austraLasia 1408
Australia celebrates Australia Day
KALGOORLIE: 26th January 2006 -- Why Kalgoorlie, where's Kalgoorlie, what's Australia Day....? Let's get all this in order. Why Kalgoorlie? It just happens to be that tiny place on the Australian continent where the Australia Day celebrations began for 2006, and where Khoa Do, Young Australian of the year told the Governor General Michael Jeffrey what Australia means to him as a nation. That young Australian's name might give a clue to answering the third question, but the second one comes first - where is Kalgoorlie? It is in Western Australia, a gold-mining town and is about as far from anywhere as you could imagine. But it is on the main highway between Adelaide and Perth and is a welcome sight after crossing a long stretch of desert (a day or two's drive worth of desert) and before heading into another stretch!
Australia Day marks the day Captain Arthur Phillip from Britain took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales in 1788. Some of the onlookers on that occasion might not have marked the date with such enthusiasm - nobody then knew how long they had been there, and for Britain, as indeed for maps held in the Vatican at the time, 'Terra Australis' was also 'terra nullius' meaning that it was considered unoccupied or certainly unoccupied by anything resembling civilisation. Nobody knew or cared that the occupants who were in fact there had been there at least 40,000 years. Not a good argument to get into.
Khoa Do (pronounced, probably, Kwa Doe) may save the day for us - his name suggests Vietnam, and that is precisely where he was born. It is also the country he left as a refugee on a fishing boat. Khoa Do is an exceptional young Australian now (he will always be an exceptional young Vietnamese too, of course, but he has adopted Australia and taken citizenship). He is a writer, actor, film director and teacher. He completed his schooling (Catholic school, St Aloysius) in Sydney and went off to University. In his spare time he works voluntarily for disadvantaged children. He made a film with and about these children at risk, called it The Finished People. It is now an internationally acclaimed film.
So Australia Day is all about what makes Australia a great nation, a warm and accepting nation, even if there have been some rather unaccepting and unacceptable moments in its history. On this day, the nation also recognises its achievers and contributors. Some years back, the current Provincial, Fr Frank Moloney, was awarded the honour of being a Member of the Order of Australia and carries the initials AM after his name, along with SDB and a few others, and just as proudly.
By the time Australians receive this their day will be over unfortunately! The Rome-Pisana server has conspired against anyone trying to send emails today, except for a window of an hour or so when the other item went through. But no matter, bear a thought for Australia today and a prayer or two as well.
________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
Australia celebrates Australia Day
KALGOORLIE: 26th January 2006 -- Why Kalgoorlie, where's Kalgoorlie, what's Australia Day....? Let's get all this in order. Why Kalgoorlie? It just happens to be that tiny place on the Australian continent where the Australia Day celebrations began for 2006, and where Khoa Do, Young Australian of the year told the Governor General Michael Jeffrey what Australia means to him as a nation. That young Australian's name might give a clue to answering the third question, but the second one comes first - where is Kalgoorlie? It is in Western Australia, a gold-mining town and is about as far from anywhere as you could imagine. But it is on the main highway between Adelaide and Perth and is a welcome sight after crossing a long stretch of desert (a day or two's drive worth of desert) and before heading into another stretch!
Australia Day marks the day Captain Arthur Phillip from Britain took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales in 1788. Some of the onlookers on that occasion might not have marked the date with such enthusiasm - nobody then knew how long they had been there, and for Britain, as indeed for maps held in the Vatican at the time, 'Terra Australis' was also 'terra nullius' meaning that it was considered unoccupied or certainly unoccupied by anything resembling civilisation. Nobody knew or cared that the occupants who were in fact there had been there at least 40,000 years. Not a good argument to get into.
Khoa Do (pronounced, probably, Kwa Doe) may save the day for us - his name suggests Vietnam, and that is precisely where he was born. It is also the country he left as a refugee on a fishing boat. Khoa Do is an exceptional young Australian now (he will always be an exceptional young Vietnamese too, of course, but he has adopted Australia and taken citizenship). He is a writer, actor, film director and teacher. He completed his schooling (Catholic school, St Aloysius) in Sydney and went off to University. In his spare time he works voluntarily for disadvantaged children. He made a film with and about these children at risk, called it The Finished People. It is now an internationally acclaimed film.
So Australia Day is all about what makes Australia a great nation, a warm and accepting nation, even if there have been some rather unaccepting and unacceptable moments in its history. On this day, the nation also recognises its achievers and contributors. Some years back, the current Provincial, Fr Frank Moloney, was awarded the honour of being a Member of the Order of Australia and carries the initials AM after his name, along with SDB and a few others, and just as proudly.
By the time Australians receive this their day will be over unfortunately! The Rome-Pisana server has conspired against anyone trying to send emails today, except for a window of an hour or so when the other item went through. But no matter, bear a thought for Australia today and a prayer or two as well.
________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
