NEXT Thursday many of us will be asked to interrupt work or holidays to reflect on what it means to be Australian.
Let’s ignore for a moment that Australia Day, in the eyes of some, could be better scheduled.
If we want to celebrate what really makes this country special – our tolerance – we need a date that instils pride and ownership in all – white, black, brown or whatever, and irrespective of religion - or whether we were born here or came later.
The day doesn’t really matter. All that’s vital is that we settle on a date that all Australians see as inclusive.
But good luck with that.
The tradition of celebrating Australia Day on January 26 is a recent one. It only started in 1935 and very few took the milestone seriously until 1994 when it became a public holiday.
Our national day functions are mostly made up of seniors, many with grand-children in tow.
There’s usually a well-meaning special guest – not infrequently spouting jingoistic drivel about how,
per capita, we top the world in sport, science, patriotism and so forth.
Australia Day, as we know from recent experience, is another opportunity for the elements who despise our country and our culture to attack modern Australia despite the many benefits available to all our countrymen, new and old.
Some of these things, of course, are less available in country areas and especially to those who live in isolated communities – and that will always be so – and no amount of money will ever totally change that.
It will be interesting to learn if any of the speakers lined up around the nation this year to spout the usual warm fuzzies will note that the nation is at a crossroads. Literally.
The uncomfortable reality is that for several decades now we’ve been led by the nose, sleepwalking to a divisive Australia similar to the apartheid the world once despised in South Africa.
The end game here is the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and the looming campaign to enshrine special Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander influence in the constitution.
No harm in a body to represent this group, of course, if it was like the forerunner, ATSIC which was abolished in 2004 over rampant corruption, or lobby groups like the ACTU, employer organisations and such - but it’s much more than that.
The obvious danger is giving such a new group constitutional status.
When that’s in place it will take a national government with more grit to stem the woke tide than we’ve seen in this country ever.
And if, perchance, they decide to ignore demands from the Voice, activist judges could have a field day reading whatever they want from the referendum result.
For the sake of our children we need continual change to improve integration, not separation into tribes.
Considering a new system where one group of Australians effectively gets two votes in our “democratic” process beggars belief.
Something like the Voice legislated by parliament is one thing. This can be cancelled if abused. The same via the constitution is likely there forever.
But let’s leave those worries for the moment.
There will be more than enough browbeating in the months ahead on this subject by the usual woke suspects on the national broadcasters to get a “yes” vote over the line.
For now let’s remember the many individuals around Greater Hamilton who typify what community should be about.
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SG Shire individual Australia Day award recipients 1995 – 2022
1995: Catherine Howman, Phillip Rankin.
1996: Val Schurmann, Gordon & Elva Lyon, Beryl Vorwerk, Alex Reeves, Geoff & Helen Handbury.
1997: Perc Mills, Amy Rogers, Rex Mitchell, Margaret Freemantle, Peter Hyde.
1998: Ian McTaggart, Heather Armstrong, Alexandra & David Brown, Mardi Stiglich.
1999: Greg Rogers, Karen Annett, Margaret Ferguson, Lauris Gleeson, George Fitzpatrick, Cicely Fenton.
2000: Russel Wain, Heather Macgugan, Lynette Iredell, Shirley Mailes, Ken Hurley.
2001: Joy Darroch, Sarah Mellington, Helena Flinn, Marie Ewing, Roy Muir, Rosemary Morgan.
2002: Bill Bramall, Stephen Rogers, Wal Smith, Marie Robinson, Keith Haines, Keith Warne, Peter Watt, Ian & Sheila Harrington.
2003: Olive McVicker, Rhys Chamberlain, Dorothy O’Callaghan, Kevin Myers, Peter Johnson, Leslie (Tunny) Baudinette, Sarah Sharp, Eric Beale.
2004: Elizabeth Coates, Heather Lynch, Patricia Giles, Charlie Newbould, Heather Watt, George Habel.
2005: Peter Cook, Megan McDonald, Marshall Macklin, Floyd Killen, Eric Kinghorn, Peter Tew, Wendy Barnes.
2006: Roger Thompson, Peter Shepherd, Doug Fleming, Jeanette Pritchard, David Hampton, Alan & Margaret Brumley.
2007: Robert (Bob) Henderson, John Wilson, Ray & Audrey Burger, Judy Hill, Brian Kearney, Helen Morrison, Ross Robinson.
2008: Frank Marcollo, Jessica Fishburn, Debra King, Brenda Smith, John Prust, Gwenda Woodward.
2009: Ron Bell, Carla Ward, Jessica McMahon, Dorothy Williams, Dale Ford, Jenny Gubbins, Peter Anson.
2010: Howard Templeton, Conrad Hamill, Eric Puls, John Lowcock, Shirley Forrest, Carmel Schlaghecke, Phil Forsyth.
2011: Janet Stanton, Thomas Horsten, Fiona Holden, Scott Olsen, Wendy Hobbes, Elaine Budgen, Lisa Uebergang, Bryan Griffiths, Gordon Sluggett.
2012: Coralie Coulson, Sam Ness, Thelma Wombwell, Julie Taylor, Peter Tew, Jane Chin, Jennifer Neaves, Lisa Hutchins, Shirley Mailes, Sally Dawson.
2013: Tamara Hudson, Donald Jones, Charles Watt, Barbara Dohle, Wes Waller, Roma Tully, Ken Fitzgerald, Pam Templeton, Ron Huf.
2014: Ian Black, Matthew Gebert, Julie Mutch, Barbara Waldron-Hunter, Cheryle Casey, Ian Murray, Maree Willey, Dorothy O’Callaghan, Gary Wilson, John Colcott.
2015: Rowena Ford, Lucinda Bunge, Peter Walter, Francis Pekin, Peter Cook, Beth Tonissen, Ethel Murray, Val Downes, Elizabeth Britten, Sue Watt, Beverley Baillie.
2016: John Kane, Terrie Johnson, Marcus Rentsch, Fiona & Russell Mitchell, Margaret Ferrier, Gary Simpson, Clare Ryan, Phillip Baulch.
2017: Sadie Langley, Elly McLean, Craig Munro, Shirley Forest, Rick Jacobs, James Parker, Leonie Neylon, Paula Kelly.
2018: Rosier Mercer, Bella Cutchie, Travis McIntosh, Marjorie Keeble, Narelle Ness, Barry Matthews, Darren Krause, Kate Coote, Heather Hoy, Val Lawson.
2019: Anne Littlechild, John Garland, Kyal Doneman, Harley Addinsall, Adrian Rhook, Jock Whiting, Chuck Loomer, Beatrice Bunney, Diane James, Beccy Wishart, Beth Tonissen, Graeme Addinsall, Terry Fitzgerald.
2020: Colin Thompson, Abby Hill, Bella Manson, Ella Sevior, Jess McLaren, Fred Onnen, Avie Eddy, Merron Riddiford, Kylie Langley, Ann Hayes, Ashley Lambert, Chris Cole, Les Payne
2021: Geoff Vickery, Darcy Hetherton, Rod Bird, Stephanie Austin, Colin Huf, Sally Gray, John McIntosh, Tracey Kruger.
2022: John Graham, Mia McGrath, Kay Parker, James Parker, Di McLean, David Appleton.
Footnote: The 2023 winners will be announced at Hamilton’s Botanical Gardens next Thursday across four categories: young citizen of the year (for residents under the age of 25); citizen of the year; community event of the year to the group or person who has staged the most outstanding community event; and community recognition for an individual or group based in the Southern Grampians who has made a significant contribution to the local community in the current year or over a number of years.
