As part of my research I periodically go looking for new online information, articles, and posts related to Australia Day. Today I came across a website awarenessdays.com which manages a digital curation of awareness events in the UK, US and Internationally and in its own words aims to “ …create a central resource, making awareness days more easily accessible to a wider audience and with improved accuracy of information covering the leading Awareness Days and Events…”
While the summary of the event may be factual and reflects information easily found elsewhere about Australia Day, it struck me as particularly ironic that a site dedicated to “awareness” seems so farcically one sided. From the visual imagery to the lack of reference to anything mildly in conflict with the celebratory portrayal of observing our National day on January 26th. There is no mention of Invasion Day, or Survival Day, or the growing calls to change the date; not a visual or textual reference to our First Nations people anywhere.
This saccharin sweet representation speaks volumes to me about how the Western World sees Australia – through the lens of rose-coloured glasses, still very much associated with the British Empire, shallow, naïve, and jingoistic. I don’t feel represented by this portrayal of Australia. I feel only disappointment…