Rapper’s quest to ‘find the date’ prompts bold proposal for Australia Day

For 49.77 seconds in 2000, Australians forgot themselves and watched, unified, as Cathy Freeman won Olympic gold on a wave of national pride.

The Sydney games had been a success, Australia was swelling with economic prosperity, and when the 27-year-old performed a victory lap holding the Indigenous and Australian flags together, it was as if two histories could finally merge.

A quarter of a century later, however, there remains a giant sticking point in the reconciliation between First Nations people and European settlers, one that comes around every January to spark the same arguments from both sides: Australia Day.

“Change the date”, “not a date to celebrate” — voices calling to shift the national day have grown louder over the years, and some organisations and businesses have sought to distance themselves from the whole thing.

January 26 is known as “Invasion Day” to some Indigenous Australians — the beginning of trauma and sadness for a bountiful land ravaged by overseas settlers.

Enter Pallittorree/Tulpampanga Pakana man Rulla Kelly-Mansell, a hip hop artist and ABC content creator who says he has a solution to put an end to the “emotional washing machine” that is Australia Day.

“I accept that January 26 will forever be mourned for my people and or celebrated by those who choose too, regardless of if the date changes,” he said.

“The reality is we will never agree on what occurred, not yet anyways.

He started working on a “Find the Date” podcast and, with a colleague, began combing the calendar for an alternative day.

The podcast aimed to provide understanding to the influential nuances that had accelerated how January 26 — which was only made a national holiday in 1994 — was celebrated, such as through Triple J’s Hottest 100 (until 2018), as well as its historical context.

“The idea of the podcast was to have notable people come in and have a conversation around the topic of that particular episode and then they [talent] put forward an alternative date, which we discuss and at the end of the series we then allow an audience to have their input on each date put forward,” Rulla said.

That podcast did not come to fruition but, two years later while having a conversation with his mother, a new date came into consideration — September 25, when Cathy Freeman won gold in Sydney.

“There is no contention of what did or didn’t happen; it happened.

“It wasn’t just a moment; it was the moment, and will forever be the moment in time that we were immersed in the euphoric beauty of our identity, as opposed to arguing about it.”

A moment for the ages

There was the lead-up to the event and the controversy about the sleek bodysuit Freeman wore in the race.

There was the race-call by iconic commentator Bruce McAvaney, who called it “a famous victory, a magnificent performance, what a legend, what a champion”.

And there was that victory lap with both flags, a show of unity Freeman had also performed after gold medal wins in the 1994 Commonwealth Games, earning widespread praise despite criticism from then chef de mission of the Australian team, the late Arthur Tunstall.

Rulla expected some people to argue September 25 was about one person’s individual achievement rather than national pride, but it was about what Freeman did in a “historical context for the greater good, to unite us”.

“It’s not just about Cathy Freeman. It’s about what it represents for all of us,” he said.

He said there were also surface level reasons why the date had “so many green lights”.

“It’s the beginning of when the weather starts to warm up, it’s close to the AFL grand final, and it’s in the back end of the year when I think by that time, we’re all looking to have a day off in some way, shape or form, and come together,” Rulla said.

Government and opposition respond

Patrick Gorman, assistant minister to the prime minister, said people gathered across the nation each Australia Day to acknowledge the past and “pay respect to First Nations peoples’ survival, resilience and enduring culture”.

“On Australia Day, we come together to celebrate living in a nation where everyone’s views, beliefs and contributions are valued.

“The Australian government will continue to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. We remain committed to a shared understanding of our history and a united vision for our future.”

The office of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton pointed to comments he made ahead of Australia Day this year, when he spoke about celebrating it on January 26.

“We live in this country under one flag, we should unite under one flag, and we should have an immense sense of pride about who we are as Australians and where we are in the world.”

‘Give me a compelling argument’

Rulla believed many people had chosen January 26, 1788, based on a “false premise”, believing it marked the day Captain Cook founded this continent. 

He actually landed nearly two decades earlier in 1770.

“Even if you take away the simple fact we occupied and nurtured this continent for thousands of years and you follow the rationale of people who champion Captain Cook and terra nullius, at what stage do you consider the Dutch, Portuguese and Macassans who all touched here on this continent far before the British, far before 1788?” Rulla said.

Before the national holiday became permanent in 1994, some states had loosely marked it on a Monday or Friday in the last week of January to create a long weekend.

“If we want to celebrate values which empower us, through resilience, sacrifice and the representation of gender and cultural equality, somebody convince me or give me a compelling argument as to why it shouldn’t be celebrated on September 25.”