My kids are such little Aussies. I am reminded of this every time my daughter refers to her “bah-ay-bee” brother or asks to lick the vegemite off my toast.
We’re a mish mash. With the important exception of
Aboriginal Australians all Aussies are. We’d be well served to remember that this Australia Day.
Being Australian doesn’t mean draping yourself in an
Australian flag and drinking your body mass in Vodka Cruisers.
Or maybe it does.
But it must also mean acknowledging
that no one in this country has the right to tell another they do not belong
here.
It unsettles me that patriotism here has come to
mean something exclusive, something with an unwelcoming undercurrent.
Political hyperbole like “Stop the
Boats” has no place in an Australia that purports to be about “mateship” and “a fair go for all”.
Australia Day marks the arrival of the First Fleet. What better time to remind ourselves
where we came from and in doing so muster some compassion for those most
vulnerable people who seek to join us.
What does Australia day mean to you?
