How Do People Feel About Australia Day?
Australia Day is a day that celebrates Australian culture and history; it is celebrated on January 26th each year. Many people see Australia Day as a day of celebration, where people can be proud of being Australian and everything that being Australian means. However, it has an interesting history and it’s important not to overlook the debates that have arisen around the day of so-called ‘celebration’.
When celebrating the country that we all enjoy today, it’s easy to forget the dark past that Australia was built on. The day commemorates the arrival of the first British fleet in Australia, which landed in Sydney in 1788. The fleet was carrying around 700 convicts, who were forced to start a new life in Australia. While the British settlers saw this as a new beginning, the indigenous people saw it as the start of a long and difficult period of oppression.
As the history books tell us, indigenous people were forcibly removed from their land, made to live in segregated communities, and forbidden to practice their own culture or language. They were also subjected to violence and abuse at the hands of the British settlers. While you might think that this is all in the past, it wasn’t until 1967 that indigenous people were finally given full citizenship rights in Australia.
So, it’s fair to say that Australia Day is a contentious issue for many indigenous people. For many, it’s a day of mourning and a reminder of the injustices that their ancestors endured. In fact, many have called for Australia Day to be moved to a date that is more respectful of indigenous history and culture.
But, it’s not just indigenous people who have mixed feelings about Australia Day. For some white Australians, the holiday is a reminder of a history that they would rather forget. It’s a reminder of a time when Australia was a penal colony and a place where many people were treated unjustly.
How do people feel about Australia Day? As we’ve seen, it is a complex issue. For some, it’s a day to celebrate all that is good about Australia. For others, it’s a day to reflect on the country’s dark past. And for some, it’s simply a day to enjoy a public holiday and spend time with family and friends. Australians Together is just one fantastic resource attempting to tell the whole story of Australia’s history and appreciate all sides of the day.
Colonisation of Australia
What is the colonisation of Australia? What does this mean? The colonisation of Australia is a term used to describe the process by which the British established colonies on the Australian continent. This began in 1788 with the establishment of a penal colony in New South Wales and continued until the last British colony was established in 1901.
The colonisation of Australia was a complex and controversial process. It had a profound impact on the Indigenous Australians, who had lived on the continent for thousands of years before the arrival of the British. All in all, colonisation had a significant impact on the environment and the development of Australian society.
Over the decades, indigenous cultures have been fighting for their rights and for recognition of the wrongs that were done to them during colonisation. This has resulted in several changes to Australia Day; for example, in 1938, the Day of Mourning was held on 26 January to protest the treatment of indigenous Australians.
As mentioned, many people feel that it is inappropriate to celebrate Australia’s national day on a date that is so loaded with meaning for indigenous Australians. In the future, we could just see significant changes to the date and day itself.