JUSTIN LANGER: John Williamson’s True Blue sung at Ashes Test hijacked by right wing groups

Fifty thousand people stood in silence on Wednesday morning.

That silence was broken by a familiar chord.

The beautiful Adelaide Oval was the auditorium.

Standing with his old guitar, a short, bearded man, in a pair of jeans, and a button-up shirt puffed out his chest, took a breath, and sang True Blue into the microphone.

The words alone don’t do the song justice, but when John Williamson sings it, there is not a brick wall you wouldn’t run through.

When the last word was sung, silence rebounded before the crowd clapped for an extended period. Their applause, of course, was for the performance, but there was more to it than just that.

On the back of Sunday’s tragedy in Bondi, the lead into the first ball of the third Ashes Test match provided a poignant moment.

A minute’s silence, Williamson’s tune, a welcome to country, and England and Australia’s national anthems, gave us a time to reflect, mourn and come together.

Two cricket teams stood arm-in-arm wearing black bands around their biceps. Goosebumps, tingles and tears took hold of every person at the ground; every emotion was exposed.

Hopefully we can direct our anger, sadness and confusion at those two murderous individuals, not tear our wonderful country and people apart because of them.

On Sunday afternoon, the Big Bash kicked off at Optus Stadium. Or at least it was supposed to. The rain was so heavy, and the lightning so striking, that the game looked likely to be postponed.

As the rain poured down and we looked to fill time for the cricket coverage, breaking news came through the commentary box. Joel Starcevic, Channel Seven’s head of cricket looked ashen.

Like everyone in Australia, we sat and watched evil being carried out in front of our eyes.

The rain, thunder and lightning were like an outpouring of tears from the heavens above.

My dad drove me to the airport on Tuesday. A 79-year-old true blue Australian with the flag of our country tattooed on his backside.

He was angry. He’s not alone.<

Who isn’t angry about what happened?

Like me, my dad, loves Williamson.

Before every victory song in the Australian changing room, the players stand arm-in-arm and sing True Blue. They still do it today. Cold Chisel’s Khe Sahn, Williamson’s True Blue, and then Underneath the Southern Cross I Stand.

These 10 minutes are what I miss most about being in the Australian cricket team.

When Steve Waugh retired in 2004, Williamson played True Blue for us at the home of our retiring captain’s manager in Sydney. Sitting at the bar behind us and the grand piano was Prime Minister, John Howard.

Caught up in the moment, Matty Hayden turned around and invited the PM into the huddle. Jumping off his seat he stood arm in arm between Haydos and I.

As we all belted out True Blue, smiles beaming, I couldn’t help but think how privileged we were. I also marvelled how this song has the power to bring groups of Australians together.

For a few minutes last Wednesday morning Williamson took me back to those special times.

Not only is he one of Australia’s most beloved singer-songwriters, having released more than 50 albums and sold more than four million records, he is also a true gentlemen.

Inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and awarded the Order of Australia in 1992, Williamson’s contribution to Australian music extends far beyond commercial success, he has become a chronicler of the Australian spirit itself.

Among his extensive catalogue of songs, True Blue remains his most iconic work. The lyrics are filled with Australian colloquialisms, creating a vivid portrait of our national identity.

“Say you’ve knocked off for a smoko, Give it to me straight, face to face, Is it standin’ by your mate, when he’s in a fight, or, just Vegemite, Keep the show on the road, Now be Fair Dinkum, is your heart still there?”

All these words pose rhetorical questions about what constitutes being genuinely Australian; themes of mateship, loyalty, and standing by one’s friends. Values most Australians treasure.

Like Wednesday’s moving rendition, Williamson has often performed on the big stage in times of national importance. Memorably, he sang True Blue at Steve Irwin’s 2006 memorial service.

True Blue is a song of celebration and remembrance, a song that brings people together in the big stadiums, around campfires, in the pub or changing rooms.

Importantly, True Blue isn’t meant to be a them vs us song. It is not a song of division.

Williamson has consistently emphasised that the song’s meaning transcends racial or ethnic boundaries.

He describes being True Blue as loving the country, being good people, and being honest, explicitly rejecting attempts by extremist groups to co-opt the song for divisive purposes.

The track represents an aspirational vision of Australia, one built on fairness, trust, and genuine human connection.

Williamson has repeatedly fought to reclaim his anthem from those who misunderstand it.

In 2015 and again in 2025, anti-immigration rallies commandeered True Blue without permission, transforming a celebration of mateship into a weapon of division. Williamson’s response was swift and unequivocal.

“The song belongs to all Australians, regardless of race, religion, or origin,” he said.

“How about holding a rally for love?” he challenged the 2015 protesters. “And see who turns up. Hatred never solves anything.”

On national television, he made his position crystal clear.

“Being true blue means being good people, fair dinkum, honest. It has nothing to do with skin colour,” he said.

“Being an Aussie is about being proud of this country itself and caring for her. That’s what I consider a true, blue Aussie. It doesn’t matter where you come from.”

For years, he’d performed it alongside Aboriginal Elder Warren H. Williams, embodying the inclusive spirit extremists tried to erase. The song’s true meaning remains stubbornly resistant to hijacking.

“It’s about unity, not exclusion”, Williamson told us.

Though the song occasionally faces controversy when used without permission at political events, its enduring appeal lies in its celebration of universal values.

We will always remember where we were when tragic events strike. The Bali bombings, 9/11 in New York, the Port Arthur massacre. On each senseless occasion all our emotions are stung.

This last week has tested every Australian. We are allowed to be angry, sad, confused.

Hopefully we can direct our anger, sadness and confusion at those two murderous individuals, not tear our wonderful country and people apart because of them.

TRUE BLUE

Hey True Blue, don’t say you’ve gone, Say you’ve knocked off for a smoko, And you’ll be back later on, Hey True Blue, Hey True Blue.

Give it to me straight, face to face, Are you really disappearing, Just another dying race, Hey True Blue.

True Blue, is it me and you, Is it Mum and Dad, is it a cockatoo, Is it standin’ by your mate when he’s in a fight, Or just Vegemite, True Blue, I’m asking you.

Hey True Blue, can you bear the load, Will you tie it up with wire, Just to keep the show on the road, Hey True Blue.

Hey True Blue, now be Fair Dinkum, Is your heart still there, If they sell us out like sponge cake, Do you really care, Hey True Blue.