When are migrants accepted as Aussies? When they win at sport of course. Jelena Dokic’s incredible fourth round win at the Australian Open was soon greeted with the Herald Sun online headline: Jelena Dokic shows Aussie spirit.
Dokic has shown incredible spirit to fight her way back into tennis and to be considered seriously enough to receive a wildcard entry into the Australian Open – the same event where she was booed off court a few years ago. She has taken great pains to show that her heart is still in Australia, despite almost being hounded out of the country after a series of events that would have destroyed any teenager.
Yes, that is true spirit, but why is it Aussie spirit? What is Aussie spirit anyway, as opposed to the spirit shown by people anywhere else in the world?
Why can’t it be migrant spirit. Or Serbian spirit? When young Australian-born Serbs start a brawl outside Rod Laver Arena no one says “that’s Aussie violence”.
The mistake people make about so-called Aussie spirit is that they believe it’s something you get by being Australian. That’s false. The trait we call Aussie spirit is a quality that has been introduced to Australia through the generations by people for whom just getting here was a momentous achievement in itself, be they Aborigines, convicts, Ten Pound Poms, European migrants, boat people, refugees or skilled migrants.
First published at Club Wah, January 26, 2009
Ducking Cynthia 