Sean Cunningham, Narrandera Argus
This Sunday, January 26, is a date that carries two vastly different meanings for many Australians.
To many it is known as Australia Day and is a celebration, but for others, especially the indigenous population, it is a painful reminder of a day they call Invasion Day or Survival Day.
In addition to the traditional Australia Day ceremony at the Marie Bashir Park and other celebrations there will also be a Survival Day march in Narrandera on Sunday.
One of the organisers, Vivian Christian, said marchers will gather at 10.30am at the top of East Street and make their way to Narrandera Memorial Gardens.
The march, which has been well supported in Narrandera since it started a few years ago, could be described as a statement of resilience, a call to remember and reflect on the sombre history Aboriginals have inherited.
A large crowd is expected to participate again this year.
“It’s hard to tell until the day, but we’re expecting a big crowd – maybe about 100,” Vivian said.
“We’ve had pretty decent crowds in the past few years when we’ve done the march.
“We’ll just be marching peacefully and we’ll have signs and we’ll do some chanting and play music.
“When we get to the Memorial Gardens we’ll have a welcome ceremony, smoking ceremony, dances and we’ll invite people to deliver poems and speeches.
“I tend not to debate the topic with people as they should know why we’re doing it,” Vivian said.
“As an Aboriginal person there’s stuff that’s happened and we don’t feel included. This is not a day of celebration for us; this day is actually dividing us as it’s a reminder of things.
“We want people to recognise the atrocities that happened and hopefully we’ll come out better together at the other end.”
The date of Australia Day remains problematic with many, she said.
“I’d like to change the date – personally, I’d change it to sometime in early January,” Vivian said.
“We have Christmas then New Year’s and then not much happens in a two-or three-week hiatus, so maybe that would be a better time.”
This article appeared in the Narrandera Argus, 23 January 2025.
