On January 26th Australians celebrate "being" Australian in many different ways. The date is believed to have been that of the first raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove in 1788, symbolising white settlement, when the first convicts from England were landed.
These days the people of Australia tend to use the day to show their patriotism. This fervour is shown by some in the way they dress.
The national flag is used to decorate cars, stalls and people
This is a day of "feel good" and friendliness.
On the Gold Coast we always have a fun "free" day in the grounds of the Council Chambers where performers entertain and hobbyists of heritage crafts demonstrate their skills to the public.
The Wood chop competition is a tradition for Australia Day and the handicaps put on the champion wood choppers seem to put them at a huge disadvantage. For this bout, one of the men had to wait for the count of 30 before he could start. A small crowd gathered around a man and his working sheep dog as he demonstrated how a series of whistles would tell the dog what he wanted it to do.
In another park I was drawn to where there were loud cheers and laughter. Yet another holiday tradition is back-yard cricket. This park was at the edge of the beach and everywhere there were groups of picnickers but in a good sized clearing a bunch of lads were belting a ball - with absolutely no style at all! The cheering became louder and my shot shows why, the "boys in blue" had been persuaded to join in and one of them struck out at the ball sending it almost into the sea!
Australia Day is also a rather special day for some people - This country is made up of people from every country in the world and there are Citizenship ceremonies many times through the year but for some lucky people their day is Australia Day. How special that must feel.
AJ
No comments:
Post a Comment