Today is Australia day.
Australia Day only became a public holiday for all states and territories 24 years ago, in 1994. I never remember it being a big thing throughout my childhood - indeed, not until after the 1990s when people (mostly white people) started "celebrating" Australia Day with flag waving, wild drinking and partying or eating sausages, lamingtons and pavlova (duh???).
The 26 January 1788 is when the First Fleet landed in Sydney Cove to establish a penal colony under British rule - I cannot work out why on earth such a painful date is the one we choose to celebrate our national day???
So Rob and I chose to support the wonderful Ngunnawal/Ngambri Youth Council members who organised a Survival Day march here in Canberra today - to mark a day "celebrating" the resilience and survival of people and culture despite the terrible impact of colonisation over the past 230 odd years.
It was so good to see the numbers, and range of people supporting the march today (at least a thousand?)
We took it in turns to help a young woman hold her banner high: Sovereignty never Ceded - Always Was Always Will Be Aboriginal land. Just like in the Climate Action demonstrations the leadership is being taken on by the young ones - bless them! There was lots of chanting (all good humoured - but passionate too!) which we found quite an effort as that is a good walk from Veteran's Park in Civic, over Commonwealth Avenue Bridge up to Parliament House - in 35oC heat!!
This pic was taken by Canberra Times photographer Jamila Toderas. You can see my arm holding up the other side of the banner.
The pic below was from Nova Peris's (former Olympic athlete and Senator) Insta Post - she was there today too showing her support
C'mon Australia listen and learn and RESPECT the stories and history you share with your Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander fellow Australians - and bloody well change the date! (and then start tackling all the other issues we need to start work on as a country of "grown ups").
Postscript
We walked 10klms today, in the middle of the day - in 35oC conditions. We were feeling our age and dying for a beer by the time we got back to Campbell, and our local "The Pedlar".
Australia Day only became a public holiday for all states and territories 24 years ago, in 1994. I never remember it being a big thing throughout my childhood - indeed, not until after the 1990s when people (mostly white people) started "celebrating" Australia Day with flag waving, wild drinking and partying or eating sausages, lamingtons and pavlova (duh???).
The 26 January 1788 is when the First Fleet landed in Sydney Cove to establish a penal colony under British rule - I cannot work out why on earth such a painful date is the one we choose to celebrate our national day???
So Rob and I chose to support the wonderful Ngunnawal/Ngambri Youth Council members who organised a Survival Day march here in Canberra today - to mark a day "celebrating" the resilience and survival of people and culture despite the terrible impact of colonisation over the past 230 odd years.
Postscript
We walked 10klms today, in the middle of the day - in 35oC conditions. We were feeling our age and dying for a beer by the time we got back to Campbell, and our local "The Pedlar".
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