Aussie pride to fly high on Flag Day

A variety of special presentations including a flag raising ceremony, cavalcade of military vehicles, and live entertainment will be held at the Caboolture Historical Village on August 31 as the community comes together to celebrate Flag Day.

Hundreds of people are expected to take part in the celebrations, which commemorates the 123^rd anniversary of when the Australian Flag was flown for the first time.

Bob Whitehouse - who is a life member of the Australian National Flag Association, the Caboolture Historical Village, and the 11th Light Horse Caboolture Troop - says the day is an important date in our nation’s history.

“The Australian flag was first flown on September 3, 1901, in the presence of Australia’s first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton,” Bob says.

“Many years later in 1996, the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane, issued a proclamation that officially established that day as Australian National Flag Day.

“The 11th Light Horse Caboolture Troop, together with help from numerous supporters, have celebrated Flag Day each year since 2003 on the Saturday morning closest to September 3.

“We mark the occasion every year for several reasons, but mostly because we love the flag, are proud of the flag, and we know many other Australians are too.

“The Australian flag is our national symbol, it represents every Australian, and should be treated with respect.”

As the event coordinator, Bob says he has packed a lot into the three-hour ceremony, which will be held from 9am-12pm.

“This year we have got something very special planned, which will be a little different to previous events,” Bob says.

“The Caboolture Historical Village recently inherited a historic flag pole that came from the War Veterans’ Home at Caboolture, which is between 60-70 years old.

“During the restoration process, we put a yardarm on it, so it will hold four flags – the first being the Australian flag. The Queensland flag will be in second position, followed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.

“The flag pole will be repositioned adjacent to the old council chamber, which is where the ceremony will be held this year.”

Paying homage to colonial migrants

The day will also honour Scottish migrants, with performances by the Redcliffe Scottish Pipe-Band and highland dancers.

“In the 1850s when gold was discovered in Australia, Scotland was having a lot of trouble with its economy, epidemics and a few other things, so many people left for good reason to go in search of gold,” Bob explains.

“Thousands of Scottish people left and followed the gold discovery trail from California to Australia and South Africa.

“When the gold rush ended, most of them stayed and moved into other vocations like farming and commerce, which is why we will be paying tribute to those Scottish colonial migrants.

“Scotland also had many domestic animals that can now be found all over the world, including Clydesdale horses, so we will have a Clydesdale horse there on the day too.”

Also included in the festivities will be performances by a seniors’ ukulele band, seniors’ choir, whip cracking demonstrations, and more.

Visitors will also have the chance to explore the village’s 70 buildings which are filled with thousands of curated items.

Event overview

Date: Saturday, August 31

Time: 9am-12pm

Cost: Normal entry fee applies, which is $18 for adults, $15 for concession card holders, and $10 for children aged 6-10. Children under 10 are free.

For more information, visit the Caboolture Historical Village website, or follow the Caboolture Historical Village on Facebook.

History of National Flag Day

As outlined on The Australian National Flag Association website, the Australian National Flag was officially flown “aloft and free” for the first time at the Royal Exhibition Buildings, Melbourne on September 3, 1901, in the presence of Australia’s first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton.

The design was the product of a public design competition held to find a national flag for the new Australian nation. At that time, following Federation, the sentiment freely expressed across the new states was of “One people, one nation, one flag”. That same sentiment is equally relevant today.

Inspired by a decade of state and local celebrations, “Australian National Flag Day” – the birthday of the Australian National Flag – was officially established by the Proclamation of the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Sir William Deane, on August 28, 1996.

Meaning and symbols

The Australian flag is a design of striking stars and crosses. This unique combination of devices has created an attractive and meaningful flag which, by law, custom and tradition is Australia’s chief national symbol.

The flag should be treated with dignity and respect as it represents all Australian citizens, equally of whatever background, race, colour, religion, or age.

The Australian flag is a reminder of the contributions of past and current generations to the nation and of the inheritance that will be passed to future generations.

The Commonwealth Star is the emblem of Australian Federation. Six points represent the states and the seventh all the federal territories which together constitute the nation, the Commonwealth of Australia.

The constellation of the Southern Cross indicates our geographical location in the southern hemisphere. This constellation of stars relates to the various indigenous legends and remind us of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait heritage.