26th Jan … What does this day signify?
By Khaled Elomar
To me, and I’m sure to you as well, it signifies everything that is contrary to a Celebration.
This is the first day where theft, murder, torture, torment, pain and suffering was inflicted on the Great Indigenous people of this land.
A day where Indigenous communities were ripped apart. A day where Indigenous people lost their lives. Children become orphans. People were shackled and imprisoned for no reason other than being non-white and defending their land and families.
Today, along with the other 364 days, is a day that every Australian should be crying and commemorating the FNP for the Terrorism they’ve experienced and are still experiencing unfortunately.
You want to celebrate Australia Day? There are 364 other days in the year to do so. Just not this day.
Today is definitely not a Day to celebrate but more so a Day of Sadness and Pain.
To the Indigenous People of this great Land, on behalf of the Members and Admin team of this Group, I Truly Am Sorry. I know it can’t, and won’t, fix the past and present but I hope we can fix the future.
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12 comments
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corvus boreus -
Alan Nosworthy -
Shaun Newman -
Peter F -
Kaye Lee -
Diannaart -
Michael Taylor -
Kronomex -
waki -
Khaled Elomar -
Diannaart -
Bronte ALLAN
Return to home pageToday”s significance, in Australian history, is it is the anniversary of
a)1788 the British empire staking an illegitimate claim upon already inhabited lands in order to establish a brutal penal colony,
B) 1838 the massacre of a large number of Gamilaraay people by colonial police and militia.
Like Mr Elomar, I decline to attend any of the nationalistic celebrations occurring today
I am sorry and I vote.
I am also sorry, the wages that were put into consolidated revenue and never passed along, stolen wages need to be paid in full, if not to the stockmen then their families if they have passed. A debt is a debt until it is paid in full. In Queensland alone the estimated worth of these stolen wages are reportedly approximately $500 million in today’s money.
At the opera house memorial service for Hazel Hawke, Linda Burney gave an Acknowledgement of Country in which she described a visit to the site of the Myall Creek Massacre near Bingara in northern NSW. After walking this memorial path which describes the historic events, Hazel Hawke said to Linda ‘The truth needs to be said.’
I am not Aboriginal but five of my ancestors came here as transported convicts. The beginning of a penal colony where people were ripped from their families and sent to the other side of the world is hardly a momentous day to celebrate for anyone.
Indeed, Kaye Lee
Maybe a more fitting name for January 26 would be
Tories’ Day
“Tories’ Day.” Made me chuckle.
Growing up as a kid back in 60’s and early 70’s all it represented to me was a day off from School and a chance to catch up on the latest flicks of the time (Planet of the Apes, Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the list goes on) or sit on the verandah and read. For pastor Scummo it seems to have taken on a HOLY image. What’s next, a ‘straya day mass on the 26th of every month? Where you eat of the Body of Four and Twenty and sip the Amber Fluid of ‘strayaness.
no date prior to 1964 when FNP were first recognized as humans should even be considered
When a maggot like Tony Abbott is given the title as Special Envoy for Indigenous Affairs, the FNP will never be granted the respect and recognition they truly deserve.
KE
Khaled
Another kick in the guts by new PM, following on from the great insult of the rejection of The Uluru Statement by former PM, let alone 200+ years of deliberate marginalisation, genocide and exploitation.
Besides why on earth would Australians want to celebrate its first penal colony in NSW?
How about finding a day upon which we can celebrate the very best we have achieved. I understand the Australia Day’s honours list goes towards such acknowledgement, but to ramp it up, make that the reason for celebration and not when a bunch of imperialists set foot on a beach.
Very well said Khaled! I think that January the first would be an ideal day to celebrate Australia Day. It was the day when this land of various states & territories was proclaimed as one nation, Australia. Forget bloody new Years Day, shift that public holiday to another date later in the year, give it a name & then all the bloody idiots who celebrate Australia Day can have another day to celebrate whatever the day would be called! The whole idea of “celebrating” (sic) the day the first convicts arrived on this continent, & the massacres of Aboriginals started, is to me, the very worst day for any celebration!