“.. I could not find any nation other than Australia that observed its National Day on the anniversary of the arrival of the colonising power..
It seems to me that the most effective and unifying of National Days are those which seek to build on a sense of unity or common purpose that is shared across the nation. The celebration of the day cannot bring about a unity or sense of shared purpose that doesn’t already exist. In other words, the unity cannot be manufactured or achieved by clever marketing. This means that the controversy around Australia Day is telling us that our national identity cannot come together around the celebration of the arrival of the First Fleet. The fact that no other nation celebrates events similar to those we build our National Day around confirms that we need to look to some other part of our life for the basis of our celebration of nationhood.”
Continue reading this 2020 article by APCVA president Peter Catt at Anglican Focus: https://anglicanfocus.org.au/2020/01/31/a-national-day-for-australia-the-need-for-a-national-conversation/
