Our Australian National Anthem

His Excellency, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, issued the following Proclamation on 19 April 1984:

I, SIR NINIAN MARTIN STEPHEN, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, hereby declare:

(a) that the anthem 'God Save The Queen' shall henceforth be known as the Royal Anthem and be used in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen or a member of the Royal Family;

(b) that the National Anthem shall consist of the tune known as 'Advance Australia Fair' with the following words:
 

(c) that the Vice-Regal Salute to be used in the presence of His Excellency the Governor-General shall consist of the first four bars and the last four bars of the tune known as Advance Australia Fair;

(d) that the National Anthem shall be used on all official and ceremonial occasions, other than occasions on which either the Royal Anthem or the Vice-Regal Salute is used; and

(e) that green and gold (Pantone Matching System numbers ll6C and 348C as used for printing on paper) shall be the national colours of Australia for use on all occasions on which such colours are customarily used.

See http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5557/anthem.html 

 The Official Australian National Anthem is a revision of two verses of the song Advance Australia Fair, the music and lyrics originally written around 1878 by Amicus, the pen name of Peter Dodds McCormick (1834-1916). It apparently was first publicly performed during a Loyal Orange Lodge ceremony in Sydney, in 1878.

The original song had five verses:

5. Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Britannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains the let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Dr Sharwood's revised version. also see alternate site. (These links no longer exist)
An alternative set of verses to Advance Australia Fair has been written by Dr Robin Lorimer Sharwood, fourth Warden of Trinity College in The University of Melbourne. This is now the official version for use within St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne.

Some background info on the National Anthem's origins is available at http://www.hamilton.net.au/advance.html.

Further to these verses, there is a verse that is loved by Christians:

With Christ our head and cornerstone,
We'll build our nation's might;
Whose way and truth and light alone
Can guide our path aright;
Our lives a sacrifice of love,
Reflect our Master's care
With faces turned to heaven above
Advance Australia Fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia Fair!

Exactly where this verse comes from is obscure. Most web-sites refer only to the official two verses. Some sites give a mix of the original and the official verses.
The Australian Christian Lobby (Link no longer exists) site says it is a "possible third verse".
The Australian Christian Music Industry (Link no longer exists) says it's a "missing verse" "which was sung at the 1998 March For Jesus rally in Canberra".
Dave Mitchell from Awakening 2000 says it's part of "an early version" and "The extra 'lost' verse the Christians will use was sung as part of the anthem in Smithton, Tasmania as early as the 1930s".
Community Connections of Wollongong City Council (Link no longer exists) says it was the third verse of the original song. There are some other interesting comments on this site related to the historical promotion of the song.
The Religious Media Agency says it is an "original verse" and that "The complete version of Advance, Australia Fair includes the verse"
Real Gold 2000 has a somewhat more balanced point of view.

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