I went to the kids’ speech day at their school this morning. It’s a medium sized primary school – I’m guessing 400 kids. And there were about 50 parents there. The school orchestra was front and centre and the first thing we did was sing the national anthem.
Being a regular dad at these things, I knew what was coming.
Everyone launched into Advance Australia Fair, the adults with that sort of muted level of enthusiasm that Aussies have when we sing our national anthem (unless we’re at a sporting event where there is a chance we’ll win. Or we’re pissed).
The bloke two seats along from me was a tad more enthusiastic – maybe he knew his kid was going to win something.
He had a great tenor voice and really belted out that anthem – he would have been as loud as all the other parents combined.
At the end of the first verse, Kurt, the conductor, turned around slowly to face the audience.
I detected an ever so slight smile.
Then the orchestra and all the kids launched into the second verse.
I reckon maybe one in twenty adults know the second verse of the Advance Australia Fair.
I don’t.
The tenor two seats along doesn’t – I glanced along at the start of the second verse and he looked like he had sucked on a lemon.
I shook Kurt’s hand at the end of the morning, ‘Got em again, Kurt, well done.’
Being a regular dad at these things, I knew what was coming.
Everyone launched into Advance Australia Fair, the adults with that sort of muted level of enthusiasm that Aussies have when we sing our national anthem (unless we’re at a sporting event where there is a chance we’ll win. Or we’re pissed).
The bloke two seats along from me was a tad more enthusiastic – maybe he knew his kid was going to win something.
He had a great tenor voice and really belted out that anthem – he would have been as loud as all the other parents combined.
At the end of the first verse, Kurt, the conductor, turned around slowly to face the audience.
I detected an ever so slight smile.
Then the orchestra and all the kids launched into the second verse.
I reckon maybe one in twenty adults know the second verse of the Advance Australia Fair.
I don’t.
The tenor two seats along doesn’t – I glanced along at the start of the second verse and he looked like he had sucked on a lemon.
I shook Kurt’s hand at the end of the morning, ‘Got em again, Kurt, well done.’