Backbencher

Wow. I think a whole class could be taught on the ideas of this movie. Issues such as race, gender, poverty, law enforcement involvment all come into play in this awesome movie. The story is about Jake and his family. Jake beats his wife Beth, and fails to provide an income besides the dole for his family. He spends most of his time drinking and being with his "mates", bringing them into the house at all hours of the night and putting them first before his family. The only somewhat functional character in this movie seems to be Grace, the daughter who is the glue that holds the siblings and Beth together. The movie continues is depressing, downwards spiral when Boogie (the brother) is sent to a group home, and Grace is raped by one of her fathers mates. In the end, Grace commits suicide, Beth takes the remaining kids home to the Marae and Jake is left all alone.
This movie is amazing. It shows a part of New Zealand very few people ever see. There is no green landscape, no Lord of the Rings sets. It's just the streets of Auckland, alcoholism and domestic abuse and the tolls that it takes on the human spirit. This movie could be set with any group of people, anywhere in the world. It is an important film because it shows the audience what it can mean to be in poverty, abused, and left with very little choices.

I have just finished watching the movie Whale Rider and I thought it was a beautiful piece on the history and traditions of the Maori peoples of New Zealand. I thought it was quite well done as it is portrayed in modern times rather than 50 years ago, which allowed me to connect with the characters and see the world through their eyes quite easily.

The movie is about a young girl named Pai, whose twin brother died shortly after birth. Her mother also died shortly after she was born. Pai is raised by her grandfather and grandmother, while she is temporarily estranged from her father who meets another woman and subsequently marries her. Pai’s grandfather is chief of the local Maori tribe, which is bent on the tradition of only allowing males to move up to chief after he dies. Pai wishes to join in the training and ceremonies, however she is deliberately rejected by her grandfather who does not see a girl as appropriate for such role (as per tradition).

Pai learns to fight with the Taiaha stick, a traditional martial art of the Maori peoples. Her grandfather catches her with this and scolds her to the point of ignoring her for a long time to come. Pai is forced into a long period of fighting for what she deserves, as she proves herself superior to the boys in their training.

Pai performs a traditional Maori chant which is a call to the whales, a sacred animal of the Maori. The whales come in and are beached in the low tide. The people are not able to free the whales, and Pai is forbidden from helping (see reasons above). At night she returns, and rides the whale, which is a sacred call for the whale to swim again and frees the great whale. Pai is lost, and the village mourning her loss causes her grandfather to respect all of her accomplishments. She returns to the land of her people and after being treated in a hospital she is instated as the new chief of her tribe.

Even though I have just given away the story and ending, you absolutely need to see this movie. A cultural masterpiece.

I recently read The Quest for Grace, Puzzles of Childhood, by Manning Clark. This was a story of Dymphna Clark and the relationship between her and her husband, Manning Clark. In her last year at Melbourne University she met Manning Clark. He told the story of their courtship, engagement and journey to Europe in 1938. A brief background on her is given, describing how she was born in Melbourne in 1918, and grew up in Mont Albert. Her first name, Hilma, came from her Swedish ancestry; Dymphna from the Belgian. Her father, Augustin Lodewyckx, was Associate Professor of Germanic Languages in the University of Melbourne. Manning’s book gives an account of their early married life in England and of their return to Australia in August 1940. They had 8 children throughout the book, but not all at the same time. There's detail's of Dymphna's life alongside Clark, and I found it amazing she could even have another productive life with 8 kids! She established the lifestyle of learning, hospitality and good conversation. His wife seemed very down to earth, especially when it came to domestics and cooking. She seemed very natural, and I got this from the fact that she cooked from her own garden. The two seemed to be soul mates, but not in a romantic, passionate love novel way. It seemed very practical. She teached and translated and Clark discovered the world, well kind of! She received most of her talents of translating from her father when she was growing up. She helped Clark translated historical pieces and they went together like a puzzle themselves. Overall, I found the book very informative and interesting, and gave a better look into the life of Manning Clark, but more importantly introduced me to his wife and made me have a great sense of appreciation for her and their relationship together.

Lecture 7 was entitled, Politics: Commonwealth and Dominion, and was very interesting in the way the government has definite similarities. Their Parliamentary systems, Labour Party Opposition, the Liberal Party Tradition and the Colonial Transition to responsible government. The differences were more that Australia was more Federal, while New Zealand was more unitary. There seemed to be more class divisions in the Australian Politics. It was very interesting to view the two capitals. I thought the Australian Capital, in Canberra, ACT was much more visually appealing, even though it may not be the easiest to get around. I also found it very interesting on the major initiatives on the party development in New Zealand. Those being the bursting up the great estates and the welfare state in general. Overall, this lecture gave me a better view of the people in the area, because politics plays a great part in creating and evaluating a society and country as a whole.

Lecture 6 was about the society in Australia and New Zealand. Some of the founding mythologies in these two countries are that Australia was formed from convict settlement, while New Zealand was a planned settlement. Australia was obstreperous class conscious and New Zealand is thought to be a classless society. Both New Zealand and Australia were bicultural Nations, Native (Aboriginal, Maori) and British. New Zealand is thought be an Arcadian myth, a better society than Britain, or a more British society than Britain itself, and not Australia. There were an increase number of farms in the 1970’s in New Zealand. In the mid 1950’s, Australia was an urban, capitalist country that was absent of wealth as stated in The Story of Australia by A.G.L. Shaw. After World War II, Navi's were people that were paid to come to Australia to increase their population.

Footie is a very commonly played game in New Zealand and Australia, also known as Rugby. There are three different variations of the game, Rugby Union, Rugby League, and Australian Rules. The All Blacks is the most successful international rugby organization and is a definition of masculinity in the country. Their main sponsor is Steinlager, and I’m curious how such a sponsor can be for such a prestige’s team if no one from New Zealand buys their products? Other sports played in these counties are netball, field hockey, and cricket.

Have you been to any rugby games, or played in any rugby games Dr. Isern?

Before I watched this movie, I was a little bit skeptical as to whether or not it would pertain to what we have been talking about, but surprisingly, it did. Tom Selleck stars as Matthew Quigley, a rifleman from Wyoming who has come to Australia to take up the job offer of a shooter for a local cattle owner Marston, who is played by Alan Rickman. As soon as he gets off the boat at Fremantle, trouble is brewing. We see some men hassling Crazy Cora, played by Laura San Giacomo, and, of course, Quigley steps in to help by beating up the thugs. To Quigley's surprise, these men are employed by Marston and are assigned to bring him to Marston's ranch. After a couple long days ride through the outback to Marston's ranch and finally, after meeting Marston, Quigley learns the true nature of his calling, to shoot and kill aborigines who are killing some of Marston's sheep. Naturally, Quigley is disgusted with this and throws Marston out of his house window and sets up to fight, only to be knocked out from behind. Quigley and Crazy Cora are hauled out to the middle of the desert and are to be left for dead. Some quick thinking and clever hiding of a knife in his boot save Quigley and Cora and they are left to walk to find help. After a few days of walking unsuccessful, they collapse in the dirt, unable to go on. When they come to, they see that they were saved by local Aborigines who sheltered them and gave them food and water. Both Quigley and Crazy Cora get along well with the Aborigines, as Quigley shows the Aborigine warriors how to make a lasso and make tools and Crazy Cora mingles with the women, who exchange jewelry with each other. These Aborigines left after the night and when Quigley and Crazy Cora wake up, they are gone. After riding for a few days, Quigley and Cora come across a horrific scene; some of Marston's men are killing aborigines indescriminately. After Quigley dispatches the men, Crazy Cora, crying over the dead Aborigines, hears the crying of a baby near and to their astonishment, a little baby has survived this ordeal. Crazy Cora immediately cares for the child, whom Quigley states is probably tougher than both of them. One of the interesting things about this movie was the use of pommy-bashing as Dr. Isern noted in class. At the beginning of the movie when Quigley is being escorted back to meet Marston, one of Marston's henchmen sees a British regiment coming towards them. Quigley, prodding the man, asks if they are friends of his. Sarastically, the man says "Theyre British." Another aspect of this movie that was well written was the use of the Aborigine tribes. We see how much they dislike Marston by the end of it and how they help Quigley out. I know I have left out a chunk of the end, but I will leave that up to you to find out for yourself. I really enjoyed this movie and it is one I would recommend to the class.

After reading two issues of North & South, I have really come to enjoy the magazine. It has a wide range of topics inside including political, personal stories, current events, and world awareness. The audience appeared to be middle- to upper-class people. To be perfectly honest, the magazine kind of reminded me of a cross between National Geographer and Time Magazine. The purpose of the magazine was mostly proving knowledge to readers about subjects mentioned above. It is also meant to be entertaining and does this through the personal stories throughout the magazine.

One of the articles I enjoyed most was “The Other Coast to Coast” in the Perspectives/Great Outdoors section of the March 2006 edition. This article was about the city of Auckland. The writer, Colin Moore, expresses a love for this city because of its close proximity to many outdoor activities. In the article, the writer compares Auckland to Washington, D.C. and Moscow. He points out that you cannot kayak around either of these cities; however, you can kayak around Auckland. This reminded me of what we recently talked about in lecture 6 about sports. New Zealanders boast about things they do better than other countries, such as rugby, or things other countries cannot do, such as kayak around the largest city in the country.

Another interesting area is “Agenda.” This section allows the reader to find out what events are taking place in the large cities throughout the country. It gives a brief summary of each event and when it takes place. I thought this was a very interesting feature and would be helpful to readers that like to travel around the country.

Lecture 6 dealt with Australian and New Zealand societies how they came to be and why they are the way they are.
Australian society was founded by convict colonies they wanted to overthrow the reign of the bourgeoisie and keep themselves as different from England as possible. Children were to be respectful in class but if they misbehaved they were chastised but admired secretly, which goes back to rebelling against England. They had classes in their society and are aware of it even today, like when Professor Isern talked about the married couple on the sheep station, and the woman left the kneeling cushion for the boss's wife to put the picture on it, even though she also wanted to do the same picture.
New Zealand society was founded by a planned settlement and they wanted to retain ties to the British Empire and order, but that didn't mean they wanted to be exactly like their British counterparts. An example of this is that their society is classless; everyone was made to feel equal part in the society as a whole. They wanted to be as different from Australia as possible.
We also learned that Australia became more modern ahead of New Zealand where as New Zealand clung on to its pastoral past, and even though Australia became more urban they persisted in bush ideals.
We learned about sports in New Zealand and Australia, rugby, cricket, netball and field hockey. We followed the progression of rugby from union to league and then to Australian rules, all of it was very interesting especially that New Zealand has been one of the world's best teams for a long time.
I really liked learning about the culture of both countries, and how they came to be the way they are today.

The societies of Australia and New Zealand have their respective sterotypical figures. For New Zealand, the Barry Crump image defines who they are. The Barry Crump image makes me think of the Hearty American pionniers going out west, like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone. That myth of overcoming obstacles is in many colonial histories as they make the colony from a barbarous place to a civilized society. Even thought the irony of that is that Australia was a settlement of the worst of British society.

According to William Pember Reeves, the New Zealanders created a middle class society. Also being along from family and being in a harsh land like Australia, can create this ideal of mateship. This ideal whether it is an Australian mate (friend) or New Zealand mate (equal) is quite strong in both societies even to this day.

Sports and athletics in general help define a nation and its people. The spirit of competition brings pride. Australian Rules rugby developed before the English-style of rugby. The rough and brutish style of the game fits the convict heritage of Australia. It does not reflect the more civil British game, but Australia was not for civil men.

The statement that rugby created in the mid 20th Century is intersting. New Zealand All Blacks show harmony between New Zealander and Maori while South Africa is still divided. I had no idea that a game could divide people and make such a bold statement.

The same can be said about sports in all nations. Soccer (football depending on nation) is the sport of the world. The fierceness of the competition and the passion that many feel for the sport crates a national pride that goes beyond military strength. New Zealand, a minor nation in Western affairs, can take pride in the All Blacks to show their greatness in the world.

In lecture 6, we went back to the founding mythology of Australia and New Zealand. Australia was originally a convict settlement and dealt with the overthrow of the sqauttocracy and the reign of the bourgeoisie, whereas New Zealand was a planned settlement with retaining ties to the empire and sports a classless society. They continually try to separate themselves from their neighbor by saying they are "not Australian." Australia continues to urge people that they are "not English," while New Zealanders claim that they are better than England. Along with this comes a self-proclamation that a New Zealander is merely just a "handy Brit." However along came one man who took it upon himself to write in his book "Story of New Zealand" that New Zealand was nothing more than a variant of British experience. This enraged many New Zealanders and has caused them to constantly express themselves as better than England. Australians on the other hand, prides themselves with the widely known Australian Legend. Evidence of this Australian Legend shows up in many "bush ballads" and popular literature. It talks about bush values, such as mateship, bushrangers, and bushmen.

Lecture 6 also introduced us to Australian and New Zealand sport. For both countries, rugby is the sport of choice and the most popular among the people. Rugby has three sets of rules depending on where you play the game. They are rugby union in NZ, Australian rules in OZ, and rugby league elsewhere. Cricket is also a popular sport. What interested me about cricket was that it is such a slow paced game and that it takes over four days to play one "game," and how immensely popular it is. The Ashes Series also sparks my attention and how the English had to bend the rules and come up with a way to stop Australia's Braddock in the Bodyline series. It seems a little shady if you ask me, but what else would one expect from the English.

If anyone gets the travel channel there are a few shows on Australia and New Zealand this week if you are interested.
April 2 @ 2pm New Zealand: The Royal Tour
April 3 @ 11:30am Travel Cafe
April 3@ 6pm 5 Takes: Pacific Rim-Sydney

I read the book Surfing Subcultures of Australia and New Zealand by Kent Pearson. This was an interesting book because it was not about surfing, but it was about the type of people that surf. The book started off with some information on subcultures in general, and then it went on to give some history on surfing. Historians are not exactly sure but they think it originated 4,000 years ago in the Pacific Islands. The people of Hawaii made surfing a sport and became very good at it. In Australia, surfing got its origins based on European influences. The type of surfing in Australia was more body surfing than traditional board surfing. This is because there were no native influences on the Australian people; they were basing their knowledge of surfing off of Europeans and swimming pools!
The book then goes on to discuss the numerous drowning fatalities in Australia and New Zealand. Because of this, the Surf Life Saving and Royal Life Saving Society were implemented. These had been operating in England prior to Australia, but public concern over so many deaths caused them to start in Australia.
The Surf Life Saving Association from 1910-1950 dominated Australia and New Zealand. Many local clubs of this organization controlled the beaches. They also had interclub competitions between them.
Later in the book, “clubbies” and “surfies” are discussed in more detail. The book gives excellent charts and graphs showing the differences between the two surfing cultures. Each has a different opinion about each other. A Surf Board Rider gives his opinion as quoted in the book,

“Clubbies save people. Their activities center around the club and they ride skis, long boards, canoes, boats, and they body surf. They ride on the wave rather than in and with the wave (as surfboard riders do). They have short hair, more muscle and put flags around their beach. Surfies are on the move with their vehicles and their boards, they are wiry types of guys with long hair; freedom loving, happy individuals.”

A surf lifesaver also gave his opinion about the two subcultures stating,
“Clubbies take part in competitions and do patrols. They swim as much as they use craft and they stay at one beach. They are more competent in the water then surfies, many of whom cannot even swim very well. Clubbies have a sense of responsibility. Surfies often have shoulder length hair and untidy appearances and a selfish attitude toward others. They travel in groups in panel vans from beach to beach to follow surf and often appear to resent the authority given to clubbies for policing craft areas.”

Obviously these two cultures do not agree on what they represent. They seem to dislike each other and do not understand each other. I think that this book gives a good representation of each type of surfer. I really liked the charts and graphs. Also, there were a lot of pictures used in the book. The book was published in 1979, so the pictures are quite interesting. Seeing the different boards, swimsuits, and hairstyles are fun to see. All in all, this book was fun to read. It was different from all the other history books we usually read. I think that it is interesting to see how different types of surfing developed. I would have never come up with the idea to research surfing subcultures, but maybe that is because I live 1,000s of miles away from an ocean!

Quigley Down Under is the story of an American sharp-shooter who travels down under to seek the employment of an Australian cattle baron. Once he arrives, he learns that the job isn't exactly as advertised. Rather than culling dingoes, the baron wants him to cull the Aborigines who have been killing his cattle. Quigley refuses the job offer by throwing the man out of a window. He is then subdued by hired hands and left in the desert to die, accompanied by the comical "Crazy Cora"- a woman struggling with her own inner demons and traumatic past.
After making his way through the desert, and witnessing the despicable slaughter of the Aborigines, Quigley decides to seek revenge against the cattle baron. Enlisting the aid of the locals, who support his cause, and armed with his trusty rifle, Quigley sets out for a final showdown.
While this film is not as historically accurate as the films on our list, it is terribly entertaining. Being one of my favorites, I felt I had to do a write-up on it. Tom Selleck did a perfect job playing the role of a steely-eyed gunfighter. In addition, Alan Rickman plays the part of the cattle baron, giving yet another successful “bad guy” performance. However, it’s the wild antics of Crazy Cora, played by Laura San Giacomo, which made this film qualify for entrance into my home video library.

The film Muriel's wedding follows the misadventures of a young woman seeking independence from her family...and marital bliss. Her father, a failed politician, is both over controlling and verbally abusive to his wife and children. When Muriel’s mother makes the mistake of giving her a blank check, she seizes the opportunity to rob her parents blind and start a new life for herself.
Joined by a friend from her home town, Muriel makes her way to Sydney and gets a job at a video store, parties the nights away, and tries on every wedding gown she sees. Soon she becomes obsessed with the new persona she has created for herself and becomes overly selfish, marrying a man she hardly knows, and turning her back on her family and only true friend. However, a family crisis calls Muriel home and she comes to realize just how badly she has messed up her life.
Realizing the need to make amends, Muriel confronts her father and seeks out the friend she shunned. The two then return to Sydney with the determination to do things right this time.

Seeing the way that Muriel's father and friends treated her, I really wanted to feel sympathy for her. However, Muriel has no dignity for herself and treats her mother like trash, following the example of her father and siblings. Eventually, Muriel becomes so selfish that she turns her back on a true friend that needs her.
I felt that the only true victim in this film was Muriel's mother. Both her husband and ungrateful children treat her like a throw-away. Her husband blatantly cheats on her and Muriel abuses her misplaced trust. The other children boss her around like a slave and one of the boys hits her. No one should be treated that way. However, I was glad that Muriel eventually realized this and stood up to her father.

The Piano (1993) was directed by Jane Campion. In the mid-1880s, Ada (Holly Hunter) arrives on the stormy shores of New Zealand. She is a mute bride, who was sold by her father to a British immigrant named Stewart. Along with her baggage, Ada brings her eight-year-old daughter Flora, her illegitimate daughter, and a piano. In the beginning, Stewart declares that the piano is too bulky to move from the beach, and resists bringing it to his house despite Ada’s wordless pleading. He then sells it to a fellow Englishman named Baines, a man who has embraced the local Maori ways. Baines also wants Ada as his piano teacher. When he offers her a deal to get the piano back, she is unprepared for the price she must pay. Ada resists at first, but it turns into a tangled love affair. Flora is the first to discover the affair. Stewart find out about this affair, and locks Ada up. Ada inscribes a message on a piano key and asks Flora to bring it to Baines, but Flora takes it to Stewart. In rage, Stewart chops off one of Ada’s finger and then has Flora bring this to Baines.
The Piano has powerful emotional themes resonating through the entire film, all dealing with the release of repressed passion. Baines, who has embraced the native Maori methods of living, no longer clings to the values of the British society, and is therefore capable of expressing himself freely. Stewart views the Maori with suspicion and hostility. Ada, is hampered by her lack of a voice, and is yearning to break free, and only through Baines does she find the courage to do so. Ada’s piano is more than a source of music-it is her voice, her only means of expressing herself. This story is stirring and occasionally gut-wrenching. This is a great film and I would recommend it.

Lecture 6, All Blacks v. Wallabies, discusses the founding mythologies of Australia and New Zealand. We learned about the Australian convict settlement and the New Zealand planned settlement.

I enjoyed hearing about Miriam Dixson and her book, The Real Matilda: Women Identity in Australia, 1788 to the Present. I looked a little further into this book and learned some interesting things. She worked with another woman Anne Summers who actually challenged the work of Manning Clark and said his work was somewhat inaccurate. Theses women worked to educate Australian women about the past and what women went through. We learned in class that degradation of men brought brutalization of women. Dixson and Summers tried to prove that females back then weren’t, “irredeemable whores.” It was interesting to learn about the gender differences across cultures.

We learned about some of the demographics in Australia and New Zealand. There was a turnaround in native populations. The Maori and Aborigine cultures were defying fatal contact. In the Anglo-Celtic nations there was a lack of diversity in settlement. There was also a wave of European immigrants after World War II. Finally we learned about Asian immigration, despite White Australian Policy, and Polynesian immigration in New Zealand.

It would be interesting to learn more about the women back then and how they were treated in Australia and New Zealand to how they are treated now. I wonder why people chose to immigrate to this new land and what exactly they were thinking. Today it seems strange to just pack up and leave to a whole new place but back I’m assuming that was just a part of life.

This lecture was about the attitudes and culture of both Australia and New Zealand. It looks at how both of these countries are the same and different. Their attitudes come from the way that they were formed. This look part looks at the myths at how both are created.

For Australia there is this anti commonwealth feeling because they are from the convict stock that was brought to this country against their will because they had broken the law. This makes them rugged that take care of their own. This is some times referred to as the bush culture. The next part of the myth is that the work hard, play hard, and drink hard. They have outlaw heroes such as Ned Kelley that they worship. The Australian attitude is very similar to the United States when it comes to our outlaw heroes. Overall the feeling of the Australian people is that they are not British in anyway.

In New Zealand the way the people think of themselves is very different from that of Australia. First off New Zealand was created to be like England but much better. They in general think of themselves as better than the rest of the commonwealth. This is a very planned society in which they believe that there is no racism and that every one is equal. The man taught of the New Zealandanders is that they are not Australian and that they can do everything better. They also look at themselves as "really handy guys with a Brititish accent."

One thing that there seems to be similar between the two is their love of sports. The main sports that are big deals to both countries is rugby and football (aka soccer). Both countries are very competive with each other trying to out do each other in something called the commonwealth games. It is funny that they both take so much time in trying to out do each other. It is almost like to little boys saying "my frog is bigger than yours."

The saddest part of this lecture is New Zealand's love of cricket (not the dart game that is fun). I thought it was really sad and disturbing that they will put a this game on the radio so that every one can hear it. The reason this is so sad is that this game can take days and dose take days for one match. The worst part of it is that to kill dead time in the game they start to talk about the birds and weather. God shot me, watching cement dry would be more fun.

Lecture 6 was titled Society: All Blacks vs. Wallabies and it dealt with a few aspects of the founding mythologies of Australia and New Zealand. Australia was originally a convict settlement and they wished to overrthrow the squattocracy and the reign of the bourgeoisie. Class consciousness was also big in australian settlement. New Zealand, however, wanted to retain ties to the empire as well as the order. New Zealanders encouraged a classless society and didn't want to separate people into certain groups. The creation of a welfare state was important, and the architect who brought about this welfare state was William Pember Reeves. Russell Ward created somewhat of the Australian Legend, which included bush ballads and popular literature. Mateship was important, and it was essential to have a companion. Ward also emphasized the importance of bushrangers and bushmen in creating the allure of the outback.

Another aspect of this lecture dealt with Australian and New Zealand sports. I really liked hearing about this as I didn't know anything about cricket rules or rugby rules that much. In these countries, rugby is the definition of masculinity and is played in a violent, fast paced style. I can see why it might be fun to watch becaue somebody is bound to get laid out with a big hit. In the Super 12 league, New Zealand is dominant. These teams compete with corporate sponsorships and the league features competition in the southern hemisphere. Overall, this lecture was interseting to hear and i have a much more detailed explanation of these types of sports.

Lecture 6 was about the societal similarities and differences between Australia and New Zealand as well as how they both evolved from the British colonial system. It started by talking about the founding mythologies of each country. We saw that Australia’s start as a convict colony and the reign of the bourgeoisie made it so that there was noticeable class consciousness among the people. They also try hard to make it known that Australia is not England. New Zealand on the other hand started as a planned colony which retained its ties with the British Empire and with that a sense of order. New Zealand tries to be a society without any classes. New Zealand likes to project the idea that they are not Australian.
The lecture then moved on to talk about the Australian legend. This had to do with things like bush culture and temperament of the people. Bush culture has to do with the values that people derive from the bush like bush ballads and mateship. The temperament of the people of Australia was that of just plain ordinary people without the wealthy class. It’s a society of regular blokes.
The lecture then moved on to the importance of sports to Australia and New Zealand. The main sport down there is Rugby, also known as footie. It seemed like there was more emphasis on how the national team fared in world competition than there is in America.

I enjoyed hearing about the sports, especially Australian Rules football, because I watch these sports on ESPN2, but I could never figure out the rules. I also liked the cricket controversy in the Bodyline series because in Baseball the pitcher owns the plate and can brush a player back if need be. I do wonder why a country that likes fast paced sports would still like cricket though.

The Dish is a movie about a satellite dish in Australia that is a part of Apollo 11, the landing on the moon. The satellite dish is located on a paddock in the middle of nowhere, near Parks. It is vital to the mission because it is the largest satellite dish in the southern hemisphere. When the satellite dish in the Unites States cannot see the space station, this satellite dish can. It also has video so it can capture images of the astronauts. The operators of the dish have to overcome adversity such as losing the space shuttle due to a power failure and high speed windstorms which threaten to destroy the dish.
I thought this movie was very good. It had a good plot and was humorous in several parts. It was a little slow getting started but then got pretty good. I really enjoyed when the satellite dish lost the space shuttle and blatantly lied to NASA about it.
There were several parts where the Australians in the movie felt they were being pushed around by the Americans. They felt that they were just as qualified as the NASA engineers but that the engineers looked down upon them. At one point in the movie, Russ gets mad at Al because he believes Al is not treating him with enough respect. At the same time, all of the dish operators feel a great sense of pride at being such an integral part of such a historic mission. They are honored that the United States asked them to help. This sentiment is most obvious in Cliff, who is the dish master. All in all, it is a good movie that I would recommend.

I was reading the April 3 issue of Time Magazine and came across a fact about New Zealand. According to the World Economic Forum, which was conducted in Davos, Switzerland, New Zealand is the greenest, as in, the most environmentally friendly country in the world. (Sweden was a close second). This might not be earth-shattering news to anyone, buy hey, it's news...

Adam Lake

Keith Sinclair’s book, A History of New Zealand, is a look at the historical past of New Zealand and how the land and its people came to be. This novel is divided up into three sections. The first is about the Maori people and settlers from 1642-1870. The second part discusses the new colonies once they realized they were in need of leadership. Finally the book concludes with the early 1900s till 2000 and the struggles that came in this period.

Sinclair’s text was introduced by a prologue entitled, The Fist of Maui. At first when I started reading this I became a little discouraged. I was like what is this man talking about? As I read on I began to learn more of the personal stories of the Maori culture rather than just a broad overview. They seemed to have great pride in their culture and felt protective to their land amongst new comers. I learned that there was some racism involved when some Europeans came. I think it’s pretty crazy to even comprehend what life was like back when these people were alive.

As I noted this text then goes into the European influences as well as the conflicts between the cultures. I learned the Europeans influenced dress, eating habits, everyday customs and even alcoholic beverages. I also read about the Treaty of Waitangi and the Maori Wars.

In the chapter entitled, State Experiments, in the second part of this book was interesting to me. I learned about the different struggles that came about while trying to set up a better-established government. They had controversies over land, finances, the economy, farming.

In the third section of the book I read about the politics involved in New Zealand. I learned about the Labour Party and what they did in the early 1900s. They promised many things to the people such as creating a more balanced economy. They hoped in the long run to “…place the country in a better position to withstand economic tremor or shock.” They also discussed educational improvements and better pensions.

I liked this book more when compared to Manning Clark’s, A Short History of Australia. I think it was more organized in the sense that it flowed better and it was easier to read. Maybe it’s harder to discuss Australia and New Zealand due to size or different events occurring on each country, but I think the style of writing was overall easier to follow in the Sinclair text.

Lecture 6 was about the different aspects of Australian and New Zealand societies. One of the things that I found was very interesting about New Zealand is how proud they are that Lord of the Rings was filmed in their country. There are books, tours, just about everything that explains to tourists where in the country different parts of the movie were filmed. It was also interesting to hear about the different sporting events of these countries, because they are so different from the United States. Rugby is a sport that is huge in these countries, but isn’t something that you hear a lot about in America. Cricket is something else that interested me from the lectures, I was amazed at how laid back that particular sport is. It was also interesting to hear about how serious sports are to these countries. Just like we talked about in class, people in the United States seem to be caring less and less about the Olympics. American Idol gets many more viewers than the Winter Olympics did this year. But people in Australia and New Zealand take this very seriously, they believe that it is a way to measure themselves. This lecture was one of my favorites, because it dealt more with society and culture than other lectures have.

The film explores the 1950s murder case that shocked New Zealand. The film is based on the actual diary entries of Pauline Rieper. Two teenage girls, Juliet and Pauline, become fast friends at school. A common bond they share is of childhood illness. The girls soon develop a rich fantasy life, and when life becomes difficult their fantasy world, the forth dimension, seems to overtake the real world. Both sets of parents eventually begin to question how healthy this intense friendship is for their daughters, and they try and separate them. Eventually Juliets parents decide to get divorced, and they want Juliet to go to South Africa and live with her aunt. The girls get the idea that they will be together in Souht Africa, and that the only thing preventing it is Pauline's mother. To be together the girls make a plan to murder Pauline's mother. The film ends with Pauline and Juliet beating Pauline's mother to death with a brick inside a stocking. Both girls went to jail, but were released on the condition that they never see each other again.

This film is disturbing but it draws the viewer in. There is a lot of fantasy incorporated and sometimes it's hard to tell what's real. In my opinion Juliet and Pauline are most definently insane. The background for the fantasy and outdoor scenes in this movie are fantastic. The New Zealand landscape looks gorgeous. This is an interesting movie, but very disturbing.

This lecture started out by comparing the founding mythologies of OZ and NZ. Australia was a convict settlement who prides itself on not being English. New Zealand on the other hand was planned to be a more perfect Britain, and prides itself on not being Australian. Australian legend has a lot to do with mateship. While Australia might be one of the world's most urban nations, they still popularize their bush ideals. Miriam Dixon talks about the role on women in Australia in her book The Real Matilda. Dixon says that the degradation on women goes back all the way to when Australia was settled. The demographics of both countries has changed over time. Contrary to the belief of fatal contact, Maori and Aborigine population have increased over time. Also in Australia there has been many Asian immigrants, while in New Zealand there are a lot of Polynesian immigrants. Australia may have become more urban, but in New Zealand the rural ideal still exists. The number of farms in NZ increased all the way into the 1970s, and even today most citizens want a clean and green country. Sports are very important in both countries with Rugby being the most important.
I liked taking a look at the two different countries from this perspective. Not many history classes take a look into culture, they just focus on facts. By knowing more about OZ and NZ culture I feel that I understand the people a bit better. Learning about sports was also interesting. I found it particularly interesting that Americans focus mainly on national sports while Australians and New Zealanders focus on global sports. The Ashes Series in Cricket was a little different. If I was on the Australian Cricket team I would be mad that I didn't get to take the trophy home with me when I won.

The novel The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway is a rather beautiful story of a young woman’s travels through life being raised in early 20th century Australia. It shall not be confused with a feminist novel (thank God), but rather a simply elaborate tale of how a woman perceived society in a traditional male setting.

The story begins with her being raised in Coorain, a rural community of Western Australia, where she begins to interact with the world around her. She realizes all that is beautiful and learns to interact with nature and perceive the qualities of life. She does not specifically say this, but it is written in the theme that her female gender roles and beliefs are typified in that she should enjoy nature and learn to perceive the colors and growth around her to enrich her life. It is one of those chapters that makes me all happy to enjoy life.

My personal favorite chapter was when she was graduating high school and was for the first time learning who she was and began to explore the possibilities of what she would do with her life. She decides upon learning to teach which she explores in college. While in college she takes up history where she explores the histories of America and other European countries. During her internship she decides to explore London, and learns that she rather appreciates her home of Australia. She returns there without much hesitation.

I feel in a way that I could personally connect with this novel, in that it simulates my life in North Dakota. There are many comparisons and contrasts to be made, but the themes of learning nature, making it through life, and becoming established as a professional is truly a gift. I previously stated that this was written from a female perspective, but I must say that this could be genderless, as men have feelings too. I hop off my soapbox.

This film begins when the Japanese start invading in Southeast Asia. Jean Pagent and a group of women were forced to walk to a prison camp. After much toil and losing half of the women, they stumble on a Japanese prisoner of war Joe Harman. Joe ends up getting tortured for stealing supplies for the women. Jean thinks he dies, and after the war she goes back to England. After coming into a large inheritance, she travels back to Southeast Asia and finds out that Joe is alive. Joe meanwhile finds out that Jean is not married (he assumed all the women prisoners were wives) and runs off to England to try and meet up with her. Eventually they meet up in Australia, and get engaged. Jean plans to bring some economic growth to the town close to Joe’s station. After a few incidents, such as riding 40 miles to get help and telling off the bank manager, Jean and Joe get married and presumably live happily ever after.
This is a very slow moving film. I found myself nearly driven crazy when Joe is in England and Jean is in Australia searching for each other. The finally did meet up with each other, which at that time I had to cheer “about time”. I don’t know if all Australian films are this slow, but this one is. The English people in this film seem to think that Australians are a distrustful, disruptive kind of people. This belief is proven wrong as the setting of the film moves to Australia. The nature of the small towns in the film seems to me to be close to the small towns we have in North Dakota. Everybody knows everybody, and secrets cannot be kept. Good stories pass around the towns too, such as Jean’s ride. The outback culture presented in the film seems to be pretty close to the culture experienced in many small towns today.

FR: Heavenly Creatures

This film is based on the true story of Pauline Rieper and Juliet Hulme set in Christchurch, New Zealand from 1952 to 1954. These two teenagers formed an intense and, some argued, an unhealthy friendship. They develop an odd relationship and are inseparable. The girls create their own imaginative world, called the fourth world, in which the two of them can escape the harsh realities of life. Their parents became concerned about the nature of this friendship and attempt to prevent Pauline and Juliet from seeing each other. The girls become desperate to avoid being separated, and they decide they will do anything they can to stay together. The film ends with the girls killing Pauline’s mother. The girls serve time, but are forbidden to see each other once they are released.

This was an intense and very thoughtful film. It was powerful, interesting, and frightening all at the same time. Fantasy plays a crucial role in this film, as it is up to the individual viewer to decide how psychotic Pauline and Juliet truly are. Certainly, these two are more at home living in a world apart from our own, where romance and happiness reign. The events that unfold in this film are not easily forgotten. The film showed some of the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand. Kate Winslet’s performance is notable, especially since this is her first movie. While the film is disturbing, and the murder scene is very gruesome, it is successful in maintaining a viewer’s attention.

The Price of Milk is a film about a young couple named Rob and Lucinda. Rob is a dairy farmer who owns one hundred and seventeen cows. The couple has a dog named Nigel who is agoraphobic and lives under a box! Although Rob works hard milking his cows, the couple live far from anything else which gives them plenty of free time. Life for this couple seems perfect until Lucinda is driving along one day and hits an elderly Maori woman. Ironically, the woman gets up and tells Lucinda to watch where she is going and to keep warm. Later on, Lucinda is talking to her friend and says, "We (Rob and her) got each other to keep warm." She thinks back to the elderly Maori woman. Rob and Lucinda always fought over covers and when her beloved quilt is gone, Lucinda is saddened. Rob doesn't seem to care, and she is concerned. Lucinda talks with her friend Drosophilia, and she suggests that maybe the spark has gone out of the relationship. Lucinda decides to test Rob; one day he finds her swimming in $1,500 worth of milk, becomes enraged, but ultimately forgives her. Next, she sells his cows to the Maori woman to get her quilt back; the cows are worth $400,000. Rob leaves his fiance and stays in his friend Bernie's warehouse. Rob marries Drosophilia and his love for Lucinda is tested. Lucinda is confronted by the old Maori woman in the forest and is asked if she loves Rob. Lucinda goes back to Rob; at the end, they get their blanket back and are together again.

This was certainly an odd movie; I had a hard time following the plot as it was all over the place! This movie is a fairy tale for adults that incorporates themes of friendship, relationships, love, and trust into it. The movie brings the native Maori into contact with white New Zealanders. At the beginning and throughout, the beautiful New Zealand green super-phosphate induced countryside is shown. Rob and Lucinda had a ute as well, and I also noticed the word "mate" was used quite often between Rob and his friend Bernie. The weakness of the film was the confusing plot.

Lecture 6 was an overview of comparisions once more, on the societies and myhths of Australia and New Zealand, with an emphasis on the sports influence. Once again, we are reminded about the backgrounds of OZ and NZ, as OZ being the previous penal colony and NZ being the created perfect colony for an ideal society. As the USA and Canada have varying views on their beliefs of liberty and revolution, so has these two countries. as Louis Hartz proclaimed,"cultures are set early inlife"! The athletics are quite a competition for both of these countries, with the teams All-Blacks for NZ and the Wallabies for OZ. Each of these teams represent the ideal male, in a male-dominant society. We learned that NZ is only a varient of British culture and is constantly striving for that better ideal, as they have demonstrated with their government and their welfare state. We know that Australia has the rugged bushman image, the home on the range and the legends that accompany that lifestyle. This frontier is ever-evolving for the OZ people, as it once was working class society, absent of a wealthy/leisure class. The people are satisfied with remaining a capitalist economic state and to exist as "regular" folk". After WWII, the wave of European immigrants changed that diversity and these new cultures are trying to find their place in a land once only concerned with their native peoples, the Aborigines. In the 1980's, there were more waves of imigrants from the eastern European countries and this effect of another set of people/foreigners has changed the overall look of the land. New Zealand has maintained a persistent and rural ideal, as the number of farms increased into the 1970's and farms were consolidated with the reforms of the 1980's and the establishmentof the free market. Many cities experienced a boom of growth and a new awareness of keeping the country clean and green was revived. There are many popular sports played in OZ and NZ: field hockey, rugby, footie, cricket and netball. The intense fever of these as a participating and a spectator sport is apparant in the competitions played and viewed world wide! It is a major event not to be missed or diminished, as rigby rules the day! I have always thought that many international sports events/competitions were great entertainment and important for world understanding and bridging the gap for the newxt generation, as sports seem to be a common thread to weave this world togther, as the earth shrinks daily with the advancing technologies and communications!

Suzanne Ready

Lecture six examined the social and cultural histories of Australia and New Zealand. Covered in the lecture was discussion of founding mythologies and their influence on how the cultures evolved since colonization. The thesis presented was: how the citizens feel about themselves will determine how they act in a society.

William Oliver's ("Story of New Zealand" ) believed that whatever would become of New Zealand would be a variant of British experience, but the case seems to be that they have succeeded in coming up with their new ideas such as the Welfare State. What is unarguable to New Zealand's founding mytholgies is that it was a planned, classless society and not Australian.

Australia's founding mythology lies in the fact that it was settled as a convict colony resulting in a sort of underdog self image. Because of the various groups that settled the country Australia was early- on a land of class conflicts. "The Australian Legend" by Russell Ward hypothesizes that Australia's national identity was born among the bush workers of the Pastoral industry and that Australians have become aware and embrace this identity as a symbol of nationalism. He uses literature, bush ballads and poetry as evidence for his ideas.

Miriam Dixon's "The Real Mathilda" written in 1976 questions those previous ideas of Australian identity. She criticized Ward's and other author's works and for that matter Australia's history to be misogynic. She uses the Irish male immigrant as an example to propose that just as he was a victim of British oppression that he countered it and treated his women in that same way and that denial of just treatment has had a profound impact on Australian women's self concept.

We learned a good deal about rugby and cricket and how the countrys' national identitys play into their style of play. The All Blacks team of New Zealand are fiercly competitive and successful and New Zealanders seem to regard their rugby as "English, only better." The Australians play of rubgy is fast-paced and more violent.

I appreciated learning about the two societies from a grass-roots approach and believe it will in the future help me to understand the people better. I wonder if the momentum created early in their history will continue especially with increased awareness or will global influences overshadow how they develop culturally.

Lecture six dealt with Aus and NZ society. The first part of the lecture encompassed slang. The exercise in class to try to figure what certain words meant was a good change of pace. Now, if I am ever lost in the woods I know to shout "Cooee!" I found the slang exercise very interesting and valuable should I ever visit. After the slang, the lecture focused on how NZ has dealt, and is dealing with it's relationship with the remnants of British culture. According to Reeves, "...NZ is also virtually without...the hereditary pauper. Ausbel, who wrote "The Fern and the Tiki" wrote that NZ had lost the British snobbery. Once again a reinforcement that NZ is the best of Britain because they have left behind the worst. Next, lecture focused on Aus and their society. Australia has an ideal of the rugged individual. In Australia, mateship, as in, close friends is an important social characteristic. Accodring to A.G.L. Shaw, Australia is an urban country, and without a lesiure class. This seems to be largely true today. After all, the outback is still largely open country. The topic of immigration was also discussed briefly in lecture 6. The influx of Asians to Aus in the 1980's and Polynesians to NZ began to make for more culturally diverse nations. Finally, the topic of sports was covered. I really enjoyed this part of the lecture mainly because it was all new to me. The super 14 and the Ashes tournament were things completely unknown to me. I actually felt a sort of longing to see a good 4 or 5 day game of Cricket.

I looked through the North and South magazine, issues Nov. '05 and Jan '06. Now when I say looked through I mean I spent a lot more time then I expected. I thought I would just skim through it and get a jist, but I found myself intrigued by articles and pictures that kept my attention. The first and obvious thing that I noticed was the January issue stated that inside you could fin the 'Best of summer....' SUMMER in JANUARY?? That is prime winter here...too weird. Another obvious thing that I noticed was how different the advertisement was. They advertised different types of cars, insurance policies, and different fashion lines. This was neat to see how the style and technique of advertising. I always think it is weird when I run across things that talk about the United States because I almost forget that I am reading another county’s magazine. I ran across a little quiz which had questions like ‘Which 3 states were hit the hardest by hurricane Katrina?’ and ‘What do Sean Combs and P Diddy have in common?’ That was weird as I could answer those questions without a thought. I enjoyed reading about their only origami master. I think I would enjoy seeing his giant ‘sculptures’ of paper.

The nature of the magazine was to inform and educate on various topics like food, events, tips, or whatever else is the latest in New Zealand. I think the audience is geared towards middle to older people.

Overall I think this magazine is beneficial to people even in the United States as it helps you to appreciate culture and news in another form other than tv or radio.

North and South magazine additions for February and March cover a vast variety of topics relating to the middle/upper class of society in New Zealand. The purpose of this magazine is to update people on everything from current affairs in political issues, local news in the country, and recent gourmet recipes. I think that this magazine is not only important for the people of New Zealand but also a good source to inform other countries.
I like how the magazine starts out each magazine by telling us important dates to remember for the month. These dates remind everyone of things like the anniversary of the 1931 earthquake to the coming summer festival. They also tell of personal stories like how Raymond Hansen got drunk one night after watching the All Blacks. He ended up driving home that evening, getting in a 180 k/ph chase with the police, and ended up killing 3 people in a car crash. This particular article took up 10 pages with information about everything from what Raymond did that evening, to the personal family stories of the victims.
This magazine also looks at international topics like Ethiopia and how it’s doing with its hardships. They look at everything from the hairstyles and body adornments to the landscapes and habitats to political issues that have haunted the land like famine and drought. This magazines also include a Whiz Quiz with questions like “…what is the Prime Minister’s new annual salary” to “who is the leader of the Australian opposition?” I personally like looking at the advertising which is dominated by alcohol, sports, and cars. I’m also very interested in recipes from the countries and each magazine comes with gourmet recipes that embrace important elements from the country like fresh sea food, lamb, and fresh fruits.

This book is not in the current course bibliography, however it has been approved by Dr Isern.

The book Australia by Rohan Rivett (part of The Modern World series), is a qualitative history which tells an almost lighthearted tale of Australia’s technological development up to 1968, when the book was published. It starts in the old times of when Australia was originally a penal colony and had to learn to export goods in order to survive. What brought Australia to an influx of colonists was the discovery of gold, which brought many people to the land, and the technological innovations necessary to support the gold rush were included in that, such as railways and the mining trade. The discovery of Bauxite only created greater worldwide interest in how the country was doing.

Australia experienced many little developments here and there until the outbreak of WWI. With the sending of troops to fight overseas English and other countries took note of how well Australia was doing. After the war, the reforms and industrial revolution promoted Australia’s intellectual crowd to start the search for a national identity, which was completed through the refining of the technologies. This continued through the outbreak of WWII, when Australia learned that she could not depend on England, and was forced to fight for her own survival against the Japanese. Through this, she became closely allied with the United States, and developed unique tools and tactics to remain free.

The book only goes to the year 1968 after WWII, but it exemplifies how Australia has come a great long way to maturing itself and refining it’s technologies. Currently they are farming wheat and Bauxite, which is in demand worldwide. The intellectual universities and other bodies are performing research and creating new ideas which is being recognized worldwide.

I took a challenge to write upon this book as Dr Isern thought it lacked much of a story. I believe that the reader should put him or herself into Australia’s shoes and learn to make something out of nothing. I shall advocate that Dr Isern add this book to the course bibliography, as I believe it is a welcome part of Australia’s history and culture.

Rivett, Rohan. Australia. 1968. Great Britain: Oxford University Press.

Found in North Dakota State Univesity Main Library, call # DU 95 R57

The first fact that I wanted to point out was how much more enjoyable reading this book was than reading Clark's. Sinclair did a much better job in describing in detail the inhabitants of the islands before the initial contact with the British. One thing that I found very interesting was the culture of the Maori. I had heard that they were cannibals but I did not know to what extent. Sinclair describes New Zealand as one of the most "feared places on Earth" towards the end of the 18th century. I didn't really understand how the Maori people could strike so much fear into Europeans, but were still much more conforming to the ways of the British than were the natives of Australia. Guns played a large role in the trade between the British and Maori. Just like many other native peoples, the Maori were no different in how they were literally obsessed with certain goods like alcohol and guns that eventually led to their demise. The Maori eventually began accepting certain values of European society but only ones that they felt bettered themselves. This eventually leads to the present New Zealander attitude that they are a better Britain without the corruption.

The Maori continued to coexist with the Europeans until the Maori Wars during the middle of the 19th century. The Maori grew tired of the Europeans trying to control every aspect of their life and eventually rebelled and lost. The Europeans had now won the right to govern the Maori but there would continue to be conflicts between the two.

The book then goes on to talk about the evolution of New Zealand from an expansion of Britain to the idea of national identity and what it means to be a New Zealander. Like I said before today, New Zealand claims to be a better Britain. Sinclair however does leave the question of what it means to be a New Zealander open for readers to ponder and figure out for themselves. He does a great job in this book in describing New Zealand from the very first whalers who inhabited the country to the ever-changing place it is today. Through both World Wars and the Cold War, New Zealanders has continually considered themselves a proud people who value their culture and how it has evolved. Sinclair writes a fantastic book and seems very impartial in his writing. He tells the story how it happened and doesn't leave anything out. Overall, I found it to be very interesting and a much better read than Clark.

The definition in the Good Housekeeping Baking Cookbook, (1999 ) of PAVLOVA:
"Sometimes referred to as the "national dessert of Australia," this gorgeous dessert was created to honor prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, who was renowned for her leading role in Swan Lake. Swanlike in its enchanting delicacy and pristine whiteness, the meringue shell is filled with fresh fruit and whipped cream!"

I am going to practice this dish, using homemade whipped cream, of course!

Suzanne Ready

I was wondering if anyone knows how acurate the depiction of Maori cultre is in this film. Most of the reviews state that the film provided insight into the culture but since this is not a true story, is it a true representation of their culture?

The film was about an odd Australian woman who desperately wanted to be married. After failed attempts at school and employment, and being cast away from her more popular friends, she stole money from her dysfunctional parents and fled to Sydney. Once there, she found herself in a scam marriage to a famous athlete so that he would be able to play for the Australian team. Muriel had the wedding of her dreams. She was on the cover of magazines and became a celebrity. Because of all the attention, several popular girls from her hometown once again befriended her.

After her mother's suicide, she decided that she could no longer remain in a loveless marriage. She amicably divorced her husband and moved out of his apartment. She then used the money that she received from marrying him to start a new life for herself. She moved into an apartment with her disabled friend and began dating. The movie ends with her not only finding love but also self esteem and confidence for her to face her future.

I though that this was a very funny and entertaining film. It was truly a movie about the underdog winning out in the end. Although I enjoyed the movie, I felt that the plot was very predictable. The more dramatic points in the movie were easily anticipated. Due to the unusual and often odd behavior of the characters, it is difficult for me to judge the merit that this film has to our class. I’m sure that most Aussie’s don’t behave in the way these characters did.

The film centered on a twelve year old Maori girl that lived with her grandparents in a small New Zealand village. Her grandfather believed that the girl's twin brother, who died at birth, was meant to be the future chief of his village. Although she enjoyed a close relationship with both grandparents, it was very clear that her grandfather held a great deal of anger over the loss of her brother. This caused the girl to feel as though she should have died instead of him. Needing to find a new chief, the grandfather rounded up all of the first born boys in order to teach them the rituals of their group. Much to her grandfather's dismay, the girl secretly learned the songs, chants and fighting techniques that only the boys were supposed to know.

One day, numerous whales beached themselves and the townspeople tried desperately to save them. The whales were part of their mythology and they considered them to be sacred. Exhausted, they eventually gave up hope and began to leave. When no one was looking, the girl mounted the largest of the whales and told it to save itself and swim back to the ocean. It obeyed her command and the other creatures soon followed. The girl was able to ride the whale for a time but almost drowned. Her grandfather then realized that he had made a terrible mistake. Contrary to custom, the girl was supposed to be chief and not her deceased brother.

I really enjoyed this film. I felt the acting was excellent and the plot was interesting but easy to follow. I wondered if the film accurately portrayed the customs and lifestyles of small town Maori. If it does, I think that the movie provides a much needed visual insight to the Maori culture.

Professor Isern began the lecture by discussing the various industries of New Zealand's early years through the present day. The point was made that the country's economy was planned by the state rather than by private industry. New Zealand's economy has had to rely heavily on exports because the domestic market was too small. The economic crisis of the 1980's forced the country into a dramatic economic shift. The government privatized many of its functions and the agricultural industry began producing more specialized products such as wine.

Australia's economy has many similarities to its neighbor. It also relies heavily on the exportation of agricultural goods. Some commonly exported products include Merino wool, wheat, and precious metals and gems. In contrast to New Zealand, Australia size and climate diversity allows for the production of a wide range of agricultural goods from bananas to beef. Neither economy appears to have aggressive manufacturing although the Australian owned Holden Company Ute was mentioned.

I found it very interesting that the government of New Zealand was forced to sell so many of its departments in order to pay its debts. I was left wondering how the average New Zealander felt about the sales and what impact if any, it had on their every day lives. I was also curious as to the importation of goods. If manufacturing is not a major industry in either country then they must rely heavily on imports. If so, do these imports continue to be mainly from Britain or do they import goods from Asia and else ware?

I thought that this lecture was somewhat interesting since it focused on the society of Australia and New Zealand. For me, it was somewhat of a comparison to our way of life here in the US. Many of the people take great pride in their heritage and the legends and mythologies of their ancestors or nations. Taking pride in something as simple as citizens being mostly middle class seemed strange to me though. I also figured their would be a few more wealthier folk in NZ since it started from upper class English.
It was pretty amazing to find out what types of sports were played down in Australia and New Zealand. I always figured that they were pretty adamant about playing sports such as soccer and baseball. I never knew anything about them playing cricket or rugby. On that note, I never would have imagined rugby to be such a huge sport in either of those two countries. The story between the All Blacks forming a rivalry with South Africa was pretty cool. South Africa is pretty far away and the amount of animosity that got stirred up over these games made someone go as far as to drop bombs onto the playing field is ridiculous. I think that the Ash Series was neat too. The colonists were able to beat their own motherland at their own game is quite an impressive feat. Then again, when you stop to think about it, the game should follow its players no matter where they move to. I think that the trophy should follow the winning team home rather than it being on constant display in England though. That seems to defeat the purpose of the series to me. Overall, I enjoyed this lecture and thought that we should have spent a bit more time on it.

In lecture six we started to become more familiar with the different classes in Australian and New Zealand society. This lecture touched back on some of the founding mythologies that took place back in lecture four. Those being that Australia was a convict settlement, there was an overthrow of the squatters by the bourgeois, the fact that they are not English, the utopian society planned for New Zealand, retaining ties to the empire, and an idea of a classless society are some of the mythologies that these nations were founded on. This lecture focuses more closely on the classes in society. Russell Ward identified a class of people as bushrangers, or those that lived in the wilderness, Miran Dixson viewed the classes of society having to deal more with gender, and A.G.L. Shaw took a look into the urban country stating that society was absent of wealthy leisured class. After reading Sinclair and Clark I would tend to agree with Shaw on that one. I didn't notice that there was a wide range of classes, especially in New Zealand. I don't know how many times we heard Sinclair say that New Zealand had the highest standard of living on the planet, but no one was overly wealthy. Shaw would agree with that because he saw that people were seeking adequate comfort and reasonable convenience instead of being overly wealthy. The native populations at this time were defying fatal contact, and the idea of multi-cultural and Anglo Celtic core culture was starting to become more prevalent. The two nations did differ in class locals in the two countries where Aussies took more to urban migration, and New Zealanders took with the green interest in the countryside. Through all of this I don't really notice much of a class structure. I think the closest thing to that could be the different sports that were mentioned could be different classes, but even that is a stretch. The sports of Footie, and Rugby would be the upper-class because they attract more viewers, and the sports of net ball, field hockey and cricket would make up the class below that. Overall this lecture started to fill in the blanks, but there are still some that are blank. The title implies that there really are no classes except for those that make up sports teams. Is there a wide range of classes in either of these countries compared to the US? Because it seems like everyone is just the same as everyone else.

Lecture six deals with the societies of both the New Zealand and Australia, and once again the difference of the two are shown. The two society's histories differ in origins in that Australian people see their customs coming from their convict beginning which they are proud of, where the New Zealanders see their customs coming from the need and want to form and perfect place to live. Oddly enough, even though their beginnings are different, nations societies considered themselves to be somewhat the same. Both OZ and NZ see themselves as a nation of middle class and seems that they frown upon the display of wealth. Even the people with money do not want others knowing they have it.

In dealing with the society of any nation, you must talk about sports as well. I knew that Australians and New Zealanders played sports, but not on the scale that Mr. Isern showed us. I knew that OZ and NZ were big rugby players, but I didn't know that fan level and publicity of the sport is where it's now. The popularity of the sport in each nation seems very much like football in the United States. Also I knew very little about the sport of cricket, I envisioned it more like baseball than it really is.

Overall, I found this whole lecture very interesting, mainly due to the extent in which we covered sports played in New Zealand. I would like to find out more information on what type of seasons the sports played in NZ and OZ are like, and if they are like the U.S. and if they have major drafts and trades. Another question I was wondering about was the major migration of Polynesians to NZ and Asians to OZ and why it occurred that way.

In lecture six we discussed many topics relating Australia and New Zealand to the pride that they take for the people and the land. We talked about many things in this lecture including the some of the mythologies, legends, the land and the sports that have become native games. We talked a lot about the sports and how the people find their purpose in this world through sports. In America, we define our success on economics and army power while countries like New Zealand find their success through sports (All Blacks). By competing and beating the superpower countries, it makes them feel like they are superior.
I really enjoyed talking about the land and how the people of New Zealand took something that wasn’t good for production and turned it into a great place for fantasy. I also really like hearing how the land takes such great pride in their sports. Because they don’t have the land that is full of minerals or natural resources or an overflowing population they don’t have too many raw materials to work with. They do take a positive focus, however, by finding out that the land would be very productive to sell Hollywood for pictures. They also know that they don’t excel in discoveries or technology so they focus on the sports.
If I could ask one question I would like to know if the immigrants of Australia and New Zealand conform to the ways and views of the land. Also, are there pockets of strong cultural diversity in these two countries like there are in America where we have places like China town, or how the cities have more African Americans than the suburbs, or how down south, there is a large population of Spanish Immigrants.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is a movie about three Appleyard College girls and their headmistress who mysteriously go missing at Hanging Rock in Victoria on Valentine's Day 1900. While on a scheduled outing the three girls venture off to study Hanging Rock closer. When they don't return their headmistress goes off to find them, only to go missing herself. What follows is a series of event of the people searching for the girls and the subtle change in demeanor and attitude of the other girls at the college.

Picnic at Hanging Rock is an adaptation of a book who many believe is based on a true story. The movie is entirely fiction and leaves you wondering what really happened to the girls. Some people believe that the girls were crushed under a falling rock, while some prefer a more supernatural explanation. Whatever happened and however it happened, Picnic at Hanging Rock is one of the more pivotal movies that put Australia filmmaking on the map.

At the time the movie was readapted (1975) Australia was going through a prime minister crisis and had just dismissed the "white" Australia policy. Picnic at Hanging Rock really pulls out the conflict crisis of Australia's history and shows the reaction to change. The headmistress at the school struggles with her role and the loss of her staff and prized students. The girls who come back to school are also changed, trying to breakout of their shells and the conventional ways of life.

While the movie may be a little too supernatural or mysterious at times, it does follow the main themes of conflict in Australia's history and is an overall enjoyable feature. The Australian director Peter Weir went on to direct Dead Poets Society, the Truman Show and Master and Commander. It could be an interesting study to see if any Australian themes come through in those movies even though they are not set in Australia.

The Piano is a moving story of a young mute woman, Ada, and her daughter Flora who moved to the New Zealand brush to meet Ada's husband. Ada relies on her beloved piano to speak for her, having played it all her life. Upon arrival to New Zealand, she is forced to leave it behind on the beach until their neighbor, George, trades the piano for some of his land. Ada begins to teach George piano lessons and he offers her an opportunity to buy back the piano, one black key for each visit. The visits however lead to a hidden passion and Ada’s life becomes entangled in a web of passion and betrayal that is judged by the Maori natives and the other settlers in the area.

The movie is quite graphic and at times can make one uncomfortable, but the storyline pulls one past that. Though experiencing the island in silence, Ada brings a depth to the idea of isolation and an understanding of what the first settlers might have experienced. The movie uses Ada's silence to enrich the overall theme, though the movie could be set in any location. The ideas aren't specific to the New Zealand area but more explores the themes of social interaction and relationships in a new and unfamiliar territory. In the end Ada leaves her husband and drops her piano into the sea, severing all ties with her past and her connection to the brush of New Zealand, allowing herself to move on.

Ada ends with a prophetic quote from a Scottish writer, Thomas Hood as she watches her piano and old life drift into the sea:

"There is a silence where hath been no sound
There is a silence where no sound may be in the cold grave
In the cold grave, under the deep deep sea..."

By discussing the nature of society and culture in New Zealand and Australia, the subject of their national identities is brought to the forefront.

For example, each nation clings to its founding mythologies. In Australia this results in a nostalgic view of convict settlement and the persistence of rural ideals such as mateship. In addition, they take pride in not being British. On the other hand, New Zealand sees itself as a carefully planned extension of the British Empire. They have created a society that has preserved the best of the old world but without its evils, such as class distinctions. Their close social relationship to the motherland is favored over their geographic ties to Australia and results in the “not Australian” sentiment in New Zealand. Both nations viewed themselves as ethnically European, at least until very recently.

These identities are not necessarily accurate, though. Australia has always been massively urban and New Zealand refuses to admit the uncontrolled nature of its early settlements and the appearance of distinct social classes. In contradiction to the Caucasian identity of each country, there has been a steady increase in native populations as well as substantial immigration from Asian and Polynesian areas. Still, the perceived identities have been very influential on the cultures that have developed in each nation. This can be observed in everything from fashion to housing to sporting events.

The discussion of New Zealand/South African rugby was particularly interesting. Mostly, I found it inconsistent that a nation priding itself on its racial policies would abandon its values in order to compete in a rugby match. Perhaps New Zealand’s affinity for British traditions superceded its desire for equality and progress. This appears to be the case, at least temporarily.

One thing I would like to know more about is the importance of American culture in each nation. For example, how much of their television programming or popular music comes from the United States? If the majority is local to Australia or New Zealand, it would indicate that their respective culture might be more persistent in a world where American culture is taking root worldwide.

After reading through the North and South magazines (Mar-Apr2005) and also doing a bit of research on-line , I found this New Zealand based magazine to be similar to that of Reader's Digest but just New Zealand news. It deals with entertaining its audience, which is primarily middle age and older readers, by offering a wide range of reading material from recipies and traveling tips to current issue stories, politcs, or whatever else is going on in New Zealand. I found two stories while skimming through articles, one that I enjoyed and one that I thought that would be beneficial to the class.

The article that I enjoyed was Man Down. It is set in the Kaweka foothills seventy miles from Napier on the Nicholas remote farmstead. In August of 2004, the 71 year old Jack Nicholas was gunned down by a unknown shooter while walking out of his rural home. The police went through this mysterious case inside and out but never found the murderer. No real suspects have been discovered, mostly due to the fact that Jack was so well liked by everyone that knew him, and he had no known enemies that anyone knew of.

The article that I thought would be beneficial to the class was Shake Rattle and Roll. This relatively new formation of rocks that we call New Zealand has 305 active hidden faults hidden underneath the young rock surface. This large number of faults is the major cause of 15,000 earthquakes a year in New Zealand, 150 of which can be felt by people. Every year the NZ Earthquake Commission deals with thousands of claims and shelling out millions of dollars in insurance money due to earthquakes. The EQC is also in the study of predicting when the next big quake will hit a major NZ city, as in Napier in 1931.

Gallipoli is a unique film. One expects it to be more about war, but the major theme is mateship. The film begins with Archy Hamilton, an aspiring sprinter who wants more out of life. He is young (18) and idealistic, and he feels compelled to aid in the war effort when hearing about Gallipoli. In a parallel scene, we are presented with Frank Dunne, a railway worker probably in his mid-twenties. Frank is skeptical about the war, but isn't happy with his job either. These two men cross paths when we learn that Frank is also a runner, and Archy and Frank race each other with Archy winning. Frank earns respect for the younger Archy as a result of the young man's victory. The two meet up as Frank goes home to Perth. Archy, rejected by the military in his hometown because of his youth wants to give it another try in Perth. The men truly become mates on this journey, and somewhat surprisingly, Frank decides to join the war effort. Unfortunately, the men are unable to get into the same division, the Light Horses, because of Frank's inexperience on horseback. But eventually Frank and Archy reunite in Egypt as the Australians prepare for the WWI battle of Gallipoli. Here the depth of their mateship is shown, but I will stop with the plot here to let you enjoy the ending.
This film's value for students of Australia centers on the concept of mateship. I found in viewing this film that this concept is one that is difficult to understand. It is different from simple friendship, as is seen in Frank's relationship with Archy and his relationship with another group of friends. Mateship is hard to put into words, so viewing this film will give you a better idea of what exactly this means for Australians.
The film also provides some insight on the different motives men had for entering the war, as well as the views of those in favor and opposed to participation. Frank is part of the latter group for a time, saying "It's not our bloody war…it's a British war."
Overall, Gallipoli is a pretty interesting film. The plot is slow-moving at times, but the characterization is solid overall. I would recommend this film as a unique look at a defining time in Australia's history.
(By the way, Frank is played by a young Mel Gibson. The film came out in 1981.)