On January 26th, 1788, the first British fleet arrived at what is now Circular Quay, the first Western Immigrants to a continent which must have experienced wave after wave of immigrants of different tribal if not ethnic groups over the previous  ‘60,000 years’.

Each wave would have pushed the previous arrivals further into the continent, dispossessing the earlier inhabitants, just as has occurred all over the earth. Eventually the different races interbred, creating the whole range of Australians we see today, some of whom claim to be aboriginal though they are obviously more than 90% white European.

One might ask why it is that it is those 90% white ‘aboriginals’ are the ones who are so determined to prove their aboriginality by protesting about January 26, when the pure bloods still living deep in the bush do not care about the dates of Australia Day, nor hold grudges against white Australians, according to indigenous politician Jacinta Price?

Alice Springs councillor Jacinta has been subject to a torrent of vile social media abuse from anti-Australia Day activists over her fight to keep the national day on January 26, including being wished a “painful death” and insulting her disabled nephew. She feels disgusted by these online messages and blames “middle class” Australians with [only] indigenous backgrounds,  for fuelling the cyber hate.

Indigenous leader and government adviser Warren Mundine described this abuse as “disgraceful” and described Greens leader Richard Di Natalie’s  claim that January 26 represents an “ongoing genocide” needing a renewed push to change the date of Australia day, as a joke.  “I’m with Australian communities every month and changing the date isn’t no. 1, 2,3,4,5th on their agenda,” Mr Mundine said.

“It is education, jobs, it is to get business activity happening, and to get better health care.”

Sadly, the only business activity many aboriginal activists seem to be concerned with is the millions of dollars the government pours into aborigines, and the financial royalties pouring in from the miners now that aborigines have been given one third of Australia, though they are less than 3% of its population. Where all this money goes few people know, but little seems to trickle down to the pure bloods in the remote outback.

Strange how these activists seem so keen on aboriginal culture but live middle class Australian lives, with all its advantages – good education, modern facilities, cars, health and social services. If what the aboriginals had before  26/01/1788 was so very good and the arrival of Western ways so bad and unworthy of celebration, why don’t they live in the bush in a humpy, as a hunter gatherer?

Come to think of it, having travelled right around Australia, I never saw any pure bloods do that either, so by their behaviour it has to be assumed that they much prefer the modern world with all of its benefits, if only the funds rolling in were used to create the jobs they so badly need.

If it hadn’t been the British who colonised Australia, would the activists prefer it to have been the Japanese, or maybe the Germans? Somehow I don’t think so, so perhaps we all have something to celebrate on January 26th after all?

Deuteronomy 8:10, ‘ When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.’ NIV.