Re: HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

Admin Wed 26 Jan 2011, 12:59 am

History of Australia Day
Australians have a national holiday every January 26th to remember their origins and celebrate their achievements.
ORIGINS:
On January 26, 1788, a fleet of ships landed at what is now Sydney, Australia. These ships were under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip and had brought a load of prisoners from England. The prisoners on the ships were not all criminals as we would think of them today. Many of them were people who had been arrested because the government didn't like what they had to say. And some were poor people who had been jailed because they owed money.
(More clarification...Thanks Nate!)
These prisoners were the first Europeans to settle in Australia.
Before 1783 (when the Americans won the Revolutionary War) many of Britain's unwanted criminals had been sent to the United States.
The desire to get rid of criminals was not the only motivation for colonizing Australia. Botany Bay, Australia made a good port of call for British ships travelling in that part of the world. Also, Australia's raw materials were an attractive reason for colonizing the country.
TODAY:
Since that time, millions more have chosen Australia as their home. And wherever they are from, they all take part in celebrating Australia Day.
During the last weekend in January, Australians enjoy folk dances and music of the many national groups that make up their land. These musicians and dancers appear in the oldest part of Sydney (called The Rocks) near the harbor where the first Europeans landed.
Captain Arthur Phillip's landing in the harbor is reenacted each year.
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HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY Australian_flag

The Australian National Flag is Australia’s foremost national symbol. It was first flown in 1901 and has become an expression of Australian identity and pride.
The Australian National Flag flies over the federal and state parliaments. The flag is paraded by our defence forces and displayed around the country at sporting events and by service organisations, schools, community groups and private citizens.
The Australian National Flag has three elements on a blue background: the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star and the Southern Cross.
The Union Jack in the upper left corner (or canton) acknowledges the history of British settlement.
Below the Union Jack is a white Commonwealth or Federation star. It has seven points representing the unity of the six states and the territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. The star is also featured on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms.
The Southern Cross is shown on the fly of the flag in white. This constellation of five stars can be seen only from the southern hemisphere and is a reminder of Australia’s geography.
History
The colonies of Australia federated to become a single Commonwealth in 1901. That year, Australia’s first Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Sir Edmund Barton announced an international competition to design a flag for the new nation. It attracted 32,823 entries. Five near-identical entries were awarded equal first and the designers shared the £200 prize.
The Australian National Flag was flown for the first time in September 1901 at the Exhibition Building in Melbourne, which was then the seat of the federal government.
It was announced in Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 8 of 1903 that King Edward VII approved designs for the flag of Australia, known as the Commonwealth blue ensign, and for the flag of the merchant navy, known as the Commonwealth red ensign. The stars of the Southern Cross were simplified to four seven-pointed stars and one five pointed star. (The 1901 design depicted the stars with a differing number of points to signify their brightness.) In 1908 a seventh point was added to the Commonwealth star to represent the Australian territories.
Confusion developed surrounding the use of the two Australian flags. The blue ensign was intended for official and naval purposes only and the red ensign was to be used by the merchant fleet. However, the general public also began using the red ensign on land. In 1941, Prime Minister the Rt Hon Robert Menzies issued a press statement recommending the flying of the blue ensign as a national emblem. The Flags Act 1953 ended confusion about which ensign to use.
An amendment to the Flags Act 1953 was passed in 1998 to ensure that the Australian National Flag can be changed only with the agreement of the Australian people.
Other official Australian flags include the Australian Aboriginal Flag, the Torres Strait Islander Flag and the ensigns of the Australian Defence Force.

Admin Tue 25 Jan 2011, 7:34 pm

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY Australian_flags_pub

Australia Flag free Image
http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/flag.cfm

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY 091122_201156_84789285

You have been through so much with over 1/3 of the country under water.
My thoughts and prayers go out to you.
May you all have a blessed Holiday.
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY Elainesigforumset