Ghost of the Billabong Speaks

Passing through Boundary Rd at West End, a Brisbane suburb, is not an ordinary experience. As opposed to the larger world- where due to differences in religion, culture, language or social class, pools of blood have coloured the streets and the sacred threshold of family homes have been turned to crime scenes and rubble- you get to see an immense diversity of food, shops, retail stores, cultures, costumes, religions and music, all within a stretch of 500 metres. In such a place, you may see many different shades and colours of human flowers in the garden of humanity. All happily following their Australian dream and proudly expressing their way of life, cultures and values -without being interrupted by any one. Like a supreme pizza, you may see every nice and tasty form of topping and flavour, so colourful and tasty. It is heaven of humanity. Yet something is missing, rather, rendered invisible - the base of the pizza, the one which makes this pizza possible, the one that allows all these colours and flavours to shine. What is it that is missing and often goes unnoticed in West End and in all similar situations? That is the Australian Cultural Narrative that, like the pizza base, has been rendered invisible and not worth mentioning, it is the Ghost of the Billabong. In this book, Dr Farvardin Daliri OAM has endeavoured to bring to light the missing ghost of Australian culture with the warning: If we don't recognise the base of this multicultural pizza, we can't go too far with it before the pizza of our wonderful Australia disintegrates and the wonderful individual flavours of the topping are lost. Yes, multiculturalism is important, but more importantly is that which holds it together and sustains its development, the Australian Culture. Come a Waltzing Matilda with Farvardin Daliri and bring to light the Ghost of the Billabong, with its unifying and healing message for all who made Australia home.