Happy Australia Day ~ 2018

Ok this year, Australia Day has become very contentious, with some people calling for the date to be changed while others are calling for the day to be scrapped altogether.  And I fully understand some people view it as invasion day, and yes, some truly terrible things were done to Aboriginal people, when the English arrived and settled on this land.

Here is one important fact, no one alive today is responsible for the atrocities that happened in 1770, or the years immediately following.  We cannot be held responsible for the behaviour of people who walked this earth over 200 years ago.  Of recent times we have acknowledged that Aboriginal people were treated appallingly and we, as a nation, have apologised for it.  We cannot go back and change history, no matter how much we might want too.  I am pretty certain, if we could go back in time and correct the horrors that were perpetrated, we would.  Reality says we can’t, so can we now do something constructive, and use Australia Day to bring us all together to acknowledge that the land we live on is absolutely amazing and we are all very lucky to live in this country, whether we were born here, or emigrated here or came here as a refugee.

Looking to the future is what we need to be doing.  Working on ways to improve the health of Aboriginal people, to find better ways to keep Aboriginal children engaged in education so they can successfully complete high school and move on to University, a trade, TAFE course or a job in the community.  Of course, in doing this we also need to acknowledge and respect Aboriginal culture and we need to work with their culture, not try and tear them away from it.  We need the knowledge and wisdom of Aboriginal elders and we all need to work together for the betterment of this country and all its people.

 

Written by

Kathrine Carton B.Coun.

 

 

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