Andrew with a kangaroo
Today starts the 2nd week of our Launch Party Giveaway! After you read the interview be sure to enter for your chance to win this week’s prize: Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne. You can enter anytime Jan. 8-14!
Q: Hi Andrew. Thanks so much for agreeing to do this interview. I’m sure our readers will be fascinated learning new facts about your home country Australia. First of all, can you tell me what city you were born in and and a bit about your life growing up in Australia? How many brothers and sisters did you have? Was your city big or more rural? Did you live in a house or an apartment?
A: I was actually born in Oxford, England, and then moved to Sydney, Australia, with my family when I was 8. This isn’t unusual in Australia — over one quarter of all people living in Australia were born overseas, and the United Kingdom is the most common overseas birthplace. Modern Australia actually began when people travelled by boat from England to Australia, but this was in the 1800’s and they were mostly criminals… my family and I went willingly! Sydney is the biggest city in Australia but is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on one side and national parks on the other sides, so it doesn’t feel as big as it really is. My family — mum, dad, older brother, older sister — lived in a house with a nice garden to play sport in and a pool to swim in. Because it’s so hot in Australia, a lot of houses have backyard swimming pools. Growing up was mainly about school, sport and church for me. I played cricket, tennis and soccer mainly.
Q: Could you describe your country’s flag. Tell me a bit about the design, colors and why they were chosen?
A: The Australian flag has the Union Jack (the flag of the United Kingdom) in the top left corner, because Australia is part of the British Commonwealth and the Queen of England is also the Queen of Australia. The rest of the flag is navy blue, with white stars on it. The stars are in the shape of the Southern Cross, which is a constellation in the southern hemisphere.
Q: This is kind of a trick question, but what language(s) is/are spoken in Australia?
A: Every language! The official language is English, but there are also many indigenous languages and languages spoken by people who have moved to Australia from other countries.
A: Sydney is the best city in the world! I really love it. It has a fun city, great beaches, national parks all around it, and lots of interesting places to see (Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Sydney Aquarium). It also has great restaurants and shopping, if you’re into that kind of thing! Outside of Sydney, Australia has every type of environment – desert, rainforest, mountains, wetlands, the bush (forest), oceans, lakes – whatever you want to see, Australia has it! The Great Barrier Reef is probably number 2 on my to-do list. It is so beautiful up there and is great for snorkelling and scuba diving (and finding Nemo!).
A: I know that they put up a good fight! One of Australia’s most common sporting mascots is a boxing kangaroo (i.e. a kangaroo with boxing gloves on) because kangaroos have a real temper and they’ll fight you if you get in their way! You won’t see a kangaroo in the city, but once you get out of the city a bit you’ll see them now and then. I saw a bunch of them while I was playing golf one day… I had to wait to hit while they jumped across the fairway! If you see one in a pretty populated area, they’re usually pretty friendly (and sleepy!). I’ve attached a photo of me with one. Actually, it might be a wallaby rather than a kangaroo, he’s just a little guy.
This Week’s Giveaway!