Mateship

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Mateship is an important element of anglo-Australian self-understanding and has emblematic value as a founding myth on the frontier of white settlement of Australia and solidarity against (oppressive) authority. Russell Ward, in "The Australian Legend", sees the concept as a central one, although Humphrey McQueen disputes this. Mateship can be defined as the code of contact, particularly between men, although more recently also between men and women, stressing egalitarianism, equality, loyalty and friendship. There are two types of mateship, the inclusive and the exclusive. The inclusive is in relation with a situation, whereas the exclusive type is against a third party.

Mateship is neither unique to Australia nor did it appear because of work or other conditions in Australia, though it has been known by other names in other societies, eg, 'fraternalism', 'mutuality' or 'solidarity.'^{[citation needed]}. The idea and the practice of what we now call 'mateship' arrived with the first Europeans in the First Fleet, in the form of the United Irish Brotherhood, the Operative Shipwrights Society, and the Freemasons^{[citation needed]}. As Europeans spread over the continent these and other 'fraternal' societies took the paraphernalia of 'fraternalism' with them, such as the large marching banners, the ceremonial regalia, oaths of initiation and secret passwords. Thus, it is not surprising that when the striking shearers at Barcaldine organised the first May Day procession in Australia, in 1891, they were led by the band of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, a mutual benefit or friendly society. Yet the modern Australian concept of mateship tends toward unstructured relationships with no formal governing body. While "mates" may all be from the same organisation (such as, soldiers in an army, corps or regiment), that is not what makes them mates: it is simply what brings them together.

Mateship is also regarded as an important military virtue. For instance, the Australian Army Recruit Training Centre lists the "soldierly qualities" it seeks to inculcate as including "a will to win, dedication to duty, honour, compassion and honesty, mateship and teamwork, loyalty, and physical and morale courage" [1]. Mateship is often invoked as an important element in Australian military prowess and an important element in the willingness of Australians to go war. It is precisely this military nature of mateship which has led some to question whether mateship ought to be regarded as a national virtue, or whether, at the very least, there needs to be more critical analysis of the way the concept is used in national discourse.

[edit] See also

• Page, James S. (2002) 'Is Mateship a Virtue?' Australian Journal of Social Issues. 37(2): 193-200; available on-line at http://eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00003567/
• Culture of Australia
• Russell Ward, (1958), The Australian Legend, Oxford University Press, Melbourne
• ANZAC spirit

Mateship, the act of selflessness to save another , the ability to go further to save some one even if you dont know them

[edit] External links

• Mateship as part of the Australian Language
• 'Mateship culture' at Age
• Army Recruit Training Centre training objectives
• Essay about mateship within Australian cinema