Australia New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand together produce an incredibly high number of creative artists who go on to influence and inspire us globally.

This is despite the relative small size of our respective populations.  The recent Academy Awards are a case in point.  Kate Winslet, ex-Kiwi, won best Actress. 

In recent years Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Baz Lurhman, Catherine Martin, Adam Elliott,  to name a few, all Australians, have won major awards at this ceremony. And Hugh Jackman, Australian actor, song and dance man extraordinaire, hosted Oscar night to much accolade.

Yet, Australian creative brilliance is produced from a combined population of under 25 million, whereas America has a population of over 300 million to nurture talent from.

How does Australian produce this "cream of the crop" in the interpretative arts in inverse proportion to our population size? Because we are an open, democratic society, a relatively new country without restrictive class structures. 

There is freedom to move creatively, and, intellectually. And our population is largely from other lands, those who have come freely or as refugees, both looking to create a new future, and the best influences and imperatives of those other cultures have intermingled to establish a rich and diverse cultural experience that is open, honest and uniquely Australian.

This democratic freedom and wealth of cultural exposure, especially at the new millennium, enables not just the arts, but education, learning, and knowledge to flourish in a supportive, expansive environment.

There is no hemming in, only an open horizon.  What more could I ask for?!

Britt M.