St Patrick's College year 12 students Tyrone Holt, Frederick Batman-Baird and Delroy Tranter all argue to change the date for Australia Day to stamp out racism and truly move forward together in healing this nation's past.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They share their opinions with SHOUT, The Courier's online youth platform.
'Colonisation of Australia was violent, the biggest war this country ever had, and it's not spoken about enough' - DELROY TRANTER
I will start off by sharing the history of how Australia's' colonisation came into existence.
It started in 1776 when an English sailor by the name of James Cook 'discovered' the land of what people now call Australia.
It was 12 years later in 1788 when the first fleet came and started their colonial process. They had little knowledge of the land and about the civilisation that had lived on the land for tens of thousand of years.
We, the Indigenous Peoples of Australia, are regarded as the oldest continuous living human culture on the world and we weren't discovered by James Cook but by other cultures thousands of years before the arrival of Cook.
The colonisation of Australia was violent, the biggest war this country ever had, and it's not spoken about enough.
January 26 is the day when, 230-odd years ago, this continent was invaded and forcefully stripped away from the people that say in their creation stories that they had been here from the start of time itself.
For we Aboriginals, January 26 is not a day of celebration like it seems be for the rest of the country, but is a day of mourning and anger, which is why there were protests in every major city on this day every year.
The date of Australia Day needs to be changed in order for us to move on and start thinking of a way to equalise Aboriginals in mainstream Australia.
May 27 would be a better day for Australia Day because this is the day, in 1967, when we were recognised as human beings in the census and were allowed to vote. This day would unite us more because were not constantly being reminded of the day of survival and we can celebrate a day where we're being recognised in the constitution as people.
Racism in Australia still exists today.
If you don't believe that you're arrogant and you are blinded by your whiteness.
Australia was built on prejudice and racial discrimination. It mightn't be as bad as it was 50 years ago but its still there.
This generation of white Australians is more known for their racist jokes. They think that because they are joking it's all right to be racist.
It all comes down to how they were raised.
You're not born a racist, you learn to be a racist from the environment you live in.
I myself have been racially abused so I know racism exists in Australia and it's likely going to continue because of the way kids are taught.
'People tells us to forget the past, move forward.
As a young Indigenous man, I will never celebrate Australia Day on January 26' - TYRONE HOLT
My culture is too deadly to be treated gammon.
People of Australia all know what's on January 26: Australia Day.
Australia Day is celebrated annually around the country but for us Aborigines, Australia Day isn't a happy day. In fact we don't celebrate it.
Why do we not celebrate it? I'm going to tell you, back on the first fleet (1788), they came and took over what Aboriginals had built, and then they slaughtered, raped and enslaved them. That's why we don't celebrate the day.
There are a lot of white Australians who tell us to "forget the past and move forward".
For myself, as a young Indigenous man, I'll never celebrate Australia Day.
I'm a young indigenous man from the Northern Territory. I made my way to Melbourne to finish the rest of high school here. The first time I came to Victoria was 2018.
I thought there weren't any Aboriginals left in Victoria but when I've seen them they were very light-skinned. I mean, they don't look Aboriginal.
What I'm trying to say is, it's sad they don't really know much of the cultural language and dances. There's only three per cent of Indigenous Australians that make up Australia's population.
The ongoing battles that started on January 26 almost cost us the total wipe-out of Aboriginals. I mightn't even be here.
They should change the date.
The date I really would like to change it to is May 27. This date in 1967 was the day Aboriginals were considered as Australians.
'Why do Australians celebrate this day if they know the history?'
- FREDERICK BATMAN-BAIRD
JANUARY 26 is a significant day for many Australians. They celebrate it with barbecues, festivals and parties on the beach. Some other Australians protest in cities and public places to bring out the hidden truth behind the day, Invasion Day.
January 26 is the day, the day when the First Fleet started colonisation on Australian soil.
Starting from this date, Australia's First People were killed or moved from their cultural birthplace for colonisation to take effect. They had to make way for all those cities and suburbs and farms.
Huge massacres were committed against the Indigenous Australians who stood and stayed on their cultural birthplaces. They couldn't win with their traditional weapons against the modern weapons and instead they had to flee from their area to different cultural groups.
As colonisation spread across the country, the Indigenous population fell. Indigenous people were killed or sent to missions where they were forbidden to practice their cultural ceremonies and were forbidden to speak their languages.
- 'We are humans just like you': Why Leyton Priest knows Black Lives Matter | Leyton Priest, St Patrick's College
- Taylor's Heartless questions a spark of hope amid a lack of passion| Lenard Taylor, St Patrick's College
- What martial art skills can do for you | Chloe Buckley, Mount Rowan Secondary College, year eight
The majority of Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, protest to the Australian government that Australia Day should be moved to a different day as it signifies the beginning of a terrible future for Indigenous Australians.
Why do Australians celebrate this day if they know the history?
Sure, it's an opportunity to hang out with friends and go to festivals, but does finding out the truth about Australia make you feel any different?
Australia is a growing country, we have a lot to share and look forward to, but we have to look for ways to make some changes within our country and for its people.
January 26 is not a day of celebration. It's disrespectful to celebrate the day that Indigenous Australians began to be cleared out of the way so that white Australians could make a living.
Change the date of Australia Day to something else, something comforting instead of a day that reminds us of a terrible time in history.
We need to find a path to improve the nation without conflict. We need to form a stronger connection within our community and our nation to build a country which is better.
Have you signed up to The Courier's variety of news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.