Wattle Day

Wattle Day is a national day of celebration in Australia on the first day of September, that is also the first day of Spring in the southern hemisphere. This is a time when many Acacia species (commonly called wattles in Australia), are in flower and people wear a sprig of the flowers and leaves to celebrate the day. Although the national floral emblem of Australia is a particular species called the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) any acacia is worn to celebrate the day.

History

In 1988 (19 August) the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was officially proclaimed as Australia's national floral emblem by the then Governor-General, the Rt Hon Sir Ninian Stephen AK GCMG GCVO KBE.

Four years later, 23 June 1992, Bill Hayden, the then the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, declared that '1 September in each year shall be observed as "National Wattle Day" throughout Australia and in the external Territories of Australia'.[1]

2010 was the centenary of the celebration of wattle day on 1 September 1910 in NSW, Victoria and South Australia.

The day was originally conceived as a day to demonstrate patriotism for the new nation of Australia by wearing a sprig of wattle. 'Wattle Days emerged to prominence in Australia in the early years of the federated nation. They took on some of the national and civic responsibilities for children that Australia Day could not' [2]

The first known use of wattle as a meaningful emblem in the Australian colonies dates back to the early days of Tasmania in 1838, when the wearing of silver wattle sprigs was encouraged especially on the occasion of an anniversary celebration of the 17th-century European discovery of the island. However the first recognised use of wattle as a symbol of the first day of spring was the formation in 1899 of a 'Wattle Club' in Victoria by Mr A. J. Campbell, a field naturalist. For several years the club organised bush outings on the first day in September. The first suggestion of a Wattle Day was made by Mr Campbell during a speech in September 1908. The first wattle day was celebrated in 1910 in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.[3]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/wattle.day.gaz.html
  2. ↑ Nationalising Nature: Wattle Days in Australia, pge 6. Robin.L, 2002.
  3. ↑ "Wattle Day Association". Archived from the original on 2007-08-29. Retrieved 2007-09-01.

Nationalising Nature: Wattle Days in Australia, pge 6. Journal article by Libby Robin; Journal of Australian Studies, 2002.