The first national “Day of Mourning” was on January 26, 1938. This was in response to the 150th Anniversary of Invasion, and more directly a response to years of petitioning government to recognise not only the sovereignty of Aboriginal people but that our voice be heard in the Australian Parliament.
Letters written by William Cooper asked:
“Signed by 1814 people of the Aboriginal race, praying His Majesty the King to exercise the Royal Prerogative by intervening for this prevention of our race from extinction and to grant representation to our race in the Federal Parliament.”
It was decided by Cabinet that this letter would not be presented to the king, King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II.
Of course, this brings me to the announcement of a Day of Mourning for Queen Elizabeth II’s passing, a designated time for one to mourn. A public holiday with strict, rigid rules and procedures followed by nation leaders around the world.
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All this stuff is not helping at all the aboriginal people suffering in traditional communities where girls and women are raped and beaten and suffer DV at unbelievable rates.
All our genuflecting and ‘acknowledgement of country’ is just so much virtue signaling that only looks good to people that don’t work with real aboriginal people.
The so called invasion was inevitable. The harsh reality of humanity is that territory is only yours as long as you can defend it. It has always been thus. Alas.
If you really want to help aboriginal people put more police in communities, enforce children to go to school and become literate and stop all this hand wringing nonsense.
So no, no sorry business stuff for me thanks…