As the great witness to the whole Australian story, wattle has welcomed us all, Aboriginal, colonial and 20th and 21st century migrants. Wattle fuses our land and our people.
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That is why it is such a great symbol, and National Wattle Day (September 1) a great occasion, to celebrate our land and the Australian people. Wattle continues to serve us well as a symbol without par and without baggage.
This National Wattle Day marks another step on wattle’s long road to recognition in our national life. This September 1st, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) recognises wattle’s unique status as an emblem of our land, by featuring wattle as a centrepiece in the redesign of the $5 note. It is the first in the planned re-issue of all of our banknotes, and each will feature a different wattle.
Wattle is having a good year. The RBA’s adoption of wattles follows the move by Qantas to feature wattle in the braid on the caps of Qantas pilots. There’s a theme here – wattlespeaks instantly of Australia. It’s simple really. Wattle has been in our landscape for more than 30 million years. So it is not surprising that it is recognised instantly as a symbol of Australia and its people.
Just as Aboriginal people used wattle in many different ways and for celebration, so too Australians around the country on 1 September will celebrate wattle and being Australian. This resonates with the early years of Federation which led to wattle being incorporated into our Coat of Arms. And although it was not until 1988 that Acacia pycnantha was proclaimed Australia’s national floral emblem and 1992 that National Wattle Day was gazetted as 1 September.
Looking ahead it seems wattle and National Wattle Day will figure even more prominently in our national story. Already a new wattle flag is gaining support.
National Wattle Day offers perhaps the best way through the Australia Day puzzle and a pathway to full reconciliation with Aboriginal people. Such an approach would not see the days competing with each other, but rather enable National Wattle Day to complement and complete Australia Day.
Meanwhile the release of the new $5 note, with its wattle feature, reminds us that at any time in the year there is wattle in bloom, somewhere around the country. Now every day it will also be in our hands and our pockets. So celebrate the wattle on National Wattle Day - a truly inclusive and authentic Australian Day.
Terry Fewtrell
President of the Wattle Day Association Inc,
