Taxi Tales: Culture and nationhood

Most cab drivers love to talk. We hopped on board for a chat and asked what it means to be Australian.

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First cab off the rank, the Brisbane man affectionately known as The Singing Cabbie. The Indian-born man has been driving taxis for more than a decade and a half, and has put his love for his adopted home into song form.



Second in the series, the man who was named WA's cabbie of the year twice. Shahram Haidari travelled from Iran to Australia via Pakistan in order to build a better life for his family.




In Sydney, Julien Droulers has been driving cabs since 1975 and has run in a federal election against former PM John Howard. Now, he's contesting the NSW election for the seat of Balmain, and his platform is painting the Harbour Bridge gold.

Before getting behind the wheel to battle Adelaide's traffic, Estifanos Hailu fought with the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front.

Hao Liu left Beijing 12 years ago to do a degree in information technology in Sydney. However, the number of IT vacancies dropped sharply, he took up driving a cab to make ends meet. Despite what some may see as a setback, Hao Liu's love for Australia grows daily.


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Source: SBS

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