Our Flag - The Poem

Our Flag wears the stars that blaze at night,
In our Southern skies of blue,
And a little old flag in the corner,
That's part of our heritage too.
It's for the English, the Scots and the Irish,
Who were sent to the ends of the earth,
The rogues and schemers, the doers and dreamers,
Who gave modern Australia its birth.
And you, who are shouting to change it,
You don't seem to understand,
It's the flag of our laws and our language,
Not the flag of a faraway land.
Though there are plenty of people who'll tell you,
How when Europe was plunged into night,
That little old flag in the corner,
Was their symbol of freedom and light.
It doesn't mean we owe allegiance,
To a forgotten imperial dream,
We've the stars to show where we're going,
And the old flag to show where we've been.
It's only an old piece of bunting,
It's only an old piece of rag,
But there are thousands who've died for its honour,
And shed of their blood for OUR FLAG.

Robin Northover (1986)