Sorry.

There have been two moments recently that have made me feel more homesick than ever before: the change of government late last year, and the new government's historic apology just the other day.

I've been lapping up the online coverage from London, and the story even made it to the London Metro (a free trash rag given out so you have something to do on the tube). Radio-callers and Liberal voters can scream til they're blue in the face, and die-hard hippies can whinge that 'sorry day' is a mere symbolic panacea to assuage our collective guilt and doesn't go far enough. The fact of the matter is, even from the other side of the world, that speech and the events of Feb 13 showed an Australia more united and more hopeful than I can ever recall. I wish I had been there to be a part of it.

The other moment I would have loved to have been home for was the election. Years of political cynicism disappeared in a flash when Kevin07 rolled into town and onto facebook. I signed up to leaflet at Australia House, and more surprisingly, actually went along and got involved. As token as my effort was, when it came to watching the results at 8am in a dodgy Wetherspoon pub with other ALP supporters, I couldn't have been more excited. The atmosphere was electric, the pink champagne was flowing (we actually drank the bar dry!), and everyone was in a fantastic mood, knowing that back home, things were getting better.

To all you folks back home, keep up the good work!

p.s. Kevin, I read the speech online before I heard your reading of it... I'm sad to say it sounded better in my head. Emphasise the tricolon!