Australia Day January 26: Patriotism, Aussie style

Story and photos by Vivienne Mackie

January 26, 1788: Captain Arthur Phillip's party raises the British Union Jack at Sydney Cove. 150 years later, the people of Australia celebrate the first public observation of Australia Day, which has been in popular observance -- under varying names such as Foundation or Anniversary Day -- since 1817. The national holiday commemorates the first permanent white settlement in Australia, which occurred when a shipload of convicts, shipped out of Britain in an effort to relieve prison overcrowding, arrived briefly at Botany Bay (which proved to be unsuitable) and then at Port Jackson (later the site of the city of Sydney).

Over 200 years after Captain Phillip raised the Union Jack, the modern population of Australia says much about their nature in how they celebrate the anniversary: with passion and pride for their heritage and culture. You are very likely to hear the national anthem, "Advance Australia Fair," and to see instances of some famous Aussie symbols: the flag, Golden Wattle (the national flower), opals (the national gemstone) and items in green and gold (the national colors).

Australia Day is celebrated throughout the country, so if you're lucky enough to be "down under" on January 26, you'll have the opportunity to take part in the celebration, no matter where in Oz you may be. But, as the Aussies say, it's only "one day and 18 million different ways to celebrate," so the festivities you attend will depend on where you are. At free-spirited Byron Bay on the northern coast of New South Wales, hundreds of Aussies once took to the water without their cossies (swimming costumes) to campaign for clothes-optional beaches. In Melbourne, thousands have toured the state capital's Government House. Over the years, hundreds of thousands have lined the banks of both the Swan River in Perth and the Torrens River in Adelaide for fireworks and festivities. In Victoria, events have ranged from the picnic day races at Hanging Rock, a breakfast hosted by the Retired Servicemen's League state president at the local Anglican Hall in Baw Baw Shire and a giant picnic on the shores of Lake Wendouree.

Because January is summertime in Australia, the weather affords outdoor lovers a whole spectrum of activities, which may last an entire weekend. Events range from parades and fireworks to open houses at the Government House and awards to Australians who have achieved something special in the previous year. For example, in 2000, the Young Australian of the Year Award went to world-champion swimmer Ian Thorpe and to James Fitzpatrick, a medical student, the following year. There are also many activities and bands on or around the beaches and resorts. When we were in Australia, it seemed that most people went out for picnics or barbies (barbecues), watched sports (especially cricket) and spent time with families. There was a well-attended match on at the Brisbane Cricket Ground ("the Gabba") in Woolloongabba.

When we were in Brisbane, Queensland, another fair dinkum ("genuine" or "real") event was the annual Australia Day Cockroach Races at Kangaroo Point's Story Bridge Hotel. Organizer Malcolm Prior quotes this poem as his credo: "I love a sunburnt country / A land of sweeping plains / Where roaches for the races / Are found in city drains." People flock to Kangaroo Point to bet on cockroaches, a hilarious sight for even the neophyte spectator. As might be expected, a large amount of beer is also consumed, as are mixed foods such as Guinness pies, curry, pizza and knackwurst.

Holidays celebrating national pride are often occasions for protest by people who are unhappy with their government. The Aborigines in Australia, Maoris in New Zealand and Native Americans in the United States frequently demonstrate to remind people that the colonists took land that was once theirs. With that in mind, Republic and Independence Days are a good time to think about freedom for all the people who live in a country. Brisbane's Anglican archbishop, Peter Hollingworth, once stated that many indigenous peoples referred to his country's holiday as "Invasion Day." Some even suggest that Australia Day should be changed to commemorate the day the government signed a reconciliation treaty with Aborigines. As such, many reconciliation rallies are also held, often in the city Botanical Gardens, with a stage set up amongst the gorgeous summer flowers.

Two years ago, my husband Rod and I spent a year in the land of Oz and were invited for a traditional Australia Day lunch with Helen and Athol, some Aussie friends. We swam in their pool and sat on the deck surrounded by huge fig, pawpaw (large papaya) and rubber trees, listening to the sounds of rainbow lorikeets. The flying foxes (actually bats, with a fox-like face) love the fruit trees and arrive most evenings for a tasty snack. Athol made a fire in the grill and cooked up some baked potatoes, kangaroo meat and damper, a kind of bread originally made by the cattle and sheep men who roamed the Outback. Helen marinated the kangaroo, which otherwise tends to be rather dry, and served it with spicy cherry sauce. Dessert was a traditional Australian pavlova decorated with cream, mango and kiwi fruit. The Aussie delicacies were all washed down with Queensland XXXX (pronounced "four ex") beer and splendid Australian wines. (A more typical, less festive lunch might consist of lamb chops on the barbie, potatoes in the jacket or potato salad, a fresh leafy salad and perhaps fruit -- with the requisite beer and wine, to be sure.)

Australia Day is very important to the country's citizens, so much so that when they leave Australia they still try to celebrate it. Our friend Mark Morrison, a Sydney native now living in Ohio, says that every year he still celebrates his nation's holiday. "We put the Webber grill out in the snow and huddle around it while I cook the lamb chops. I put the grill as close to the house as I can, and we stomp to keep warm and have another beer."

For more information, visit the National Australia Day Council's website at http://www.nadc.com.au/index.php.