Australia Day

Australia Day is the official National Day and a Public Holiday, held on 26th January each year. The date is the anniversary of the landing of the First Fleet, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, on 26th January 1788. On arrival at Sydney Cove they began to establish the Colony of New South Wales.

Twenty years later, to the day, Governor Bligh (of Mutiny On The Bounty fame) was arrested and effectively exiled as part of the Rum Rebellion. By this time, though, the Colony was well established and the date was known as "Landing Day" or "Foundation Day".

By 1818, there were official celebrations in the form of a 30-gun salute, holidays for government workers and, shortly afterwards, bank and public holidays.

In 1888 all the Australian colonial capitals (with the exception of Adelaide) celebrated what was then known as "Anniversary Day", and by 1935 all of Australia was celebrating 26th January as Australia Day (or Anniversary Day in New South Wales).

The actual day of celebration (and thus the date) has varied slightly over the years – there being a vogue at one stage for the public holiday to be taken on a Monday (thus creating a long weekend) but by 1994 Australia Day was unified across the states and territories as 26th January.

The celebrations take two levels, formal and popular. Civic celebrations abound, with the presentations of the Order of Australia and the Australian Of The Year Awards, whilst the Tall Ships and the ferry races excite the masses who throng Sydney Harbour.

There is usually a huge open-air concert and a one-day cricket international in Adelaide.

The celebrations are not universally supported or welcomed, especially among the aboriginal people and their sympathisers. The arrival of the British is seen as a detrimental step by many indigenous people, who refer to the event as "Invasion Day" although some have celebrated it as "Survival Day" – a day of thanks for the survival of their ancestors who were not killed.

The Government, in response, state that they have taken great strides to address long-standing problems and to deal with the issues of the indigenous peoples.

Some Australians do not see the day as relevant, with Western Australians pointing out that they were not claimed by the British until 1829. Others point out that they have no allegiance to Britain whatsoever, having never had any ancestral ties to the country. Critics of this stance point out that Citizenship ceremonies take place on Australia Day and they are, de-facto, acknowledging Australia’s past in becoming an Australian.

Despite all controversy, however, Anglo-Australian celebrations continue to dominate the day, with pool parties, barbecues and, some would say, an over-indulgence in alcohol.

If you're looking for a way to commemorate this event, you might be interested in this article: Commemorations with Cross Stitch

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