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I think he was referring to how common it is for African American basketball players stay on permanently after finishing their career with the NBL. It is reasonably common.
You need to shift the decimal point - 0.33% based on the last census. There was significant immigration from the US during the gold rush years of the mid 1800s.
That's fascinating, I didn't know that at all. I thought they were mostly from Europe and China.
Australia has a number of famous Americans, they're not all NBL stars. Mel Gibson, John Butler, Terri Irwin, Nicole Kidman, Kristine Kineally et al.
That's fascinating, I didn't know that at all. I thought they were mostly from Europe and China.
Australia has a number of famous Americans, they're not all NBL stars. Mel Gibson, John Butler, Terri Irwin, Nicole Kidman, Kristine Kineally et al.
One of the ring leaders of the Eureka rebellion in 1854 was an African American by the name of John Joseph, from Baltimore. After his acquittal, along with all the other defendants, he was carried around the streets of Melbourne as a hero. I suspect most other arrivals from the US didn't embrace Australian politics quite so fervently..
Another notable American from the late 1800s was King O'Malley, who later served as a minister in the Federal government. One of this "achievements" was the implementation of prohibition for the ACT. To honour this, there is now a pub in Canberra named after him. It seems he claimed to have been born in Canada, but all evidence suggests he was born in Kansas.
Last edited by Richard1098; 07-07-2014 at 02:31 AM..
USA born residents make up less than 0.03% of the population, Australia has never been a significant destination for Americans which is neither good or bad. I don't know if I would use the term "a lot" for basket ball players with links to Aus either.
Well, it's not easy to move from the U.S. to Australia legally. Probably not easy to go from Australia to the U.S. either. Overall, they're similar countries, so not much reason to move from one to the other.
Most of the mass emigration comes from impoverished countries to wealthier countries. I see a lot of immigrants here in Denver from Africa and the Middle East where people are escaping war/oppression.
Well, it's not easy to move from the U.S. to Australia legally. Probably not easy to go from Australia to the U.S. either. Overall, they're similar countries, so not much reason to move from one to the other.
Most of the mass emigration comes from impoverished countries to wealthier countries. I see a lot of immigrants here in Denver from Africa and the Middle East where people are escaping war/oppression.
That is sooo true, notably most of the Australian immigration is from Britain and New Zealand. Speaking as a British person who has lived in all three this is definitely the most wealthy country, we're certainly a lot better off here.
One of the ring leaders of the Eureka rebellion in 1854 was an African American by the name of John Joseph, from Baltimore. After his acquittal, along with all the other defendants, he was carried around the streets of Melbourne as a hero. I suspect most other arrivals from the US didn't embrace Australian politics quite so fervently..
Another notable American from the late 1800s was King O'Malley, who later served as a minister in the Federal government. One of this "achievements" was the implementation of prohibition for the ACT. To honour this, there is now a pub in Canberra named after him. It seems he claimed to have been born in Canada, but all evidence suggests he was born in Kansas.
Thank you, it's good to hear a bit about the history.
It's only common sense to bring or have sent any ethnic hair and skin products when going to a country with very few black people. I am Afr Am and lived in the Middle East many years ago. Even those who were actually darker than me with equally kinky hair, stared, wanted to touch my hair and rub my skin. That's how it is when you're a novelty, especially if they are provincial types. Humans, in general, are sensitive to differences--helped in survival to recognize and guard against enemies.
Hello Everyone! Sorry to ask this question, and I don't want to offend anyone but I would really like to know. I have never been to Australia before and I don't know much about it. I have a friend that works in Houston, tx right now for an engineering company and has been asked to come to Australia for about a year or so to work. She has already accepted the position there and will be leaving for Australia very soon, but she would like me to come and visit her for a couple of weeks while she is there. I know there is racism everywhere in the world, but if I could get a heads up on what it's like there before I come I would feel more comfortable. And I might take my kids with me, so any insight would be helpful. Thanks
The original question asked a few years ago. However, I shall give an answer based on my own experience. I visited Sidney in 2001, just after "9/11" as part of a couple (female British African descent) and partner (male Caucasian Channel Islands descent). I had been looking forward to getting to Sydney since I was a child as we had a wonderful supply teacher in the 70s who showed us pictures of key place in Oz and Fiji - it looked amazing. I was full of beans and very excited as you can imagine. I was used to Australians in the UK. To my mind they were casual and very attractive relaxed people. People are just people.
Within the first day in shops and stores I noticed a lack of response from people. In fact they seemed almost angry. I didn't really notice it fully until myself and partner went to a cafe on the Rockies/ circular Quay and when the waiter came to our table we were just treated in a cold punctilious manner. This kind of thing happened time and time again. Visited the Sydney gallery and noticed that the guide was almost unable to speak properly about indigenous Australians without appearing to want to throw up. I recall she referred to the children as "picaninnys" and was eager to talk of the strange sexual practices and alcoholism within indigenous culture and nothing at all about the positive aspects e.g positive ecology and indigenous art.
After 3 days it started to dawn on me that in general I was being tolerated and the sooner I left the better.
I recall on the last day a kindly cafe owner of Greek descent screamed who wonderful it was to see me there. That he is sure that I/ we would have been most welcome in Melbourne. He seemed to realise that "Sydney-siders" both Caucasian and Asian would have been very "off" with us.
I need to say that my impression of Oriental Aussies was that they were pleased to find someone to "look down" on as they themselves were not flavour of the month. Indian descent Australians appeared to be more accepted by Caucasian Australians. There was a carnival going on in a main square in Sydney and I spoke to a couple of African Caribbean ladies who said they came to Oz with white partners. They said that they were not as welcome but had managed to make a life for themselves and family. South Sea islanders felt they were no different to Caucasian Aussies and not treated differently. It was almost as if there were a manual or guidelines telling Caucasian Australians who was racially ok and who was not.
Interestingly, myself and partner met with the owners of the Aboriginal restaurant in the Rockies. They were civil rights lawyers and activists (now deceased). They explained that hundreds of thousands of so-called Caucasian/ white-skinned Australians are descended from Aboriginals but they choose to pass and not refer to their great ancestors. This is the case because judges did not send female convicts to Australia because they generally did not survive the passage. Therefore, early British settlers raided Aboriginal communities and kidnapped the women to take as brides. The also let me know that up until 1974 it was perfectly legal to shoot an aboriginal found crossing your land because these human beings were classified as flora and fauna. I was utterly shocked and distraught at that news.
I need to add that Sydney-siders knew full-well that I was not of aboriginal or South Sea descent. People watch TV and film and are fully cognisant of the fact that Africans/ descendants exist and what we look like.
After 4 days I was happy to return to Bali and then onwards to the UK.
After returning to the UK I recall it took me about 3 years to be able to interact with the few "Aussies" I came into contact with. I realised that they didn't really mix with people who were not from Oz, NZ or SA or fellow Caucasians.
I realise the causal friendliness that they project is for fellow Caucasians and even though many of them live in neighbourhoods with a high African/ African Caribbean population there is absolutely no real mixing going on.
It is 2015 now. I do have one Aussie in my network of acquaintances and we get on. However, I will say that I would never consider going back to Australia unless it is to visit Aboriginal Australia. Caucasian and Asian Australia just doesn't interest me in the least. I would never ever consider living there unless some kind of catastrophe were about the affect the part of the world I live in.
So my message to someone of black African descent about moving to and living in Oz is proceed with extreme caution. It is unlikely that you will be able to relax and be who you really are. You may have to spend your life "pleasing" people and that would be no way to live.
Interestingly, myself and partner met with the owners of the Aboriginal restaurant in the Rockies. They were civil rights lawyers and activists (now deceased). They explained that hundreds of thousands of so-called Caucasian/ white-skinned Australians are descended from Aboriginals but they choose to pass and not refer to their great ancestors. This is the case because judges did not send female convicts to Australia because they generally did not survive the passage. Therefore, early British settlers raided Aboriginal communities and kidnapped the women to take as brides. The also let me know that up until 1974 it was perfectly legal to shoot an aboriginal found crossing your land because these human beings were classified as flora and fauna. I was utterly shocked and distraught at that news.
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It seems he claimed to have been born in Canada, but all evidence suggests he was born in Kansas. 
Thank you, it's good to hear a bit about the history.
Not Welcoming to African Desendants
