Reference :- Is it Australia Day , or Invasion Day ?

Reference .  What's in a name ? 

To quote the Australian poet C J Dennis ,  from " The Sentimental Bloke "    

    Wot's   in a name ? she sez ....   an sighs ,

    an clasps 'er little  'ands an rolls 'er eyes , 

   ' A rose , ' she sez , ' be any other name .

    Would smell the same . 

 The lads at The Sky Reply have found that the more one explores the notion of "Australia Day " , the more complex it becomes .  

For starters , although there was an identifiable nation called Australia by the time C J Dennis took quill in hand , that nation did not begin on January 26th  1788.    Our continent consisted of 6 separate colonies until the dawn of the twentieth century .  The lads figure this means the the term " Australia Day "  is something of a misnomer .  The lads  reckon that since the colony in New South wales was initially a poorly run prison administered by corrupt drunks ( The New South Wales Corps  AKA " The Rum Corps " ) , perhaps we should look elsewhere for a moment that defines the birth of our nation .

  The lads  also do not favour  the moniker " Invasion Day ".    Not even Gabbo .   Armed conflict with the indigenous population did not start until May 1788 .   The lads also feel that the term "invasion " conjures images of a " D Day " type landing , when in fact there was a great deal of initial cooperation between whites and blacks .  As the years passed  many white explorers and settlers would not have survived were it not for the help they received from the indigenous inhabitants .  And despite the atrocities , the loss of land , and the wholesale destruction of indigenous communities , there often existed pockets of cooperation between whites and blacks .  The lads reckon we should clutch this kernel of goodwill  and nurture it . 

 Anyway , after much discussion it was decided that neither "Australia Day " nor " Invasion Day " was suitable , and both monikers have the wrong vibe .   Gabbo  suggested that it would be better to call it " Reflection Day " .  A day when we reflect upon our past , with it's mistakes and it's triumphs .  A day to remember our forebears . A day to ponder the natural beauty of the continent we inhabit and our duty to respect it and the lives of the remarkable flora and fauna with which we share a unique landscape . 

A day to contemplate the rich cultural diversity of our community and be thankful for the great contribution each culture has made to our way of life .   And a day to remember the first Australians whose culture is the oldest in the world , and from whom we still have much to learn . 

Happy " Reflection Day " .            

Your comrade , Ken .