Lee Pearce, Dunoon
One reason not to celebrate anything on January 26 is that it is not Australia’s birthday. Australia wasn’t even born until 112 years later.
What most people can’t be bothered finding out is that what they are drinking to is the day NSW became a British colony. It also marks the beginning of the Aboriginal wars. There is evidence of 250 massacre sites across our golden soil.
January 26 also marks the beginning of the end for 27 species of mammals, 20 species of birds, seven species of frogs, and many reptiles and plants. Then it marks the start of the introduction of foxes, rabbits, black rats, feral goats, cats, camels, pigs, and deer.
If you look closely at the official painting of Governor Phillip’s mobs’ takeover, you will see that at least three large trees have been cut down, ON THE FIRST DAY!
Give me a flag that doesn’t remind me of all this, a national anthem that doesn’t exclude the oldest civilisations on Earth, and a day worth cerebrating ( say Republic Day) and I’ll drink to excess with the rest of the country.
dont drink to excess. thats half of the problem.