Get ready to celebrate Australia Month!

Patriotic, nation-loving Aussies from coast to coast are taking the initiative to celebrate Australia for the whole month of January, from Federation Day on 1 January through to and beyond Australia Day on 26 January.

And why not? We’ve all heard of Pride [in sin] Month, and we know all about National Sorry Day, Mabo Day, National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC week, so why not take a solid month to celebrate the good, beneficial and true history of Australia: the common interest which nurtures our prosperity and peace, unites us and influences so much of who we are and are becoming!

Federation Day, 1 January, marks the anniversary of Australia’s end as six colonies of the United Kingdom and their joint establishment as a sovereign and independent nation in 1901. On that day the colonies (which became our six states) federated into one indissoluble union under the Crown and under a new constitution. Since then our politicians have been subject only to the Australian Parliament.

The union was the work of a number of Australian patriots who gathered together in several conventions in the 1890s to deliberate upon forming the new nation of Australia. My favourite fact from those foundational summits was the suggestion from the Tasmanian Legislative Assembly for the popularly demanded acknowledgement of the One True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Constitution’s Preamble:

“…duly acknowledge Almighty God as the Supreme Ruler of the Universe and the source of all true Government…”

Australia Day, 26 January, is a time during which Australians celebrate what it means to be Australian and to honour Australia’s history and all the people who have made this nation great. A great number of citizenship ceremonies are held across the country. It is the largest annual public event in Australia.

First celebrated officially in 1808 by Governor Lachlan Macquarie, 30 years after the First Fleet relocated from Botany Bay to Sydney Cove, the date only became official in 1935.

It quickly became a magnet for protests and pessimism by racial separatists and negative revisionists, which is all the more reason for Aussies now to hold fast to what is good and revive the languishing national pride.

The First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay between the 18th and 20th of January, but quickly decided it was unsuitable. Governor Phillip and some officers inspected Port Jackson the next day and stayed for two nights, and it was there they made first contact with Aborigines, during the dates 21 to 23 January.

Phillip ordered the Fleet moved to Sydney Cove on the 24th, and they spotted two other ships flying the French flag trying to enter Botany Bay. European settlement of this dislocated, undeveloped continent in the age of global imperialism was always inevitable.

Delayed by a strong gale, only the HMS Supply, carrying the Governor, some soldiers and about 40 convicts managed to safely anchor in Sydney Cove on the 25th. The rest of the First Fleet arrived the next day, the 26th, and the British colours were raised, and the senior officers toasted the King’s health and success to the settlement.

It wasn’t until 7 February that year that all land was vested in King George III and the Colony of New South Wales from formally proclaimed and established.

It would seem 22 January or 7 February would be more accurate dates to protest the settlement or “invasion” of Australia (unless of course the preferred outcome is simply to spoil and defame the celebration of everything good).

Australia Month is just 3 weeks away, and if you have some stories or research to share for the edification and celebration of Australia, please send them to mail@GoodSauce.news.

If you would like some original t-shirts, hats, mugs and other merch to wear your love of nation with appropriate pride, visit AustraliaMonth.au and get delivery before Federation Day!

Three cheers for Australia Month: January, 2025!

Acts 17:

[26] And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, [27] so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

Dave Pellowe is a Christian political educator & commentator, director of annual Church And State conferences around Australia, and founding editor of The Good Sauce. Since 2016 Dave has undertaken the mission of arming Christians to redeem culture through videos, podcasts and articles published in multiple journals across Australia and New Zealand, and events from Perth to Auckland. [more]

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