A candid snapshot of life-changing joy: my oath we can feel proud on January 26
If you want to know what it means to be Australian on Australia Day look at these faces: young and old, brimming with life’s potential or lined by hard-won experience.
If you want to know what it means to be Australian on Australia Day look at these faces: young and old, brimming with life’s potential or lined by hard-won experience, they reflect the hope of a nation and the joy of our newest citizens.
In Brisbane, 550 people pledged their allegiance at City Hall and stood as one, waving their citizenship certificates high, when lord mayor Adrian Schrinner welcomed them into the fold.
The mood in the big, domed auditorium was infectious. Parents kissed children; couples embraced; tears flowed. For many of these freshly minted Australians, it was the dream ending to a long and testing journey.
Italian migrant Andrea Abate, 32, said he “fell in love” with the country during a 2014 holiday, even though he could barely speak a word of English at the time.
He persuaded partner Chiara Trotta, 26, to up-sticks from Calabria and join him.
“My grandfather was Australian and he told me I had to come here,” the young man said. “He was right. You have got more opportunity in Australia than anywhere else to work and make a life.”
Delighted to finally become a citizen, Ms Trotta said: “I feel like we belong.”
Contrast that with the ugly side of January 26. In Melbourne, Invasion Day and pro-Palestinian demonstrators brandished messages of hate while marching through the city.
The Test cricket at the Gabba was disrupted, first by activists who besieged the gates of the Brisbane ground demanding that Australia Day be moved to another date, then by a pitch invader waving the Aboriginal flag.
Sydney police stopped dozens of balaclava-clad neo-Nazis on a train as they tried to enter the CBD to stage an Australia Day rally as “white Australians”.
And in Canberra, Parliament House was locked down after another throng of chanting Indigenous and pro-Palestinian protesters threatened to storm the building and were confronted by police.
Elsewhere, though, Australians marked the national day as we typically do – with barbecues in the backyard, a trip to the beach, kick-arounds in the park, and community get-togethers.
Thousands attended citizenship inductions conducted in every corner of the country.
Presiding at the ceremony in the national capital, Anthony Albanese said everyone should “cherish and celebrate” Australia’s rich, diverse story.
“Australia Day is our chance to … reflect on everything we have achieved as a nation, everything we have created and built and learned through all the ups and downs of our history – the mighty challenges we have faced, the profound opportunities we have seized, the stern tests we have passed, together,” the Prime Minister said.
Peter Dutton said his thoughts were with the communities of north Queensland, cleaning up after cyclone Kirrily made landfall north of Townsville packing destructive winds of up to 107km/h.
After the citizenship event at Brisbane City Hall, one of the biggest in the country, people stayed on to savour the special moment.
For the Halls from England, it was a family affair: dad Andy, mum Emily and kids Sophie, 9, and Calum, 11, completed an undertaking they started in 2016 with the move to Australia.
Mr Hall, a 43-year-old accountant, said the family had previously holidayed in Queensland and didn’t want to live with the regret of not giving it a go permanently. “It’s fully delivered on our expectations … we’ve got a good work-life balance with great weather and the kids love it,” he said. “Not sure we could ever go back to a really cold winter.”
Ms Hall, 39, a recruitment consultant, said citizenship created a connection with Australia for the children. “Sophie was only two when we arrived. She has been here for much longer than she lived in the UK,” she said.
For Priya Jain, 30, the attraction of Australia was the “freedom” it offered compared to her homeland of India. As a graphic designer, she said she could express herself more fully here: “I like how liberal Australia is.”
Irish doctor Aine Peoples, 35, is training as an endocrinologist at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital. After five years of working in Australia, she is looking forward to being able to vote.
“It’s important to have a voice. Women fought for the vote for a long time and I think it’s important we use it,” she said.
Mr Abate said one thing he admired most about Australia was how people were free to disagree and exercise the right to protest. But he didn’t believe Australia Day should be moved to another date.
“I don’t think people who protest about January 26 really understand the meaning of that date,” he said. “To me, it’s a symbol of unity, not division. It’s about getting everyone together on one day to celebrate.”
Mr Hall said shifting the day was “worth a discussion” when the issue was so bitterly contested.
Additional reporting Stephen Rice, Jess Malcolm, Rhiannon Down
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