Australia Day is a day of unity for all Aussies

We asked our readers to submit their photos of young Australians and – within hours –  pictures flooded in. We had everything from typical fun-loving happy vegemites to babies held by their parents, who had just been sworn in as Australian citizens. 

Judging from your photos, being an Aussie kid in Inverell means leading a carefree life of sports, adventure and popsicles. Looking at the smiling eyes of these typical Aussie kids, and the unassuming nature of their parents when they say “G’day”, it is so easy to forget the complexities of what it means to be an Aussie.

So what does it really mean? Father Joe Adriano addressed the issue in our story about local icon Brian Baldwin when he said: “If you want to know what an Australian is, look at Brian Baldwin.” Or so we would wish.

There’s no denying that men like Brian Baldwin and the diggers at Gallipoli make us proud to be Australians – and more importantly, proud to be human beings. But we shouldn’t forget that we wouldn’t even be here were it not for the original Australians that came to the country to escape the gallows. And many of them pillaged and massacred, creating problems for the First Nations.

And that’s the charm of the Aussie identity that is as flawed as it is brilliant. It was created by conflict, collapses and controversies and melded together with reform, regret and resilience. It’s all about diversity and respect that few nations are able to master. 

At this point, a popular ad campaign from my childhood in the Seventies pops to mind. Created to unite all Australians, Salvadore Smith explained how he was a dinki-di Australian with a dinkum Aussie tan, but also so much more. He was as Greek as a souvlaki and as Irish as the stew, as Italian as spaghetti and the list went on - though for some reason the Scots weren’t mentioned. The ad made the point that you can be all sorts of things and still be 100% Australian.  

These days, we’ve moved on to the next steps in our growth as a nation. We’ve come a long way but we’re still as perplexed as ever, caught up in dual citizenship quandaries and debates on whether to change the date of Australia Day. 

And all this debate is a good thing, because at the end of the day it’s our desire to be fair, equitable and all-inclusive that defines us as Aussies.