THE Australia Day long weekend is so close we can almost reach out and touch it.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While should never get too esoteric about it, the summer break affords us an opportunity for reflection -to contemplate what makes our country such a great place to live, but to also look at areas we can improve.
The annual debate about celebrating Australia Day on January 26 needs to be put to rest.
Marking the arrival of white settlement as our national day excludes the Aboriginal community which wants to celebrate the nation as much as the next person.
For many people the date, if they know its significance at all, is relatively meaningless anyway but, for the indigenous community, it is deeply troubling.
A simple date change would not fix all the historical issues surrounding colonisation but it would allow every Australian to participate proudly.
The other area Australians should come to grips with is associating a celebration with binge drinking.
Having a couple of drinks is completely understandable but it is when people drink themselves into oblivion or drink solely to get drunk that problems occur.
Australia Day is one of the busiest days in emergency rooms across the country for that reason.
The best side of the day is seeing people make their pledges to become Australian citizens.
Town halls across the nation will fill with migrants who have decided they want to officially call Australia home.
Most of us have won the birthplace lottery by being born in the lucky country. Seeing people choose to make it their home and how proud they are to do so is heartening.
So, this Monday, take a moment to reflect on where we came from and where we should be aiming to get to.
Drive safely on our roads, look after your mates and, most importantly, try and make some new mates.