Department of Children, Youth Justice, & Multicultural Affairs.West Moreton District."ALLBEHAVIOUR ISCOMMUNICATION,INCLUDING OURS.THE REALQUESTION IS,WHAT IS OURBEHAVIOURCOMMUNICATINGTO OURCHILDREN?"L R KNOSTSouthern DownsChild & Family Centre.South West Region.
26th January: Thehistory of Australia DayBy Shane DoréManagerSouthern Downs Child and Family CentreThe conversation surrounding thechanging of the date for AustraliaDay has picked up a lot of pace inrecent years. While manyAustralians continue to markJanuary 26th with plenty of festivityand celebration, more and more arenow seeing and understanding whythe date is of such significance formany Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander people, and why 26thJanuary has now become widelyknown as Invasion Day.Despite a fairly steadfast beliefamong many Australians thatAustralia Day has always beencelebrated on 26th January, this isactually not the case. Australia Daywasn't consistently celebrated on26th January as a public holiday inall states and territories until 1994—that's less than 30 years ago—eventhough the name 'Australia Day'dates back to the early 1900s.The actual date itself back in 1788marked the raising of the UnionJack in Sydney Cove and the officialdeclaration of British sovereigntyon the land that would becomeknown as Australia. Captain ArthurPhillip didn't actually land inAustralia on 26th January; rather,he first arrived between the 18thand 20th of January (1788) inBotany Bay, but because of a lack offresh water there, this saw him sailinto Sydney Cove on the 26th.For Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander people, though, 26thJanuary has come to mark thebeginning of the end of what theyhad known for 60,000+ years, andthe reason why today, this day inJanuary represents a day ofmourning for so many.If you’re keen to hear what manyAboriginal and Torres StraitIslander people think and feelabout Australia Day, then Iencourage you to watch thispowerful, but brief clip (just 2minutes 55 seconds). Please notethat the content in the clip maycontain the names and images ofAboriginal and Torres StraitIslander people who have passedaway.On 26th January this year, I pay myrespects to all Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander people—Elders past and present, childrenand families we work alongside,foster and kinship carers,colleagues from partner agenciesand community controlledorganisations, CYJMA colleagues,as well as my staff—recognisingthat First Nations sovereignty wasnever ceded, and that for many,26th January will be marked byfeelings of sorrow and sadness.3-minuteintroduction to FASDIf you're looking for a shortintroduction to Foetal AlcoholSpectrum Disorders (FASD), then this3-minute video from Canadian basedThe Assante Centre is a great place tostart. There are also links to otherhelpful, informative resources, albeitfrom a Canadian context. NOFASDAustralia also have some greatresources on FASD, including these30 Evidence-based FASD Facts forHealth Professionals.UnderstandingintergenerationaltraumaThe Healing Foundation has this 4-minute animated video onintergenerational trauma and how itpredominantly affects children,grandchildren and future generationsof the Stolen Generations. If peopledon’t have the opportunity to healfrom past trauma, they mayunknowingly pass it on to others.For Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander peoples, the history of forcedremovals, policies such as racialassimilation, socially sanctionedracism and violence, and grief over theloss of land and culture have allcontributed to intergenerationaltrauma.The cumulative effect of historical andintergenerational trauma severelyreduces the capacity of Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islander peoples to fullyand positively participate in their livesand communities, leading towidespread disadvantage.If you'd like to learn and know more,head to Australians Together and thisreally informative article onintergenerational trauma, and why formany Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslanders, it's not simply a case of'getting over it' and 'moving on'.gratitude | 19
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