Hi all And I got a John Denver song that you might like to hear. It is called SING AUSTRALIA. I come to Australia as many people do To see the old koala, hitch a ride on a kangaroo To hear somebody call me mate and call somebody blue To hear the aboriginee play a didgeridoo Some of you came as prisoners two centuries ago Some of you come as kings and queens your blessing to bestow Some of you stand all swelled with pride, some with shattered wings But all of us come with open hearts to hear Australia sing In the desert, in the city In the mountains and in the sea In the stories and in the people I can hear Australia sing Waltzing Matilda, the men of Galipoli Clancy of the Overflow, Crocodile Dundee The myth of all creation, the teaching of baiame The legends of a dreamtime for all eternity And in this celebration of a brief two hundred years The cost to build a nation in blood and sweat and tears And if we stand divided, divided we will fall But if we stand together we shall conquer all In the desert, in the city In the mountains and in the sea In the stories and in the people I can hear Australia sing Sing Australia, Sing Australia, Sing Australia, Sing Australia In the sails on Sydney Harbour I can hear Australia sing Rob

Good on ya, mate! Where is AnneH ??? Her topic awaits! Thanks Rob.

Hi all New Zealanders and Australians Two nations, with very different tales to tell, yet coming as former colonies of the Motherland. Two nations with very different but very amazing arrays of biological, and physical characteristics in terms of landscapes. One housing some of the oldest rock on earth, with few mountains in excess of 7000 feet, and the other very much a young child with earthquakes, volcanoes and active mountain building. One first housed convicts and is home of one of the oldest civilisations on earth. The other was not discovered until only a thousand years before present. One is a constitutional monarchy with a federal and state government setup, while the other has a central government and regional councils. But there are many many similarities between Australia and New Zealand as allies, as friends, and as neighbours. We had our baptism of fire at Gallipoli in 1915 at the cost of thousands of lives. Thus, the ANZAC tradition was born. Australians and New Zealanders share many things in common: we play the same sports - cricket, rugby, hockey, netball and yachting. We lead very similar lifestyles and have very close economic, political, cultural, and social ties. Both had periods of conflict between the white settlers and the indigenous peoples who inhabited what were to become colonies of a land about which the indigenous of both knew nothing. Although New Zealand was booted out of the ANZUS (Australia-New Zealand-United States)treaty for it's anti nuclear stance, which is steadfastly supported today on both sides of the Tasman, we continue very close military ties with the Australians. We are also the fiercest of rivals. Just go to the Fisher and Paykel annual netball clash (due in a couple of weeks)between Australia and New Zealand and hear the crowd go nuts. Just go to a stadium in New Zealand and hear the haka reverberate in the Bledisloe Cup or to Stadium Australia and hear Waltzing Matilda. Bring up the 1981 under arm incident and blame the Chappell brothers. Rob P.S Anne, Pavlova is a Kiwi invention...

You mean the meringue-y dessert? What is netball? Is there a different name for it in the US, or is it unique to ANZAC?

Hi all Netball. A seven a side team sport predominantly a womens sport but also now played by men. Similar to basketball except that you cannot run with the ball but pass after a couple of steps. Scoring is simple. 1 point for every goal scored and one point for penalties. It lasts 60 minutes and is divided into quarters. There are seven positions around the court. Goal-keep, Goal-attack, Goal defence Goal shoot, Wing defence, Wing attack, Centre. Few have heard of it outside of the Commonwealth. But the US and Canada have netball teams in the competition. World Standings top four at the end of the 1999 World Cup Australia New Zealand England Jamaica *** TOP TWO HAVE REMAINED UNCHANGED SINCE 1991 *** Rob

Rob has the netball thing happened yet? I guess my chances of hearing it on RNZI unless it is on the net are nil unless I get really lucky. Have they happened yet? What was the outcome?