DadTalk

Australia Day

By pure chance, sorry detailed planning, we arrived in Sydney just in time for Australia Day. Over the last few decades this has changed from a celebration of the first European settlers to a much more modern vision of a multi-cultural nation, or so it said on the official website. This is now the national day and a public holiday in Oz.

Happily we throw ourselves into it. We rub on the Aussie Flag tattoos on the kids’ cheeks (Made in China, oh the irony), dig out Dickon’s increasingly grubby looking Kangaroo t-shirt and head into town. The bus is packed. We start to feel under dressed. Popular t-shirts include “Aussie Bloke”, “Aussie Chicks Rock” and my personal favourite “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi”.

In town we mix with a merry, very mixed, crowd, with red, white and blue afro’s and Aussie flags on every imaginable form of clothing. We have a taste the Vegemite ice-cream, but did not go for the whole cone. I try not to mention the Ashes result.

The highlight of the day, at least for Dickon, has to be the live shows. This included the Wot-Wots (Kiwi aliens, very popular with the under fives) and Frank and Buster better known as the “Koala Brothers”. All I can say is the two actors in the six foot Koala suits, dancing in the plus 35 degree heat were showing true Aussie spirit.

We duck-out before the speeches from the State Premier and Governor (funny that). Therefore we miss what this year’s official take on what Australia Day is all about. I did read the official Australia Day address, which was bizarrely given by Michael Parkinson this year. Drawing from his rather dull and rambling talk I think the day is something to do with dead cricketers and proud Yorkshire miners. However based on what we actually saw today I cannot help wondering if the UK should not have its own national day. It all did feel very inclusive and as prompt for debate and reflection about what your nation is all about I can’t think of a better way. Also we could get another bank holiday out of it.