General Discussion
I naturally used to feel quite sad and sombre as a little girl every Australia Day. Only recently have I understood why. My father passed when I was just 9 years old and I never really got to know him. Only now do I understand that my father was a warrior and sacrificed a lot to fight to protect his family, his clan, his tribe and his community. Some how I must have intuitively known, that while everyone was drinking by the barbie and celebrating so much prosperity, I was left with nothing but loss, due to being an Aboriginal child. In fact for generations my family has had to fight off people who would use and abuse us, just because we are native to Australia. And this started when the British arrived and decided this would be a good place to put their convicted criminals. Some people who consider themselves as true Australians don't like to hear the truthful perspective from First Nations Australians. I would say to those people, how inclusive and respectful, is your true Australia?
So Invasion Day is a day of observance, much like ANZAC Day. A day when I reflect upon all the grief, loss, trauma, theft and sacrifice, my family, tribes and communities have survived. On this day, I feel very close to country, who has witnessed all of these events, behaviors and sentiments over 240 years and together we try and think about a future, where we don't have to fight, in our own country, just to feel safe. Together we look forward to a peaceful day, where we feel, safe, respected and equal, embracing the opportunity to share our culture and our spiritual connection with country with all Australians. So in a few days I'll be saying PENSIVE AUSTRALIA DAY until we can create an Australia where we can all celebrate and share together.
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