I know I'm in my own little world, but it's OK.
They know me here...

Translate

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Australia Day

Australia Day, January 26th, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet from Great Britain to Sydney Cove in 1788.

For most Australians it's a day of reflection and celebration (much like Independence Day in the USA) - to think about what it means to be Australian, the achievements we've made as a nation and as individuals, and to consider our future.

That's the official version.

What does it mean to me?
  • The celebration of a modern day, multicultural nation.
  • Singing Advance Australia Fair, our national anthem.
  • The Southern Cross & Union Jack (on the flag).
  • Being especially proud to call myself an Australian.
  • Enjoying the freedoms a lot of other countries around the world don't have - eg. the right to vote, to be lead by a democratically elected government etc.
  • Backyard BBQ - complete with flies.
  • Cricket (a very popular national sport) & sport in general.
  • Thongs (also called flip-flops & jandals by others).
  • Playing cricket in the backyard in thongs with friends.
  • Hot summers.
  • Living in a bloody great place, one I wouldn't swap for any other place in the world.
Happy Australia Day, everyone!

7 comments:

  1. Kylie,

    This is my first Australia Day away from Australia. Recently relocated to Houston Texas for my husband's work.

    I'm encouraging the children to tell their classes tomorrow (it's just Monday morning here) that 26th January is a very special day for them. May have to help my young son but my daughter should do okay - I hope :)

    Nicki

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for visiting, Nicki! I hope you have a good Australia Day in your part of the world. Fly the flag proudly!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Kylie
    A very quiet Australia Day here... thinking maybe the fireworks at Lake Wendouree tonight. It's actually got some water in it at the moment so the gorgeous display will look even better!

    And a barbie, of course! Lamb chops (naturally) and some marinaded shrimps just for something a bit different! ;)

    Have a Happy Australia Day up your way!
    :)
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  4. er, that should have been "marinated"... I do hate it when the internal proof-reader finds the mistakes *after* I post the comment! LOL

    ReplyDelete
  5. Today is my eldest's 21st Birthday. However today is going to be fairly low key as he has to work tonight. Last night we went out to dinner and had a lovely time, he had a party on Saturday night. So we have already done a lot of celebrating.

    Still hard to believe my baby is 21 - and yes - I was 10 when he was born :))

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey, Sharon, fireworks do look good over water, eh? And isn't it nice to be able to say we have some lying around now after all those wonderful inches in early January!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tracey, happy birthday to your eldest! My you started as a young mum. Glad you had a chance to celebrate with him.
    Thanks for dropping by - have a nice quiet day!

    ReplyDelete