Australia Day was for many years a part of a reliable long weekend at the end of January which signified the end of summer. It was not until the mid 1990s that we had a nationally unified day to celebrate our nation.

What Australia Day means and how it is observed across our nation has changed a lot since then and how we as a nation celebrate our National Day will continue to evolve.

Reflect, Respect and Celebrate are prominent words on the Australia Day Council website. Reflect, Respect, Celebrate. Good words to shape the day.

Today is a day to Reflect on what it means to be Australian. Everyone will have a slightly different view on our national identity.

Somewhere in that view there will likely be something about democracy, freedom of speech, the rule of law, a fair go, and helping each other. And perhaps more than a nod to our love of our ancient land of drought and flooding rains.

Today is a day to pay Respect to all those Australians who have come before us, be it our first nations people who have been here for dozens of millennia or the many different waves of migrants who have come from all over the globe to call Australia home and become citizens, •

Each wave of migration, firstly from the .UK then Europe and then Asia and elsewhere, has shaped our culture. Future generations and further migration will continue to shape attitudes as well as how we eat, work, live and play. That is inevitable and desirable in a vibrant and multicultural nation such as ours.

Amongst the stories of all of those Australians, there are tales of sacrifice, discovery, innovation, perseverance, resilience, opportunity, and achievement. There are also tales of devastating wars, natural disaters, economic hardship, and institutional and political failures.

Our past has shaped our nation of 2024. If there was a report card for Australia it might say something like "highly desirable place to live, work in progress, will achieve great things". We are not perfect, but we learn from our mistakes, and this is "a bloody good place to live".

On our Australia Day, in our town, we Celebrate being Australians by gathering at the Community Centre for a smoko for all and we recognise a number of residents and volunteer organisations for their service to our community or notable achievements.

Usually we have a Citizenship Ceremony, and although there is not one today I acknowledge the Oberon residents who have become Citizens in the last 12 months who are here today.

In celebrating our National Day we also take the opportunity for all of us to publicly reaffirm our commitment to Australia and sing our National Anthem together.

Reflect, Respect, Celebrate. Happy Australia Day.