Happy Australia Day

[matt]

I hope everyone has a great day and takes the time to count our blessings for the fact that we live in this fabulous country.

This one takes on a special significance for me, having become a citizen in the last 12 months

Happy Australia Day to you all.

[jjjnettie (Jeanette)]

Every day I am reminded how very lucky we are to live in Australia.
I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Happy Australia Day.

[Suzy_A]

For those who don't know our Nashinull Anthumb - and that's about 99.999% of the Orstrayleehuns, 'ere it is...

I particularly like the bit where it says about the Sons of England, Scotia, Erin's Isle should rouse to arms like sires of yore To guard our native strand; Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast, Or dare a foot to land, and that Brittannia's sons in fair Australia's land Still keep a British soul!

All stand please...

Advance Australia Fair

Australians all let us rejoice,
For we are young and free;
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea;
Our land abounds in Nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare;
In history's page, let every stage
Advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing,
"Advance Australia fair!"

When gallant Cook from Albion sail'd,
To trace wide oceans o'er,
True British courage bore him on,
Till he landed on our shore.
Then here he raised Old England's flag,
The standard of the brave;
With all her faults we love her still,
"Brittannia rules the wave!"
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

While other nations of the globe
Behold us from afar,
We'll rise to high renown and shine
Like our glorious southern star;
From England, Scotia, Erin's Isle,
Who come our lot to share,
Let all combine with heart and hand
To advance Australia fair!
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast,
Or dare a foot to land,
We'll rouse to arms like sires of yore
To guard our native strand;
Brittannia then shall surely know,
Beyond wide ocean's roll,
Her sons in fair Australia's land
Still keep a British soul.
In joyful strains the let us sing
"Advance Australia fair!"

[duncan]

Three bloody big cheers for SUZY Hip Hip hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well done Suzy cause i for one didn't know all the verses.
Cheers ,
Duncan:thumbsup :

[fringe_dweller]

avagoodone australia! and its good citizens

[citivolus (Ric)]

Happy Australia Day from another recent new citizen of all of 4 months

[AJames]

Happy Australia Day to My Fellow Australians!
May Our Spirit Under the Southern Cross Never Set On Our Shores!!
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi! Oi!, Oi!

[Ric]

Happy Australia Day everyone, hope you all have a great day.

And for all those with clear skies tonight, there will be at least 5 minutes compulsory viewing of our great icon THE SOUTHERN CROSS


Cheers all

[leon]

Yes Sir, Mr Ric !!!!, We will do our duty as you have commanded, have a great day people

Leon

[maksutover]

Happy Aus Day 2u ALL!
btw i just checked the sun and its glorious on this auspicious day!

Cheers!

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Yes, happy Australia Day everyone

A big one for us today - it's also Jenny's mother's 60th, so the whole family is off to a professional photography salon to have proper shots done for her. Oh joy...

Might have to shave....

[gary]

Happy Australia Day!

And remember to support Australian designed and manufactured products.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place, Mount Kuring-Gai
NSW. 2080. Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[Bobj]

Today, 26th January, Australians celebrate the birth of our nation from the most humble of beginnings.
The First Fleet consisted of six convict ships, three store ships, two men -o-war ships with a total of 756 convicts (564 male, 192 female), 550 officers/marines/ship crew and their families.
The six convict ships were:

The Alexander
The Charlotte
The Lady Penrhyn
The Friendship
The Prince of Wales
The Scarborough

Other ships of the Fleet were:

H.M.S. Sirius
H.M.S. Supply
The Fishburn
The Borrowdale
The Golden Grove

The planning of Britain's colonisation of New South Wales was not the best. British gaols were overcrowded with petty criminals and convicts were no longer able to be sent to America as a result of the American War of Independence. It was decided to establish a Penal Colony in the lands of New South Wales which was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770. The supply of women's clothing was left behind in Britain, which naturally caused problems until the colony was up and running.

The voyage itself also had it's own troubles. Some of the convicts on Scarborough attempted a mutiny which failed, there was also a second attempt of mutiny later in the voyage which failed. Captain Arthur Phillip, who was in charge of the Fleet on its 15,000 mile voyage, reported that there was only 23 deaths on the journey. (Phillip, the first Governor of NSW from 1788 - 1792).

It was these convicts, guilty of petty crimes that were the result of trying to survive the conditions of England at the time (eg stealing a loaf of bread), that were the pioneers who - through hard work and perserverence, made the colony survive and expand to the stage of self sufficiency.

Happy Birthday, Australia.

[GrahamL]

1778 ?... Our history is much deeper and richer than this anniversary
We all walk this land thats been lived in for 10's of thousands of years.
I'm very humbled to share this great country with all who live in it.

have a great day

[edwardsdj (Doug)]

Happy Australia Day everyone

[xelasnave]

It is so good to see everyone reflecting on our magnificent Nation..its landscape and its people, and the wonderful fact we have so little history of war..like Europe for example..and no major battles on our land...that enables us to be more confident somehow...we are not stuck in the crap so many other Nations have had from year dot...and when you think of the contributions of Australians world wide, and all our achievements you can not but feel so proud.
AND we have the best sky as well..the center of our Universe passes above us and yet others never will see it.
Happy Australia Day to all

alex

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Sorry to be a little late to the party.

Happy Australia Day!

My family and I went on a Sydney "holiday" for the festivities celebrating 1 year of citizenship. The kids had a nice time as we wondered around Circular Quay and Darling Harbour taking in the sites and sounds of the special day!

[DJVege]

Hope you guys had a great Australia Day! We were very Aussie...beer in hand, snags on the Barby!

[omnivorr]

quote Suzy_A
"I particularly like the bit where it says about the Sons of England, Scotia, Erin's Isle should rouse to arms like sires of yore To guard our native strand; Shou'd foreign foe e'er sight our coast, Or dare a foot to land, and that Brittannia's sons in fair Australia's land Still keep a British soul!"

a concise summation of the "White Australia Policy" there...

...even the less obnoxious third verse is routinely a blindspot in "Nationalists" vision "For those who've come across the seas " ....(solong as they're Anlo-Celtic...or err..we need someone - a lil' more "olive"-shade-of -white to dig a collosal hydro-scheme )


.
&..only nightstalker acknowledged the first Australians


Somehow, I'm a little less than impressed with this thread.
....it's all a bit like chocolate Easter eggs... take off the tinsel and you get a thin layer of sugar-laden fat surrounding a void, ....the encapsulation of childish self-congratulation at being so "lucky", whilst ignoring the call of "the message".

Happy Easter to all! (gettin' in early- since I missed "Invasion-day")

(as did some of my anscestors, ..arriving on the "2nd fleet")

p'haps something to think about while you pack your 'Qan Sheng' into your 'Toyota' to go to 'Massacre Creek' for some dark skies

Cheers
Russ

[fringe_dweller]

black armbander guilt tripper @ 12 oclock I think you are being melodramatic guys - hope you enjoyed your 'happy long weekend day'!
I have second fleet ancestry too, free settlers as well.
Oh thats it lets all feel ashamed and get out the sackcloth and whipping birch for self flagelation, it might remind us of the old days, the whipping part anyways.
granted It is weird to celebrate the brutal horrendous circumstances that the early 'australians' found themselves in. i always think of some absolutely horrific stories like of the first womens prison ship were the women were secretly forced to be pimped all the way to oz at every port possible, by the private company employed to do so, privatised prisons even then!, so as to make a little extra money along the way - and the horrific conditions they arrived in, down in the hole swimming with dead bodies purtifying liquid - some drowning even after all that, as they were just tossed overboard into the water and if too weak/sick they just died/drowned.
ah memories