Musings of a Migrant

[bidkev]

<snip>
Thanks again for sharing your poetry

Take care,

Brad.

And thank you Brad, for taking the time to respond in such a moving way.

There is so much negativity nowadays with regards to multiculturealism and, despite some of our fears in this respect being well founded, I think it bodes us all well to occasionally take a step back, draw a deep breath, and consider just how lucky we are and question ourselves as to why we shouldn't share a bit of that "luck' with those less fortunate than ourselves.

Like you, I have had occasion to encounter those who, despite their cultural difference, are truly grateful for all that this country has to offer, and would gladly repay their new found fortune ten fold if they had the means or the wherewithal.

Let not the flouting of our laws such as the taking of undersize fish by certain ethnic group(s) or the rejection of our (Australian) values and standards by a minority, influence our ideals, cloud our judgement, or otherwise detract from the fact, that this is a truly tolerant society which values the better influences that cultural diversity brings.

kev

[Got_the_Fever]

Kev I dont know how I missed reading your poem until now. Beautiful mate, you brought to life what we seem to miss every day. We have seen it so many times that it becomes second nature. I am very lucky, when Anya first came over here her eyes lite up with every new experience and sight. For the last 6 years I have been looking through her eyes and truly seeing our beautiful country.

Part of the reason I go out fishing is just to sit on the water and enjoy what I have not really looked at since I was a kid, and I have a fresh pair of eyes to see it all with. We do have a beautiful country and we are all very lucky to live here.

Thanks for sharing mate.

Kel

[MyEscape]

Kev,

For myself I'm aussie born and bred. My wife is from South Africa and when I spent a couple of months over there a few years ago I was blown away with the difference between our countries and what we take for granted.

We have such freedom in Australia, we have space and no boundaries. Our country is the whole of the continent, we have charities and groups and also a government sysem that assists people who cannot support themselves. Like the lady mentioned who was from Serbia, there is no assistance to the hungry, the ill or the fallen.

I think a lot of people should travel to other countries and really see what it's like to live outside of Australia.

I could go on, but I what I can say is how much I appreciate what we have in Australia, and yes I do support others migrating to Australia, as long as they share what we have and assimilate with us and rather than bring their world to us with their problems, share our country with them and the freedom that we have.

Steve

[Poodroo]

Having been born in this country it sometimes takes a migrant to open our eyes and see how lucky we are in this country to live in it and have what we have. Often I see people taking it for granted. It was heart breaking this year to have gone to Fraser Island and see the amount of litter on the beach that wasn't there last year and this is probably the most beautiful place I have visited in this country. Wake up Australia, we need to keep this country beautiful for following generations to appreciate. Fishing at Southport yesterday with the kids we caught plastic bags and clumps of wet newspaper. Not good. Must be more than a few bad apples in the bunch.
Great bit of poetry Kev. Hope it didn't take too long to do that poem. Just thinking of how many fish could have been caught in that time.

Poodroo

[bidkev]

<snip>
Great bit of poetry Kev. Hope it didn't take too long to do that poem. Just thinking of how many fish could have been caught in that time.

Poodroo

No mate, it just came to me whilst I was thinking how lucky I am........took about 10 minutes all up and believe it or not, I've never written a poem before (that I can remember).......that kinda thing's for softies

kev

[bidkev]

Kev I dont know how I missed reading your poem until now. Beautiful mate, you brought to life what we seem to miss every day. We have seen it so many times that it becomes second nature. I am very lucky, when Anya first came over here her eyes lite up with every new experience and sight. For the last 6 years I have been looking through her eyes and truly seeing our beautiful country.

Part of the reason I go out fishing is just to sit on the water and enjoy what I have not really looked at since I was a kid, and I have a fresh pair of eyes to see it all with. We do have a beautiful country and we are all very lucky to live here.

Thanks for sharing mate.

Kel

That's a timely reminder for me Kel, thanks. I think that trying to look through an other person's eyes can give us a better understanding of each other and the world around us. Was a time when I was bored or complacent that I used to practice that to put "new light through old windows" but I seem to have gotten out of the habit of late.............makes for a grumpy old fart when the kids are trying to draw my attention to something that they are excited about whilst I am wrapped up in something else

kev

[bidkev]

Steve, when I worked in the printing business we had a new employee who was from S.Africa.....he was only 23 but seemed very wise. He worked like a trojan and was a really likeable bloke. We got talking one smoko and he related how his small business had been burned to the ground and when he decided to bale out of there, all his assets had been frozen and he literally had to start from scratch when he migrated to the UK. He said that he had been given a 2nd chance at life and that he would live his life as if that was literally the case.

Although he had been raised in a family that supported apartheid, there was no sense of bitterness or recrimination towards the blacks for the loss of his previous life, he simply put it behind him and marvelled and gave thanks for the chance to start anew. He was 20 yrs my junior but he taught me plenty.

kev