Australia Day: a celebration for some but sorrowful reflection for others

Australia Day means different things to different people and this is especially true for the First Australians.

For many Indigenous Australians 26 January is an occasion to reflect on past loss and suffering.

There are also people in the wider community who share these mixed feelings about our national day and they are keen to acknowledge that Australia Day evokes a variety of emotions.

Today, organisers of Australia Day events are more mindful of Indigenous heritage and culture, and of the continuing problems faced in Indigenous communities.

Our national day is an important annual opportunity to recognise the honoured place of Indigenous Australians in our nation’s history, and to promote understanding, respect and reconciliation.

It is also a time for each Australian to think about our identity, the many aspects of Australian life that give us pride and areas where we have the opportunity to make the nation stronger for the future.

These reflections are individual and special to each Australian.

Even when my dream of reconciliation comes true, Australia Day will still evoke mixed feelings.

My own feelings about the day do not reflect any lack of loyalty or commitment to Australia – quite the contrary. They are about very deep emotions I have about this country and my people, about great wrongs in our shared history, and important steps that need to be taken to make things right.

Each year on Australia Day, I take myself somewhere quiet where I can sit and think.

It’s a day of reflection and mourning, a time to think about what the invasion of their country meant for my ancestors, and on the terrible suffering that continues for many Indigenous Australians. It wouldn’t make any difference if the date of Australia Day changed – this is what the day represents for me.

It may seem strange that someone as optimistic as I am should use this day to focus on the negatives, but for one day each year I allow myself to think this way.

During the day, I feel overwhelmed by a wall of sorrow that doesn’t shift, a weight on my shoulders that doesn’t lift. I think about the ancestors, locked in chains and shunted to reserves and missions. I think about the harsh treatment they endured and of the great damage done to a community through intolerance.

It is right that people organising Australia Day events should invite Indigenous Australians to take part, but people generally understand when I refuse invitations. Nonetheless, I would encourage organisers of Australia Day events to acknowledge members of the local Indigenous community to take time to think and learn about the history we share as Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

Consider ways in which you can foster reconciliation in your community, and in your schools and workplaces. Where local events are held, acknowledge the local Indigenous community and the honoured place of the First Australians.

Even better, incorporate a special ceremony into local events which acknowledges injustices in our nation’s history.

For me, Australia Day isn’t about fanfare and celebration.

On 26 January, I don’t listen to the radio or watch TV because I don’t want to share my space with anyone – even my son, who understands and accepts the way I feel.

I have spent Australia Day in the same way since I was a teenager, and as I get older my resolve to keep doing it is strengthened by the fact that this day is very personal for me and spending it the way I do is an important, symbolic act for me.