How we spend Australia Day
For the benefit of non-Australian readers, I will tell you how the average household spends Australia Day, 26th of January, the anniversary of the landing of the first fleet in Botany Bay, where Sydney now stands, 1788.
First thing in the morning, we gather around the household flag pole and raise the flag. Everyone stands to attention. Then we put our hands on our hearts and sing the National Anthem. It is a very solemn moment.
The decorations should have been prepared days ago, or at least the night before. Every house is covered in yellow and green streamers and balloons. Before anyone is allowed to eat breakfast, members of the family take turns to list all the Prime Ministers and their dates of reign since Federation. Then we do all the governors of our particular colony/state, from first white settlement to the present day. One can get quite hungry by the time we get to have breaky so most people will bone up in the days before.
We have a huge Australia Day parade. Children have been rehearsing ten hours a day in the summer heat for the last month, gladly sacrificing their summer holidays. The beaches have been empty of children frolicking in the water and making sand castles. They have been marching, dancing and singing with military precision to make the cut, the ultimate honour, to be in the Australia Day parade. Just 20% of them will be invited to march, and three days ago the cut was made. Thousands of children had got up early and sweated away for weeks only to be told that they were not good enough. They had put in over 200 hours each, but that is that way it goes.
The annual parade is down Swanstan Street. They march and do their movements in perfect time, to honour our prime minister and all their other elders. Not one hair, not one little finger is out of place as they do their impressive routines. The heavy costumes make them sweat in 40 degree heat but they never complain, it is a great honour on them and their families to do this.
It is important for people born in other countries to show our loyalty to Australia. Traditionally, it means taking the flag for one’s nation of birth and burning it. This year things are a bit difficult as it is a Total Fire Ban day in Victoria so I have had to cut up a New Zealand flag into lots of tiny little bits with a pair of scissors. It was the least I could do.
Held in the middle of the day, the Australia Day Dinner is a huge event. Regardless of the weather, the gentlemen wear dinner suits and the ladies wear evening gowns. The best silver and china is layed out and we all sit down to a five course meal. To start with, the man of the house will life his glass for a Loyal Toast. He stands up, raises his glass and says “The Queen”, then we all do likewise. Between each course family members take it in turns to say what they like about Australia and why we are so privileged. As most families are not of aboriginal decent, one dish is prepared that is the national dish of the land of our ancestors. (haggis, toad-in-the-hole or what have you) The dish is passed around the table and everyone spits in the dish. (It can look a bit messy.) Finally the dish is ceremoniously put straight into the compost bin or given to the dog. The point it that we have to have loyalty to Australia, and not to some foreign port.
After dinner we all sing national songs, like “Waltzing Matilda” or “God Bless Australia”. This is followed by “Ye Sons of Australia”, “We are Australian” and “Sadie, the Cleaning Lady”. After that we do something to make the songs meaningful and take action. “Waltzing Matilda” is about a tramp who commits suicide to avoid capture for poaching, so we should consider those less fortunate than ourselves. There is a line in “God Bless Australia” that goes
We are a peace loving race, but should danger ever threaten us,
Let the world know we will answer the call!
This is the time that the family will practise “answering the call”. We get out the household weapons cache and practise our shooting. All children over the age of three get a go, and all adults still young enough to lift a rifle. We have lots of fun shooting targets in the back yard.
Then, in recognition of the homeless, (as in Waltzing Matilda) we put one box of ammunition aside to give to a charity. The rounds will be distributed to homeless people who cannot afford their own ammo.
Most families think of their past and what it took to get here. Many Australians are of convict decent and today we remember the terrible deeds of dishonesty that lead to our families’ demise. It is customary to write a letter of apology to a respectable British family. Millions of letters are send and then randomly disputed in England, Scotland and Ireland. We are not sure what they think of them but the writing of them is beneficial for us to do. Somehow it reduces the shame. Millions of dollars are donated to British and Irish charities at this time - as a small token of recompense for what our forefathers and mothers stole.
I hope that this gives you some insight of how we spend this day, our sacred day, Australia Day.
First thing in the morning, we gather around the household flag pole and raise the flag. Everyone stands to attention. Then we put our hands on our hearts and sing the National Anthem. It is a very solemn moment.
The decorations should have been prepared days ago, or at least the night before. Every house is covered in yellow and green streamers and balloons. Before anyone is allowed to eat breakfast, members of the family take turns to list all the Prime Ministers and their dates of reign since Federation. Then we do all the governors of our particular colony/state, from first white settlement to the present day. One can get quite hungry by the time we get to have breaky so most people will bone up in the days before.
We have a huge Australia Day parade. Children have been rehearsing ten hours a day in the summer heat for the last month, gladly sacrificing their summer holidays. The beaches have been empty of children frolicking in the water and making sand castles. They have been marching, dancing and singing with military precision to make the cut, the ultimate honour, to be in the Australia Day parade. Just 20% of them will be invited to march, and three days ago the cut was made. Thousands of children had got up early and sweated away for weeks only to be told that they were not good enough. They had put in over 200 hours each, but that is that way it goes.
The annual parade is down Swanstan Street. They march and do their movements in perfect time, to honour our prime minister and all their other elders. Not one hair, not one little finger is out of place as they do their impressive routines. The heavy costumes make them sweat in 40 degree heat but they never complain, it is a great honour on them and their families to do this.
It is important for people born in other countries to show our loyalty to Australia. Traditionally, it means taking the flag for one’s nation of birth and burning it. This year things are a bit difficult as it is a Total Fire Ban day in Victoria so I have had to cut up a New Zealand flag into lots of tiny little bits with a pair of scissors. It was the least I could do.
Held in the middle of the day, the Australia Day Dinner is a huge event. Regardless of the weather, the gentlemen wear dinner suits and the ladies wear evening gowns. The best silver and china is layed out and we all sit down to a five course meal. To start with, the man of the house will life his glass for a Loyal Toast. He stands up, raises his glass and says “The Queen”, then we all do likewise. Between each course family members take it in turns to say what they like about Australia and why we are so privileged. As most families are not of aboriginal decent, one dish is prepared that is the national dish of the land of our ancestors. (haggis, toad-in-the-hole or what have you) The dish is passed around the table and everyone spits in the dish. (It can look a bit messy.) Finally the dish is ceremoniously put straight into the compost bin or given to the dog. The point it that we have to have loyalty to Australia, and not to some foreign port.
After dinner we all sing national songs, like “Waltzing Matilda” or “God Bless Australia”. This is followed by “Ye Sons of Australia”, “We are Australian” and “Sadie, the Cleaning Lady”. After that we do something to make the songs meaningful and take action. “Waltzing Matilda” is about a tramp who commits suicide to avoid capture for poaching, so we should consider those less fortunate than ourselves. There is a line in “God Bless Australia” that goes
We are a peace loving race, but should danger ever threaten us,
Let the world know we will answer the call!
This is the time that the family will practise “answering the call”. We get out the household weapons cache and practise our shooting. All children over the age of three get a go, and all adults still young enough to lift a rifle. We have lots of fun shooting targets in the back yard.
Then, in recognition of the homeless, (as in Waltzing Matilda) we put one box of ammunition aside to give to a charity. The rounds will be distributed to homeless people who cannot afford their own ammo.
Most families think of their past and what it took to get here. Many Australians are of convict decent and today we remember the terrible deeds of dishonesty that lead to our families’ demise. It is customary to write a letter of apology to a respectable British family. Millions of letters are send and then randomly disputed in England, Scotland and Ireland. We are not sure what they think of them but the writing of them is beneficial for us to do. Somehow it reduces the shame. Millions of dollars are donated to British and Irish charities at this time - as a small token of recompense for what our forefathers and mothers stole.
I hope that this gives you some insight of how we spend this day, our sacred day, Australia Day.