AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM “Advance Australia Fair”
Australians all let us rejoice,
for we are young and free;
We ’ve golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in nature’s gifts
Of beauty rich and rare,
In history’s page let every stage
Advance Australia Fair,
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia Fair.
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.
(Words and music composed by Peter Dodds McCormick — 1834 -1916)
THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM
This was proclaimed to be Australia’s National Anthem by the Governor-General on 19th April, 1984.
An ANTHEM is a vocal psalm or hymn sung responsively with gladness and praise. The first two lines are the key to the Anthem. The “theme” is upbeat and in many ways reflects the Australian character.
(The Royal Anthem, “GOD SAVE THE QUEEN” was previously Australia’s national Anthem.)
Advance Australia Fair Part One
“AUSTRALIANS ALL LET US REJOICE, FOR WE ARE YOUNG AND FREE;”
AUSTRALIANS! – let us shout a resounding YES, for we do have much to be glad and rejoice in. Let us truly be thankful, for we “Aussies” are a happy, young, favoured and free nation of people. Let us continue to rejoice with thanksgiving, because we are free to choose where we live, free to choose our leaders, free to travel, free to believe or not believe in a religion. However It should be noted that our national prosperity and freedoms are rooted in GOD’s great grace and goodness that founded our nation on the Word of GOD and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Read: Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of GOD unto salvation to every one that believeth.”
“WE’VE GOLDEN SOIL AND WEALTH FOR TOIL, OUR HOME IS GIRT BY SEA;”
Indisputably we have been blest with riches and wealth that are the envy of many who admire this uniquely largest island in the world. Girded by golden beaches around a vast sun-burnt interior, our forefathers thanked GOD for the gift of redemption, that is, a second chance and opened door of fresh opportunity to settle and develop with others this part of His creation. All who know Christ as Redeemer and Saviour not only thanked a Faithful Creator but rejoiced in the excitement of redemption’s freedom to live and labour in a land of golden soil with the personal prospect of wealth for toil.
Made wealthy in heart and soul through the toil of Christ for them on Calvary’s cross, past and present Christians of Australia are the fruit and travail of Christ’s toil upon that cross, for they believe that He is the Son of GOD and Saviour indeed.
Read: Isaiah 53:11 “He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied.”
“OUR LAND ABOUNDS IN NATURE’S GIFTS OF BEAUTY RICH AND RARE; IN HISTORY’S PAGE, LET EVERY STAGE ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR!”
At every stage of Australia’s recorded history, Australians prospered and defended the honour and rights of GOD and man, overcoming through faith in GOD, bushfire, drought, cyclone, war and depression. Recorded upon history’s page is the well-known fact of the indomitable Aussie “can-do” spirit that advanced them as they faced problems head-on.
Australia surely abounds in GOD’s abundant gifts of beauty rich and rare. Recorded Australian history sets forth clearly the fact that Australians have given continual thanksgiving to the Creator and His magnificent redeeming love and provision in the gift of His Son Jesus Christ.
Read: Galatians 2:20 (b) & Philippians 4:13 “The Son of GOD, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Advance Australia Fair Part Two
“BENEATH OUR RADIANT SOUTHERN CROSS WE’LL TOIL WITH HEARTS AND HANDS;”
“Beneath our radiant Southern Cross” many have toiled with heart and hands to produce this our Common-wealth of freedom and what has become our unique “fair-go-mate” national psyche.
The Southern Cross in the sky above is the constant reminder to us of the greatest work ever undertaken and fully completed upon the cross of JESUS CHRIST. There our Saviour paid full price to redeem and win an eternal freedom for us from sin and eternal death. His death and shed blood is today as effective as it was to those first settlers nearly 240 years ago. (1 John 1:7)
As Christian believers in Australia following in the path of our forefathers, we in our present day toil also with heart and hands to make Christ’s cross and finished work widely known throughout this and Other lands.
Read: 1 Corinthians 1:18&23 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of GOD. But we preach Christ crucified…”
“TO MAKE THIS COMMONWEALTH OF OURS RENOWNED OF ALL THE LANDS;”
The renown of our Land and of our many heroes; especially our ANZACS is well known. We Australians deeply respect and honour them in an annual national remembrance on April 25th. They defended, secured and preserved, even unto death, our freedoms, and for this we thank GOD and them.
Australians also maintain a careful remembrance of honour and gratitude to the Greatest One Who fought the fight alone to secure our soul’s freedom from the tyranny of Satan, sin and eternal condemnation.
Read: Galatians 5:1 & 6:14 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. But GOD forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”
“FOR THOSE WHO’VE COME ACROSS THE SEAS WE’VE BOUNDLESS PLAINS TO SHARE;
With open hearts and open arms we welcome all who come to live and labour in Australia with our “fair-go” attitude and willingness to share GOD’s good earth and these boundless plains.
With all who have lived before us here, each subsequent “Aussie” generation has sacrificially sought to share the great, and the best of all news, not only among those here “down under,” but also with others far and wide, to enter in and share GOD’s great day of grace, opportunity and pardon. All who will believe, may come to share these unsearchable riches of “transgressions forgiven” through GOD’s salvation and the inestimable gift of a “here-and-now” eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Read: Ephesians 2:8, & 3:8 & 9
Advance Australia FairPart Three
“WITH COURAGE LET US ALL COMBINE TO ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR. IN JOYFUL STRAINS THEN LET US SING “ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR!”
With “the courage of faith” in our GOD and His amazing grace we can therefore joyfully sing: “ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR!”
“Fair” in fact, in practise and reality, for we know ourselves as Australians to be truly blest of GOD, graced beyond all question with bountifully “fair” temporal privileges and opportunities.
(“The Fairest of Ten Thousand” times ten thousand is Jesus Christ when known personally and experienced as Lord and Saviour. GOD has prepared in His Divine Love for everyone (you also!) and through believing in Jesus Christ the Lord, complete joy and certain satisfaction shall be yours forever.)
AUSTRALIANS therefore wholeheartedly sing the National Anthem: “ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR”
Let us ADVANCE on then AUSTRALIANS, ever onward and upward. “Let us go on .. . through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (of GOD!) Hebrews 6:1 & 2
Note that some of the original verses of ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIR have been left out of our National Anthem. History is history as written in the original anthem and nothing can change that fact. Facts are stubborn things, difficult for some but a very real joy to others! Captain James Cook discovered Australia and landed at Botany Bay is history. But here we are now in this present day, alive and well in this great Australia. We are free and blest indeed.
The present moment is ours dear friend and reader of this my recorded thanksgiving to GOD. Having been personally BORN an Australian and TWICE-BORN, as a new creation in Christ, I have sought to put on record heart appreciation for a life time of Australian “fair-go,” faith and freedom that has been GOD’s gift and grace to me and to so many other Australians. Thank you for taking time to read this.
I am, yours faithfully,
John A. Short 2015
CHRISTIAN BOOK ROOM P.O. Box 95413, Tsim Sha Tsui, Knowloon, Hong Kong, S.A.R. of CHINA..