Australia Day 2021

In January, 1788 the First Fleet arrived from England and as some see it, "invaded" Australia. Most of us see it as a settlement of prisoners and others who would make Australia into the envy of the world as it is today.

Most of us who live here are happy to have been born here or been given the opportunity to immigrate here.

The great landmass of Gondwanaland or Terra Australis as it was later to be known, could have been settled by the Dutch, Portugese, French, Japanese, or several different countries. But the English got here first.

The English did what they did everywhere. They built railway lines, settlements, planted crops, mined the earth, and set up systems of governance that worked well.

Unfortunately, as seemed the case with all advanced civilisations moving into territories inhabited by primitive people, many bad things were done on both sides. While we need to learn from the past mistakes of our forefathers, after 233 years, there are some who still live in the past and can't move on from the horrors that were committed.

Today we are the benefactors of the First Fleet. We have a relatively stable and efficient Westminster System of government. We speak the most sought-after language on the planet - English that has become the language of choice for business, industry and science across the world. Millions of people from other countries want to live here and many immigrate each year.

We feel safe in Australia. We feel confident. We feel happy and content.

I consider myself blessed to have been born a ninth-generation Australian. My first ancestor came from Arbroath in Scotland and was "transported" to Australia for stealing cheese. Others followed from England and my paternal grandmother from the United States of America.

My wife's ancestors came from Germany. So our children are a mix of many nationalities.

Today as with every other day, I'm so thankful to be an Australian.

Robin

PS: My father was born on Australia Day and as a child convinced me that the nation had a holiday for his birthday. By the time I'd turned 24 I knew it was bullshit!