This one is
for you Berty.
Mateship is a
pretty big thing for we Australians. It is something that goes a bit beyond
friendship. Mateship is a term traditionally used among men. It is a term
frequently used to describe the relationship between men during times of
challenge. It is not exclusive to men though. Particularly in these modern
times. I have quite a few good mates who are women.
The popular
notion of mateship first came to the fore during the First World
War. During this period the word 'mate' became interchangeable with the
word 'digger', which had its roots in the Australian gold digging fields of the
1850s. During the 'Gold Rush".
The myth of
the digger and the larrikin hero is an important part of the Australian
experience of pastoralism. It has links as well to the early days on the
goldfields and in bush ranging, shearing and in droving as well. In the classic
Australian historical novel - Settlers and Convicts which was first published in 1847,
Alexander Harris wrote this of the relationship between male pastoral workers
in the early days of Australia - when it was a British colony:
‘...
working together in the otherwise solitary bush; habits of mutual helpfulness
arise, and these elicit gratitude, and that leads on to regard. Men under these
circumstances often stand by one another through thick and thin; in fact it is
a universal feeling that a man ought to be able to trust his own mate in
anything.’
Through thick
and thin. Absolute trust.
I love it.
The great
Australian poet Henry Lawson wrote in his work "Shearers":
They tramp
in mateship side by side -
The
Protestant and Roman
They call
no biped lord or sir
And touch
their hat to no man!
Mateship was
further defined through the experiences Australian soldiers had in wars. It was
refined in abhorrent moments that were experienced in trench warfare,
concentration camps, hunger, injury, forced labour and the boredom and terror
of conflicts. The Australian historian Paul Sheehan wrote in his 1998 work -
"Among the Barbarians":
In the
[Japanese POW] camps the Australians discarded their differences and became a
tribe, a tribe which was always the most successful group. The core of this
success was an ethos of mateship and egalitarianism which not only survived the
ultimate dehumanizing duress of the death camps, but shone through as the
dominant Australian characteristic.
Discarding
differences. Nice one Paul.
This sort of
shit makes me proud.
Modern
Australia should reflect on this. Our current day immigration and refugee
policies are shameful. They are disgraceful. They lack compassion, humility and
humanity. They make me ashamed.
Wake up you
fucker politicians.
My very best
mate Berty lives in the US. He married a septic. That's rhyming slang for you
un-Australians. A septic tank = a yank. Obvious huh?
Dana is
Berty's wife. She is wonderful. I love her like a sister and she is also my
mate. Berty and I went to school together and we shared many first experiences.
We stole our first car together we smoked our first spliff. At one point Berty
and I dated two sisters. The
Baumgartners. His went on to be an Australian Olympian and mine was a nutter. I
always got the nutters. I seem to be a magnet for lunatics.
It is a cross that
I bare.
I was best man
at Berty's wedding. It was in San Diego in California. In the US of A. I wrote
a poem for the occasion. I don't think the Americans got it.
I didn't give
a fuck.
The poem was
for Berty.
I also read a
eulogy at Berty's Dad's funeral. His name was Brian. I cried all night after
that and well into the next day too. The loss of Brian was as profound as
anything I had ever experienced. It was a real kick in the guts. I wept for
Berty and I wept for me too.
As with any of
my mates, I would do anything for Berty and he would do the same for me. We
wouldn't even have to ask. We'd just know. Distance doesn't dilute mateship and
it doesn't weaken it. Berty and I haven't lived in the same country for many
years. Decades actually. When we do see or talk to each other it is just like
it's always been.
We are like an
old pair of slippers.
Comfortable.
Familiar.
Cozy.
We will be
mates forever.
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