Life on the West Island - “The standard of the brave?”

One of the many joys of living in Norfolk Island is the repeated a capella singing of Come ye blessed, the Pitcairn Anthem; the words of which seem to be known to everyone in the community. Apart from the use of this inspiring anthem in Pitcairn Island, it is also the accepted “national anthem” of Norfolk Island. In this role, it has the advantages of being simple, easily understood and unchanging over two centuries of constant use. The words date back even longer, to the King James Bible first published in 1611. The Pitcairn Anthem uses direct quotes from Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 34-36 and 40:

³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

⁴⁰ …Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

The message in these passages has inspired the motto of Norfolk Island – “Inasmuch.” In essence it is a creed for people to care for the poor and disadvantaged, which has become an accepted norm for all Islanders.

These thoughts presented themselves to Life on the West Island at the recent marking of what is variously known as Australia Day, Invasion Day or the Day of Shame. Once again, debate has swirled around the tuneless dirge known as the West Island National Anthem – Advance Australia Fair. Unlike the Pitcairn Anthem, it has had numerous changes since it was written by Peter Dodds McCormick in 1878 and eventually proclaimed as the National Anthem almost a century later.

Most West Islanders have a passing knowledge of the first verse of the song, although if you watch the national sporting teams compete, you might doubt that it is on everyone’s lips. The current first verse has been changed numerous times in an attempt to remove discriminatory and exclusivist language. But almost no West Islanders know the second verse. McCormack’s original version was a cringing paeon of praise to the British:

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Til he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
"With all her faults we love her still"
"Britannia rules the wave."
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance, Australia fair.

The third and fourth verses were even worse and have since been disregarded. However, under the Morrison Government, the worthy bureaucrats of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet laboured away to produce a new “official” version of the second verse:

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross
We'll toil with hearts and hands
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share
With courage let us all combine

To advance Australia fair
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair.

This is a bit better, although many might dispute that “those who’ve come across the seas” are welcome to share the nation’s “boundless plains.” In fact, many of them find themselves incarcerated endlessly in immigration detention or are flown off to Nauru or Papua New Guinea to remain in indefinite limbo.

Dr Wendy Hargreaves of the University of Southern Queensland has pointed out that the second verse still raises some hackles:

The anthem has faced criticism from many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who feel it fails to acknowledge the nation's Indigenous population, their enduring connection to the land and the historical injustices brought onto them due to colonisation. Some believe that this change is symbolism without substance.

The word “commonwealth” was included to mark federation. The forming of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901 marked a transition from six British colonies (New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland) into one nation. On one hand, it celebrates unity and cooperation between colonies. But by singing the intended meaning of the verse, that the nation began when the colonies united, we disrespect the knowledge that Australia already was many nations of First Peoples.

That’s not to mention that Advance Australia Fair has an awkward melody. According to Dr Hargreaves, the song’s wide vocal range poses musical challenges, especially for non-singers:

We can sing it, but when we get to some of those other notes, we're going to just naturally not quite sing as high and drop our voices a bit because we're not used to stretching that far. That's why we are sounding like we're out of tune.

Then there is the West Island motto beneath the coat of arms – “Advance Australia,” which has now been modified to just the single word “Australia.” But unlike the Norfolk Island motto, this does not convey anything about the motivations or intentions of the West Island community. If anything, it implies a lack of ambition and imagination from the leaders of the nation.

Dr Hargreaves comes to an obvious conclusion:

If the second verse is theoretically testable for new citizens, then we should check if the values of 1901 and 2025 still match. Without checking, Australia is stagnating, not advancing. The way forward is in the last line of verse two: “With courage let us all combine to Advance Australia Fair”. In 1901, that was a plea for spirit and cooperation between colonies when forming a national parliament. Yet, there’s a timeless truth in those words. By debating our anthem courageously, we can be united by challenge, enriched by diversity and ingenious at rewriting lyrics.