Happy 218th Birthday Australia!

"In 1788 down in Sydney Cove, the first boat people landed and they said 'sorry boys, our gain's your loss, we're gonna steal your land'".

As today is Invasion Day, I thought I'd post Jas H Duke's poem 'Happy Birthday Australia', written, I believe, for Australia's purported bicentenary in 1988. (I say 'purported' because January 26, 1788 is not actually the date upon which the modern nation-state of Australia was formed; that event formally occured on January 1, 1901. January 26 is the date upon which the British Empire was expanded to include the colony of New South Wales.) Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of Duke's wonderfully acerbic poem to hand, so instead, here's a link to singer-songwiter Kev Carmody. He's written a great song called 'Thou Shalt Not Steal', the first lines of which appear above. Oh, and remember Kids: "If you want to avoid being a dole bludger, be sure to pick your parents carefully" -- Jas H Duke.

[And here you'll find a contemporary Melbourne anarchist's reaction to the opening of Australia's first Parliament. The more things change 'n' all that!]