G-G heralds arrival of our nation's new dawn - David McLennan, Unknown Source

G-G heralds arrival of our nation's new dawn
David McLennan
Tuesday, 24 January 2006

The flare that broke the pre-dawn darkness yesterday was the sign
for more than 500 men, women and children to think about just what
it meant to be Australian.
Families began turning up at 3am, huddling together in the cool
morning on the dusty red plains, waving flags and excitedly pointing
out the famous faces in their midst. The crowd had gathered for the
National Australia Day Council's Kalgoorlie Dawn, an event which
follows on from last year's in Uluru.

It marks the beginning of a week of Australia Day celebrations,
which culminate in tomorrow's concert on the lawns of Parliament
House, where highlights of the dawn ceremony will be shown.

Governor-General Michael Jeffery - who is considered all-but a
local, having been born in nearby Wiluna, former gold-medal winning
swimmer and council chairwoman Lisa Curry Kenny, Australian of the
Year Fiona Wood, actor and event host Noni Hazelhurst and singer
James Blundell all turned heads, but it was Australian Idol winner
Casey Donovan who elicited the biggest cheer.

Her song Shine closed the ceremony, with the sun's rays bursting
through mid-verse as dawn turned into morning. Almost as popular was
the traditional sausage-sandwich breakfast.

Earlier, at 5am and still blanketed by darkness, Kalgoorlie Dawn
began. A miner lit a flare atop a derrick at the Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Miners' and Prospectors' Hall of Fame and a choir, accompanied by
clapping sticks and didgeridoo, began singing We Are Australian,
interchanging between English and Wongatha, the language of the
original owners of the land.

Local elders welcomed the guests and crowd, saying the event was a
positive one. "It's about a community coming together, sharing a
common history but also recognising that our people hold a unique
and proud place in Australia's history," one elder said.

"It's events like this that show how reconciliation can work in a
practical way - to bring Australians together and to promote
understanding, respect and friendship."

Ms Curry Kenny said the council held the event in Kalgoorlie because
it epitomised Australia's history of exploration and development -
and it reminded people of the environmental challenges being faced
by the nation.

A highlight of the event was Young Australian of the Year and
Vietnamese boatperson Khoa Do interviewing Major-General Jeffery, a
Vietnam veteran.

They discussed growing up in the bush and, despite technological
advances, how little had really changed about surviving in the
outback. They also spoke about the importance of preserving the
environment, in particular water, and linking indigenous and non-
indigenous Australians.

Major-General Jeffery used the occasion to push for all Australians
to take a little bit more care of the nation and each other, saying
to do so would ensure the country remained successful.

"My vision of Australia is to see Australia as the nation of
excellence, the global example. That whatever we do ... we do in the
best way, in a way that sets an example for every country in the
world," he said.

Dr Wood, a burns-treatment researcher whose spray-on skin came to
international attention after the first Bali bombings, said people
who experienced it understood why yesterday's ceremony was held.

She said it made people think about Australia and how they could
affect it. "I think just seeding that thought in anybody's mind is a
positive one. 'How can I actually make this a better place?' because
every drop in the ocean matters and we all have to realise we are in
this together," she said.

"For me, that's why these things are important, because we have got
to move towards a society dependent on the integrity of each and
every individual, not the intellect of a few and that is what this
morning was about for me."