…The first ‘national’ Wattle Day was celebrated in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide on the First of September 1910. The Adelaide branch is described as particularly active, and was notable for promoting wattle as an emblem on other occasions besides Wattle Day…
In 1916 the date of Wattle Day was changed in New South Wales to the first of August. This was done because wattle blooms profusely about that time in the surrounds of Sydney. However, the change led to some confusion which persists to this day; note that the nationally agreed date of Wattle Day has been the First of September throughout Australia since 1992.
Wattle Day continued to be celebrated during the 1920s and 1930s, although apparently not in Western Australia or the Northern Territory…
A significant milestone was the proclamation in April 1984 of the wattle’s green (leaves) and gold (blossom) as the national colours…
The unfinished business of 1913, that is, proclamation of Wattle as the national floral emblem, was completed during the Bicentennial Year, on the First of September 1988. Golden Wattle, Acacia pycnantha, was the actual species chosen…
The Wattle Day Association is promoting a new Wattle Day oriented towards the future, encompassing positive virtues in the celebration of Australia and the Australian spirit. While appreciating the history of the Day, we can adapt its rich symbolism to the great issues Australia faces as a nation still seeking to find its place in the world and as a community-minded people within a global economy.
The First of September is Wattle Day.
The Third of September is Flag Day.The Australian flag was first officially flown on the 3rd of September 1901 in Melbourne.
The Third of September is also the day in 1939 when the Australian Crown formally started to exist. We still don’t understand the full implications of that event. But it is the day on which Australia formally gained its independence from the British Crown and Government. In an Australian republic when we have an Australian as our head of state this event and the third of September may take on a major significance. It is in effect our Independence Day. The date marks Australia’s declaration of war against Nazi Germany by Robert Menzies, the then Prime Minister. The Australian Crown came into existence on the ratification of the Statute of Westminster 1931 and this took place on the 9th of October 1942 (with the commencement date being set to the 3rd of September 1939) during the wartime Labor Government of John Curtin. The event involved two great Australian Prime Ministers from both of the major political parties. The news reel of the address to the nation by Robert Menzies declaring that Australia is at war is one of those icons of Australian culture.
It may be controversial to say so now, but maybe in time Wattle Day and Flag Day could be merged with a special day to commemorate our independence. We still have to wait, however, until we have an Australian as our head of state instead of a British monarch. So Australia isn’t quite there yet…
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