Australia’s strength within

Since my arrival in Melbourne, I have spent much time trying to figure out what makes this island continent and the people who live here tick. It should be said that what follows is merely my opinion, so after you read this and you have something to add, please do so.

Australia itself shares certain similarities with South Africa. See the following list:

1. They like beer. We like beer.

2. Each of their main cities has their own distinct characters, as do ours. Melbourne = Cape Town, Sydney = JHB and Brisbane = Durban (in each country’s historical context).

3. They love sport (even playing their own version of “footy”). We love sport.

4. We are both former British colonies which are now fiercely independent republics.

5. We both share a history of legislated racism, though it seems to be something the Australians either choose to ignore, forget or don’t talk about.

6. The land each of our countries was founded upon was in the majority arid and difficult to live upon.

7. Mining is a very important industry in both countries, and in Australia its influence is comparable to that of the “Randlords” during the turn of the 20th century in South Africa … well, it certainly looks that way.

Now, there are of course many differences especially relating to demographics (see point 5) and economics (see point 5), which have led to SA and Australia developing via different courses. Population wise, South Africa is closing in on 50 million people while Australia is closer to 21 million. But what is undeniable is that Australia is a sporting nation. Their spending also far surpasses South Africa’s, and most other nations when it comes to sport, which isn’t surprising since Australia is a richer nation compared to SA.

This spending isn’t done in isolation, Australia see sport as a means of spreading the Pax Australia brand across the globe: if we can beat you at sport, think about what else we can do. After the 1976 Olympic Games, where Australia received their lowest medal count (4), action was undertaken to create an elite sporting institution which would serve as the nursery for the next generation of Australian sports stars. Today, the Australian Institute of Sport has a budget of more than 400 million Australian dollars (more than R2 billion) split up over various programmes, scholarships and endeavours.

But whenever SA take on the Australians there is always the feeling that mentally, at least in the professional sports that I’ve seen us compete against them in (specifically cricket and rugby but Bafana could definitely take the Socceroos on) they are far more assured than their South African counterparts when the situation gets tight. Why is this? Has it got to do with SA’s history, which naturally would lead to a society more introspective and self-aware? Is it the money? Or sheer Australian bloody-mindedness?