When is wattle day in australia

One of the first wattle-themed events held in Australia was the Wattle Blossom Social in Adelaide in , which was put on by an anti-immigration nationalist group, and led to the creation of the Wattle Day League. In more recent years, however, Wattle Day has also been associated with progressive causes, including conservation, and has been championed by some of the supporters of the "change the date" campaign.

Wattles shrouded Australia's first monument marking World War I when it was unveiled by the governor-general on September 7, The Dardanelles Memorial in Adelaide's southern parklands was surrounded by wattle trees, before it was moved in Interest in Wattle Day increased in the s and s — farmers became angry as people trespassed onto their properties to cut down wattle trees in order to sell their flowers.

But the event's appeal faded with the passing of time and it was not until the lead-up to the bicentenary of the arrival of the First Fleet that interest was revived. Green and gold officially became Australia's national colours in and, on September 1, , the governor-general declared golden wattle Australia's national floral emblem. Four years later, in , September 1 was officially proclaimed national Wattle Day, and the Wattle Day Association was formed in Canberra in Dr Searle said Wattle Day now had more significance than ever because of what it represented, and said the day was currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

The association has organised landmarks from Hobart to Townsville to glow gold tonight for Wattle Day. It closed its last branch in , and a new Canberra-based organisation with the same name was formed in It continues to advocate for some of the principles of the original and has expressed support for Wattle Day. Dr Searle said the growing interest in Wattle Day reflected broader growing interest in the wattle as a national symbol. The flower appears on homewares, on clothes and on Australia's new "national brand" that is said to resemble the coronavirus.

Wattle seed is enjoying renewed popularity as a cooking ingredient. Brooke Prentis, an Aboriginal Christian leader, believes January 26 should be recognised as a "day of mourning". About this time, wattle was officially introduced to representations of the Commonwealth coat-of-arms. And in December of the same year, the first wattle blossom stamp was issued.

Wattle took on a new significance in the war years as a potent symbol of home for military personnel serving overseas, and as a means of raising money for organisations such as the Red Cross. Beautifully designed Wattle Day badges as well as wattle sprigs were sold.

Wattle Day continued to be celebrated during the s and s, although apparently not in Western Australia or the Northern Territory. The day became largely associated with schools and tree planting, the aftermath of the War perhaps softening some of the patriotic fervour characteristics of the early days of Federation.

For some reason, World War II is not recorded as having greatly revived the tradition of Wattle Day; wattle does not seem to have been widely used as a symbol of Australia in that time of national crisis.

At any rate, following the war, Wattle Day was allowed to slowly die as a tradition. This was done because wattle blooms profusely about this time in the surrounds of Sydney. However, the change led to some confusion which persists to this day.

This took place in It was not until the s that national pride and symbolism re-emerged for example, the boxing kangaroo. Like many other members of the family, Golden Wattle has delicately scented blossom. Lifespan for the species is not long, only about ten years. Wattle-like plants found overseas are often spiny, they tend to have less spectacular flowers and are known as mimosas. In Australia the Acacias are our largest plant genus with about species. The Australian name wattle is an early colonial term which relates to the use of the springy stems as wattles i.

Aboriginal people have a strong traditional relationship with a number of wattle species, which have been used by them for food, fuel, medicine and various woodcrafts. Golden Wattle is a relatively hardy species and has been planted in all States. Frost-resistant varieties can be chosen for the inland. For example, Canberra's Golden Wattles are unaffected by heavy frosts. Some care may be needed in order to prevent invasion of local bushland in, say, Western Australia where the species is not endemic, which is why the practice of distributing A.

Such invasion by another popular species, Cootamundra Wattle A. The first official move towards recognising wattle as a national symbol took place on 19 April , when the Governor-General proclaimed Australia's national colours to be green and gold.

This was an important step, because blue and gold had also traditionally vied for this status and there had been some confusion and personal preference involved. Blue can still be accepted as an unofficial national colour because blue represents a clear Australian sky as the background to flowering wattle.

On 1 September , Golden Wattle was declared officially as Australia's national floral emblem. While Golden Wattle had long enjoyed that status informally - note its prominent place within the Commonwealth Coat of Arms dating from frontispiece and on the insignia of the Order of Australia - it had taken strong supporters of the emblem, notably Maria Hitchcock and also the Society for Growing Australian Plants SGAP , to persuade the Federal Government to grant official recognition in the Bicentennial Year.

Another aim of Maria Hitchcock and her fellow enthusiasts was to revive Wattle Day, which traditionally had been celebrated on the first day of Spring in several States although 1 August was the accepted date in NSW. At her urging, and with growing support from others, the Commonwealth and the States agreed in that Wattle Day would henceforth be the same in all States and Territories, that is, the first day of September.

This was a necessary step towards reviving Wattle Day as a national celebration. Although wattle was associated with Australia from very early days, its significance increased around the time of Federation. Plans in to proclaim the wattle a national emblem and celebrate Wattle Day nationally were interrupted by World War I, but wattle remained a strong symbol of patriotism during the war years.

Sprigs of wattle and colourful badges were sold on Wattle Day to raise money for the Red Cross. NSW changed the date to 1 August in because that allowed the Red Cross to use the earlier flowering and more familiar Cootamundra Wattle rather than Golden Wattle. Wattle was sent overseas in letters during the war and was presented to homecoming service men and women at what must have been an emotional moment. In the s and s, Wattle Day continued to be celebrated, still associated with raising money for charity but also featuring special activities for children and ceremonies to mark the occasion.

Wattle Day was apparently a strong event in NSW schools. Unfortunately, the tradition was virtually lost after World War II. It was only in the s, in prospect of the Bicentennial and in sympathy with rising national concern for Australian flora and the environment generally did a suggestion to revive Wattle Day receive attention.

It has been fortuitous that, just when the revival of Wattle Day seemed to be losing its way, the ACT Division of the Red Cross decided to take it on for fundraising purposes. Another welcome decision has come from the State and Territory cancer societies and councils to hold Daffodil Day on a Friday in late August, not on Wattle Day as previously.