Englishperience: AUSTRALIA DAY

Today is also a celebration day, specially for Australians, since on January, 26th they celebrate 'Australia Day' or better, today is a celebration day for just some Australians since those who do not use this label for this day would rather call it 'Invasion Day' instead. Evidently, I am referring to the Aborigines, who have full rights and reasons to think this way. Let's bring our minds back to History in order to recall what really happened some centuries ago.

Well, before the arrival of several settlers to the island, the first inhabitants of this ginormous country and continent, which is 'down under', were the Aborigines who lived peacefully in the island. However, that peace was soon destroyed by some people who decided to own the land without asking the Aborigines about that concern. One of these people was Captain Cook, who went to Australia around the 1770s and sentenced the island was now part of Britain's properties. From then on, a miserable life was just to start for the Aborigines.

Moreover, only a few years after Cook's visit to the island, the population in Australia began to increase, although this population was somehow especial. Most of these new settlers were convicts who had been previously sent to the USA prisons before they declared themselves independent from British power at the end of the 18th century. After this fact, the deteriorating relationship with USA obliged Britain to find a place where to be able to relocate these convicts who did not have a space in British prisons.

Today Australia is an independent island, though part of the Commonwealth ruled by the Queen, but with a small proportion of its population comprised by Aborigines. This huge island (even much bigger in size than the whole Europe) shares many features with its neighbouring island: New Zealand. In fact, they are mistakingly considered as the same island and it is somehow logical because of their geographical proximity, their shared language or even their flags, which little differ from each other.

So, today is a celebration day for only some Australians, a day to eat quite a lot of local products like kangaroo meat, among others. Now well, taken from granted the information provided, do you still think it is an enjoyment day?