Skip to main content

Australia Day 2013: a day for family, friends and reflection


Australia Day on January 26 is a family and friends day for all Australians and all in Australia. It’s a day to celebrate what’s great about living in the country. It’s also a time to reflect on its original custodians, where people have come from, and historical milestones. 

Australia Day is a popular day for people with permanent residency to officially become Australians during the citizenship ceremony. Citizen ceremonies are held throughout the year, but on Australia Day the numbers rise, particularly in Canberra, the nation’s capital. I’ve attended several to witness the citizenship of friends, in the open air next to Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin, amid the official speeches, the jet flyover, and the 21-gun salute - after the Aussie breakfast. This year will be particularly special as it is the country's 225th birthday and it is the Centenary of Canberra – its 100th birthday on March 12.


Canberra Times reported that at the free Aussie Breakfast, starting at 7:30am on Saturday January 26 and served by volunteers, there will be 4,500 sausages, 40 kilograms of onions, 250 loaves of bread, and 4,000 pieces of fruit.


Australia Day events start on Thursday January 24 with an Australia Day dinner, with the Australian of the Year Awards presented on the lawns of Parliament House on Friday evening, followed by a concert of Australian performers. A day at the horse races – Australia Day Race Day – is also held on Friday (http://www.thoroughbredpark.com.au). The Australian of the Year has been awarded each year since 1960. Sixteen people from each state and territory were selected, and from these 128 people, 32 are national finalists. On the day, 4 people will received an award: Australian of the Year, Young Australian of the Year, Senior Australian of the Year, and Australia’s Local Hero (http://www.australianoftheyear.org.au).


The main festivities (all free, with the exception of some rides, games, and food) are held on Saturday January 26. They commence at 7:30am with the free Aussie Breakfast and children’s concert, followed by the flag raising ceremony, flyover and 21-gun salute at 9:00am, with the Australian Citizenship Ceremony at 9:30am. The National Museum of Australia will commence its Museum on the Move: Family Festival at 10:30 (http://www.nma.gov.au) as will the Belconnen Arts Centre activities (http://www.belconnenartscentre.com.au). In the afternoon, the Chief Minister’s Regatta will be held at the Canberra Yacht Club (http://www.canberrayachtclub.com.au) and the National Film and Sound Archive will hold Free Australia Day Screenings of Aussie feature films (http://www.nfsa.gov.au/arc). The day ends with Fireworks Spectacular at 9:30pm.


The next day, on Sunday January 27, the Australian War Memorial presents a free series of class films of the First World War (http://www.awm.gov.au/events) and on Monday January 28, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Museums and Galleries will celebrate Australia Day at Lanyon Homestead with a free open house and picnic.


More information at: http://www.australiaday.org.au/act
Information from The Canberra Times special “Australia Day in the Capital” on January 19, 2013

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

Flaws in the Glass, a self-portrait by Patrick White: book review

The manuscript, Flaws in the Glass (1981), is Patrick Victor Martindale White’s autobiography. White, born in 1912 in England, migrated to Sydney, Australia, when he was six months old. For three years, at the age of 20, he studied French and German literature at King’s College at the University of Cambridge in England. Throughout his life, he published 12 novels. In 1957 he won the inaugural Miles Franklin Literary Award for Voss, published in 1956. In 1961, Riders in the Chariot became a best-seller, winning the Miles Franklin Literary Award. In 1973, he was the first Australian author to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for The Eye of the Storm, despite many critics describing his works as ‘un-Australian’ and himself as ‘Australia’s most unreadable novelist.’ In 1979, The Twyborn Affair was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but he withdrew it from the competition to give younger writers the opportunity to win the award. His autobiography, Flaws in the Glass...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...
1 comment
Read more