Happy Australia Day!

[rekirts]

So nice of the Australians to have a special day on my birthday. Thanks!<br>
<br>
Wendy <p>"I am an admirer of the ancients,but not like some people so as to despise the talent of our own times." Pliny the Younger</p><i></i>

[Jeroen Pelgrom]

happy birthday Wendy!,<br>
<br>
Australia day??? <p>Volo anaticulam cumminosam meam!</p><i></i>

[JRSCline]

Pop quiz:<br>
<br>
What <strong>significant event does Australia Day commemorate?</strong><br>
<br>
No Google searches, and no Australians answering this!<br>
<br>
Beers,<br>
Jenny <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

Happy Birthday<br>
<br>
Oh, and Happy Australia Day to those of you who celebrate it! <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

"What significant event does Australia Day commemorate?"<br>
<br>
Jan 26th 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales and became Governor.<br>
<br>
I didn't Google...honest...I just went to a forum that has a few Aussie participants.<br>
<br>
1808 were the first recorded celebrations of the day when it was noted "the anniversary of the foundation of the colony was observed in the traditional manner with drinking and merriment."<br>
<br>
Hmm...typical of the aussies...any excuse for a party.<br>
<br>
1818 were the first official celebrations. It became a Public Holiday in 1838. In 1935 all states and territories except N.S.W. (which celebrated it as Anniversary Day) adopted Australia Day as the official title. Finally in 1946 all states and territories adopted the title Australia Day. However it was only in 1994 that everyone began to celebrate it on the actual date of January 26th.<br>
<br>
What's the prize Jenny?<br>
<p></p><i></i>

[Crispvs]

Firstly, Happy Birthday Wendy!<br>
<br>
Secondly, I just spent half an hour typing out a rather detailed response, talking about the Australian states' view of themselves and their anniversary days prior to Australia becoming a self governing 'Dominion' in 1904 and since, and comparing this to New Zealand (where I grew up), which also became a Dominion in 1904 and where the provinces which where abolished in the 1870s still continue to exist in very real terms to the present day, but unfortunately when I posted it EZBoard decided I was not a member and deleted it (I think EZBoard must have something against me - the number of postings I am credited with rises only one for every three or four postings that I make and generally my EZboard inbox fails to open for me. Is there a problem or am I just paranoid?).<br>
<br>
Crispvs <p></p><i></i>

[Thiudareiks Flavius]

Crispvs wrote:<br>
<br>
Quote:</em></strong><hr> ... prior to Australia becoming a self governing 'Dominion' in 1904<hr><br>
<br>
Umm, small quibble Crispvs - we didn't become a "self-governing dominion", we became the independent Commonwealth of Australia. We'd been self-governing long before that, but still theoretically subject to Britain. And we became a nation on January 1st 1901, not 1904.<br>
<br>
After Governor Phillip officially founded the settlement which was to become Australia he then ordered that the convicts, who had been cooped up in the ships of the First Fleet for months, to disembark.<br>
<br>
Things rapidly got out of control, as hundreds of male and female convicts - segregated for the long voyage - made up for lost time, broke into the rum supplies and started a landing celebration that was, apparently, a combination of a brawl, a party, a riot and an orgy. The troops only regained control once the hangovers kicked in.<br>
<br>
Some nations are born through wars and some through revolutions. Ours was born with a drunken orgy of wild fiddle music, booze and fornication.<br>
<br>
It explains a lot about us.<br>
<p>Tim O'Neill / Thiudareiks Flavius<br>
<br>
Visit 'Clades Variana' - Home of the Varus Film Project<br>
<br>
Help create the film of Publius Quinctilius Varus' lost legions.<br>
<br>
Come to my [url=http://www.ancientworlds.net/member/Gunthigg/Thiudareiks" target="top]Stathigg[/url] in [url=http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/City/23413" target="top]Germania[/url] at the [url=http://www.ancientworlds.net/" target="top]Ancient Worlds[/url] community.</p><i></i>

[JRSCline]

It sounds like you all know your history better than my Australian friend here, who told me the day commemorated the landing of Captain Cook! But he's a tanker; trackheads are not that bright anyway...<br>
<br>
Prize? How about a nice long scratch from an angry koala?<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
Jenny <p></p><i></i>

[Crispvs]

Thiudareiks,<br>
<br>
Thanks for the correction. I had thought that both New Zealand and Australia had become dominions at the same time. I stand corrected. At university I studied (in diminishing order of length of time) English history, Roman history, American history, New Zealand history,General European history, Russian history, Greek history, West African history, Southern African history and Indian history. I never got around to studying Australian history much. Perhaps I should blame Breaker Morant and too many Qantus adverts. I bow my head to your superior knowledge of the West Island of New Zealand.<br>
<br>
Crispvs <p></p><i></i>

[Muzzaguchi]

Hi Wendy,<br>
<br>
Well it would seem that we share a birthday! (along with Douglas Macarthur and Stephane Grapelli) It was never politic to be a New Zealander born on Australia day but now that I live in Sydney hey they do at least give me a holiday.<br>
<br>
And Crispus I would watch what you say about 'the West island'! Many of 'us' simply refer to Aus as the East island - I believe Sydney is the second largest New Zealand city by population! But of course the Australians claim most New Zealanders who get internationally famous - (Russell Crowe, Sam Neil, Split Enz & Crowded House) though not, interstingly Sir Ronald Syme or Peter Jackson (I don't think even an aussie would have the gumption to claim LOTR was Australian )<br>
<br>
Cheers<br>
<br>
Murray<br>
<br>
Anywho - NZ was never a dominion either but also a member of the commonwealth and although included and invited to join the Australian Confederation (along with Fiji I think) we declined. And thus was born the Anzac rivalry and comraderie (whenever we are in the northern hemisphere).<br>
<p>It is an unscrupulous intellect that does not pay Antiquity its due reverence - Erasmus of Rotterdam<br>
<br>
'Modern history, like a deaf man, answers questions no one asks' - Tolstoy War and Peace Ep. ii.1</p><i></i>

[Thiudareiks Flavius]

No worries Crispvs - it was news to me that NZ got independence in 1904 (I wasn't sure of the date, not the independence ), so you learn something everyday.<br>
<br>
And Muzz, we only tend to claim them when they come here to live or do most of their work here. So Peter Jackson is pretty safe. Russ Crowe doesn't only live in northern NSW but can also quote Banjo Patterson poetry by heart - sounds like an adopted Aussie to me. And Crowded House's status as a Kiwi band is pretty dubious considering two out of three of them (Nick Seymour and Paul Hester) are both Australians! Fair crack of the whip, sport! Who's stealing who?<br>
<br>
I'm told that NZ was seriously considering joining the Australian federation in the late 1890s, and at the same time Western Australia was thinking serious of <em>not</em> doing so. I would say that we'd be happy to have the Kiwis and do without those weird Western Australian "sand-gropers", but my brother lives in Perth, so maybe I'd better not.<br>
Cheers, <p>Tim O'Neill / Thiudareiks Flavius<br>
<br>
Visit 'Clades Variana' - Home of the Varus Film Project<br>
<br>
Help create the film of Publius Quinctilius Varus' lost legions.<br>
<br>
Come to my [url=http://www.ancientworlds.net/member/Gunthigg/Thiudareiks" target="top]Stathigg[/url] in [url=http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/City/23413" target="top]Germania[/url] at the [url=http://www.ancientworlds.net/" target="top]Ancient Worlds[/url] community.</p><i></i>

[rekirts]

Hmmm, this is confusing. If Australia and New Zealand weren't dominions, what were they? Canada was a Dominion. July 1 used to be called Dominion Day, but now it's called Canada Day. Erm, but I don't think we're a dominion any more, since we repatriated the constitution or whatever. (My shockingly vague notions about Canadian history are showing ) I thought us Commonwealth types had the same types of government. Somebody enlighten me. <br>
<br>
Wendy <p>"I am an admirer of the ancients,but not like some people so as to despise the talent of our own times." Pliny the Younger</p><i></i>

[Crispvs]

Hmmm. I was taught at school that New Zealand became a dominion in 1904. As for links with Australia, New Zealand was originally administered from Australia (Melbourne I think) and only began an independent course in 1839 when William Hobson was appointed Governer of New Zealand. The next two governors, Fitzroy and Grey were very much men of the Empire and had seen military, legal and diplomatic service in many foriegn posts. Both maintained close links with the Australian administrations and worked hard to foster an active trading relationship. Re-integration with Australia was considered by both. Throught the 1840s, 50s and 60s many emmigrants from Britain went to Australia first and then later moved to New Zealand, often leaving family and friends in Australia. During the Otago and West Coast gold rushes many miners came to New Zealand from Australia. In the Boar War, as far as I know, New Zealand and Australian territorial units were brigaded together.<br>
<br>
Dominion status did not mark the start of New Zealand's independence as a decider of its own future. From the 1880s New Zealand had its own ruling cabinet, presided over by the redoubtable Richard Seddon, which was largely responsible for domestic policy. Seddon was the 'Premier' rather than the 'Prime Minister', purely because New Zealand still had colony status at the time. This changed and later leaders were called Prime Minister. The presence of men like William Pember-Reeves (who had close links to both the Fabian society and the embryonic Labour Party movement) in Seddon's cabinet ensured that the thrust of New Zealand governmental policy, especially in social matters was quite independent of the Parliament in London some years before independence was actually granted to New Zealand.<br>
<br>
Is this off topic? Ah well.<br>
<br>
By the way, my brother lives in Perth too!<br>
<br>
Crispvs <p></p><i></i>

[Anonymous]

A nice long scratch from an angry koala...er, no thanks<br>
<br>
Crispus, if it's any consolation you're not the only one. I've had the 'You're not a member' treatment too.<br>
Those damned cyberspace gremlins at work again! <p></p><i></i>