1. Australian Identity

2. Tim Winton – Aquifer Australian suburbia in the 60’s
Battler’s blocks - Bushland was pushed further and further out to build new
cheap houses to accommodate all the new migrants coming after WWII – Dutch,
Yugoslavs, English and many from Eastern Europe. Migrant groups still changing today
To make Australia the multi-cultural country that it is.
The bush is still close enough to hear the “hiss of the cicadas and crow song” pg 38
“It was, in the beginning, only a fence away” indicating the changing nature of
Australia.
Also shown in Summer Rain: “subdivision houses – teacups of colour from television
sets”.

3. “Our homes were new: no one had ever lived in them before” sees the beginning of the destruction of the bushland and construction of Australia. Suburbs being built in straight lines but the bush, which at the time, can still be seen is “rolled and twisted like an unmade bed” (simile) Loss of natural environment ( as also seen in Summer Rain)

4. Non-indigenous belonging “these were Joneses who didn’t need much keeping up with”. In 1965 the Integration Policy was passed where the focus was on positive relations between indigenous and non-indigenous people.
History is inescapable – no matter how much time passes – it stays the same (death of Alan in the swamp)
Images of typical Australian childhood – freedom to play outside, “dug hideouts and lit fires”, catching tadpoles, playing in the swamp. (think Summer Rain)
Migrant life in Australia – it can be a struggle to fit in, Winton points out differences that children notice: different smells “boiled cabbage”, “socks and plastic sandals”, challenging the stereotypical Australian – thong wearing, vegemite eating, beach loving people VS

5. What does it mean to be Australian?
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Common Ideas
Challenges from text

6. Images of Australian life
Colloquialisms : Bruno the Yugo, Battler’s blocks, the Dutchie’s house, Poms ( Aquifer) – Australian tendency to give cruel nicknames to identify people.
Working class Australian – “we were all working class, even the Aborigines around the corner” (Aquifer)
Harry Wood – “digging his way out of poverty” (metaphor) “…farm will go to his grandchildren so they won’t be poor”
Lands End – image of surfers – how does he make us feel about surfers? Is his image in line with how we think surfer’s are in Australia? “Surfers are spiders”(metaphor), “like white moths” (simile)
Summer Rain – Drudgery of everyday life – stuck in traffic – highways/cars – loss of bush (sub-division of houses) – similar to Aquifer questioning the development of society – the need for more and more housing – at what expense?