I couldn’t be more grateful that my grandparents on both sides chose Australia to be their new home over 60 years ago. They knew the opportunity that this country offered and made great sacrifices to bring their families here. I will always love Australia and celebrate the amazing life and freedoms I have, many of which have come at great cost from those who have gone before me. I’m a proud Australian, and it’s because of my pride that I can’t celebrate Australia on January 26th.
Because how can I maintain my pride and dignity by celebrating a day that signifies mourning for so many of my brothers and sisters?
Yes I’m a proud Australian and I would love a national day to celebrate Australia. In unity. On a day that can be meaningful and inclusive for all who live here. To celebrate the things I love most – the changing landscape, the beaches, the colours, our beautiful wildlife and plants, the security that is afforded by our geographical distance to other countries, the weather, the lifestyle….
Hang on. The only thing that was created by humans in this list is lifestyle, everything else was here before Europeans arrived. So tell me again, why the insistence on marking January 26th as Australia Day?
Don’t get me wrong. This date marks an occasion in history and for that we should continue to acknowledge it. Up until 1935 this date had been known by other, more appropriate, names such as ‘Anniversary Day’ and ‘Foundation Day’, and it was still known as Foundation Day in NSW after 1935. It wasn’t until 1994 that we began consistently celebrating Australia Day on this date as a public holiday.
The thing is, Foundation Day is different to Australia Day, because all the things that we celebrate on Australia Day, all of the things we love about our country, are not the outcome of the events that occurred on January 26. As long as we continue to use this date we are not truly celebrating all of what makes our nation great. There are other dates we could choose that would be more meaningful, such as the day that the White Australia policy was abolished, or the original Australia Day, which was first celebrated on the 30th July 1915 and for several years after. Ellen Wharton Kirke MBE, a mother of four servicemen, first suggested a day of national celebration and patriotism, and I was amused to read the following assertion from the forming committee There is to be no alteration in the date already decided upon….Neither is the title of the day to be interfered with. The great “Australia Day” will be July 30.
Even in 1915 they were opposed to changing the date!
Us humans, we love tradition and ritual. And that’s a good thing. It’s good to remember, to reflect, to celebrate and to mourn. But, as with any good thing, there’s always the danger of it becoming a not so good thing. Our insistence on keeping a tradition, that is not as traditional or significant as we’d really like it to be, has become a not so good thing, and it’s completely insensitive.
Too harsh? Let’s try this for size. I’m going to introduce myself by moving into your house and killing any of your family members who get in my way, others will be my slaves. Over time, by some miracle, we get to know each other better, learn to get along, and put this all behind us. I’ll apologise for the distress I caused, admit that things could have been done differently and start treating you better. Then I decide “Hey, this is such a great house, we have such a great life! I think we should throw a housewarming party to celebrate how great this house and our life is. Let’s choose the day I moved in to mark this momentous celebration. That’s a good day.” How does that feel?
Not only is it insensitive, it’s insulting. This land was not terra nullius, the land of no one. There were many cultures and people groups living here long before the Europeans arrived. Their lives and lifestyle mattered. Yes it was different to ours, but it worked for them and it mattered. Yes they looked different to the Europeans but they were still human, entitled to the same rights as all humans. The life that was breathed into them was the same breath that gave us life, they are made in the same image as we are and their blood flows the same colour. They love their children as we do. They celebrate and mourn and struggle and play and learn and teach, just as we do.
And they are as deserving of empathy and understanding as we are. They are our brothers and sisters, who have been wronged and who deserve to be included, not excluded, from celebrations. January 26th is a day of mourning for our First Nations People. It has been since 1938. There’s nothing new or political in the push to have a different day of celebration. We just refuse to listen.
And this is what bothers me most. The fact that we get so caught up in our traditions that we refuse to pause and listen, really listen, to the feelings of others with the aim of understanding.
Why is that?
About the Author
SARINA ELDER
Sarina is a Writer with a passion for Making A Difference (MAD).
As a first generation Australian who struggled with cultural identity as a child, Sarina understands the importance of Being, Belonging, and Becoming as a fundamental need in all of us, regardless of age.
As a misunderstood Creative, who was diagnosed with ADHD in her adult years, Sarina is particularly passionate about supporting others to identify and release their Creative, or the Creative in their children, and to embrace the Neurodiversity that accompanies Creativity.
Sarina believes the best way to embrace ourselves is through laughter, and is open to sharing her own stories with the hope of encouraging others.