Today's the day, it's Australia Day/Invasion Day/Survival Day.
Here are some random memories of mine of the day.
🦘 I remember in 1984, back when 26 January was not a public holiday (the following Monday was), my mother bought a vacuum cleaner on the day from a whitegoods store and the big selling point was that the vacuum was Australian-made.
🦘 In 1986 I forced my father to take me to see the Australia vs India one-day cricket match at Adelaide Oval. As it was Australia Day for the Aussies and Republic Day for the Indians, the national anthems for both countries were played (it wasn't that customary to play any national anthems before sporting events in Australia at the time). Australia ended up winning by 36 runs.
🦘 In 1987 the local newspaper posted a vox pop on whether 26 January should be a fixed public holiday instead of the following Monday. A guy from my school was featured and his response was that he preferred that the following Monday remain the public holiday so as to give him more time to go fishing with his uncle.
🦘 As a teenager, back when Australia was a multicultural society and proud of it, 26 January usually meant getting dressed in Macedonian folk costume and parading down the near-deserted main street along with hundreds of other Aussies of various ethnic backgrounds wearing their folk costumes. It was the only time in the year that I would see the Tatars. We'd later do folk dancing in the soaring heat usually on a black stage (ouch!).
🦘 At my first 26 January celebration in London, my friends and I ended up so inebriated (OK, more like 'maggoted') that we made an impromptu shrine dedicated to Cheezels, though honestly, I'm more of a Toobs guy.
🦘 Again in London, one year I totally forgot about 26 January that I was only prompted of it when I saw two guys dressed in green and gold shorts, tank tops and thongs with beers in their hands, heading off to the nearby Walkabout pub (a tacky Aussie-themed pub chain). Mind you, it was also only +4°C degrees at the time.
