January 26th, 1788
The arrival of the first British Fleet of ships to Port Jackson, NSW. The bravery and accomplishments of that fleet, helped build Australia as it stands today. But in the good they did, there was also bad.
Currently it is held on the 26th of January. That date was only established in 1994. Previously it was known as First Fleet Day.
If another country were to invade Australia, and we fought hard, but lost. And many of us died. Now the new invading party has control of land that used to be ours.
We must now integrate into their society.
And we must celebrate the day, they first, officially, invaded our country.
Would you be happy to do so?
Would your future generations, be happy to celebrate your demise?
Would you want to compliment the skill and accomplishment of people that took your country, and way of life?
The past is set, we can’t change it. There are certainly tragic events from the settlement of Australia. But we can decide to do better as a nation.
The very least that could be done, is to change the date. I don’t have a personal recommendation.
I will just be happy, if its a date that everyone can be comfortable with, and is inclusive to all. Then we can focus on continuing to build and improve the lives of all Australians.
We don’t need to take anything away from ourselves to help others. Australia Day is designed to be for all Australians, not the celebration of first fleets.
I don’t see what would be lost by changing the date, and there is something to be gained, by all.
It’s a small step, but one in the right direction.