The deed is done, the affirmation is made, photos were taken and I now have a nicely framed piece of paper that says I am an Australian citizen! I was really grateful that an elder from the Wurundjeri people came to offer a welcome to country to all of us new Australians, and I only wish that she had been able to stay to the end so I could thank her personally.
This has been a pretty special Australia Day for me, especially because as well as having my wonderful wife Donna with me we had some great people join us for the ceremony. Our thanks to Edna, Phil & Janette, Brian, Lev & Erika and Julian for taking the time to join us and to Iain for coming to visit us at home afterwards with beer and a copy of “Australian Zen“. 🙂
It was a real buzz to be there and to watch Chris get adopted by Australia 🙂
It was really moving for me as it was for many there.
Without biological relatives here, me and his friends, his colleagues and this country, are his family here.
Chris very much feels a belonging with nature and so loves this land.
he cares about the environment and equality here.
It’s fab he’s now an Aussie (and still Welsh 🙂 .
The officials were pretty good and it was great they had the Indigenous flag on stage as well as the conventional one.
Although I didn’t like that the member for Casey, Tony Smith, referred to Australia’s ‘short history’
as 40,000 year old Indigenous history (the original migrants who crossed land bridges to get here) is Australia’s history just as the whole convict era, the gold era, the war migration era, the $10 assisted migration era, the boat people era and every other migration era.
Why is it we can say that first fleeters are part of the history of recent non-Anglo migrants, but we reserve Indigenous history as that of ONLY indigenous people. Their history is the history of AUSTRALIA and therefore of AUSTRALIANS – see the film Kanyini.
So Mr Smith, please update your speech, but I do understand you are part of the liberal party, so perhaps this is a conventional right wing view.
Nevertheless, welcoming new Australians on Australia day, its essential we welcome them to Australia’s long history
and recognise in all speeches by politicians representing this country
that Indigenous people ALREADY had a system of tribal law and local government.
Australian law and government didn’t begin 200 years ago, anglo law and government began 200 years ago.
Both are part of the history of Australia and all Australians.
On behalf of the biological relatives may I add all our congratulations to you on this special day.
We’re all very proud of you. 🙂
Does Australia know what it’s let itself in for though ? 😉
Al
Well done Chris,
I too add my congratulations.
As for what Australia will let itself in for, it will be (hopefully) the gospel of KDE, the Chronicles of Gnome, and OpenOffice rather than “‘Open’ or [MS] ‘Office'” (misquoted from ‘Yes Minister’). Oh, and a Vista that is the Blue Mountains rather than Home Premium.
Bye for now,
Stuart. 🙂
Congratulations on receiving your Australian Citizenship.
I just passed my Australian Citizenship Test today and am looking forward to receiving my citizenship in the coming months…