the national anthem. He proceeded to sing the first verse, despite the objections of his fellow members. The song was one of four included in a national plebiscite to choose Australia's national song in 1977. Nationwide it was the least popular of the four choices, but it had the distinction of being the most popular choice in South Australia. This result can be attributed to the fact of "Advance Australia Fair" being exposed to schoolchildren in the more populous States, where "The Song of Australia" was sung in schools only in South Australia and, to a lesser extent, in Western Australia and Tasmania. The four songs in the plebiscite were "Waltzing Matilda"; the then anthem, "God Save the Queen"; the now current anthem, "Advance Australia Fair"; and "Song of Australia". In popular culture The song features heavily in the TV series ANZAC Girls episode 4, "Love", when the Peter Dawson record is played on a wind-up gramophone in several scenes, and in snatches sung by "Pat Dooley" (Brandon McClelland) while digging a latrine pit. See also "My Bougainville", the anthem of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, sung to the tune of "The Song of Australia" References External links More history of "Song of Australia" Recording by the Royal Australian Navy Band in MP3 format 1859 songs Australian patriotic songs Gawler, South Australia