There has been a bit of hoo-ha in the media recently about the date on which we celebrate all things Australian.
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Some people can be quite emotive whenever there’s a proposed change to what many consider sacrosanct. So, here is my two-bob’s worth.
I heard an interesting fact on the ABC last week. The reporter said that we have only been celebrating Australia Day in its current format since 1994.
I was surprised at first, but thinking back, Australia Day was never a big deal growing up. It was just the last public holiday before we went back to school.
Then into adulthood, it was the day “New” Australians became Australian Citizens. That is certainly the date my wife received her citizenship.
While I am happy to have a day on which we celebrate everything that is good about good ol’ Oz, I am not wedded to a date.
When you think about it, January 26, really only has significance for NSW. It was the date Arthur Phillip stuck his flag in Sydney Cove and commenced British colonisation. That is another thing fact people often get wrong. January 26 has nothing to do with Captain James Cook and Botany Bay.
But really, the date only has meaning for NSW – each state has its own proclamation date on which they celebrate the commencement of white settlement.
January 26 really has no relationship with any of the other states and territories.
However, if the date we celebrate Australia Day causes offence to some Australians, in this case Aboriginal Australians, then it should be changed.
Why should our first peoples, who suffered the greatest hurt by white settlement – the loss of their land, destruction of their way of life, and death from disease and confrontation – feel disenfranchised when the rest of us are celebrating.
No wonder many of them feel that January 26 marks “Invasion Day”.
The first words of our National Anthem calls: “Australians ALL, let us rejoice ...”
How can we sing these words with any meaning when so many are mourning the loss of so much on this date?
Peter Uren is a retired airforce officer and author from Raymond Terrace.
His last book, Classic Bike Dreaming, a story about indigenous culture workplace values, was launched by NSW Opposition Spokesman for Aboriginal Affairs, David Harris, at Raymond Terrace Library in 2016.
