INVASION DAY-Capt Cook observed: we could not discover that they had any head or chief, or form of Government, neither have they any usefull or necessary Utentials except it be a Bagg or Basket to gather their Muscels into. Giving Dr. Gracelyn Smallwood the opportunity to refute this observation of such longevity seems a generous and gracious gesture. Australia was never invaded. Australia arose ex nihilo-from nothing. The act of settlement was not in furtherance of an ideology but a phenomenon. The pioneers improved the country so as to live more comfortably. Apologists have assiduously asserted that they have found dishonourable motives and hidden genocidal blueprints in the detritus of Australian history. They have become obsessed with conspiracy theories behind every event in the calendar of settlement. Regrettably, this approach to Australian history lacks merit; is unconvincing in its argument, and divisive in its effect. At the conclusion of Invasion Day, the question to be answered is: How long did Pinocchio’s nose grow?