Fourth of July, Australia style

By Woodlander in the Land DownUnder
Global Correspondent

At the end of this week is the Fourth of July. I love celebrating this great day in our country’s history. I have a BA in history focusing on early US history. When I went through my graduation ceremony at Sac State, I put "1776" in white tape across the top of my mortarboard. For me, it reflected my freedom from being a student and the freedom that was gained all those years ago from the British Empire.

Now I live in a country that is still connected to the Empire; the Queen of England is our head of state with a governor general as her representative - then, the major two party parliament actually governs on a daily basis. To celebrate the Fourth of July amongst all of this is quite odd, yet the Yanks (that’s the Aussie word for it, not a term that I would normally use) who live here know how to have a good time.

I have been a member of the American Women’s Club of Perth and every year they have a Fourth of July event. They source real American hot dogs, have Coke drinks, a bake sale (with some people baking pumpkin pies), USA candy bars for sale (you can’t find Reese’s Peanut Butter cups here very easily), Krispy Kreme doughnuts were flown in from Sydney to sell, petting farm, bouncy castle, face painting, games and a car show. All of this sounds great doesn’t it? And, I have to say that when it comes down to it, my children and I did have fun. Yes, here it comes: BUT... no matter how hard they try, it’s just not the same as celebrating in the good ol’ USA.

In the USA, The Fourth is in the summertime. There are fantastic picnics in the park - or your backyard - with lots of friends. At the end of the day you have fireworks.

Here, The Fourth is in the winter. We have to cross our fingers for no rain. The event is usually at a venue with a building where the party can have indoor and outdoor activities. If it does rain, you better hope that there is room for you inside. The bake sale has many things to offer, but the goods are still made with Australian ingredients. It just doesn’t taste the same. There is no watermelon, no ice cream, no softball, no baseball, and no apple pie. It’s just not the same, though we do have fun. The kids get an idea of what’s it’s like to celebrate The Fourth, but they really don’t see the point. There are no fireworks (too expensive for this little group to provide) so my girls have no sense (yet) that The Fourth is just as important to our family as Australia Day is. To them, Australia Day is great! It’s in the summertime and, like The Fourth, ends with fireworks.

I wish you all a great Fourth of July. May you and your family enjoy the celebration of the great freedom that our country holds dear. Take a moment to say thanks to those that fought/fight for the freedom we have. Fly your USA flag with pride. And when the day winds down - and the fireworks show starts - remember that I am thinking of you all and saying “oooooo… aaaaahhhhhhh…. oooooohhhhh” right along with you.

Happy Fourth of July from Woodlander in the Land DownUnder!