Spirit of our nation

AUSSIES come in all colours, shapes and sizes but the best are imbued with certain characteristics we recognise as distinctive to the people of this giant sunbaked island.

Take little Arlo Shawcross who is beaming out from the front page of today’s Australia Day edition of the Addy.

Today, scientists, celebrities and community workers will receive official Australia Day honours — many of them from our region.

But many of the great, courageous figures of our region are young people who don’t always get recognised.

We live in a time where youth crime is out of control. there are issues of behaviour in our youth correctional facilities and general concern about the resilience and roundedness of a generation raised on selfies, smartphones and snapchat.

So it is very comforting and reassuring that we seem to have so many young people in our region who are selfless, resilient and brave.

We have had multiple instances of girls and young women rescuing inexperienced swimmers from drowning on our coast.

And today we recognise Arlo who faces one of the ultimate medical adversities with grace, aplomb and a toothy smile on his face.

He has hope his rare condition, Perthes disease, will improve which will mean less time in the wheelchair he has had to use to rest his bones since he was four.

But in the meantime, as he cavorts with his siblings, he is not letting his impaired mobility get him down or hold him back.

His mum Ebony told the Addy the medical condition had not restricted his energetic attitude to life. Call it grace under fire. Call it smiling and joking through adversity as we have done throughout our Westernised history and probably before.

Call it what you will. But on this day for all of us we recognise the Australian spirit in brave, happy Arlo.

He is the quintessential little Aussie battler.

Here’s to you Arlo.