Why I won’t be celebrating Australia Day on Thursday

This “Aussie bogan” has happy memories of January 26, but has learnt too much since then to continue to celebrate Australia Day.

COMMENT

I’m a proud Aussie bogan but I won’t be celebrating Australia Day on Thursday.

It has taken me a while to get here. I grew up down the NSW South Coast, and no one does Australia Day quite like bogans do.

We would all head down to the beach, paint our faces, get sunburnt and Dad was always drinking a VB in the background.

I remember eating freshly cut watermelon, washing it down with fish and chips for lunch and passing out early, tired from the sun.

It was a time where men were shirtless from sunrise to sundown and there wasn’t enough sunscreen in the world to save you from getting a little bit burnt.

It wasn’t unusual for someone’s dad to be sporting a Southern Cross tattoo, and it was always usual for someone to blare Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh.

I have really happy memories of January 26, but I’ve learnt too much since then to continue my Australia Day traditions.

A change the date rally in 2021. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Australia Day might hold happy memories for me but that isn’t how many Australians feel. Australia Day for Indigenous people is Invasion Day and marks the beginning of a brutal and shameful colonisation process.

Why would I want to celebrate on a day that makes other people feel bad?

I know the conversation has become very political and stressful, but we all need to take a breath and take a kind approach. If changing the date makes some Australians feel better, it is worth it.

Australia Day has always been a day for mates to get together. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dylan Robinson

I’m working this Australia Day, but for the past few years when I have taken the public holiday it has felt awkward. You have a public holiday, but it feels wrong to catch up with mates and be jolly.

So, you’re stuck spending your public holiday bored and feeling wistful for a time when you could catch up with your mates.

There’s no denying that Australia Day has lost its magic, even businesses are catching up. Kmart has stopped selling Australia Day memorabilia. Staff at Telstra, Network 10 and Woodside Energy can now choose whether to take January 26 as a public holiday or work through the day.

The soundtrack for the day has even changed. Triple J’s Hottest 100 countdown has been moved and it has been that way since 2018.

Even the people fighting to keep Australia Day as the 26th must look around and realise that the day isn’t what it used to be.

Australia Day should always be about uniting people. There should be a level of community spirit in the air that feels buzzy. It shouldn’t be a day that divides people or makes some Australian’s feel stomped all over.

I get it! We long for the Australia Days we used to celebrate when we were ignorant or we could at least feign ignorance. The ones when we didn’t have to think about all the ugliness our country has done.

But you know what? We can have fun on Australia Day again! We just need to change the date to get there.