Woot! You were there on your secret missions. We could have had a cup of Shnaa/Sheen/Shnee Chia or Starbucks Caramel Macchiato?
So I didn't know about the complete Australianization (I made it too-Hmm I think following Sarah Palin is okay, considering how you Americans elected Bush twice hahaha xd!) though, which however, makes sense if they are living generations after generations. The book actually had a chapter about the topic and had discussed the construction of Overland telegraph line (lol!don't kill me if I just made this up bcz I don't remember exactly!), the railway lines, and the exploration of the Australian outback.It also mentions that how Afghans suffered prejudice once their services were not needed. I don't remember the book name because I read it a long time ago but I can ask my dad.What I liked the most in your post was how your dad told you the stories because that's exactly happened in my case