Aussie Day

I was surprised the next morning to see hundreds of people already on the beach at Dee Why, by 9 o’clock . I knew it was an holyday but didn’t realised fully what the Aussie Day means . It means that a full day is offered to enjoy and celebrate the fact to be Australian. A National patriotic day . To day 26^th of January we were going to celebrate the 219^th year of European settlement in Australia, the oldest continent on earth. We would acknowledge as well 40.000 years of custodianship of this beautiful land by the original settlers: the Australian Aboriginal People . We would celebrate the fact to be all migrants but as well all Aussies! I was looking at all of them so proud and was asking myself –“But what does it mean to be Australian ?” It surely means commitment to this country, to a friendly way of life, to the freedom, to the fairness . It seems that solidarity, brotherhood means something over here . Which is very understandable when we think how hard it was to settle here at first having abandoned everyone and everything behind. I talk with people and what they say is that here there is no dog eating dog but giving a hand to those who fell , help to make Australia the greatest Nation on Earth ( we are getting there !) a nation made of the most ethnically diverse population you could think of . To see so many people from such different backgrounds living in harmony as they do, must be a great source of pride for Australians .

"We are one do they say but we are many, from all the lands on earth we come because we are able to share a dream and sing with one voice : Weare Australian ". Very moving indeed for me to be there of the middle of it all specially that day where my daughter Marine announced me what gender my 5^th grandchild will be! I was in Manly beach and will never forget how blue was the sky, how happy I did feel .