Australia's most loved public holiday.

Australia day for me is an excuse to wear my flag, literally on my back. It’s an excuse to stick fake tattoos all over myself and wear badges with little Australian flags on them. It’s an excuse to have another BBQ and a reason to drink beer. It’s a day where lying on the beach all day is acceptable and where giant inflatable thongs are the coolest beach accessory.

We Aussies like to celebrate our recent history true to what we really are. A nation of misfits. Thieves. The offspring of the people Britain didn’t want anymore. We celebrate the fact that we are now known as an accepting and multicultural nation for this very reason. We have allowed mass immigration because we did not have enough people to run a country and we continue to allow it in the name of diversity. We accept refugees who flee their countries and have no where else to go. No matter what your opinions on this matter are, the fact of the matter is, this is the way things are and I personally, am proud to consider myself an Australian.

In saying all this, I realize that today is also, in many ways a sad day for the Aboriginal people in Australia. This never used to be a convict nation. It was a functioning, complex society that was decimated by an invasion of a new population and culture. Today is invasion day. The day when an entire country began having their lives and land stolen from them. The good thing about us newer Australians though, is that we accept this too. We recognise this, and the wrongs that occurred at that time. We said sorry in 2008 and we have begun to bridge the gap and encourage reconciliation. Another example of how accepting the majority of society can really be.

While there are no doubt people, who will take today to the extreme in terms of drinking, hooning and just generally twatting it up, and while there are always going to be clashes of culture, religion and race, I would like to think that these negatives are the minority. That the majority of the Australian society can truly call themselves Australian and show it, by respecting people and what they have to offer, no matter who they are and where they come from.  It is a true celebration of the all inclusive term “life” in Australia.