The Australian Hero: An overview of what is a hero and how it has changed over time

THE AUSTRALIAN HERO WHAT IS A HERO? Many people have different representations of a hero, which is impacted by a person's social and cultural understanding within society. My beliefs of a hero are shaped by my knowledge of Australia and the values and beliefs I practice. Attributes of egalitarianism, mateship and anti-authoritarianism have shaped our national identity and developed into the concept of the Australian hero. The discourse of a hero is quite remarkably different …

…Australian' has emerged a greater, more dominant figure, the Australian hero. However, these figures have always secluded women and Indigenous Australians as a whole. While society has grown to include these marginalised groups the Australian Identity has not caught up to this change. Women have been making progress in areas of recognition, however, their presence and input lags far behind those of men. And barriers for advancement in mainstream sport are still solid for Aboriginals.