The King’s birthday was first celebrated in 1788 on George III’s birthday and this long weekend is a reminder that Australian independence is unfinished business.
Now calendars and diaries have changed to declare it the King’s birthday and it’s time to thank Charles III for the long weekend – not that he’s picking up the bill.The days nations choose to celebrate says a lot about their sense of themselves. Americans celebrate independence, Thanksgiving, the end of slavery, the life of a murdered civil rights leader and veterans. New Zealanders note the Waitangi Treaty, Matariki, the Māori new year, and the monarch’s birthday.
Labour Day is a holiday celebrated almost everywhere but Australia’s unique claim as the place where in 1856 On 18 December 1894 South Australia became the first place in the world to grant women the vote and the right to stand for parliament. Jump forward to 3 March 1986 and the passage of the Australia Act made the country fully independent of Britain a mere 85 years after Federation.
These days would tell a national story much richer and more hopeful. They send a message that, with persistence, change is possible.