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What does Australia Day mean to you? The unofficial thread!

Poll: What does January 26 mean to you?
Total Votes: 17
Just another public holiday
3
A day off work
3
BBQ
2
Beer
1
It’s about the monarchy
0
Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi
2
Invasion Day!
1
Who cares
0
Something else (read my post)
5
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I will be at work 6am-4pm(or anytime after that) both Sunday and Monday :(.

Last year I did a BBQ in a park by the harbor with family and friends.. And it was awesome we played beach cricket and swam with our dogs, devo I’m not doing that again!

 
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cords - 24 January 2014 05:05 AM

I don’t feel particularly proud of being Australian at the moment. I love Australia so much but find its current state and direction to be nothing short of depressing.

I’m not that into the idea of celebrating Australia on Jan 26, either. To borrow from a commenter on a blog post I read this week: ‘other ex colonialist states don’t usually celebrate the day they arrived to colonise. They usually celebrate a milestone like confederation (or a revolution) that includes everyone and represents the building of a nation state with all its inhabitants.

This!! You basically summed up my thoughts perfectly!

Also some young people these says seem to get patriotism and racism confused, Australia day seems to just be rife with people using national pride as a guise for racism and personally I find it sickening.

 
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Camping wth some mates down at the coast shaka

 
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air180 - 24 January 2014 04:27 PM

Also some young people these says seem to get patriotism and racism confused, Australia day seems to just be rife with people using national pride as a guise for racism and personally I find it sickening.

This is why we shouldn’t shun celebrating and actually celebrate appropriately. Don’t let the d!ckheads win

 
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Yeh but I also dont really agree with celebrating the day the British founded Australia. I’m all for celebrating our country, but I’m also aware of the fact that for many people in Australia, what we call “Australia Day” is the day that marked the beginning of one of the darkest periods of their history.

I’m stoked for an extra day off work, but apart from when I was living overseas, I’ve never really celebrated Australia day. Each to their own though.

 
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A dark period in human history…

 
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Among thousands of dark periods in human history!!!!!

People really need to get over stuff like that?????

People have gotta look forward, and see that Australia Day is now a day where (if you so choose) to celebrate as one!!!!!

It’s something that ALL Australians have got in common!!!!! That no matter where they come from, they are all Australian now!!!!!

Separatist bullshit doesn’t belong in this country!!!!!

Neither does dwellin on the past!!!!!

 
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spaz - 24 January 2014 09:23 AM

- come this Sunday I will have worked Fri/Sat nights until the early hours so will likely wake up in the car, on the beach and be parked in by all the other beach freaks. So there I will stay.
Note to self: pack the esky.

I just checked the weather, waves and wind outlook:
Looks like by Sunday the rain will be beginning to clear, the surf will be up, light wind and the tide dropping all morning.
Monday will be similar but slightly more wind and more sunshine.
Both days temps will be low-mid 20’s.

Tomorrow morning looks good with a new swell hitting and SSW wind.

I might have a groundhog day longweekend of waking up on the beach and surfing - after work.
And with the rain having already started it could be a quiet night at work (both nights).

 
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most important question I have to ask about your post spaz (to help with my imagination) is…..what direction swell?!?!

 
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spaz - 24 January 2014 05:53 PM

Tomorrow morning looks good with a new swell hitting and SSW wind.

Hope so! Whilst I’m in no state to surf at the moment I just looked a bit more into the comp here over the weekend and I’m now looking forward to seeing Fanning, Parko, Taj, Occy, Gilmore, Beachley, Enever + more. Will be worth dragging my ass down and hopefully getting a good vantage point, reckon it’s going to be a busy weekend around here though…

 
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cords - 24 January 2014 06:02 PM

most important question I have to ask about your post spaz (to help with my imagination) is…..what direction swell?!?!

Not the best for headies.

 
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Mizu Kuma - 24 January 2014 05:44 PM

Among thousands of dark periods in human history!!!!!

People really need to get over stuff like that?????

People have gotta look forward, and see that Australia Day is now a day where (if you so choose) to celebrate as one!!!!!

It’s something that ALL Australians have got in common!!!!! That no matter where they come from, they are all Australian now!!!!!

Separatist bullshit doesn’t belong in this country!!!!!

Neither does dwellin on the past!!!!!

Just because there have been many ‘dark periods in human history’ doesn’t make what happened to Indigenous Australians any less significant or horrific. Like it or not, that date is always going to have negative connotations for a lot of Australians (hence the constant debate and protest). And if we are talking about getting rid of “separarist bullshit” in Australia then I think we need to start remembering and considering the fact that Aboriginals are Australians too and our national day should be a day of meaning and celebration for them as well.

Like I said, I’m all for a day of celebration and feel incredibly lucky to have been born in Australia, I just think it’s a rather tactless choice of dates and it wouldnt hurt anyone to change it to a date that has meaning for ALL Australians.

 

 
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Maybe I should harbour bitterness toward the date also?????

If it weren’t for the harsh English laws of the time that punished my ancestors with deportment for stealin a loaf of bread, mearly in order to feed their family, I may have had a better life on my grand estate in the UK, who knows?????

We all have bad times, along side good ones!!!!! It’s what makes us what we are!!!!!

It happened over 200 years ago!!!!! It’s time to let it go?????

The world would honestly be a better place if people did!!!!!

 
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If the English didn’t settle Australia it may have been the Chinese, if that happened I doubt there would be many, if any, aboriginals left. Food for thought

But I’m with Mizu, the past is the past, get over it. It wasn’t me or you who did the stuff anyway.
Aussie day to me is a great excuse for a day off and a piss up, speaking of which it anyone’s looking for me on Sunday I’ll be at Airlie Beach getting spastic drunk, yes I’m going probably going to spew and /or pass out but it’s ok as long as I say power in front of it LOL

 
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DylanV - 24 January 2014 08:56 PM

If the English didn’t settle Australia it may have been the Chinese, if that happened I doubt there would be many, if any, aboriginals left. Food for thought

Spot on, mate. . . or the Spanish, Dutch, and the list goes on. The most likely alternate scenario would have been slavery or extinction. But where’s the gratitude???