Australia Day

I had a great Australia Day celebrating in the morning at the Woggan-ma-gule Farm Cove Morning Ceremony.

But it does make me want to comment on a letter to the SMH last week. It said;

I invite my fellow Australians to reject Dan Murphy's offer (double-page advertisement, January 20) to celebrate our national day by buying two bottles of New Zealand wine for $15.

My problem is I think New Zealand has as much right to celebrate Australia Day as, say, Tasmania. 26 January celebrates the founding of the colony of NSW by Governor Phillip (or the invasion).

The first Governor of New Zealand, William Hobson, was first appointed as Lieutenant Governor reporting to NSW Governor Gipps in 1839. He only became a full Governor reporting to the UK in 1840.

That's the same sequence for the creation of the colony of Tasmania.

If we do think it has something to do with Federation, then I draw your attention to s6 of the UK Act that establishes the constitution;

"The States" shall mean such of the colonies of New South Wales, New Zealand, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, including the northern territory of South Australia,...

It might take our Kiwi cousins a few more than the one hundred and ten year delay so far....but they'll join us in the end.

Meanwhile the day finished with a cup of tea and a nice home-made lamington. We decided we couldn't have both lamingtons and pavlova - so we'll save the latter for Waitangi Day.





Novae Meridianae Demetae Dexter delenda est