Change the date of Australia Day – or make January 26 First Fleet Day – Dick Smith
The truth is January 26 should be First Fleet Day, not Australia Day, The Age January 24, 2015 -Dick Smith I love this land and its people and believe I won the lottery of life being born here. Celebrating our national day on the date of British settlement in 1788 has never been a date that brings all Australians together, no matter how many flags we wave or happy barbecues we may enjoy. For many Indigenous Australians, the date is no holiday but a reminder of their country being taken over by others. It completely disrupted a way of life that had been undisturbed for 50,000 years.
The early British settlers considered Australia “Terra Nullius”, in effect an empty place that would be subject to British law and customs and the indigenous people were, for the most part, invisible and discounted.
Fortunately, in the last few decades most Australians have changed their views on this. We now understand that the first Australians lived here for countless generations in balance with the fragile Australian environment. Using fire and moving lightly on the land, they not only nurtured the environment, but developed a rich and remarkable culture that has survived longer than any civilisation in history……….
Finding another date will not be easy but it won’t be impossible, either. I would suggest a date that is orientated towards when we gained our independence from British rule or perhaps a date based on when Matthew Flinders first used the name ‘Australia’. January 26 could simply be known as ‘First Fleet Day’– yes, an important day for modern Australia but certainly not the day that our more inclusive society should celebrate as the day our nation was formed…….
I look forward to a day we can ALL celebrate as Australians. http://www.theage.com.au/comment/the-truth-is-january-26-should-be-first-fleet-day-not-australia-day-20150123-12xb0x.html
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Leave a reply to Christina MacPherson Cancel reply
1 This month
of the week – Disrupting War & Militarism in Oceania. Active solidarity. Radical practice.
Antinuclear 
A voice of reason from Dick Smith! Why not recognise January 26 as ‘First Fleet Day’? It can mean many things to different people and is inoffensive.
Where is our moral leadership in Australia?
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Thank you, Pete
Australia doesn’t seem yo have any moral leadership.
Ir perhaps it does, in fact, but the views of truly moral leaders get little or no media coverage.
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