Happy Australia Day!
Happy Australia Day!
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. It commemorates the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove. According to Wikipedia:
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 Lieutenant James Cook in 1770. The settlement was seen as necessary because of the loss of the Thirteen colonies in North America.
Australia Day is celebrated January 26, close to the date the fleet arrived (long journey!). Here in the U.S., it’s January 25, but it’s already tomorrow down under.
It may not sound like a great thing to celebrate the establishment of a penal colony, but that’s Australia’s first settlement and the beginning of its modern history. They celebrate it big with concerts, barbecues, sporting events, citizenship ceremonies, and fireworks. It’s not free of controversy, however. For some Indigenous Australians, the day is a symbol of invasion and loss. On the bright side, Australians are not oblivious to this. A 2009 Newspoll survey reported that 90 percent of Australians polled believed it was important to recognize Indigenous people and culture, as well as general cultural diversity, in Australia Day celebrations, and efforts are made to include Aboriginals and focus on multiculturalism.
About the image: By akeii, Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0
