Australia Day

We are 2 weeks in to our holiday here in Oz and today the only way I can describe myself is unsettled.

It has nothing to do with my location. It has nothing to do with my health. It has everything to do with the world around me. I just feel unsettled. I just don’t wanna. Forgive me that this post will be all over the place…word vomit so to speak, but here is an update from our world…. for reference it is 3pm Friday afternoon my time.

On Sunday, January 26th we participated in our 1st Australia Day celebration. Think 4th of July in the states. There were boat races in the harbor, concerts, food stands, markets, military salutes, jet flyovers, citizenship ceremonies, fireworks, etc. Jerry and I took the train to Circular Quay (pronounced Key) and made our way through security check points. We walked through the food vendors and markets on the south side of the harbor. We then climbed the stairs and walked across the Sydney Harbor Bridge while watching the ferry boat races. Truly a sight to see. So many boats of all kinds and sizes all in the same harbor. We listed to music under the bridge on the north side of the harbor, listened to the cannon salute, saw the fly over, etc. It was very cool to be a part of the entire experience.

We boarded the train in North Sydney and headed back to Central station (the train station closest to where we are staying). Upon leaving the station we were surprised to find the roads closed to car traffic. With questioning looks on our faces we proceeded to our street and made a blind left hand turn….onto our street….which was also closed to traffic…..and was filled with a mass of people two blocks away marching in protest. Suddenly the helicopter hovering overhead made sense. We made it to our apartment building and observed the march from a block away. We were not scared, we were not worried, more inquisitive than anything. If I have learned anything over the past 9 years it is that there are several sides to a story. There are usually at least two sides and then the truth resides somewhere in the middle. The same is true when dealing with celebrations. Many of us celebrate Thanksgiving…for some people Thanksgiving is a heartbreaking holiday. Many of us celebrate the 4th of July…for some people the holiday feels like a slap in the face. The same tug of war happens here when it comes to Australia Day. Now, I don’t pretend to understand politics, nor do I pretend to be a history buff, but this is what I have figured out so far….

Australia Day marks the arrival of the British ships in the harbor. The Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous people of the mainland and many of the islands in the region. They have been here since the beginning and were here long before the British ships. We had been warned when we said we planned to go to the celebration that protests would happen. We were also told that they would more than likely be peaceful because that is the way of the Aboriginal people. Suddenly things started to make sense. There are 2 flags flying on top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Australian flag and the Indigenous flag. When you attend a ceremony here, more important than the National Anthem is giving thanks to the Indigenous people who inhabited and walked the land prior to your ceremony. Most people were flying 2 mini flags on Australian Day….the Aussie flag and the Indigenous flag. It doesn’t mean that everything is A-okay, but they are trying. They are trying to honor two very different groups. Is it perfect? Hell no. Do they need to continue to work on it? Yes! But they are trying….and they are having honest conversations about their differences.

The protest was peaceful. The helicopter left after about an hour replaced by peace and quiet….until the fireworks. At 7:30pm the concert and fireworks shows started in the harbor. We watched the event on tv. We are staying 1.5 miles from the harbor. We watched the fireworks on tv and heard some of them through the sliding glass door. There was no doubt that they were live 🙂

My point in all this rambling? No country is perfect. There is conflict everywhere you go. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Honor different opinions. Respect those that see things differently. Treat others like you want to be treated. Bullying is not okay. Listen. Don’t talk….listen. Think. Respond.

More Later, NB