Have you ever wondered how we could rebrand January 26, so we all have more in common to pass on to future generations?

Many people want different things from January 26 and yet we still don't share common ground. Here are some ideas on how we can share this important day 

Imagine this: January 26, 1938, at the  Australian Hall in Elizabeth Street Sydney. 

Over one hundred Aboriginal men and women from up and down the east coast of Australia, all gathered together in the one building.

Their purpose was to stand and rebrand this one day in the particular day as a Day of Mourning for Aboriginal peoples across the country. Before and after this day there has been decades of an ongoing, very public tug-of-war about what this day should be named and what it stands for.  

There are so many reasons why people want this date to be what it is. Many of these reasons are emotional, social, financial, economical and even psychological . Yet they have become political. Which has created an "us" and "them" about this very significant day.

For Aboriginal peoples across this country, the day is forever linked to a takeover of land.  Just imagine for a moment if this happened to your land, your house, your home, your way of life ? How would you feel ?

Back in 1770 when a very young Captain Cook planted the British flag at Sydney Cove there was no acknowledgement of country.  There was No acknowledgement of Elders past and present and future.  There was NOT one single acknowledgement of any of the 500 + cultures that had peacefully coexisted on the continent for over 65,000 years.   Cook wasn't able to acknowledge what he couldn't see. 

It was as if he was blinded by a lack of familiarity that was present in his homeland, yet not here. He interpreted the landscape and all its rich cultures that were connected . . . . as empty, as terra nullius, as uninhabited.

Yet today January 26 is undeniably a day that many people come together for so many reasons and goals. To me the date is locked in our nations' story whether we like it or not. Imagine what would happen if we could connect and share one common goals rather than many goals. 

It's what we do on the day and how we do it andwho we do it with that makes the difference.  There is no excuse if we blindly continue on this path knowing what we know today.

What if we could do what Cook didn't, couldn't or wasn't able to?  We can forgive Cook for his ignorance as he didn't have the crystal ball to forecast the future.  Yet if he did what could he have done with hindsight.  

In late 2020 the NSW Premier suggested a small yet significant tweak to the national anthem.  She suggested swapping out the word "young" and replacing it with "one".  This small yet powerful gesture easily recognises the 65,000 years of cultures that always has been here. As little as two months later this suggestion was implemented by the current Prime Minister in his New Year's Day speech.  

There was no consultation, no referendum, no plebiscite .  It was implemented as it it were an absolute a no-brainer. Thank you premier and prime minister.

What i learned from this when an idea comes from a person in a position of power and influence with high credibility , it is more likely to be adopted.  Surely we could do something similar.  

Like the word "young' in the national anthem, the terms "Australia Day' "Survival Day", and even "Invasion Day" have become toxic brands, depending on who you listen to . What if we could swap out the word Australia for Acknowledgement Day.  

With a simple tweak it's a day where the date could be kept, and known by a different name and still be meaningful to the many millions of people  who identify as Australian.

Your challenge for this week if you decide to accept it is rather simple. 

1 Find out where local Aboriginal people in your community are gathering (do an internet search or social media search to find out these events)

2 Invite yourself along to that event and introduce yourself  

3 Then with the greatest respect , ASK, LISTEN and LEARN about the importance of this day for the people who are at this event   

4 After you go back home make sure you PASS on what you've learned to your kids, your siblings and your friends, so we can keep this information alive 

5 Work out how you can advocate for Acknowledgement Day with the people of influence in your personal and professional lives 

As always . . . . you will never really know unless you get stuck in and give it a go.

I'll catch you next week with a new challenge.