Idea 01 According to the State Government of Victoria “Australia Day celebrates the anniversary of Captain Arthur Phillip unfurling the British flag at Sydney Cove and proclaiming British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia on 26 January 1788.”1 Australia Day also marks the unofficial end of the holiday period in Australia. Not unlike our friends in the north, Australia‘s major holiday period occurs over the summer, a month or so, spanning from around Christmas day to around Australia Day, more or less. This description is intentionally vague as the summer period is unofficial. Australia Day is a public holiday and it is typically spent following official events, watching the tennis — the Australian Tennis Open, or by the bar-b-que. Idea 02 In recent times the notion of being Australian has been brought to the fore, when racial based riots in Cronulla, a beach side suburb of Sydney, errupted on 11 December 2005. Since that dip in Australian history, a small group of white Australians have taken to adorning themselves with the Southern Cross as a Symbol of their vision of being Australian. Like this sample, this symbolic display takes a prominent scale, with tattoos taking up an area bounded by the base of the neck to the lower back. An intimidating sight on any beach scape. Idea 03 Another opinion of what it is to be Australian — comes from fallen businessman and comedian — Steve Vizard. In May 2008 Mr Vizard handed back his 1997 Order of Australia medal (awarded on Australia Day) for his past wrongs in the spirit of a ban introduced in 2008 of stopping people with civil convictions receiving medals. Prior to Vizard‘s fall from grace, on Australia Day 2005, Vizard provided a frank and colourful portrait of what it is to be Australian to The Age newspaper in Melbourne. The piece is long lost and no scouring of the internet found any crumbs of his sentiments, apart from these introductory musings for a speech delivered for the Australian Republican movement in Melbourne in 1999, see here. Please note we are impartial to the Australian Republic debate.

A searing 39 degrees day. A gaggle of waxed Greek youths, a friend of mine included, more body hair than a herd of Yaks at altitude, duck-dive in Port Phillip Bay for a wooden crucifix hurled from St. Kilda pier by a Greek orthodox bishop, shrouded in black and sweltering like Demis Roussos on Centre court. Two burning days before. The asphalt backways of Geelong. Availing themselves of a road works detour, two small children, say nine and seven, freckled and thirsty, furtively waiting at a card table outside their suburban home, a hand made sign propped up “Horse Manure. 70 cents a Bag. Two for $2.00.” Spelt ‘MANYOOR’. Hovering in a crowd of holiday tans and mobile phones watching a Portsea beach bathing box the size of my wife’s handbag sell for a king’s randsom. Imbibing outside Tolarno’s, Fitzroy St, St. Kilda, engaging in a chat with the local aboriginals. Homeless, squatting in the empty building next door, everyone of them related to someone else – Ernie Dingo’s cousin, Gary Foley’s nephew, Lionel Rose’s younger brother. It’s like an audience warm-up for “This is Your Life”. They’re arming me with unrepeatable dirty jokes for use in my Australia Day speech. Bemoaning Jabiluka. Not knowing where it is. But knowing what they haven’t got. Exploring with my kids, Tommy, Jimmy, Steph and Madeleine, the banks of the Barwon River. Pretending to catch a Redfin, skinny-dipping and recounting for them, more or less, the story of William Buckley the escaped convict who for thirty years wandered the rivers and coastlines near Geelong as a member of the Wathaurong Tribe, the first real link between our penal colony roots and our indigenous citizens. A black and white photograph of me hugging Dad just before he died: Dad, who would be proud as punch to see me here talking on this great occasion, celebrating this nation he loved so much, this nation of lawns he mowed so vigorously, and of family holidays to wineries he explored so enthusiastically and from which he sniffed Bill Chambers Special Shiraz and across which he dragged sprinklers and kicked footies and bowled leggies…

One notes that in the body of Vizard‘s speech this quote — Our nation is made strong by challenges. The test of our identity, the price of citizenship is how we respond to those challenges. Vizard remains deeply ashamed for his wrong doings, and handing back of his Australia Day medal, in a way, responds to his personal challenges. Idea 04 Many indigenous Australians label the 26 January as ‘Invasion Day‘. Some are protesting this day viewing it as a celebration of white people suppressing the indigenous people. This year there are calls to move that day itself to make Australia Day independent of the official proclaiming of British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia. Idea 05 Australia Day is also an opportunity to look back and potentially look forward. 2009‘s NSW Australia Day Address by Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC CVO2 explores New South Wales‘ fifth Governor Lachlan Macquarie. One of the stand out ideas that Bashir explored in her speech was the notion of the origin of Australia‘s “fair go“ tradition.

It was, however, Macquarie‘s treatment of the convicts in his charge that earns our respect and admiration today. This was more than humanitarianism; it was nation-building. The colony needed a workforce, the larger the better, and Macquarie believed that when a prisoner had discharged his debt to society he should be “eligible for any situation which he has, by a long term of upright conduct, proved himself worthy of filling.“ Bligh had granted only two pardons during his term as Governor. Macquarie, between 1810 and 1820, granted 366 pardons, 1,365 conditional pardons and 2,319 tickets of leave. According to Ritchie, the policy of emancipation was “the child of Macquarie‘s heart, more instinctual than theoretical“. In his softer moments — Ritchie wrote in 1986 — he viewed the convicts as children of misfortune. Believing in the intrinsic worth of individuals, he offered them hope; he aimed to encourage redemption, to promote self-respect and, ultimately, a social regeneration. He nurtured a dream of what the new country might become … In raising people to positions of trust and authority, he drew no distinction between the free and the freed; his object was to eliminate faction and to introduce harmony. Can we not see in Macquarie‘s example of tolerance and humanity the beginnings of the great Australian tradition of the ‘fair go‘ — the spirit of egalitarianism, the sense of fair play that many regard as our defining characteristic as a people?  He believed that everyone deserved a second chance, whatever his past deeds or reputation. And to a large extent that belief was his undoing.  It led to the appointment of J. T. Bigge as a commissioner to inquire into the colonial administration. Bigge‘s damning report was deeply wounding to Macquarie‘s pride and reputation. But he never abandoned his faith in human decency and the principles of fairness for which he stood throughout his term.

Several ideas that Australia Day has left us with the idea of exploring the ideas that make Australian culture and physicality unique. We welcome the 13,000 people that have become Australian citizens today, we wish everyone a “fair go“ in the coming year. Notes. 1. Australia Day Wikipedia 2. Australian Republican Movement 3. ABC news Vizard hand back 4. Australia Day speech 5. Governor Macquarie Wikipedia