Aussie English From The Sticks

LISTEN TO THIS EPISODEAaaah, that good old Aussie tune, The Road to Gundagai, played by clarinetist Alex Hutchinson.G'day and Happy Australia Day!Yeah, that's right... today is the 26th of January, 2010. We celebrate Australia on this day every year.So, what about Australia? What is it we celebrate? Well, for some it isn't a celebration at all. In fact, some Australians call it "Invasion Day" - especially the Aboriginal people.You see, in January 1788 the "First Fleet" arrived from Britain carrying over 1,400 passengers and crew who would be the first white inhabitants on this beautiful island continent.But this was no luxury cruise, these passengers were mostly convicts. It was not only the first white settlement, but the first penal colony.There are many songs about that day, and many songs about poor Englishmen and Irishmen who were convicted of a crime and were "Bound for Botany Bay".You know, even today a lot of English call Australians "convicts", and regard Australia as a