Don’t support Australia Day? Well go to work then
Australians all let us rejoice, except on Australia Day apparently. Increasingly we are seeing companies and local councils taking it upon themselves to cancel our celebration of all things that bring this country together: mateship, pride in one’s country, a celebration of those who have fought for our freedom, our lifestyle, our culture.
January 26 is not a day I associate with invasion, nor is it for the majority of Australians.
We don’t celebrate Captain Cook landing, the British invasion, the loss of First Nations people’s lives.
But we should have the compassion to share one another’s pain.
Australia Day events can be held with acknowledgment of the impact on First Nations people.
On the Gold Coast, for example, The Kombumerri Healing Ceremony is held in Mudgeeraba to acknowledge the history of our First Nations people, to share their culture and to focus on reconciliation and moving forward together.
Last year, more than 400 people attended what was described as a peaceful, emotional and hopeful ceremony.
Understanding others’ pain is part of being a good citizen, not only nationally but on the world scale.
In the Middle East, if more people from the Israeli side appreciated the plight of those in Gaza, and more Palestinians appreciated the magnitude of the October 7 massacre to Israelis, we would go a small step towards ending the violence, especially if groups like Hamas were eradicated.
But cancelling our national day, renaming it or moving it to another date even, is like saying we can’t navigate difficulties and differences.
Australia is almost ashamed to mention what day it is on January 26.
As a nation we have been built on accepting people from different backgrounds, races and religions.
As a nation, we are far more tolerant and laid back than many.
And as a country, we have a lot to celebrate.
One of my favourite people in the world is a South Sea Islander who is one of the proudest Australians I know.
As a child, he was bullied because of the colour of his skin. He grew up surrounded by racism. His grandfather was among the 62,000 South Pacific Islanders taken to provide cheap labour for the Queensland and northern NSW sugar industry.
But his parents taught him not to live as a victim but to prove his worth to the community through success in sport and hard work. He has done both in spades.
To this day, he’s one of the hardest working blokes I know and one who has an incredible family and is a role model for other Indigenous people trying to find their way in a ‘white man’s world’.
He celebrates Australia Day because he is proud of this country, particularly the legacy left by those who fought for us.
For those who don’t want to support Australia Day, the answer is simple. Don’t take the day off. Work and let it be like any other day for you.
But let the rest of us, including our First Nations People, celebrate all that this country has to offer with pride.