Australia Day

Its the day before Australia Day, & morosely reflecting 

back to a debacle in 1788 when th’ First Fleet failed t’ 

make a dignified entry into Sydney Cove; - mayhap, a 

single ship of th’ fleet of eleven, HMS Supply, found a 

way, gaining th’ ignominy of claiming it in the name of 

King George 3rd t’ be a new Penal colony. Yeah, after 

being kicked out of its American colonies, what it had

meant was finding another place to dump convicts … 

Early in th’ morning on 26 January th’ deed was done 

and the British flag raised - by mid afternoon the rest 

of the fleet had run th’ gauntlet of gales to anchor off 

the Cove; but th’ real proclamation wasn’t made until 

7 February 1788. You can say that’d be a better date 

and duck th’ ribald reticence of traditionalists whose 

Views are stuck in a swelter of infamous torpor about 

whose idea it was - yet, let me say it, it was clearly th’ 

NSW Penal Colony establishment - & not of Australia; 

but it rankles with spurious debate, & too many won’t 

let it rest easy. So again I say, Federation of Australia 

was declared on 1 January 1901 - and y’know, when 

Intent of its unity came into being then th’ real idea o’ 

who & what Australia was had th’ right to commence. 

But we’re dealing with Aussies who’s notion is, you’ll 

loose another bloody holiday if you let ‘em get away 

with that, so bugger off you pests; and there without 

reticence or lingering doubt, I’ll gladly rest my case.., 

© 25 January 2018, I. D. Carswell