Mateship is an Australian

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human Society, societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, and habits of the ...

idiom An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase. Categorized as formulaic language, ...

that embodies

equality Equality may refer to: Society * Political equality, in which all members of a society are of equal standing ** Consociationalism, in which an ethnically, religiously, or linguistically divided state functions by cooperation of each group's elite ...

loyalty Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another h ...

and

friendship Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. It is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an "acquaintance" or an "association", such as a classmate, neighbor, coworker, or colleague. In some cultures, the concept o ...

Russel Ward Russel Braddock Ward AM (9 November 1914 – 13 August 1995) was an Australian historian best known for writing ''The Australian Legend'' (1958), an examination of the development of the "Australian character", which was awarded the Ernest Sco ...

, in ''The Australian Legend'' (1958), once saw the concept as central to the Australian people. ''Mateship'' derives from ''

mate Mate may refer to: Science * Mate, one of a pair of animals involved in: ** Mate choice, intersexual selection ** Mating * Multi-antimicrobial extrusion protein, or MATE, an efflux transporter family of proteins Person or title * Friendship ...

'', meaning ''friend'', commonly used in Australia as an amicable

form of address A style of office or form of address, also called manner of address, is an official or legally recognized form of address for a person or other entity (such as a government or company), and may often be used in conjunction with a personal title. ...

Historical origins

Most simply, the term mateship describes "the bonds of loyalty and equality, and feelings of solidarity and fraternity that Australians, usually men, are typically alleged to exhibit." The historical origins of the term are explained in Nick Dyrenfurth's Mateship : a very Australian history (2015). He cites the work of historian Russell Ward, who argued that "a convict-derived ethos of matey anti-authoritarianism embedded itself in the Australian psyche from the beginning." The original obligations of mateship could be compared to 'codes amongst thieves.' It likely emerged out of a shared fear of authority. Men who betrayed their companions, or accepted authority over them, would be called 'dogs' for their betrayal. According to Dyrenfurth, "Much of the rest of the world thinks of this practice as friendship, pure and simple. Yet in Australia, mateship evokes more than mere friendship.... Most Australian citizens ... associate mateship with wartime service - in particular, the Anzac tradition forged on the shores of faraway Gallipoli during April 1915."

Military context

Mateship is regarded as an Australian military virtue. For instance, the

Australian Army Recruit Training Centre Army Recruit Training Centre (ARTC) is the official name given to the Australian Army's basic training establishment since 1 December 1998. Situated at Kapooka, an outer suburb of Wagga Wagga, in the Riverina region of New South Wales, the Army ...

lists the "soldierly qualities" it seeks to instill as including "a will to win, dedication to duty, honour, compassion and honesty, mateship and teamwork, loyalty, and physical and moral courage." The word ''mate'' bloomed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, when many trenches were being built because of the machine gun. Many trenches were built which often stretched miles across war grounds. The words “

diggers The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with agrarian socialism. Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard, amongst many others, were known as True Levellers in 1649, in reference to their split from ...

” and “mate” gained the same meaning and became interchangeable.

Australian Constitutional preamble

During the 1999 Australian constitutional referendum there was some consideration regarding the inclusion of the term "mateship" in the

preamble A preamble is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the subj ...

of the

Australian constitution The Constitution of Australia (or Australian Constitution) is a constitutional document that is supreme law in Australia. It establishes Australia as a federation under a constitutional monarchy and outlines the structure and powers of the ...

. This proposed change was drafted by the Australian poet Les Murray, in consultation with the

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of the time,

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

Australians are free to be proud of their country and heritage, free to realise themselves as individuals, and free to pursue their hopes and ideals. We value excellence as well as fairness, independence as dearly as mateship.

Murray was not supportive of the inclusion of "mateship" in the preamble, stating that it was "blokeish" and "not a real word", but the Prime Minister insisted it be included as the term, he said, had "a hallowed place in the Australian lexicon". Howard reluctantly dropped the term from the preamble, after the

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Australia ...

refused to allow it to be passed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

where they held the balance of power. If the proposed constitutional amendment had been adopted, it would have made Australia the first country in the world to constitutionally enshrine the concept of mateship. Since the referendum the Australian government has introduced the concept of mateship as a possible part of an Australian citizenship test, although it was unclear how endorsement of the values of mateship would be tested.

More than friendship

Mateship is a concept that can be traced back to early colonial times. The harsh environment in which convicts and new settlers found themselves meant that men and women closely relied on each other for all sorts of help. In Australia, a 'mate' is more than just a friend and is a term that implies a sense of shared experience, mutual respect and unconditional assistance. The term includes use in ways other than friendship like getting someone's attention, replacing a name, questioning a statement, letting one know to calm down and referring to someone in a rash or harsh way. The use of such in a harsh or negative way can be traced back to the word "bastard". Around the 16th century, the word "mate" adopted a similar meaning. Only within the last two centuries, has the term connected itself with a meaning of friendship.

Common usage

According to the ''Lingo Dictionary of Favourite Australian Words and Phrases'' Australians use the salutation 'mate' to "greet someone whose name you can't remember."

References

External links

Australian Government article on Mateship

Australian culture Friendship