We Will Carry On

 

How many club memberships, living in Australia, have you chalked up over the years?  I am not referring to exclusive country or city clubs where you network with the rich, politically connected and inner sanctum of useful contacts.   The prevalence of these other clubs I am talking about here, across the many suburbs of this Great Land, often depend on turnover, a huge but cheap membership base, gaming machines, a bistro of varying quality and some measure of community activities.

Increasingly significant is the local barista.  Over many years, so many blends of coffee beans have come out of Australia, establishing Aussie brands in this space with a strong reputation beyond its shores.  The routine of having brunch or breakky has contributed to the new styled cafes mushrooming with new fangled food recipes accompanying the beverage.  Tea has nevertheless not lost its embedded loyalty, together with other penchants for avocado smash, sourdough toasts, Granola mixes and sauteed mushrooms.

Beer craft and wine appreciation communions now express themselves in watering holes not just in the cities, but also in populated regional hubs.  The accompanying pizzas,  burgers and randomly performing local musician adds extra zest and layers of attraction to visit such venues.  The traditional Aussie pub though still stands tall, but can face challenges without the tribes gathering pre and post footy games, the family gathering for a wholesome Aussie roast and its truly vital role in the fabric of its local community.

And then in capital cities, Asian run bistros seem to be a  contemporary cornerstone of those RSLs and comparable clubs.  Vietnamese and Chinese operators provide alternative menus to pasta, Wellingtons, schnitzels and salads.

Migrant food has also been hipsterised and hybridised with fusion offerings, contemporary presentations and more use of alternative ingredients.  Outlets offering  such experiences are evolving a unique trend in the development of what foreigners increasingly acknowledge as uniquely Australian.  Drop by a new styled bakery run by Koreans, French and Japanese  here - while we still have access to traditional stuff from the Italians, Lebanese and our grandmother's Aussie cookbooks.

The roadhouse is so important for many remote communities, truckers and tourists out in the Woop-Woop.  It is a petrol station, sandwich bar, souvenir shop, grocery outlet, cafe, toilet stop, rest area and contact point for many both enduring and enjoying the vast, seemingly empty land that is Australia.

Our borders with other countries has been closed for so many months, but we still enjoy the Long Drive within our own state or when varying governments permit, across to other states on this continental island.  Straight roads for many kilometres delightfully surprise our visitors - and also coastal scenic drives, sojourns across farmlands, adventures across deserts or Alpine country.   What most of us agree upon is to avoid traffic jammed scenarios in our capital cities during the so called rush hour - or the increasing high tolls on roads labelled as Connex.

The water source, whether it is a constructed indoor or outdoor pool in suburban hubs, lake or a rock pool along one of our countless beaches, beckons many and perpetuates the influence of water in the life of many Aussies.

Most Aussies still reside within 100 km of its magnificient coasts. Swimming and surfing are anchor sports, whether competitive, recreational or
for exercise, in the fabric of this Great Southern Land.   Not many activities are as physically wholesome, mentally refreshing and rewarding as interacting with water.

Expressing one's self, taking part in public protests and telling a yarn also run through the veins of Aussie history.   At times, the giving of opinions, as overly encouraged by social media channels, politics and so called democratic freedoms, can lead to no action and just talk. The contemporary disease of mixing of facts with diverse views, manipulation of selective truth and aggressive marketing agendas by strong vested interests, has however thrown more than a spanner in this unrelenting confusing cauldron.

The unique spirit of being a larrakin still is very much alive in the Australian character.   However, this can be challenged by some aspects of a rising trend of political correctness which can at times lose this essential quality of humour and humaneness in negotiations, dealings  and various transactions of society.

Australia has always thought itself as the Land of the Fair Go.   Building upon layers of viable cultures, philosophies and traditions, we and our society have special routines, daily regimes and refreshing attitudes, when we zoom in on the beneficial and positive ones.  In the course of a day, each of us can find opportunity to have that healthy breakky, soak in a rewarding outdoor activity, press on with that work challenge, catch up with mates and try that unusual dish down the road.

#yongkevthoughts