Australia Day

It's Australia day today and instead of surfing or drinking beer at a BBQ, I am at work.

Although most Australians will be drinking a cold lager today to celebrate the birthday of Modern* Australia, the settlers of the first fleet made toasts with London porter when they first set foot on Australian shores. From the Fuller's website;

.

"When the First Fleet had arrived in Sydney Cove, on the east coast of Australia, in 1788 to set up a pioneering penal colony, the new arrivals drank toasts to the success of the settlement in glasses of porter brought 11,000 miles from England."

.

Shortly after arriving in Australia, brewing in the colony started in earnest with former first fleet convict James Squire becoming Australia's first successful commercial brewer. He was the first to brew 'true' beer bittered with hops. His name lives on in a popular microbrewed beer line.

.

I think it is important to not forget Australia's colonial roots as it was the early years of Australia's history which forged a great nation. I am a proud Australian and also of distant Aboriginal descent. I think it is sad to think that the 2009 Australian of the year, Professor Mick Dodson AM thinks that having Australia day on the 26th of January is disrespectful to Aboriginals. How Un-Australian........ Australia is a tolerant and multicultural nation and hopefully not one that will yield to the will of a spoken minority. Kevin Rudd's direct 'No' response is the most sensible thing he has said since coming to power.

.

On a brighter note, Rolf Harris is still an Australian to be proud of, while Germaine Greer is still one to be ashamed of!
.

*Modern Australia refers to post 1788 Australia. It's a PC term even though Australia did not exist as an independent country until 1st January 1901.