Australia Day By Mark Gill
Friday 26 th January marks Australia Day, the anniversary of when the first colonial ships from England arrived in Sydney Harbour, Australia in 1778. The holiday is
marked with the Australian of the Year award and the Australia Day Honours. It is also celebrated by many people with parties, barbeques, and fun! However, the meaning of the celebration has changed a lot over the years. When Australia day was first celebrated in 1915, it was to celebrate Australia ’ s participation in WW1 and to celebrate when the English took over Australia. This colonist approach to Australia Day was so bad that on its 150th anniversary in 1936 it was even considered a ‘ Day of Mourning ’ by the Aborigines Progressive Association and the Australian Aborigines League as a protest against the "Whiteman's seizure of our country."
Nowadays, it is now not just a celebration for white people but also a reflection on the wrongdoing to the indigenous Australians in the past.
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