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The Forum > Article Comments > Australia Day 2017 > Comments

Australia Day 2017 : Comments

By Bob Ryan, published 5/1/2017

It is unfortunate that, when reasonable Australians strive to unite us all as a nation, there still persists an objection to celebrating January the 26th as Australia Day.

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Well if nothing else Bob has demonstrated he is an accomplished academic writer. However, that should not be confused with being an academic intellect. What Bob has done is engage that academic ‘convention’ of using verbosity as a means of trying to convey an image of intellectual engagement with a topic but in reality is simply covering up for a paucity of knowledge and/or argument.

Notably Bob makes no reference to the refuted aspects of his original article that I presented. That is telling as it means there was no counter argument that could be logically presented. Instead, Bob refers to aspects that were not addressed. There are two reasons they were not addressed; OLO has a word limit and in essence distractions are rarely worth addressing.

The issue at hand is Australia Day, so let’s revisit the opening statement: ‘It is unfortunate that, when reasonable Australians strive to unite us all as a nation, there still persists an objection to celebrating January the 26th as Australia Day.’ The inference is clear; those objecting to Australia Day being held on the 26th of January are ‘unreasonable’. What is arguably more unreasonable is to celebrate a day that symbolises murder, massacres, rapes, land theft, cultural genocide and more. See Bob, it matters not that none of that happened on the actual day but that the day was the arrival of what was to become the end of life and cultures over two centuries of subjugation and repression.

Anyone who has studied the true Australian history, which means recognising and seeing past the master narrative and its partner in crime the Great Australian Silence, knows what the truth is. Something I have been doing as a PhD student and lecturer/tutor in Australian Aboriginal histories, cultures and contemporary issues for the best part of a decade now.
Posted by minotaur, Saturday, 14 January 2017 10:58:19 AM
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Since you raise the point, minotaur, I append these observations (for which I claim no credit) regarding intellect .

1.Analytical (solving academic problems) intellect, evaluated by intellect tests with
concretely defined tasks, having one correct answer. (NB. One correct answer.)

2.Creative intellect, revealed upon successful reaction in new situations and development of new ideas.

3.Practical intellect that is often needed in everyday life and that is difficult to define.

According to those who specialise in this sort of stuff, traditional intellect tests assess academic intellect; they define the learning success, but not the professional success.

I've tested very well in all three and am professionally successful too.

You'll be delighted to know, I'm sure, that I failed my Ph.D. and was awarded an M.Phil. But not bad for an octogenarian businessman, eh?
Posted by Robert99, Sunday, 15 January 2017 5:37:13 AM
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No Bob, I do not take any delight in knowing that you were unsuccessful with your PhD. In my profession I strive to help people be successful at university study and take delight in seeing people do just that. Indeed, I am pleased that you were able to overcome that lack of success in the PhD and complete a Master's. That shows great fortitude!

You also appear to take great pride in having that success and being an 'all rounder' in many areas of 'intellect'. I believe that too is a great thing and is certainly something that many who take on an academic career in post-graduate study and beyond lack. In my experience there are many 'one dimensional' academics around. They lack people skills, among others, and would never survive outside the cocooned world of academia. You do not appear to be such a person.

I note that you also take pride in being an octogenarian of sharp intellect...again I find that to be laudable. However, you have a way to go yet ;) I attended a mid year graduation ceremony last year and the oldest recipient of a PhD was 92! Seems there is still hope for both of us (I withdrew from my PhD due to having too much paid work as a tutor and lecturer and unable to devote the time necessary for a PhD).

Anyways, as you may have some time on your hands and obviously an experienced and competent researcher (you wouldn't have completed what you have otherwise) maybe you can do some research into early Australian history, specifically the effects of colonisation on Aboriginal people. I suggest you may want to start at the beginning and read the works of Watkin Tench and David Collins...both of whom were First Fleeter's. Fascinating stuff indeed!

On a final note my PhD research was looking into the influence of African-American organised political movements/organisations on the early Aboriginal political activist
groups in Australia...specifically the Australian Aborigines Progressive Association (established around 1924) and those that followed. As far as I know that research still hasn't been done.
Posted by minotaur, Sunday, 15 January 2017 3:10:41 PM
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I note that Linda Burney raised the matter of Survival Day. This could also be an appropriate "name day" for the many non native-born Australians who survived the horrors and terrors of their war-ravaged countries. This might be an even better reason for making an Australia Day (as opposed to the connection with England's settlement day.

I, thus, return to my short essay and acknowledge the horrors and terrors suffered by the indigenous peoples, while accepting that the past cannot be undone. Ms Burney doesn't think a change of "name day" will occur "any time soon"; she's being realistic, yet retaining her ideal.

Let's leave the date as it stands, for in the hard truth, there's not much that can be done "any time soon" to mollify those who maintain an unrequited rage. As each year passes Australia Day becomes less a token of English settlement and more a salute to all who make Australia a home where they are free to rail against authority and to speak out forcibly in favour of their ideals.

Donald Horne was wrong in following his first book with a second; the lucky country is far from dead. Australia is alive and thriving, for which condition those who are natives of more than 100 countries and collectively speak some 200 different languages must be given a great deal of credit.

So, on Australia Day, while acknowledging that much more needs to be done in favour of the country's rightful owners, let us continue to work towards assimilation and set aside division.
Posted by Robert99, Monday, 16 January 2017 9:09:07 PM
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Minotaur writes for my enlightenment: “I suggest you may want to start at the beginning and read the works of Watkin Tench and David Collins...both of whom were First Fleeter's.”

A number of comments on my piece have been personal; many others have little to do with the argument for celebrating Australia Day. There are two strands of argument: (1) England did not “invade” Australia. (2) The consequences of English settlement have been disastrous for the indigenous peoples. Those who want to argue the case for (2) have no argument from me. There might have been a third strand, which Alan Frost called a “naval question” (Convicts and Empire etc. Oxford 1980). Some might argue that sending marines with the First Fleet is proof that Australia was invaded. My critics might have done better to take that line.

However, the personal remarks compel me to defend my state of knowledge (read: knowing where to look). Besides Frosts’ I have a number of other relevant books, among them the 33-volume set of Historical Records of Australia and the seven-book set of Historical Records of New South Wales. Re the First Fleet, starting “at the beginning” I have Tench and Collins, besides Bradley, Easty, Hunter, Phillip, White and Worgan. Furthermore, I have the journals of King, Clark and Bowes-Smyth, all three of which I assisted in editing and publishing. I also assisted in putting together and publishing a list of First Fleeters. Finally, when Associate-Professor Grace Karskens discovered with whom she was corresponding she wrote: “you must be the R J Ryan whose Land Grants 1788-1809 sits on my desk permanently within arm’s reach. May I thank you sincerely for that book? It’s been an absolute wonder to have.”

This information illustrates that non-academics can make useful contributions to the study of Australian history. If the uninitiated can learn how Australia became what it is they could have a better-informed opinion of how best we can Advance Australia. In that respect, those who do not yet know otherwise might find the significance of January the 26th a good place to start.
Posted by Robert99, Tuesday, 17 January 2017 6:52:29 AM
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Posted by Dana0912, Friday, 3 February 2017 4:49:46 PM
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