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It has been a week of unexpected, unhappy and wistful farewells - ones that traverse the overlapping and intersecting worlds of entertainment, the media and sport. The first involved the death of Australia鈥檚 most promising young movie star, ; the second involved the closure of the country鈥檚 most venerable news magazine, ; and the third involved the retirement of its most complete sportsman, .

All three have had that rare 鈥渉ave you heard鈥� shock factor in their respective communities, and beyond. All three came in the week of Australia Day, the time of year when flags are normally draped proudly around shoulders and painted on faces rather than hung forlornly outside apartment buildings in Lower Manhattan.

All three played a major, if sometimes inadvertent, part in fashioning the country鈥檚 national identity and projecting its image abroad. In the marketing idiom of the day, all three were 鈥渂rand ambassadors鈥� in their own distinctive ways.

Since arriving in Australia, I have been intrigued by the attention the media lavishes on its movie stars - which is part of the reason why the death of Heath Ledger became such a national event.

It is not a criticism. Far from it. Clearly there is a sizeable demographic which is just as proud of a lean young actor from Perth delivering an Oscar-worthy performance in the role of a gay cowboy as a chubby young bowler from Melbourne delivering the 鈥淏all of the Century鈥� in his first performance in the Ashes.

An Oscar, a Golden Globe, an Olympic medal, a Baggy Green cap. In the coin of national pride, are they not an equivalent currency? And understandably so. The prominence of actors like Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett and Nicole Kidman is one of the central reasons why the world鈥檚 52nd most populous country wields such global cultural clout.

The Bulletin, the 127 year-old news magazine which was shut down last week, helped forge this country鈥檚 cultural and national identity even before Australia became Australia. From its foundation in 1880, the 鈥渂ushman鈥檚 bible鈥�, as it quickly became known, played a crucial role in promoting Australian nationalism and undermining British imperialism. It also had an ugly nativistic and xenophobic streak, which spoke of the nation it helped create, shape and mirror. 鈥淎ustralia for the White Man鈥� ran the slogan which disfigured the magazine鈥檚 masthead right up until 1961, when it was bought by Sir Frank Packer, and edited by Donald Horne, the celebrated author of The Lucky Country.

Culturally, The Bulletin was such a powerful force that a literary school took on its name. 鈥淏anjo鈥� Patterson was its most famous alumnus, the poet who penned 鈥淲altzing Maltilda鈥� along with the 鈥淢an from Snowy River鈥�. Right up until its last edition, literary figures such as the novelists Richard Flanagan and Tom Keneally used its pages to explore the meaning and flavour of modern-day Australia.

The Bulletin fell victim to falling circulation, the high velocity of modern-day news cycles, and the whims of the private equity firm which bought a majority share when James Packer decided to sell-off huge chunks of his father鈥檚 once-mighty media empire and focus on gaming instead.

Kerry Packer had viewed The Bulletin as a loss leader, and seemed willing to endure the economic pain of a falling readership and falling advertising revenues so long as it continued to be bought by the country鈥檚 politicians and opinion formers. Sadly, the private equity company, CVC Asia Pacific, has a much more rudimentary view of profit and loss.

As for Adam Gilchrist, he is the most likeable professional sportsman I have ever had the good fortune to meet - I dare say many journalists would say the same. A player man of peerless skill and effortless charm, he retired from the game holding the world record for the most test dismissals as a wicket-keeper, and the fastest run rate and most sixes as a swashbuckling batsman.

Gilchrist鈥檚 string of records gained him the admiration of fans. But surely it was the way he played the game that won their affection and love. Here we run across our old friends, fairness and decency. Gilchrist was one of the few players in the modern-era to 鈥渨alk鈥�: to bring his innings to close if he knew he was out, even if the umpire was unsure.

Sportsmanship. It鈥檚 a value worth celebrating, especially here in Adelaide - where I have spent the morning watching cricketers file into a courthouse for the rather than descending the steps of the pavilion.

I hope you will forgive me for mentioning Heath Ledger, The Bulletin and Adam Gilchrist in the same breath and blog. But I am sure I am not alone in thinking this week that Australia is a lesser place without them.

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