The
Australian flag speaks to its
people - The flag is a symbol
of a nation united. This highly
emotional, yet informative 10
minute recording is the flag speaking
to you, telling the story from
birth to the present day. This
historical recording is an important
part of our cultural heritage
and will do much to preserve the
great way of life we often take
for granted in this great land
- Australia. This recording is
being played regularly on caring
radio stations across the nation.
Excerpts
from the audio rendition of The
Voice of the Australian Flag will
start automatically. Please turn
up your speakers. Click here
if you'd like to view a larger
version of the artwork below as
you listen, or read along with
the text below. Thank you.
The
Voice of the Australian Flag
I
am the National Flag of the Commonwealth
of Australia. I belong to you
and every Australian ... equally
... and freely.
I
was conceived before the dawn
of the century. Designed by lvor
Evans, I was chosen over and above
some 32,000 contenders.
Although
I was never an orphan, I was adopted
on that sparkling spring day,
the 3rd of September, 1901, when
I flew above the Exhibition Building
in Melbourne. I was hailed and
celebrated by people standing
on the threshold of nationhood.
They took me to their hearts.
In that official ceremony. in
the presence of our first Prime
Minister, I became the chief symbol
of a new Nation, embracing the
ideals of self determination,
national sovereignty and personal
freedom, under God.
I
have been hoisted aloft over many
buildings, from humble homes to
the Houses of Parliament. I have
listened to every Prime Minister
declare his allegiance to me,
to our Monarch and to our Constitution.
I have witnessed the pledge of
each one to protect and defend
those freedoms we all cherish,
even above life Itself.
I
am carried with pride in ceremonies
and processions. I have draped
the caskets of your National heroes,
carried to their last resting
place, the caskets of Kings and
Queens, eminent statesmen, Generals,
Admirals, humble Privates and
the Unknown Soldier. Wherever
free men gather wherever there
is justice, faith, hope, charity
and truth, there too am I.
At
the tender age of 14 years, I
received my Baptism of Fire in
World War 1. I flew proudly in
those early days as we heard the
call to do battle alongside those
of our own kin. I was carried
up the steep hills of Gallipoli
and I was there with the men in
the trenches - I watched Simpson
bring out the wounded on his doughty
little donkey ... I breathed the
dust of the deserts and rode in
glory with the Light Horse Brigade.
I saw our finest sons fall and
lie still, in death they had given
their last full measure of devotion.
The war was over for them forever,
but I kept my lonely vigil over
their graves and stayed to watch
the flowers grow, amid the crosses,
row upon row, in Flanders Fields.
Oh,
young Australia, I was there with
your fathers whom I longed to
comfort ... look at me again ...
lest you forget.
You
know me by my distinctive emblems
– the Union Jack is the
tie that binds us to your ancestors
and rich heritage down through
the centuries. The upright red
cross on a white field is the
cross of St. George, patron saint
of England. This cross was there
when King John set his Royal Seal
to Magna Carta in 1215. And it
was there when Simon de Montford
brought together the very first
Parliament in 1265, making England
truly, the 'Mother of Parliaments'.
I
proudly wear 2 other crosses -
the white diagonal cross on a
blue field is the Cross of St.
Andrew, patron saint of Scotland.
The red, diagonal cross on a white
field is the cross of St. Patrick,
patron saint of Ireland. These
three crosses, which perhaps you
scarcely understand, unite our
heritage in this wonderful land
and forge our future in an inseparable
bond. The blazing Southern Cross
marks our way ahead, while the
7 pointed Federation Star joins
our states and territories in
a single, yet united Commonwealth,
all this, set in a field of blue,
the blue of our southern skies
and of the endless ocean washing
our golden sandy beaches and coral
shores.
We
are the heirs to a culture, rich
and diverse, we are the offspring
child of a great Empire. We have
a glorious tomorrow ... we are
one.
Lest
you forget!
I
have been to many places, I have
seen many things. With our explorers,
I crossed the icy wastes of Antarctica,
and climbed the heights of Mount
Everest. I look down with pride
on our mighty sports men and women
as they win honours for their
country, all over the world. At
every official or memorable event
in this land, I hold the position
of honour.
Following
World War 1, we frolicked in our
new found liberty ... growth,
prosperity, increase and our common
wealth. But far to the north in
Russia, a new tyranny spewed forth,
slaughtering the rich and regal,
the lowly and humble, usurping
the sovereignty of nations not
of its own. We watched from afar,
protected by the border of oceans.
Then
came 1939, and once again we heard
the beat of the warmonger's. drums.
Again, my heart went out to our
brave soldiers, sailors and airmen.
I was there with them, in the
Middle East, in New Guinea, Malaya,
Borneo and many other places.
I was trodden in the mud, red
with the blood, of those brave
young Australians, so ruthlessly
murdered in P.O.W. Camps.
Lest you forget!
Finally,
in '45, peace at last, so we thought.
With just a few short years rest,
I was again carried into battle,
caught up in further hostilities
by those promoting war. I watched
and praised the endurance and
spirit of our volunteers in Korea.
I too, felt the sufferings of
our brave sons and daughters in
the forces in Vietnam ... Lest
you forget!
I
am well known and remembered in
many places.
I
am flown every day in the school
at Villers Britonneaux in France
where grateful children and teachers
do not forget their debt to Australian
soldiers.
I
am many things to many people.
To some, I am yesterday, today
and tomorrow - an inseparable
link in the chain that binds men
to God and country. And because
I am on the side of God through
our great heritage, there are
the godless who seek to destroy
me and replace those 3 Christian
crosses with plants or animals.
But,
they dare not. Why ? Because today
I am everywhere - in the homes
of the humble and the mansions
of millionaires. I am in the cities,
the suburbs and in country towns.
From coast to coast, right across
this great nation, I am raised
with pride and dignity.
Oh,
my people, you have given so much
to be Australian and I am proud
that we are one, bonded through
trial and triumph.
Look
at me and remember our heritage
and realize our great future.
Together we will grow, and all
the world will know. You must
never allow those who seek to
reduce diversity into dust, to
grind our treasures into a melting
pot. And as you consider the future
of your own true identity, remember
... I was there in your every
hour of loss ... your every moment
of glory, so, too, I will be there
in all your tomorrows.
Tho
proud, loyal and glorious through
all my short history, there is
one thing for which I need you
most of all - I cannot fasten
myself to the flagstaff.
Lest
you forget!
You
are my servant 0 Israel in whom
I will be glorified I have heard
you .. and I will preserve you
and give you as a covenant to
the people ... to inhabit the
desolate heritages ... Surely,
these shall come from afar. Look!
those from the north and the west
and these from Sinnim, the Great
South Land, Terra Australis ....
Isaiah 49:3, 8, 12.
Jerome's Latin Translation