Welcome to Alphabet Adventures a journey through the dictionary Episode # .
I you didn't catch the first episode you can find it here basically it tells you what I am doing and why.

I have decided that the following quote will be a permanent fixture as I feel really captures the power of language.

“If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them”

Today's Adventure.

Is one that might just piss some people of please let me assure you that is not my goal.

I was inspired to write this post after a debate held by @wwf

I love my country I think we are freaking awesome and I am far from being a SWJ some keyboard hero, that thinks they have all the answers.

Here is the deal I write these Alphabet Adventures because I have a fascination with our language, how we use its, how its changed, and what the original intent of the words are so today this beautiful warm Australia Day I thought I would explore with you what it really mean when we celebrate Australia Day.

AUSTRALIA.

Now this is going to sound like I'm pulling your bloody leg but Australia is not in the Dictionary at least not *Australia's National Dictionary Maquarie Compact Dictionary.

So I will have to use another source and maybe make some up.

n 1 Bloody great country.
2 a continent SE of Asia, between the Indian and the Pacific oceans. 2,948,366 sq. mi. (7,636,270 sq. km).
3 see commonwealth of, member of the Commonwealth of Nations, consisting of the federated states and territories of Australia and Tasmania.
4 sometimes referred to as Nopeland due to the deadly nature of its wildlife including the particularly dangerous drop bear.

source

Australia Day
n 1 Annual day put aside to celebrate everything awesome about the nation of Australia.

Etymology

Australia coming from the Latin australis meaning southern though more specifically having origins in a prediction going all the way back to 100AD ish when Claudius Ptolemy put forward the idea of "Terra Australis Incognita" unknown southern land, his idea was that in order for this disc shaped plane to maintain its balance in the heavens that there must be some counter weight land mass its southern hemisphere.

Australia as a name wasn't adopted until suggested my Mathew Flinders who lead the first circumnavigation of the land he suggested Australia as the simplification of Terra Australis due to his belief that the chances of finding any great land mass any further south very unlikely.

History lesson quickie

I don't know how many of us remember our High School history lessons but Australia was first discovered by Europeans in 1642 by Dutchman Abel Tasman that's right Australia was nearly New Holland you could have been rocking clogs, smoking weed, and visiting sex workers with out going to jail.

Tasmans two trips.

Our mate Cookie.

1768 Cpt Cook sets out to find evidence of Terra Australis Incognita which given that the dutch found the west coast, north coast and Tasmania nearly a hundred years earlier is kind of like me setting sail to find evidence of the Americas.

So Cooks trip is successful he "discovers" Terra Australis and makes the declaration that it is in-fact Terra Nullis nobody's land dispute having seen and encountered a local people.

Let that just sink in for a minuet.

Need a hand to grasp what I'm talking about think of it like this its the same as some crim peaking in your window seeing your at home declaring it empty and deciding to move in.

22nd August 1770 Cook plants the British flag on possession island and claims the entire East Coast for the British Kingdom.

Australia Day

January 24th 1778 the First Fleet arrives in Botany Bay filled with their white slaves, on the 26th January 1788 a simple ceremony was held to create the first European colony on the continent called Terra Australis.

The Australia you know and love wont exist for another 112 years, 11 months, 6 days this landing does not represent the a great achievement of our nation but the start of something treble not just for the local peoples but also for many of our convict ancestors.

Proud Convicts

Approximately 164,000 convicts where sent to Australia many for petty crimes like trying to feed their family and many modern Australians proudly claim their ancestry.

We love our outlaws heros, our Ned Kelly's but somehow we forget that when we choose to celebrate Australia Day on the 26th of January we are celebrating the commencement of the slavery of our people on this soil that we celebrate the day those convicts where first forced by whips and beating to work all for a loaf of bread.

Invasion Day

Source

Yeah I know I can feel some of your eyes rolling already but please follow me on this little exercise.

I want you to imagine that tonight of the 26th and alien force arrives on earth with a disparity of technology experienced by the Aboriginal population vs the colonialists you know the Aliens just declared Earth Platetus Nullus

I'm talking our nukes being like spears and boomerang vs the aliens canons and rifles.

Now the aliens proceed to take our land, refuse to even recognise us as anything other than animals, even set up programs that intend to bread us out of existence.

174 years later we are still here and the aliens throw us a bone they say we are kind of sentient and let us vote.

All this time those bastard aliens celebrate the day they conquered Earth on the 26th, 230 years latter you and I are long dead but just how happy do you think our grand kids are to be celebrating the day humanity lost earth?

A Better Australia Day.

Any one know when we actual became a country in our own right?

Federation
Oh my god would you look at that we actually have a historically recorded date for when the colonies actually voted to become a country 01/01/1901

Now you might call me crazy but this seams like a suspiciously good date to celebrate Australia Day.

I know, I hear you its a stupid day, I mean we already get that one off right mainly because well New Years and to much drinking the night before here is a suggestion two public holidays in a row.

Bloody genius that would have meant this year was Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday off for Chrissi and boxing day followed up with Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday for New Years and Australia day all without celebrating slavery and murder.

Pervious Episodes.
1 2 3 4 5 6

If you would like to follow me @shai-hulud in these adventures please feel free alternatively if you write to educate can I suggest the tag #steemiteducation

Feel like following and inspiring woman check out my wife @insideoutlet

Kind Regards

Peter