For Aboriginals, Australia Day is Invasion Day
Australia Day: Why 26 January continues to divide Aussies Most Aussies celebrate 26 January in the sun, but the commemoration of white settlement angers others, The Week, UK, 24 JAN 2014 AUSTRALIA’S national day is celebrated each year on 26 January with the ignition of thousands of barbeques and the downing of millions of cold beers. But Australia Day – which marks the establishment of the first European settlement in 1788 – is regarded as a day of shame by some Australians. Here are five key questions about the event:……….
Why is Australia Day controversial? Some Australians – both indigenous and non-indigenous – refer to 26 January as “Invasion Day”. They argue that the brutal treatment of the Aborigines by white settlers and the legacy of disease and addiction they inflicted on Australia’s first people makes it impossible to celebrate the arrival of Europeans. The issue continues to be a hot-button. This week Captain Cook’s historic home, rebuilt in Melbourne after being shipped from England, was sprayed with graffiti by activists in a protest against Australia Day. Phrases such as “26th Jan Australia’s shame” were daubed on to the two-story stone building, known as Cook’s Cottage, Sky News reports.
Will the day ever unite Australia? That seems unlikely. Despite efforts to reconcile white and indigenous Australians, Australia Day continues to be a reminder of oppression to some. “To many Aboriginal people there is little to celebrate and it 
is a commemoration of a deep loss,” says the Creative Spirits website. “Loss of their sovereign rights to their land, loss of family, loss of the right to practice their culture.”http://www.theweek.co.uk/asia-pacific/57035/australia-day-why-26-january-continues-divide-aussies
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