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Unless
you have a VERY good ‘ear’ for accents, it’s possible that you have
mistaken Australians for English people.
Their accents sound similar to us Americans, though they’re not
exact.
Here’s a short list of some famous Australians, some of whom you
may have heard of.
Some of the may be new to you, but they are very well known in
Australia.
A brief biography will get you up to speed as to what they’ve
done to deserve being called ‘famous’.
OLIVIAN
NEWTON-JOHN
A singer and actress, best known for her
role as Sandy in ‘Grease’.
ELLE
MACPHEARSON
One
of best known of the New Page 1‘supermodels’, Elle’s appearances on the cover
of Sports Illustrated have made her a household name.
OODGEROO
NOONUCCAL
Oodgeroo Noonuccal was a poet, an actress,
writer, teacher and artist and a campaigner for Aboriginal rights. She was justifiably proud of her Aboriginal heritage, and
became the first Native Australian to publish a book of poetry.
She fought for equality of her people.
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DON
BRADMAN
Sir
Donald Bradman is an Australian sporting hero.
His achievements on the cricket field from 1928 to 1948 are still
among the world's best. He's
the only Australian ever knighted for services to the game of cricket.
EVONNE
GOOLAGONG CAWLEY
Evonne
Goolagong Cawley is one of Australia's most successful tennis players, as
well as the first Aboriginal Australian to win Wimbeldon.
She won Wimbeldon twice and was a top ranked player for more than
10 years.
MEL
GIBSON
Australia’s best known actor (Mad Max,
Braveheart, Lethal Weapon, Ransom, Payback) grew up in Australia, but he
was born in New York.
FRED
HOLLOWS
Professor
Fred Hollows was an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) who helped thousands of
Aboriginal Australians regain their eyesight, through surgery and
eyeglasses. He dedicated his
life to eliminating disease and poverty which was often the cause of the
health problems in developing countries.
He died in 1993, but his work continues through his wife, Gabi
Hollows.
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INXS
Australia’s
best known rock band, INXS (pronounced ‘in excess’) had many hit songs
in the Eighties and the Nineties. Although
they continue to perform to this day, the band was struck with tragedy
when their lead singer, Michael Hutchence, died in 1997.
JOHN HOWARD
The Hon. John Howard is the current Prime
Minister of Australia. He was
sworn in on March 11, 1996, becoming the 25th person to occupy this high
office.
SIR ROBERT MENZIES
Robert
Gordon Menzies was Australia's longest serving prime minister, keeping
the top job for seventeen years. Many
Australians regard him as the greatest leader in their history.
Always a great believer in education, Menzies supported the
building of eight universities and he developed Canberra as the nation's
capital. He died aged 83 - a
widely respected figure to the end.
DAME
JOAN SUTHERLAND
Dame
Joan Sutherland is one of the world's greatest opera singers, and some
experts consider her the best soprano of the twentieth century.
She has graced the stages of all the world's great opera houses,
and sung in nearly sixty different opera roles.
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