Australia Day
Australia
Day, celebrated annually on 26 January, is the
official national day of Australia, commemorating
the establishment of the first European settlement
on the continent of Australia. The date is that
of the foundation of a British penal colony at
Sydney Cove on Port Jackson, New South Wales,
by Captain Arthur Phillip, who was to become the
first Governor. Australia Day is an official public
holiday in all states and territories of Australia,
and has also been known as Anniversary Day, Foundation
Day and Invasion Day.
On
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".
Subcategories of the award include "Young"
and "Senior Australian of the Year",
and an award for the "Australian Local Hero".
Records
of the celebration of Australia Day date back
to 1808, and in 1818, Governor Lachlan Macquarie
held the first official celebration of Australia
Day. In 2004, an estimated 7.5 million people
attended Australia Day celebrations and functions
across the country.
History
On
13 May 1787, a fleet of 11 ships captained by
Arthur Phillip, which came to be know as the First
Fleet, was sent by the British Admiralty from
England to Australia, to established a penal colony
at Botany Bay on the coast of New South Wales,
explored by Captain James Cook in 1770. The settlement
was seen as necessitated by the loss of colonies
in North America. Captain Phillip found Botany
Bay unsuitable and with two ships proceeded up
the coast to Port Jackson, which he declared "the
finest harbour in the world". The site decided
upon for the first settlement was at a location
where there was a potable stream of water, and
some level land, unlike much of the steep and
rugged foreshore. By 26 January 1788, the fleet
was at anchor in Sydney Cove, the male convicts
were unshipped and the flag was raised in the
name of King George III.
On
26 January 1808, the day was celebrated as "First
Landing" or "Foundation Day", the
colony having survived for twenty years, despite
the initial hardships, deprivation and starvation
suffered by the First Fleet settlers. The celebrations
began at sundown on the 25th January, and lasted
into the night, the chief toast of the occasion
being Major George Johnston, who had 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, the colony's
first successful farmer. On the following day,
26th January 1808, George Johnston, despite suffering
the ill-effects of a fall from his gig on the
way home to Annadale, was at the head of the officers
of the New South Wales Corps to arrest Governor
Bligh in the Rum Rebellion.
In
1818, the 30th anniversary, Governor Macquarie
had a 30-gun salute at Dawes Point and gave government
workers a holiday - a tradition that was soon
followed by banks and other public offices.
In
1888 all colonial capitals (with the exception
of Adelaide) celebrated 'Anniversary Day' and
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).
The
1938 sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) of British
settlement in Australia was widely celebrated.
Preparations began in 1936 with the formation
of a Celebrations Council. 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.
In
1946 the Commonwealth and State governments agreed
to unify the celebrations on 26 January as 'Australia
Day', although the public holiday was instead
taken on the Monday closest to 26 January.
Since
1994 all states and territories have celebrated
Australia Day on 26 January. If Australia Day
occurs on a weekend, however, a public holiday
is observed on the nearest Monday.
Australia Day 1988
The
celebration of 200 years since the arrival of
the First Fleet was organised on a large scale,
with many significant events taking part in all
major cities, but particularly in Sydney. The
events 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,
the opening of the Powerhouse Museum at its new
location. A fleet of eleven sailing ships of similar
size to those of the First Fleet anchored in Farm
Cove and there was a re-enactment of the arrival
of the first European settlers.
One
of the biggest aspects of the celebration was
the invitation to other nations to take part in
a yacht race, and a parade of sail. The Sydney
to Hobart Yacht Race is an annual event, commencing
in Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day, with competing
yachts sailing down the coast to the southernmost
state capital of Hobart in Tasmania. However,
the 1987 Boxing Day start was cancelled, the race
commencing in Hobart in mid January, and sailing
north, rather than south, in order to finish in
Sydney. The invitation attracted not only yachts
but tall ships from all over the world, many of
which assembled first at Fremantle, Western Australia.
The ships included the "Juan Sebastian d'Elcano",
from Spain, the "Eagle" from the United
States, the "Gorch Foch" from Germany,
the "Friendship" from Poland, the "Nipon
Maru" from Japan, the "Varuna"
from India, and many others including the United
Kingdom's gift to Australia, the sail-traing vessel,
"Young Endeavour". To the cheers of
watchers on the bridge in Darling Harbour, on
the evening of the 21st January, the "Young
Endeavour" was the first of her class to
finish the Hobart to Sydney race. On the afternoon
of Australia Day, there was a parade of vessels
on Sydney Harbour, which included all the tall
ships, Sydney's historic steamships, and thousands
of smaller craft of every description.
The Aboriginal response
In
January 1988, the indigenous people of Australia
made a concerted effort to promote an awareness
among other Australians of their presence, their
perceived needs, and their desire that there should
be communication, reconciliation and co-operation
over the matter of landrights. 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, of several large
marquees and smaller tents, was manned by a group
of Aboriginal people from Everleigh Street, Redfern,
and was organised with the co-operation of the
local council's department of parks and gardens.
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"
who did not know, and rarely saw an aboriginal
person. Among the outspoken supporters of the
Aboriginal people, and a visitor to the tent embassy,
was the Anglican Dean of Sydney, Lance Shilton.
As
part of the consolidation of the Aboriginal people,
many people from remote parts of Australia, from
the far north, and from the Central Desert, travelled
to Sydney, where they were welcomed at the embassy,
and accommodated by the Aboriginal community at
La Perouse. There was a tremendous elation among
the local community, many of whom felt detached
from their roots, because the "initiated
elders" had come among them. One of the elders
whose presence was particularly anticipated was
the landrights activist Vincent Lingiari, but
unfortunately, he died on route to Sydney, on
the 21st January. His death was commemorated by
the ringing of the bells at the Sydney church
of St. Stephen's, Newtown.
A
great gathering, with a variety of speakers was
organised in Hyde Park, Sydney, on the afternoon
of Australia Day. The entire day passed peacefully,
with only a few isolated incidents and very few
arrests.
Australia
Day is a national day and public holiday. For
some years the holiday was held on the closest
Monday, to provide a long weekend. It is now held
on the actual anniversary, with that day being
the public holiday.
The
National Australia Day Council (NADC) is the coordinating
body for the Australian of the Year Awards and
Australia Day celebrations across the nation.
The NADC heads a network of state and territory
Australia Day affiliate organisations and local
Australia Day committees.
Australia
Day is marked by civic celebrations around the
country, including the Order of Australia and
Australian of the Year awards for outstanding
achievement. Air Force aerial displays are held
in some capital cities. In Sydney the ferry race
and tall ships race has become tradition, along
with a surfing race across the harbour.
Citizenship
ceremonies are also held on Australia Day. The
Australia Day Achievement Medallion is awarded
to citizens based on excellence in both government
and non-government organisations. Customarily,
the Prime Minister will make an address to the
nation.
Fireworks
celebrations are held in many towns and cities
around the country. The Perth Lotterywest Skyworks
display is billed as the largest Australia Day
celebration in the country, with more than a third
of the city's population (around 500,000 estimated
for the 2006 Skyworks) lining the river foreshore
for the display.
The
Australian music scene enjoys a significant event
on Australia Day - the Triple J Hottest 100. The
Sydney leg of the Big Day Out music festival has
also traditionally occurred on Australia Day.
In 2007 the event was held on 25 January due to
the flag ban controversy at the event. There is
also often a one day cricket match such as the
2006 Australia Day match in Adelaide. In Canberra
the Australia Day Live Concert takes place where
the Australian of the Year is announced.
Suggested changes to the date
Some
have suggested making ANZAC Day Australia's national
day, or changing to 1 January, commemorating 1
January 1901 when Australia's six colonies federated
into one nation. Each of the alternatives raised
also poses problems — ANZAC Day because
many war veterans believe that it is their day,
and that it is also a public holiday in New Zealand,
Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga, while 1 January
is already a public holiday and is in the middle
of the Christmas holiday season. 9 May is also
sometimes suggested, being the date the first
Federal Parliament was opened in 1901.
Many
supporters of the continued use of Australia Day
as Australia's national day point out that 26
January commemorates an actual historical event,
similar to ANZAC Day, Bastille Day in France,
Canada Day in Canada, Independence Day in the
United States, and Republic Day in India.
A
recent advertising campaign for Australian Lamb,
featuring Sam Kekovich, was promoting the extension
to Australia day, to Australia Week.
Criticism and alternative celebrations
To
some Aboriginal Australians and sympathisers,
the idea of celebrating the anniversary of the
arrival of the British has been seen as incongruous
with the adverse effects British settlement had
on Australia's indigenous people. The sesquicentenary
celebrations in 1938 were accompanied by an Aboriginal
Day of Mourning. A large gathering of Aboriginal
people in Sydney in 1988 led to yearly "Invasion
Day" commemoration marking the loss of indigenous
culture. 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.
In
response, official celebrations have tried to
include indigenous people, holding ceremonies
such as the Woggan-ma-gule ceremony honouring
the past and celebrating the present in Sydney
in 2006, involving the New South Wales Governor
and Indigenous Australians. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
News
Australia
Day 2008
Media
Man Australia was delighted to meet with representatives
from Waverley Council and The Department of the
Environment at Bondi Beach, Sydney.
A
plane towed an Australian flag over Bondi Beach
and later, "Sorry" sky writing was to
be seen, in recognition of Indigenous Australia
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