Being proud on Australia Day

If the world went about its business, culture, customs, and traditions with past sins top of mind, the fabric of society would quickly fall apart. The imperfections of the past, the horrors of war, genocide, and conflict are intermingled with achievement, heroism, continuous improvement, love, celebration, democracy, freedom, and patriotism.

The human experience.

I am sad about what has happened in the past to me, but I have moved on knowing that I have learned from my mistakes and have become a better person because of them.

The same can be said for a nation.

Australia was settled by white English people. This is a fact that no matter how hard the “woke” crowd tries to decry it and pour the cup of shame over it, it is still a fact that cannot be rewritten.

With this settlement comes all the things that arrive with populating and settling a new land. All the challenges and hurt that many Aboriginal people may have felt at the time also come with it, as well as many good outcomes for Aboriginal people that in the time of wokeism and identity politics – are rarely talked about.

The settlement of Australia eventually created a new country, born not from war or major conflict, but from exploration and expansion of an identity, and the desire for people to not only explore but to build a nation and community. Not one area of the globe throughout history has been immune to the coming and going of different settlers, conquerors, religions, and cultures. It is simply naïve to believe that Australia would have ever escaped settlement from more technically advanced cultures.

To force 21st-century values and behaviours onto the convict and Crown-serving men and women that stepped ashore in 1788 (into a new wild and uninhabited land) and therefore to force judgement on these people is ridiculous. As mentioned earlier, history is littered with the good and bad, and the implication from social elitists and aboriginal activists that somehow Australians – particularly white Australians, should somehow feel ashamed and contrite that their ancestors settled this wonderful land smacks of more false virtue, attention seeking, and hypocritical self-righteousness.

I am a proud Australian. Proud of the fact that we have built one of the best countries in the world on the back of hard work, innovation, and welcoming immigrants from around the world over the last 200 years. I am proud of the fact we are tolerant and have acknowledged previous mistakes with the Aboriginal population but have on the other hand, many successful Aboriginal people contributing to the richness of our society, and are happy to do so.

Australia Day is on the 26th of January and marks an important point in our history. It should be celebrated for all its historical context and be a time of unification on our achievements – not division by focusing on attacking and shaming the white population; which is not just intolerant and racist, but overrides our national pride and ability to move forward as a unified country.

I hope you have a wonderful Australia Day holiday.