Australia Day

Long have I pondered about this day.....what the nature of the celebration might be.....how sad it is that for some it is a memory of loss not gain.......and then I am no patriot...I do not suffer the affliction of nationalisitc pride.....I do however believe in exalting the peace and beauty of this place in which I live and I believe in sharing it with those who also find themsleves living here, regardless of race or creed.....after all it is a big and warm hearted land, literally, and our gift as Austrtalians is our diversity.....

But still it was with some trepidation that I agreed to sing the national anthem at our small town's flag raising ceremony....I pondered again, this time not just about the day but also about the words to the song.....I wanted to understand them....feel some meaning in them.....

...and yes it is true we are a young country as these things go.....and just watching the evening news lets me understand the enormity of just how much we are free.....as these things go.....and as I look out over the ocean I think 'yes we are blessed with a beauteous nature, as yet, ( I hold my breath) not too sullied by human ignorance'...and even if I am not into the whole commonwealth alliance side of things, I think its good to make a mention of our common wealth, the abundance we all so often take for granted......which we share and must not become greedy nor nonchalant about....and for those who bless us with our diversity, who come to be part of this country, there really are boundless plains to share....and if it takes courage to share and find ourselves a family, then let us find this courage, this compassion, this determination.....because what we have most precious is our realtive peace, our absence of object hatred...and our ability to learn and grow from each other....

Its a complex journey we have traversed but one that of neccesity takes us forward and one in which there is no turning back of the clock......

In truth the Australia Day ceremony was wonderful and important to my understanding in as of now, 2009, about this day....A representative of the Yaegl community spoke about this land, her land, and one of the important things I heard her say was, 'we were happy back then, because we shared, shared everything, we all looked out for each other...'

And finally a lovely local lady 'Dorothy Collins', read a poem she had written...which as far as I can tell is about the best sum up of this day that I have ever come across...and I am priveleged to have her permission to reprint it here.....

WHAT DOES AUSTRALIA DAY MEAN TO YOU?

is it just another holiday,
with a barbie and a beer or two?
or a day to fly our nation's flag
of red and white and blue?
do you think of our first fleeters
from their homeland wrenched away?
they must have wondered where they were
on that first Australia day.
or do you like to don the green and gold
our sportsmen like to wear?
pride we as a nation
also gladly share.

a lot has changed in this timeless land
since the white man's habitation
but on this day take time to reflect
on a proud and ancient nation
who trod this land we now call home
for centuries before us,
in harmony with its many moods
in tune with natur'e chorus.
the dreatime was their bible,
they knew no other way.
two very different cultures
came face to face that day.


today there are many cultures
many different creeds
a rainbow mix of skin tones
all with the same basic needs.
yet we've seen mistrust and violence,
we've seen riots and naked hate.
is that what we want for this country?
is that to be its fate?
what's happened to a 'fair go'
or'how're you going mate?'
we can't allow our aussie mateship
to die on the alter of hate.

its ignorance that breeds mistrust,
its ignorance that breeds hate,
its knowledge that helps understanding,
its knowledge that cancels hate.
We all must strive to understand
each others point of view,
we all must be more tolerant,
of cultures old and new.
the world has changed since those halcyon days
of earlier generations
when this ancient country slumbered
in blissful isolation.

our lives have changed dramatically
in the decades since World War two
when we opened our borders to migrants
from countries we barely knew.
they brought new foods and customs
we'd never seen before.
we adopted these changes with gusto
and our lives were enriched even more.
we still cling to our good old aussie barbie
and traditional meat pie,
we still say 'g'day and 'no worries mate'
some things will never die.

change does not come over night
and we are bound to make mistakes
as we seek to find the recipe
that will teach us what it takes
to blend our widely differing cultures
into a friendly peaceful nation
where old and new co-exist as one,
withoput fear or reservation.
we'll know we've found the answer
we'll know we've found the way
when all our cultures come together
to honour Australia day.



So there it is....we do need to see that the welfare of this land is our welfare....and that we all share in its fate...which in turn is our fate......and perhaps its good to have a day to appreciate what so many do not have, a sense of safety, full bellies, trees to sit under, oceans to swim in and rooves to keep out the rain......