Notes From Afield | Good On Ya - The Phrase That Greases The Gears
Another dispatch from Australia by a Blow-in
Notes From Afield | Good On Ya — The Phrase That Greases the Gears
Another dispatch from Australia by a Blow-in
It was a Tuesday on a cut somewhere west of Biloela, though the days blur after a while. The grader had walked off for smoko, leaving the trim half-done. I’d just run the water moxy down from the standpipe, brakes hissing, tank near full. Rolled up the window and stepped down.
Shane — ex-ringer, now roller driver — stood by the ute tray, knocking dust off his boots. Trev the geotech wandered over, esky in one hand, sun-faded Akubra in the other. I passed around the mugs.
Shane tipped his head.
"Good on ya, mate."
Three words. Low-key. No fuss. But it landed — as it does out here.
Not just “thanks.” Not flattery.
A nod that you’re pulling your weight — that you belong, or close enough.
Later that arvo, back at camp, old Ron — plant mechanic and operator, forty years of tracks and graders under his belt — sat outside the donger, rolling smoke.
"How’d she go today?" he asked.
"Not bad," I said. "Kept it off the soft edges. Roller bloke reckons the moisture was bang on."
Ron took a drag.
"Good on ya. Lotta young blokes don’t read the ground these days."
It’s a phrase that works harder than it sounds.
It closes a deal at the servo counter.
It acknowledges a small favour — like passing the thermos.
It quietly marks respect — when an old hand sees you’ve learned something.
Out here, words matter. Folks don’t waste them.
Historically? Even the Australian author Don Watson notes how the bush bred a certain economy of speech — born of isolation, hardship, and mutual reliance.
You might not see your neighbour for a week — but when you did:
"Good on ya for gettin’ the tank fixed."
"Good on ya for makin’ it through the dry."
It wasn’t sentimental — it was practical recognition.
You kept going. You had a go. That was enough.
I still hear it most mornings:
In the site crew van — "Good on ya for bringin’ the pies."
Out on hilltop cut — "Good on ya, mate, that last run was tidy."
Even from the camp boss in the canteen when you clean your dishes.
Or in a cafe when your mate shouts you a flat white then shares the morning outcomes from Sportsbet.
There are fancier phrases in the world — but few that grease the social gears of Australia quite so well.
Good on ya — and that’s that.
The End
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