're a bloody good mob of people. x
I feel so blessed to have grown up with the music from the 60's & 70's. The Seekers were another great Australian folk pop band from the 60's. They had so many great hits including "A World Of Our Own", "I'll Never Find Another You", "Georgy Girl", "The Carnival Is Over", "Morningtown Ride".
Our nightingale has flown to the next plane of existence. The magic combination of these four will never be heard live again…rest in peace, Judith Durham 5th August 2022.
Judiths voice is absolutely beautiful may she rest in peace
This song always gives me goosebumps I love the Seekers
Me too I have this little tingling of pride when I hear this.
❤️❤️🇦🇺🥂
This song is sung in all Australian schools, I remember learning it at primary school alongside I still call Australia home. 🇦🇺
Preferred this song to the national anthem during assemblys.
Aahh fills my heart. This song is about the people our history, the land we live on. It’s all intertwined. There is something about this country, when you leave the city and just breath in the nature, you get feels from the land and it makes you feel connected. It’s a very spiritual country. Sorry I can’t explain the feeling better than that. ♥️🇦🇺
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels that indescribable feeling.
Our country definitely has its own spirit, bloody hard to describe but I get what you mean🤔🙂
@@AldarionErendis Thanks I’m glad you feel the same too.
It is telling the whole history about Australia and the culture
There is no way any Aussie listening to this is not shedding more than a tear or two, it is impossible for us to hear this & not cry. The Seekers where our national treasure, Ms. Durham has left us now but they all will be in our hearts forever.
My late grandfather toured with these guys once as their drummer ♥️
The girl in The Seekers is Judith Durham. She has the most pure singing voice I’ve ever heard.
This is the origins, history, birth and evolution of Australians as a whole and the country itself.
They dropped many names, but unless someone is aussie or steeped in history, they wouldn't recognise the names who where influential in shaping the country and its personality.
The female singer is the late, much missed, Judith Durham, who sang for 50+ years despite having a degenerative lung condition following childhood measles. Six months before this concert, which was both a farewell tour and a 50th anniversary celebration, she suffered a brain haemorrhage which doctors said should have taken her speech, we are forever grateful it didn’t. She sadly passed from a lung infection almost 10 years later as they were discussing how to commemorate their 60th anniversary. This song, and a video montage made by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (the ABC) became a symbol of hope and unity during Australia’s long Covid lockdown.
There are so many Seekers songs to listen to, but The Carnival Is Over from this same concert is such a fitting finale to a great career.
RIP Judith. Thank you for the music.😓
Judith voice is so beautiful. The seekers were huge, they had ten hits and first Australian band to have hits in Uk and USA, from 60’s
This song is US. It perfectly sums up what it means to be an Australian- from our indigenous Australians to modern Australia and our amazing natural landscapes. This is our song for our country. Gives me goosebumps hearing it! 💗
i work in preschool. we sing the chorus with our class, hearing children sing it is chilling.
This should be the National Anthem of Australia.
Her voice will be in our hearts forever. RIP - Judith Durham
This is a song that makes every Aussie sing - it’s our unofficial Aussie anthem, it brings us all together and makes us cry every time we hear it
This makes hairs on the back of my neck go up!!
So proud to be Australian!!
I am a daughter of convict blood and First Nations when the great great great grand dad got shipped to Australia and he went with an aboriginal woman . Through my history it’s gone back and forth marrying white fella and aboriginal . Aussie history is complex yet simple like your kin . Anyway this is an incredible song and only the seekers could do it justice xoxox
It's about equality, the unifying of a diverse heritage that come together as Australian
Aussie's adore this song as it a true representation of us all. When Quatas playsthis when you're returning you know you're returning home to it's wonderful welcome . It's an explanation of wnho are as a Aussie.
It's BOTH....it talks of ppl in history and stories, and tells who we are, as Aussies
I AM AUSTRALIAN....and damn proud
I'm not Australian but this made me cry! It's beautiful and so beautifully sung! Great voices who have aged right well!
Me too, Judith was an amazing talented lady
I am English, but this song is magnificent............. it sums up everything that makes a true citizen love his(or her) country. If I were Australian, this would make me stand up and be proud of my country. The Seekers have been stars for many years, and Judith Durham is blessed with the voice of an angel, no wonder Aussies see her as a priceless national treasure! Your reaction, too is genuine and enjoyable......excellent!
it explains what it is to be Australian, we feel and understand every word of this song. It is us, no matter where we come from or when. It is everything, our land, past famous persons, the everyday person, hardships we always endure and always will, but it all makes us Australian. May I suggest another song, also much loved, "True Blue" by John Williamson, it has been around for many decades, but it was also sung at Steve Irwin's memorial service at his Australia Zoo, after he was killed by a stingray. True blue is an Australian expression which means you are through and through an Australian
yes find it nick
This epitomises the Australian identity as not being about where you snd your family come from. It's about what you Are.
On Australia Day this year my Vietnamese friend in her Australian accent asked what we were having for lunch. My Maltese friend was not happy that he couldn't buy a Chiko Roll for lunch. A Thai friend celebrated her 5 year anniversary of becoming an Australian citizen.
We are All Australian.
RIP Judith. We Sing with 1 voice! You will be missed.
We Aussies are so proud of The Seekers.They were huge in the 1960's. #Respect Thankjs for highlighting our great bands and singers
I am Australian.... started off with the original indigenous “First” Australian.. then the arrival of the fleet who “became” Australian.... No matter who we are, we are one “Australian”....
Wow.....I forgot how clear the voice of Judith Durham was.....Amazing!!!
I remember when same sex marriage was finally legalised in 2017 in Australia everyone in parliament broke out singing this song and it made me cry so much 🖤
Great that you fully appreciated her voice. It grabs me like no one else’s voice I’ve ever heard.
Thank you for choosing this song. Powerful and emotional. It encapsulates our history so well. A story of our first peoples, The Aboriginals and then from around 250 years ago the origin of British settlement and then onto people coming from all the lands on earth. I loved your genuine interest and inquiring mind.