AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR BASH

On the 25th of January, I attended the Australian of the Year bash outside Parliament House in Canberra. Ita Buttrose (genuine; cheery), Adam Gilchrist (straightforward; serious), Megan Washington (angelic; what a voice), Adam Goodes (why did he receive the big award?) and Tony Abbott (stockier than I imagined) were some of the many guests there. I was uninspired by Tony's choice of words and his presentation of them. A great public speaker he's not. He spoke - in a dreary voice - of Australia being the land of 'having a go' and giving everyone 'a fair go'. These principles are essential, but frankly, I've heard it all before. Cliches. Where's the unique vision? Where's the passionate delivery? A  lot more of an acknowledgement of our First Australians was also needed (particularly as there were many Indigenous Australians present). He conveniently side-stepped that. LJ, 12 February 2014.