People and culture

Population. The population of Australia is about 18,000,000. 85% of the people live in the urban areas. 40% of Australians live in Sydney and Melbourne. 15% of population live in rural areas. All farms are cattle or sheep stations. The largest station covers 2,600 sq. km., 160 km to the nearest town.

Australia has a young population. 95 percent of the people are Caucasian. 60% of these have Anglo-Celtic heritage (British and Irish). Because of immigration Australia is a mosaic of many nationalities. Over 200 nationalities live in Australia (the first Russian to settle in Australia was Peter Potoski in 1804).

The Asian population has grown from 1 to 4 %. The immigration authorities prefer applicants who have some special job skill and a stable personal background. Australia has admitted 4,5 million immigrants.

There are 257,000 full and part aborigines. Their culture is recognized as an integral part of Australia's heritage. Aborigines feel a spiritual link to the land. Aboriginal society is complex, but the family is its centre.

Language. English is the national language and is taught in all schools. The Aborigines had 250 languages but only 50 survived. Aborigines have their own radio system. In Aborigine schools Aborigine languages are used for instructions at first. English is introduced later. Australian English uses many words that are expressions of Australia's unique culture. To say someone is moving fast, one might use the phrase like a possum up a gum tree. His blood worth bottling - he is a very good person, as game as Ned Kelly - very brave. Australians (Aussies) also shorten words: uni (university), kindi (kindergarten), and teli (television). Some Australian slang may be offensive to other English speakers. Australian accent looks like English Cockney.

82% of Australians speak only English, 2,6% speak Italian, 1,8%-Greek, 1,6 - Chinese, 0,9% -Arabic.

Education. Public education is administered by state governments and financed by federal funds. Each state and territory makes its own laws about education. Schooling is compulsory from 6 to 15 (16 in Tasmania). Elementary schools - Grades 1-6. Secondary schools - Grades 7-12.

Correspondence instruction by two-way radio reaches children in remote areas. They attend "Schools of the Air". They listen to the teacher, on the radio each day at school time. Students have their own books and answer over the microphone. The teacher corrects and gives home assignment. The completed homework is to be mailed to the teacher. The homework is discussed over the radio, corrected and mailed back.

25 % of all Australian children attend private schools. The school year is divided into 4 terms of 10 weeks each. Breaks occur in April, July and October. Tasmania has 3 terms with breaks in June and September. Australian students don't have hot lunch at school. The fourth term ends around December 20. The Christmas holidays begin the summer vacations. The students return to school in February.

School begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:10 p.m. The students have lunch in the middle of the day. Some schoolchildren ride their bicycle or take the school bus on rainy days. The students have a strong sense of belonging. They enjoy spending time with their friends and schoolmates. All students learn computer Science.

It is the expectation of the school community that all students in years 7 to 11 wear the full uniform. Boys - green pullover, grey trousers and shirt, black shoes and the College baseball jacket. Girls - school dress or green shorts and white shirts (in winter school tartan skirt or green tailored trousers).

In Australia large schools are found in cities. One-teacher schools are located in the countryside. A teacher in the country may teach all grades, with only 1 student in a grade.

The literacy rate is 99%. Most of Australians completed 11 years of schooling. All states have universities, colleges and institutes. There are 33 Universities, 3 of them are private. Many of Australians have completed some higher education.

Religion. 76% of the people are Christians (Anglicans 26%, Catholics 26%). Other religions - 24 %. Religion does not play a strong role in daily life.

Literature. Before 1890's the most famous writers were Clarke and Browne. Clarke's novel, His Natural Life /1874/ tells about life in Australian prison colony. Browne's classic novel Robbery Under Arms /1888/ is an adventure tale about a gang of Australian bushrangers. During the 1890's Australian writers began to create a national literature. Bush ballads became popular. Andrew Paterson was the leading bush ballad poet. The novelist Patrick White won the 1973 Nobel Prize for literature. His best known novels include The Tree of Man, Voss and Riders in the Chariot.

Painting. The Aborigines had a highly developed artistic tradition. Albert Narnatjira, an Aborigine, adopted some European technique and painted scenes of the Australian desert. The first major White Australian painters became known as Heidelberg School. Leaders of the school included Charles Conder and Tom Roberts. Ken Done (1940) is one of the foremost artists. He works by the beach under the sun in Sydney. Ken Done symbolizes optimistic Australia. The Australian Natural Gallery in Canberra houses the country's natural art collection.

Music and dance. Australia has a National Opera Company and the Australian Ballet. Anna Pavlova and Fedor Chaliapin visited Australia in 1926. Modern composer is Richard Meale. "Twelve mystical Preludes" of Larry Sitsky is an example of modern musical expression. Peta Chase is a talented young violinist. Duncan Gifford is a famous pianist.

Theatre and Cinema. Each state capital has a company of professional actors. They stage classic and modern plays. A film industry produces 20 films a year. In recent years Australian film industry has seen great success.

Sport. The most popular team sports in Australia are cricket, Australian Rules Football, Rugby League (professional football), Rugby Union (amateur football), and soccer. Top Australian tennis stars are Greg Norman and Peter Thomson. Australian swimmers include Murray Rose and Tracey Wickham. Famous track stars include Herb Elliot and John Laudy.