28-01-2024, 02:33 PM
This isn't a bad move but it would be a slow process; I think they'll eventually have to change the day.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68014555
"On 26 January every year - which marks the 1788 landing of Britain's First Fleet in Sydney Cove - two competing stories about Australia are told.
One is of nation-building and achievement; the other is of the displacement and dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
While many Indigenous Australians protest or sit the day out, this year Dennis Kickett is co-hosting a celebration like few others.
"I imagine I'll cop some flak," says the Noongar elder. "But I don't see the date as a barrier."
For the first time, his community of York near Perth will combine three days of Indigenous storytelling with the annual Australia Day festivities. It will include a BBQ with traditional bush tucker and the raising of Australian and Aboriginal flags to welcome new citizens.
Mr Kickett's aim is to use the gathering to explain what happened on 26 January.
"For us to move forward we all have to acknowledge the past. We live in the same community, and we're all striving for the same things," says the 70-year-old, who made the decision with fellow Ballardong traditional owners.
"There's no point segregating ourselves. On that date we will have an audience, so why not educate them?"
The Ballardong First Festival is one of hundreds of gatherings this weekend funded by the National Australia Day Council (NADC) - the body tasked with organising celebrations.
But as more people and businesses quietly opt out, and annual "Invasion Day" protests gather steam, some experts say it's unclear if revamping Australia Day will help future-proof it.
"A quiet rebranding is probably a useful way to think about it," explains Rachel Busbridge, a sociology lecturer at the Australian Catholic University.
"They're trying to create a day that is of resonance and relevance to people. That's the aim, and it says a lot about the shift in Australian society."
Dr Busbridge - who has long studied the public discourse around 26 January - says it will "always be a significant day in the national psyche".
But she's not convinced that the current efforts to preserve it will stand the test of time.
"'Invasion Day' marches are only growing with each year. We're talking up to 50,000 people at some events. And there's more and more popping up, as well as a steady growth in 'Survival Day' festivals."
"Another clear trend is that young Australians increasingly see this as a problematic day, so that might mean it's necessary to find a different date."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68014555
"On 26 January every year - which marks the 1788 landing of Britain's First Fleet in Sydney Cove - two competing stories about Australia are told.
One is of nation-building and achievement; the other is of the displacement and dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
While many Indigenous Australians protest or sit the day out, this year Dennis Kickett is co-hosting a celebration like few others.
"I imagine I'll cop some flak," says the Noongar elder. "But I don't see the date as a barrier."
For the first time, his community of York near Perth will combine three days of Indigenous storytelling with the annual Australia Day festivities. It will include a BBQ with traditional bush tucker and the raising of Australian and Aboriginal flags to welcome new citizens.
Mr Kickett's aim is to use the gathering to explain what happened on 26 January.
"For us to move forward we all have to acknowledge the past. We live in the same community, and we're all striving for the same things," says the 70-year-old, who made the decision with fellow Ballardong traditional owners.
"There's no point segregating ourselves. On that date we will have an audience, so why not educate them?"
The Ballardong First Festival is one of hundreds of gatherings this weekend funded by the National Australia Day Council (NADC) - the body tasked with organising celebrations.
But as more people and businesses quietly opt out, and annual "Invasion Day" protests gather steam, some experts say it's unclear if revamping Australia Day will help future-proof it.
"A quiet rebranding is probably a useful way to think about it," explains Rachel Busbridge, a sociology lecturer at the Australian Catholic University.
"They're trying to create a day that is of resonance and relevance to people. That's the aim, and it says a lot about the shift in Australian society."
Dr Busbridge - who has long studied the public discourse around 26 January - says it will "always be a significant day in the national psyche".
But she's not convinced that the current efforts to preserve it will stand the test of time.
"'Invasion Day' marches are only growing with each year. We're talking up to 50,000 people at some events. And there's more and more popping up, as well as a steady growth in 'Survival Day' festivals."
"Another clear trend is that young Australians increasingly see this as a problematic day, so that might mean it's necessary to find a different date."
in order to be old & wise, you must first be young & stupid. (I'm still working on that.)