Following a nationwide competition run by the Australian Council of the Arts to find a National Anthem to replace God Save The Queen, it was finally announced by Sir Ninian Stephen in April 1984 that Advance Australia Fair would be our new National Anthem.
Despite some grumbling from people who preferred Waltzing Matilda and those who wished to maintain God Save The Queen, the Australian people quickly accepted Advance Australia Fair and, from schoolyards to sporting fields, we all learned the words and, to a lesser extent, the melody.
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