Next Tuesday, the 26th of January will be Australia Day. The day we celebrate all the things we love about Australia.
The date marks the raising of the Union Jack flag for the first time in 1788 after the British First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay in Sydney. In 1935, all Australian states and territories adopted the term "Australia Day" to celebrate the birth of modern Australia on the 26th of January.
For others, the 26th of January represents the European invasion of the continent after 60,000 years of Indigenous occupation that proceeded the First Fleet. Australia's colonisation was brutal, with many massacres taking place; oppression in indigenous communities, and land taking. For many Indigenous people - and an increasing number of non-Indigenous people who stand in support of them - it's a day of mourning.
On the surface, Australia Day seems to be about unifying all Australians, and yet ironically, it's a divisive day for many people. It has marginalised and offended many Indigenous people who see this date as commencing a chain of events that had disastrous consequences for many Indigenous people.
Support for a change of date will vary, but most Australians support it remaining on the 26th of January. I must be in the minority.
The date marks the raising of the Union Jack flag for the first time in 1788 after the British First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay in Sydney. In 1935, all Australian states and territories adopted the term "Australia Day" to celebrate the birth of modern Australia on the 26th of January.
For others, the 26th of January represents the European invasion of the continent after 60,000 years of Indigenous occupation that proceeded the First Fleet. Australia's colonisation was brutal, with many massacres taking place; oppression in indigenous communities, and land taking. For many Indigenous people - and an increasing number of non-Indigenous people who stand in support of them - it's a day of mourning.
On the surface, Australia Day seems to be about unifying all Australians, and yet ironically, it's a divisive day for many people. It has marginalised and offended many Indigenous people who see this date as commencing a chain of events that had disastrous consequences for many Indigenous people.
Support for a change of date will vary, but most Australians support it remaining on the 26th of January. I must be in the minority.