The Australian Bite
Letters tell the stories of a nation
3 September 2009
Listen and download: MP3
Australia Post has been asking Australians to send in their most interesting, moving, or historically significant letters, in order to document what life has been like for the past 200 years since the postal service began. We’ll hear more about it on this week’s Bite. We’ll also hear from a man who believes that Australia is becoming one of the most Godless nations on earth. And feral camels – they’re wreaking havoc in Central Australia, and we’ll take a look at a new DVD that’s aimed at tackling the problem.
Unearthed letters shed new light on Australia’s history
You can tell a lot about a community, and indeed a country by what people write in letters to each other, and Australia Post has been celebrating its 200 birthday by inviting Australians to send in and share their most memorable, interesting or moving letters – many of which have been stored away in old shoe-boxes, trunks, or the backs of wardrobes for years. The Letters of a Nation project was launched earlier this year, and thousands of letters have been submitted, covering a range of topics; from wartime letters, letters from new migrants, political letters and even love letters, and Australia Post’s Alex Twomey joined me to talk about the project, and the many fascinating letters that can be read online.
Visit the Letters of a Nation website to read the letters or submit one of your own.
DVD tackles feral camel problem
There are more than a million wild camels currently roaming across Australia’s arid interiors, wreaking havoc on the local environment and the livelihoods of those living nearby. But a new DVD hopes to tackle the feral camel problem across central Australia. The Alinytjara Wilurara Natural Resources Management Board (AWNRMB) has launched the DVD, highlighting consultation with Aboriginal communities in the area. It’s hoped the DVD, called ‘Camels have no dreaming’, will encourage further discussion about the issue and help to find a solution. Amy Spear speaks with Presiding member of the Alinytjara Wilurara Natural Resources Management board, Marilyn AhChee, and some of the other people involved in the project.
More on Amy Spear’s story can be found on the ABC Rural South Australia page
Australia – an increasingly Godless nation?
Religious belief has been a consistent element of human existence for centuries. But for the first time in human history, it seems religion and belief in the existence of God is in decline. At Federation, Australia was considered a Christian nation, but today a quarter of the population don’t have a declared religion. So have Australians actually lost their belief, are people, as the band REM sing, losing their religion? That song by REM inspired the title of a new book called Losing My Religion: Unbelief in Australia. It’s written by Professor Tom Frame, a former Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force and currently Director of St Mark’s National Theological Centre, Canberra. Professor Frame spoke about the book with Fran Kelly.
You can hear a the longer original version of this interview on the Radio National Breakfast website.
Music (not in podcast)
Fyah Walk are an outfit from Byron Bay in New South Wales who, with the release of their new album ‘Ocean Sounds’, continue to expand the horizons of reggae here in Australia.
Artist: Fyah Walk
Track: Ancient Spirit
Album: Ocean Sounds (2009)
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