1. Art techniques
2. Artists
3. Australia
4. Country
5. History
6. Migration
7. Music
8. Nature
9. Painting
10. Social life and customs

‘Advance Australia Fair’ was composed in 1878 by Scottish born composer Peter Dodds McCormick. Its first performance was on St Andrew’s Day, November 30, 1878 at a gathering of the Highland Society of New South Wales. The song gained in popularity and was performed by a 10,000 strong choir at the inauguration of the Commonwealth of Australia on January 1, 1901.

Today ‘Advance Australia Fair’ is well-known as Australia’s national anthem. However, it was not until 1984 that it was chosen, after very stiff competition from ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘Song of Australia’, to replace ‘God Save the Queen’.

In this book, double page spreads with lines from the anthem’s lyrics are matched with artworks from some of Australia’s best known artists providing depth and integrating the words into both a visual and historic context. Artists such as Frederick McCubbin, Sidney Nolan, Albert Namatijira, Hans Heysen, Tom Roberts, Arthur Boyd, and others have paintings paired with lines from the anthem. One example is the pairing of the line ‘For those who’ve come across the seas’ with the evocative 1886 Tom Roberts work ‘Coming South’ which portrays the crowded deck of a steamer bound for Australia in the late nineteenth century carrying migrants seeking a new life in Australia.

The book was originally published in 1991 and includes only one First Nations artist, Albert Namatijira. Given that context it is an interesting book to use in a history or Civics class. Additional history of the anthem can be found on the final page of the book.

Please note that the words of the Anthem’s second line ‘For we are young and free’ have been officially changed to ‘For we are one and free’.

Series: Australian Children’s Classics

1. Kids’ Book Review 6 April 2011 Review by Tania McCartney ‘Advance Australia Fair’ http://www.kids-bookreview.com/2011/04/review-advance-australia-fair.html
2. Australian Government, Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet – ‘Australian National Anthem’ https://www.pmc.gov.au/government/australian-national-anthem
3. National Archives of Australia. Fact Sheet 251. ‘Australia’s national anthem https://www.naa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/fs-251-australias-national-anthem.pdf
4. Australian Dictionary of Biography ‘Peter Dodds McCormick’ https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mccormick-peter-dodds-7323