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Mateship has a long history in Australia, it can be defined as the code of contact among both men and women, stressing equality and friendship. There are two types of mateship, the inclusive and the exclusive. The inclusive is in relation with a situation. While, the exclusive type is against a third party.
Mateship is neither unique to Australia nor did it appear because of work or other conditions in Australia, though it has been known by other names in other societies, eg, 'fraternalism', 'mutuality' or 'solidarity.'.
The idea and the practice of what we now call 'mateship' arrived with the first Europeans in the First Fleet, in the form of the United Irish Brotherhood, the Operative Shipwrights Society, and the Freemasons .
As Europeans spread over the continent these and other 'fraternal' societies took the paraphernalia of 'fraternalism' with them, such as the large marching banners, the ceremonial regalia, oaths of initiation and secret passwords. Thus, it is not surprising that when the striking shearers at Barcaldine organised the first May Day procession in Australia, in 1891,it was led by the band of the Grand United Order of Odd Fellows, a mutual benefit or 'friendly society. A good example of mateship is in Blackrock. Enright juxtoposes what it means to be a mate.
In contrast to this, the modern Australian concept of mateship tends toward unstructured relationships with no formal governing body. While "mates" may all be from the same organisation (such as, soldiers in an army, corps or regiment), that is not what makes them mates it is simply what brings them together.
The Australian Army Recruit Training Centre lists one of it's recruit training objectives as:
- To inculcate soldierly qualities including: a will to win, dedication to duty, honour, compassion and honesty, mateship and teamwork, loyalty, and physical and morale courage *
This shows that mateship is seen as an important element of the qualities that the Australian Defence Force values in it's soldiers and personnel.
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