writer”, once described Australia as “the Great Lone Land of magnificent distances and bright heat; the land of self-reliance, and never-give-in, and help-your-mate”. In his stories and poems, Lawson extolled the virtue of the person who, in the midst of adversity, typically drought and fire, stepped in to provide aid. Lawson understood mateship as helping in adversity, as “the instinct that irresistibly impels a thirsty, parched man, out on the burning sands, to pour out the last drop of water down the throat of a dying mate, where none save the sun or moon or stars may see”.6
Down on the ground the stockmen jumped And bared each brawny arm; They tore green branches from the trees And fought for Ross’s farm; And when before the gallant band The beaten flames gave way, Two grimy hands in friendship joined - And it was Christmas Day!
“The Fire at Ross’s Farm”, Henry Lawson
Following the disastrous Black Saturday bushfires in 2009, a book called Black Saturday: Stories of Love, Loss and Courage by John McGourty was released. A “tale about ordinary everyday people who, when fate demanded, became heroes”, Black Saturday celebrated this “natural willingness” of Australians to assist, recounting some of the heroic stories of kindness from strangers to emerge from the tragedy. One story was of Peter Thorneycroft who potentially saved the lives of twenty women and children by hosing down the roof of the local pub they sought refuge in.7
As locals and emergency workers joined to assist bushfire victims, Australians gave generously, clearly touched and devastated by the horrific news. More than $388 million was donated to the Black Saturday Bushfire Appeal fund. Australians also donated 63,000 tonnes of material aid, with an estimated value of $17.5 million.8 The Whittlesea Rotary Club recalls the overwhelming generosity of people at that time, how they “had clothes avalanching off the tables …” with people working fourteen-hour, seven-day weeks to distribute it all.9
The tragic floods that ravaged Queensland in early 2011, affecting three-quarters of the entire state, showcased once again the kindness of fellow Australians - whether neighbours or from afar. It seemed that the overwhelming flood waters were matched only by the stories of strangers helping, giving and rescuing.
Similarly, Australians’ hearts and cash went out to the victims of the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2004 Asian tsunami and the Samoan tsunami in 2009. Australians donated more that $100million to the Asian tsunami victims on top of the $1 billion given by the Australian Government, its largest donation ever made.10 Donations made by the Australian public equated to $5 per Australian, while donations made by the British and American public equated to $3 per Briton and 88 cents per American.11
Tales of great Aussie kindness also emerged following the Bali bombings which claimed the lives of 202 people, including 88 Australians. Two West Australian men, Timothy Britten and Richard Joyes, became the fourth and fifth Australians to be awarded the Cross of Valour, instituted in 1975, for their rescue efforts at the Sari club. They fought intense burning flames to rescue victims and were among 37 people to receive bravery awards.
The Australian’s willingness to help others in times of need is commonly celebrated following times of disaster. Former Australian Chief of the Defence Force and Australian of the Year in 2001, General Peter Cosgrove, summed this up best when he said:
Without doubt the best quality we observe across the entire Australian community is a natural willingness to pitch in and have a go, to help others. We see it of course whenever there is an emergency or a worthy cause. We see it in every community volunteer organisation from the lifesavers to the bushfire brigades through to the thousands of youth and mature-age sporting clubs and those great international service organisations like Rotary and many others. We see it in our professional bodies such as the police, fire and ambulance services, and of course in the defence force. It is a generosity of spirit and a selflessness that is perhaps our most precious heritage to hand on to younger and newer Australians - a nation of people who care for and look out for each other.
The willingness of Australians to help in times of hardship is also demonstrated by the number of them who dedicate their time to volunteer work. Over a third of Australians over fifteen are volunteers. Over 500,000 of these are in the emergency management sector, which includes surf life-savers and fire brigade volunteers, amongst others.12
The astounding statistic that one-third of Australians dedicate their time to volunteer work supports our finding that 79% of Australians would most like to be remembered for their service to others, while slightly fewer (69%), their contribution to society! This is compared with only 31% who would like to be most remembered for their achievements, such as career success.13
One story in particular in this book highlights the generous Australian spirit in times of need - the story of Andrew Fraser MP, Member for Coffs Harbour NSW, who was moved by the thoughtful kindness of a stranger following a fire which claimed more than his family home.
Given their reputation for helping in times of disaster, and the fact that many of them do so as volunteers, it comes as no surprise that firefighters are rated in the top three “most trusted professions”, where 1 is the most trusted (according to Reader’s Digest and McCrindle Research findings):
1 Ambulance officers: 1.15
2 Firefighters: 2.38
3 Nurses: 3.42
4 Pilots: 4.41
5 Doctors: 5.3414
Australians are also big on charitable giving with one in ten Australians having donated to the Salvation Army alone.
The reasons Australians give to strangers in need of charity are genuine, and further demonstrate our nation’s value of lending a hand in times of need. The main reason for giving to a charity is because people want to make a difference, with half of Australians strongly agreeing with this statement, according to our survey of 500 Australians, on charitable giving.15 Other strongly agreed with reasons which include that they give because it’s the right thing to do (48.6%) and that they care and feel responsibility to help others (46.5%). Australians don’t so much give to charities for tax benefits (7.2% strongly agree) or because they feel guilt (5.7%).
Australian wartime tales It is often said that war brings out both the worst and best in humanity. Despite the countless experiences of unbelievable horror that war inflicts, it is the tales of heroism and of sacrifice that live on and are shared decades later. Soldiers, of course, give the ultimate gift of kindness to strangers, laying down their very lives for the freedom of their countrymen and women. However, there is often much debate in the media about the role of Australian combat forces in foreign lands. In the minds of Australians their role in history has generally been a positive one though, with 69% of Australians believing that Australian soldiers (and members of the Australian Defence Forces) have done more good than harm. This is more evident with older Australians, but even most young Australians agree that the role of our diggers has generally been a positive one. Of those aged 46-85, 90.5% agree that Australian soldiers and members of the ADF have done more good than harm, compared with 54% of those aged 16-45.16
Amongst the best-known Australian wartime Samaritan stories is that of the “fuzzy-wuzzy angels”, the indigenous people of Papua New Guinea who, during the Second World War, carried wounded Australian soldiers to safety, risking their own lives to save those of foreign strangers. There have been a number of poems written by diggers about the noble Papua New Guinean bearers.
Many a lad will see his mother and husbands see their wives Just because the fuzzy
