There are three waves of Australians. The first Australians were here from the beginning, as far as anyone can tell. They lived with the land, understanding custodianship like no one before or since. They preserved the richness of the land and thrived amongst its harshness. And they survived the coming of the second Australians. But they still long thrive again.
The second Australians arrived much later, initially with some good intentions toward those who were already here, but the desire to conquer and control soon took over and there was robbery, as Sir Henry said. Even when they decided not to be English, at the beginning of last century, they left the first Australians out.
The second Australians made a policy to try to keep any third Australians out. Bit by bit the White Australia Policy became more multicoloured. The third wave contributed all over the place - business, politics .. But the still long to be recognised fully.
It's not a great history. There is a lot to do to make things right. But the only way to move forward is a Australians. We must stop thinking of when we arrived as our key identity and the other guys as the problem. One nation means all of us together giving each other the respect that we want for ourselves. Make that shift and it will he easy to find a date for Australians' Day.
