Canberra flag wavers make "Things Bogans Like"

#23, at the Australia Day live concert I briefly chatted to two young English guys one of whom was half carrying the other because he had been punched in the head merely for having a pommy accent.

hyperlink would have been nice

Australia Day (previously known as Anniversary Day, Foundation Day and ANA Day[1]), and also referred to as Invasion Day[2] by several groups within Australian society, is the official national day of Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, the day commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, the hoisting of the British flag there, and the proclamation of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia.[3]

Australia Day is an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia, and is marked by the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year awards, along with an address from the Prime Minister.

Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with Governor Lachlan Macquarie having held the first official celebration of the formation of New South Wales in 1818. In 2004, an estimated 7.5 million people attended Australia Day celebrations and functions across the country.

Australia Day is seen as controversial by some Australians, who see it as a celebration of the destruction of Indigenous culture by British colonialism. There have been significant protests from and on behalf of the Indigenous Australian community, including, since 1988, “Invasion Day” protests. In light of these concerns, proposals to change the date of Australia Day have been made. As the date also marks the anniversary of the Rum Rebellion in 1808, Australia Day may be viewed as a commemoration of the only military coup in Australian history.[4] This last view parallels a sort of Independence Day.

History

The Founding of Australia, 1788Arrival of the First Fleet
Main article: First Fleet
On 13 May 1787, a fleet of 11 ships, which came to be known as the First Fleet, was sent by the British Admiralty from England to Australia. Under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, the fleet sought to establish a penal colony at Botany Bay on the coast of New South Wales, which had been explored and claimed by Captain James Cook in 1770. The settlement was seen as necessary because of the loss of the colonies in North America. The Fleet arrived between 18 and 20 January 1788, but it was immediately apparent that Botany Bay was unsuitable.

On 21 January, Philip and a few officers travelled to Port Jackson, 12 kilometres to the north, to see if it would be a better location for a settlement. They stayed there till 23 January; Philip named the site of their landing Sydney Cove, after the Home Secretary, Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney. They also had some contact with the local aborigines.

They returned to Botany Bay on the evening of 23 January, when Philip gave orders to move the fleet to Sydney Cove the next morning, 24 January. That day, there was a huge gale blowing, making it impossible to leave Botany Bay, so they decided to wait till the next day, 25 January. However, during 24 January, they spotted the ships Astrolabe and Boussole, flying the French flag, at the entrance to Botany Bay; they were having as much trouble getting into the bay as the First Fleet was having getting out.

On 25 January, the gale was still blowing; the fleet tried to leave Botany Bay, but only the HMS Supply made it out, carrying Arthur Philip, Philip Gidley King, some marines and about 40 convicts; they anchored in Sydney Cove in the afternoon.

On 26 January, early in the morning, Philip along with a few dozen marines, officers and oarsmen, rowed ashore and took possession of the land in the name of King George III. The remainder of the ship’s company and the convicts watched from onboard the Supply.

Meanwhile, back at Botany Bay, Captain John Hunter of the HMS Sirius made contact with the French ships, and he and the commander, Captain de Clonard, exchanged greetings. Clonard advised Hunter that the fleet commander was Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse. The Sirius successfully cleared Botany Bay, but the other ships were in great difficulty. The Charlotte was blown dangerously close to rocks; the Friendship and the Prince of Wales became entangled, both ship losing booms or sails; the Charlotte and the Friendship actually collided; and the Lady Penrhyn nearly ran aground. Despite these difficulties, all the remaining ships finally managed to clear Botany Bay and sail to Sydney Cove on 26 January. The last ship anchored there at about 3 pm.[5]

The first fifty years: 1788 to 1838

Australia Day Picnic, Brisbane, 1908Although there was no official recognition of the colony’s anniversary, with the New South Wales Almanacks of 1806 and 1808 placing no special significance to 26 January,[6] by 1808 the date was being used by the colony’s immigrants, especially the emancipated convicts, to “celebrate their love of the land they lived in”[7] with “drinking and merriment”.[8] The 1808 celebrations followed this pattern, beginning at sundown on 25 January, and lasted into the night, the chief toast of the occasion being Major George Johnston. Johnston had the honour of being the first officer ashore from the First Fleet, having been carried from the landing boat on the back of convict James Ruse. Despite suffering the ill-effects of a fall from his gig on the way home to Annandale, Johnston led the officers of the New South Wales Corps in arresting Governor William Bligh on the following day, 26 January 1808, in what became known as the “Rum Rebellion”.

In 1817 the The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser reported on one of these unofficial gatherings at the home of Isaac Nichols:

On Monday the 27th ult. a dinner party met at the house of Mr. Isaac Nichols, for the purpose of celebrating the Anniversary of the Institution of this Colony under Governor Philip, which took place on the 26th of Jan. 1788, but this year happening upon a Sunday, the commemoration dinner was reserved for the day following. The party assembled were select, and about 40 in number. At 5 in the afternoon dinner was on the table, and a more agreeable entertainment could not have been anticipated. After dinner a number of loyal toasts were drank, and a number of festive songs given; and about 10 the company parted, well gratified with the pleasures that the meeting had afforded.

—The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser[9]

1818 was the 30th anniversary of the founding of the colony, and Governor Lachlan Macquarie chose to acknowledge the day with the first official celebration.[10] The Governor declared that the day would be a holiday for all government workers, granting each an extra allowance of “one pound of fresh meat”, and ordered a 30 gun salute at at Dawes Point – one for each year that the colony had existed.[11] This began a tradition that was retained by the Governors that were to follow.[7]

Foundation Day, as it was known at the time, continued to be officially celebrated in New South Wales, and in doing so became connected with sporting events.[10] One of these became a tradition that is still continued today: in 1837 the first running of what would become the Australia Day regatta was held on Sydney Harbour.[7][12] Five races were held for different classes of boats, from first class sailing vessels to watermen’s skiffs, and people viewed the festivities from both onshore and from the decks of boats on the harbour, including the steamboat Australian and the Francis Freeling – the second of whom ran aground during the festivities and had to be refloated the next day.[13] Happy with the success of the regatta, the organisers resolved to make in an annual event.[12] However, some of the celebrations had gained an air of elitism, with the “United Australians” dinner being limited to those born in Australia.[7] In describing the dinner, the Sydney Herald justified the decision, saying:

The parties who associated themselves under the title of “United Australians” have been censured for adopting a principle of exclusiveness. It is not fair so to censure them. If they invited emigrants to join them they would give offence to another class of persons – while if they invited all they would be subject to the presence of persons with whom they might not wish to associate. That was a good reason. The “Australians” had a perfect right to dine together if they wished it, and no one has a right to complain.

—The Sydney Herald[14]

The following year, 1838, was the 50th anniversary of the founding of the colony, and as part of the celebrations Australia’s first public holiday was declared. The regatta was held for a second time, and people crowded the foreshores to view the events, or joined the five steamers (the Maitland, the Experiment, the Australia, the Rapid, and the miniature steamer Firefly) to view the proceedings from the water. At midday 50 guns were fired from Dawes’ Battery as the Royal Standard was raised, and in the evening rockets and other fireworks lit the sky.[15] The dinner was a smaller affair than the previous year, with only 40 in attendance compared to the 160 from 1837,[14][15] and the anniversary as a whole was described as a “day for everyone”.[10]

The centenary celebration: 1839 to 1888
Prior to 1888, 26 January was very much a New South Wales affair, as each of the colonies had their own commemorations for their founding. In Tasmania, Regatta Day occurred in December, South Australia had Proclamation Day 28 December, and Western Australia had their own Foundation Day on 1 June.[7]

In 1888, all colonial capitals except Adelaide celebrated ‘Anniversary Day’. In 1910, South Australia adopted Australia Day,[7] followed by Victoria in 1931.[10] By 1935, all states of Australia were celebrating 26 January as Australia Day (although it was still known as Anniversary Day in New South Wales).[7]

Sesquicentenary
The 150th anniversary of British settlement in Australia in 1938 was widely celebrated.[7] Preparations began in 1936 with the formation of a Celebrations Council.[7] In that year, New South Wales was the only state to abandon the traditional long weekend, and the annual Anniversary Day public holiday was held on the actual anniversary day – Wednesday 26 January.[7] The Commonwealth and state governments agreed to unify the celebrations on 26 January as ‘Australia Day’ in 1946, although the public holiday was instead taken on the Monday closest to the actual anniversary.[16]

Bicentennial year

Sydney Harbour, 26 January 1988Main article: Australian Bicentenary
In 1988, the celebration of 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet was organised on a large scale, with many significant events taking place in all major cities.[7] Over 2.5 million people attended the event in Sydney.[10] These included street parties, concerts, including performances on the steps and forecourt of the Sydney Opera House and at many other public venues, art and literary competitions, historic re-enactments, and the opening of the Powerhouse Museum at its new location. A re-enactment of the arrival of the First Fleet took place in Sydney Harbour, with ships that had sailed from Portsmouth a year earlier taking part.[10][7]

Celebrations

Perth’s Australia Day celebration attracted 500,000 people in 2006.Since 1988 participation in Australia Day has increased and in 1994 all States and Territories began to celebrate a unified public holiday on the actual day for the first time. [17] Civic celebrations such as the Order of Australia awards are a feature of the day around the country, and parades are common.[18] The Australia Day Achievement Medallion is awarded to citizens based on excellence in both government and non-government organisations. Air Force aerial displays are held in some capital cities, and firework displays occur each year in many Australian cities and towns. In Sydney, races are held, such as a ferry race, tall ships race and a surfing race across the harbour. Citizenship ceremonies are also commonly held on Australia Day. The Prime Minister also makes an address to the nation.

On the eve of Australia Day each year, the Prime Minister announces the winner of the Australian of the Year award, presented to an Australian citizen who has shown a “significant contribution to the Australian community and nation”, and is an “inspirational role model for the Australian community”.[19] Subcategories of the award include Young and Senior Australian of the Year, and an award for Australia’s Local Hero.

Various music festivals are held on Australia Day, such as the Big Day Out, the Triple J Hottest 100, and the Australia Day Live Concert. In the last ten years, a One Day International cricket match in the Australian Tri-Series has been held on Australia Day at the Adelaide Oval. Prior to that, a Test match usually started at the Adelaide Oval on Australia Day.

Opposition

An Invasion Day rally in Brisbane, 2007.For some Australians, particularly Indigenous Australians, Australia Day has become a symbol for adverse effects of British settlement on Australia’s Indigenous people.[20] The celebrations in 1938 were accompanied by an Aboriginal Day of Mourning. A large gathering of Aboriginal people in Sydney in 1988 led an “Invasion Day” commemoration marking the loss of Indigenous culture.[2] The anniversary is also known as “Survival Day” and marked by events such as the Survival Day concert first held in Sydney in 1992, celebrating the fact that the Indigenous people and culture have not been completely wiped out.[21]

In response, official celebrations have tried to include Indigenous people, holding ceremonies such as the Woggan-ma-gule ceremony, which was held in Sydney in 2006 and honoured the past and celebrated the present; it involved Indigenous Australians and the Governor of New South Wales.

Invasion Day
In January 1988, various Indigenous people of Australia made a concerted effort to promote an awareness among other Australians of their presence, their needs, and their desire that there should be communication, reconciliation and co-operation over the matter of land rights.[22] To this purpose, during January, they set up a highly-visible Tent Embassy at a shoreside location at a point called Mrs Macquarie’s Chair adjacent to the Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens. The embassy, consisting of several large marquees and smaller tents, was manned by a group of Aboriginal people from Eveleigh Street, Redfern, and was organised with the co-operation of the local council’s department of parks and gardens.[22] It became a gathering place for Aboriginal people from all over Sydney. One of the aims of the embassy was to be seen by the many thousands of Sydneysiders whom the organisers claimed did not know, and rarely even saw, any Aboriginal people.[22]

Wikinews has related news: Aboriginal Sovereignty Day Declared

‘Invasion Day’ has been widely used to describe the alternative Indigenous observance of Australia Day. Although some Indigenous Australians celebrate Australia Day, Invasion Day protests occur almost every year.[23]

Suggested changes to the date
Both prior to the establishment of Australia Day as the national day of Australia, and in the years subsequent to its creation, several different dates have been proposed for its celebration, and, at various times, the possibility of moving Australia Day to an alternative date has been mooted. While the reasons for such a move have been varied, concerns with the current arrangement have included:

The current date, celebrating the foundation of the Colony of New South Wales, can be seen as lacking national significance.[24]
Australia Day falls during the school holidays, limiting the ability of schools to engage children in the event.[24]
The date can be perceived as being intrinsically connected to Australia’s convict past, celebrating “Britain’s driving ashore of Australia’s first white citizens in chains”.[25]
It fails to encompass all Australians, alienating some members of the indigenous community.[24] Connected to this is the suggestion that moving the date would be seen as a significant symbolic act.[26]
Amongst those calling for change have been Tony Beddison, then chairman of the Australia Day Committee (Victoria), who argued for change and requested debate on the issue in 1999;[24] and Mick Dodson, who, as the newly-named Australian of the Year in 2009, called for debate in regard to when Australia Day was held.[27]

Proposed alternative dates

Federation Pavilion, Centennial Park, Sydney, 1 January 1901.Federation of Australia, 1 January
As early as 1957, 1 January was suggested as a possible alternative day, to commemorate the Federation of Australia.[28] In 1902, the year after federation, 1 January was named ‘Commonwealth Day’.[29] However, New Year’s Day was already a public holiday, and Commonwealth Day did not gather much support.[29]

Anzac Day, 25 April
There has been a degree of support in recent years for making Anzac Day, 25 April, Australia’s national day, although the suggestions have also encountered strong opposition. In 1999, prompted by Tony Beddison’s call for the date to be changed, a merger with Anzac Day found support with Peter Hollingworth (then the Anglican Archbishop of Brisbane), and the then Federal Leader of the Opposition, Kim Beazley.[30][31]

The suggestion was raised again in 2001, when the national president of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL), Major-General (retired) Peter Phillips, suggested that the merger may be possible in the future. Phillips was in the process of planning a major review into the future of Anzac Day, and the combination of the two caused considerable concern in the RSL. Although he subsequently stated that he was misrepresented, and that the review was not considering a merger of the two dates, the suggestion sparked controversy.[32] The idea was strongly opposed, with both Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley speaking against the concept. (Beazley clarified his earlier stance by stating that he did not support a merger, but that he nevertheless saw Anzac Day as the true national day of Australia).[33]

Counter arguments to merging the two dates include the belief that many war veterans view Anzac Day as their day; that Anzac Day is also a public holiday in New Zealand, Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga; and that a merger would detract from the core purpose of Anzac Day – to honour the war dead.[31][34]

Opening of the first Federal Parliament, 9 May
The date 9 May is also sometimes suggested, being not only the date on which the first Federal Parliament was opened in Melbourne in 1901, but also the date of the opening of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra in 1927, and the date of the opening of the New Parliament House in 1988.[35] The date has, at various times, won the support of Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, Tony Beddison,[24] and Geoffrey Blainey.[36] However, as with the Eureka Stockade, the date has been seen by some as being too closely connected with Victoria,[37] and its location close to the start of winter has been described as an impediment.[35]

Eureka Stockade, 3 December

Eureka leader, The Hon. Peter Lalor, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Victoria, 1880-1887.The Eureka Stockade on 3 December has had a long history as an alternative choice for Australia Day, having been proposed by The Bulletin in the 1880s.[38] The Eureka uprising occurred in 1854 during the Victorian gold rush, and saw a failed rebellion by the miners against the Victorian colonial government. Although the rebellion was crushed, it led to significant reforms, and has been described as being the birthplace of Australian democracy.[39] Supporters of the date have included senator Don Chipp and Victorian Premier Steve Bracks.[24][40] Nevertheless, the idea failed to gain traction in the 1880’s, possibly due to the loyalty of the colonialists to Britain, for “even in Ballarat Eureka had to be forgotten.”[38] More recently, the Eureka Stockade idea has received opposition after been claimed by both “hard-left unions” and “right-wing nationalist groups”,[39] and amongst some it is still seen as an essentially Victorian event.[37]

Other recommended dates
Wattle Day on 1 September, the first day of Spring, has been proposed as a unifying national patriotic holiday by the Wattle Day Association,[41] and has been raised as an alternative date for Australia Day.[42] There is a degree of historical precedent to the suggestion: Wattle Day was celebrated as Australia Day in South Australia for many years,[43] and during the First World War Australia Day was celebrated on 28 July, placing it in close proximity to Wattle Day.[44]
Constitution Day, 9 July is also suggested as a possible alternative, commemorating the day in 1900 when Queen Victoria gave her assent to the Constitution of Australia.[45]
The anniversary of the 1967 referendum to amend the constitutional status of Aborigines, 27 May, has also been suggested as a possible alternative.[26]
Opposition to change
Changing the date of Australia Day would be a decision that would have to be made by a combination of the Australian Federal and State Governments. [31] However, in recent years such a move has lacked sufficient support, with both Prime Ministers and Leaders of the Opposition speaking against the idea. In 2001 the then Prime Minster John Howard stated that he acknowledged aboriginal concerns with the date, but that it was nevertheless a significant day in Australia’s history, and thus he was for retaining the current date. He also noted that the January 1st, which was being discussed in light of the Centenary of Federation, was inappropriate as it coincided with New Years Day.[46] More recently, Prime Minster Kevin Rudd gave a “straightforward no” to a change of date, speaking in response to Mick Dodson’s suggestion to reopen the debate. The then Leader of the Opposition, Malcolm Turnbull, echoed Rudd’s support of 26 January, but, along with Rudd, supported the right of Australians to raise the issue.[27] In regard to State leaders, Nathan Rees, (who was, at the time, the Premier of New South Wales), stated that he was yet to hear a “compelling reason” to support change; and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh expressed her opposition to a change of date in spite of any controversy.[27]

In 2004 a Newspoll that asked if the date of Australia Day should be moved to one that is not associated with European settlement, found 79 per cent of respondents favoured no change, 15 per cent favoured change and 6 per cent were uncommitted.[47]

Historian Geoffrey Blainey said he believed 26 January worked well as Australia Day and that: “My view is that it is much more successful now than it’s ever been.” [48]

The wikipedia entry for Australia Day – that was so boring to read!!!

I’m from now on choosing not to celebrate Australia day…not because I don’t like this country – I do, very much – but just because I think it’s just not as much of a hassle to change the date than to have many of our indigenous population being alienated by the celebration of a date that brought them dispossession and practically genocide.

Anyway, why are we celebrating the day when the Brits discovered the place? Why not the opening of the first federal parliament on the 9th of May? Or the Eureka stockade on the 3rd of December. I know Anzac Day has been proposed as well, I’d take that.

Oh, and if the date changes, I will celebrate Australia day with everyone who is in this country, regardless of origin. Most of us are boat-people anyway.

(It’s fine to ask for one’s image to be credited, even on the internet.)

I respect the Australian national flag as a symbol for this country and the people in it.

I also respect the right of said people to express their patriotic pride (unfortunately you may sometimes have to swap “patriotic” for “white”) in wearing that flag in whatever manner they choose. If they’re not intending to denigrate the flag, then I don’t think there’s an issue.

Besides, as already mentioned, someone wearing the flag as a cape is a great indicator that a wide berth may be necessary.

“The kind of people who wave flags are they kind of people who shouldn’t”

Let’s face it. Wearing “Aussie” paraphernalia, muck like wearing trucker’s caps and Roman sandles, is natures way of telling sane intelligent people to keep away from gene pools that are way too shallow.

As for the BDO, I have been going since the late 90’s and it was only after Cronulla that the Aussie flag started making a big appearance.

Bogans, you don’t need a flag to be Australian. My family has been here since the first fleet and I hate bogans, so . . . y’know, do us a favour, put down the flag and stop breeding.

It’s an unarguable fact that a real patriot would not wear the Australian flag.

FUBAR said :

Jim Jones – hahahaha your making me even happier and entertaining me while i am at work you grammar nazi. Gee you must have a boring life, picking up grammar mistakes, picking on Australians who are proud to be Australian, making up words (Bogan).

Jim Jones = Internet tough guy (for example: “look at me im on the internet picking on white australians, but i wont ever say anything to anyone with a southern cross tattoo face instead ill go on riotact where i can mingle with younger men and women and accuse, abuse and label white australians behind the safety of my keyboard”)

haahahahhaa once again thanks for the entertaining day. Either that or you ARE dennis ferguson im not sure which one, could even be both.

Thanks for your comments = D

How about you go back to your own country and stop bothering us…

FUBAR said :

Jim Jones – hahahaha your making me even happier and entertaining me while i am at work you grammar nazi. Gee you must have a boring life, picking up grammar mistakes, picking on Australians who are proud to be Australian, making up words (Bogan).

Jim Jones = Internet tough guy (for example: “look at me im on the internet picking on white australians, but i wont ever say anything to anyone with a southern cross tattoo face instead ill go on riotact where i can mingle with younger men and women and accuse, abuse and label white australians behind the safety of my keyboard”)

haahahahhaa once again thanks for the entertaining day. Either that or you ARE dennis ferguson im not sure which one, could even be both.

Thanks for your comments = D

I really hope you’re not a Gen Y (although I have a feeling you are) – it’s the ones like you that give the rest of us a bad name.

You should stop before you (continue to) embarrass yourself.

Do your parent know you’re using the computer?

This site is really for big kids.

Run along now.