Australia changed the words of the national anthem / GORDON

Australia’s Governor General David Hurley agreed to change the words of the national anthem. The new text of the anthem went into effect on January 1, 2021, according to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s press office.

Morrison noted that while Australia “is relatively young as a modern nation,” the country’s history is as old as that of many of the continent’s indigenous peoples. In this sense, in the second line of the hymn, the words “Because we are young and free” (“Because we are young and free”) were replaced by the phrase “Because we are one and free” (“Because we are one and free”) .

“This is recognition of the distance we have traveled as a nation. [Новый гимн] recognizes that our national history is based on the history of more than 300 indigenous peoples and language groups, and that we are the most successful multicultural nation on Earth. It reaffirms our resolve as one of the oldest democracies in the world and pays tribute to the foundation on which our country was built, “said Morrison.

He added that the change in the anthem should “strengthen the spirit of unity” after a challenging 2020.

The Australian national anthem Advance Australia Fair was written by Australian composer Peter Dodds McCormick and was first performed in 1878. Officially, the composition’s anthem was awarded in 1984, before the British anthem God Save the Queen was the anthem. from Australia.

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