The kangaroo is displayed on the insignia of all RAAF planes.

Many of our sporting teams, especially those who travel overseas, are called “Roos” of some sort – Kangaroos, Wallabies, Hockeyroos.

Everybody knows that our Qantas aircraft are identified by a kangaroo on the tail.

So it is obvious that all these organisations accept that the kangaroo is an Australian icon (despite the fact that the poor kangaroo is a bit of a menace out west.)

It is also interesting to note that New Zealand is seriously considering replacing the UK quarter of its flag with a New Zealand icon, the silver fern.

This would leave only Australia and the tiny Pacific Island of Tuvalu, with the UK occupying a quarter of our national flags.

Let’s face it. It really doesn’t matter to us if we don’t have a flag at all.

 Flags are primarily to identify us to them, and the Australian icon, the kangaroo is known around the world as Australia’s own.

So let’s put the kangaroo up on our flag, and declare ourselves a grown-up nation, rather than a child of  the “Mother Country”

After all, the kangaroo was in  Australia long before even the Aborigines arrived. 

WJ Bill Forrest

Tamworth