I went to England in the '70s, and I was in my early 20s. There was still a residue of that era of being an underclass or colonial. I assume it must have been a more aggressive and prominent attitude 40 years before that, because Australia internationally wasn't regarded as having much cultural value. We were a country full of sheep and convicts.

Summary

The quote suggests that when the speaker visited England in the 1970s, there was still a lingering perception that Australians were part of an underclass or colonial group. They speculate that this perception may have been even stronger 40 years prior, as Australia was not internationally recognized for its cultural value. The speaker attributes this stereotype to Australia's historical identity as a country known for sheep and convicts.

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