Australians all, let us ring Joyce! *

Wine of the Week:
Gartelmann Sparkling Shiraz 2007 - I am a fan of red and a fan of bubbles so when a sparkling shiraz wants to talk, I will listen. Generally, a sparkling shiraz is something that comes out at Christmas and goes down well with ham and turkey. It has enough body to suit such flavoursome foods. That said, it goes down really well with an Australia Day sausage sizzle.
Gartelmann Wines are situated in the Lovedale region of the Hunter Valley. It is a winery that has a friendly atmosphere and has many more wines to sample while you are there. The Diedrich Shiraz and the Benjamin Semillon being their flagship wines. 
http://www.gartelmann.com.au 

Rockdale Town Hall, September 1975. That was the month that the Moorgas Family were sworn in as citizens of Australia. From what I remember (and I was only three at the time), it was a very formal occasion in a very dark hall. There wasn't any morning tea or tree to take home like there is with today's ceremonies. However, it was a significant day as it finalised the commitment my family had to start a new life in a new country. 

I have always been grateful for the decision my family made to move to Australia and start a new life. In turn, I am thankful that the country that they decided to move to allowed them to follow their dreams and make the most of what the country had to offer for themselves and their children.

So I guess that come every January 26th, I am personally thankful for what I think Australia is and what it should be; a country that encourages you to be your best, reach your goals and provide that opportunity to all it's citizens. A vibrant, dynamic and above all a compassionate country.

And while we all should feel lucky to live here, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't think and debate ways to improve and keep moving Australia forward. If we don't, we become stagnate and complacent which is always a dangerous thing. 

In recent years, Australia Day also brings up debate around two subjects in particular; the Flag and the Day itself, which as I said previously isn't such a bad thing. 

When it comes to the Flag, I don't have a deep desire to change it because it has a Union Jack in the corner. The only concern I have about the current flag is that in some circles it is also referred to as a "Cronulla Cape"...

That said, if an alternative comes up that I like I would be happy to consider changing it. I don't think changing our flag would disrespect those who have come before us under the existing one...that is where learning about our history and honouring it comes into play. 

Which brings us to what do we celebrate on Australia Day. By definition, it commemorates European settlement in this land in 1788 and as we all know, the history of this land extends earlier than that. As a result, there have been some recent arguments to scrap Australia Day and come up with a new day that isn't linked to Captain Cook's stop at Kurnell and allows us to honour the entire history of this land. Debate about this gets emotional and rightly so.

For me, like the country maybe Australia Day has to evolve. I don't think we have to change the day but I do think we need to celebrate and honour our Country's entire history. It's like the fact that I thought it was fine to have a welcoming address from Aboriginal elders prior to each Ashes test this summer. I also thought it was pretty cool to hear 'Advance Australia Fair' with an Aboriginal verse prior to the third State of Origin last year. 

At the same time, we also need to celebrate the type of Australia we want for the future. During the summer break while driving and listening to ABC Radio, the question was asked 'What is the national mood?' It led me to think about that question and invariably what type of Australia I would like to live in - a topic that I have touched on previously. 

Recent events in Queensland and Victoria have shown that we are a nation that is still compassionate and willing to help each other out in times of need. That is something I hope doesn't change. Add tolerance and the continued ability to offer all a fair-go and I think we will have the mix pretty much spot on. 

So Happy Australia Day to you all and as for me, I will go and sit in front of the tele with some Cheezels and Violet Crumbles and watch "The Castle" all over again...ah, the serenity.

*Thanks to Shane Jacobson for this immortal line from the movie "Kenny".