Australian Bicentenary
The bicentenary of Australia was celebrated in 1988. It marked 200 years since the arrival of the First Fleet of British convict ships at Sydney in 1788.
History
The bicentennial year marked Captain
Celebrations
The Australian Bicentenary was marked by pomp and ceremony across Australia to mark the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Sydney in 1788.[1] The Australian Bicentennial Authority (ABA), pursuant to the Australian Bicentennial Authority Act 1980,[2] was set up to plan, fund and coordinate projects that emphasized the nation's cultural heritage. State councils were also created to ensure cooperation between the federal and state governments. The result was a national programme of events and celebrations to commemorate the Bicentenary, including:
- Australia Live, a television special on New Year's Night
- The arrival of the Sydney Harbour on Australia Day, 26 January.
- World Expo 88 in Brisbane, the largest event of these celebrations
- The Great Australian Camel Race, from Uluru to the Expo
- Australian Bicentennial Exhibition touring throughout Australia
- Presentation to all Australian schoolchildren of a Bicentennial "Heritage Medallion"
- The issue by the NSW Department of Motor Transport (from late 1987 to the end of 1988) of over 160,000 commemorative Bicentennial number plates which were sold at a premium
- The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the arrival of Queensland's Western Railway Line into Charleville on 1 March 1988
- The painting of A class locomotive A66 by regional Victorian train operator V/Line in a unique green and gold livery featuring the official ABA Bicentennial logo and the wording 1788 Australian Bicentenary 1988
- The painting of 2400 class locomotive 2401 and 1720 class locomotive, 1723 by Queensland Railways in a green gold and white Livery with the official ABA Bicentennial logo and the Queensland Railways logo known as the "Egg and Lettuce" livery
- Aus Steam '88, a railway display of steam locomotives at Spencer Street Station
- The Australian Bicentennial Airshow held at RAAF Richmond
- The 1988 Women's Cricket World Cup, held in Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne, which was branded as the Bicentennial World Cup
- The 1988 Youth Cricket World Cup, held in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide, which was branded as the McDonald's Bicentennial Youth World Cup
- Trans-Australia hot air balloon race, Perth to Sydney, 30 March 1988
- The Bicentennial Classic, held at Royal Melbourne Golf Club
- The issuing of "expo dollars" (a form of local currency) by various Australian states in several denominations
The opening ceremony of the 16th World Scout Jamboree, which took place at midnight on 31 December 1987, was the first official event of Australia's Bicentenary.
Heritage trails
In collaboration with state governments, the Commonwealth/State Bicentennial Commemorative Program was established with the development of Heritage Trails in each state.[3]
Other events
On
Australia's floral emblem was officially declared to be the Golden Wattle Acacia pycnantha. The Gazettal was signed by the Governor General, Sir Ninian Stephen, on 19 August 1988. A ceremony was held on 1 September 1988 at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. The Minister for Home Affairs, Robert Ray, made the formal announcement and the Prime Minister's wife, Mrs Hazel Hawke, planted a Golden Wattle.[5]
1988 was also marked by the completion of many unique development projects such as the Bicentennial National Trail and on 9 May of that year, Queen Elizabeth II opened the New Parliament House in Canberra.[6] As well as this, the modern Darling Harbour precinct was completed and opened, as was the modern Sydney Football Stadium. It was also marked by the creation of one of Australia's most significant art works, the Aboriginal Memorial, which commemorated those Indigenous Australians who died as a result of European settlement.[7] Other events included the Bicentennial Beacons, a series of bonfires lit around Australia. A celebration featuring motor cycle riders from around Australia was also held in Canberra during the year. Not all events went well with the disastrous Round Australia Yacht Race claiming several lives and being the subject of legal action.
A new musical Manning Clark's History of Australia, directed by John Bell, that was loosely based on the life of historian Manning Clark opened in January at Princess Theatre (Melbourne) to coincide with the Bicentenary, but facing poor reviews and concomitant lack of attendance, closed before the end of February.
Significant improvements to Australian roads were made through the Australian Bicentennial Road Development Program.[8]
The Australian Army formed the Tattoo Regiment in June that was made up of sub-units from the Army's 1st Brigade, including 3 RAR, 5/7 RAR, 2 Cav Regt, 8/12 Medium Regiment and others. It was named Army Tattoo 88 and toured Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne and Canberra (although cancelled due to weather). It also had military bands the UK, US, Canada, PNG and New Zealand. The theme was the 200 years of military history in Australia
Protests
The event triggered debate on Australian national identity, Indigenous rights, historical interpretation and multiculturalism.
The event was widely viewed as controversial.
The protest was planned immediately after
Demonstrations were also held in other cities and towns, including Canberra. This was part of a wider Bicentennial Boycott movement, which started in the lead-up to the Bicentennial.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ "Timeline – Australia's Prime Ministers". Primeministers.naa.gov.au. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2013.
- ISBN 1862871884. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ Heritage Trails Network (W.A.) (1986), Heritage trail news, The Project, retrieved 20 September 2016
- ^ Barnett & Goward; John Howard Prime Minister; Viking; 1997; Ch 12
- ^ Boden, A (2012). "Floral emblems of Australia: Golden Wattle". Australian National Botanic Gardens and Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ "Historic speeches: The Queen marks Australia's bicentenary". 9 May 1988. Archived from the original on 28 September 2006. Retrieved 14 August 2006.
- ISBN 978-0-500-20366-8.
- ^ National Library of Australia Catalogue[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 978-0415690607. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ ISBN 978-1420256178. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ^ "Birthday hype 'blurs history'". The Canberra Times. 1 May 1988. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
- NITV. Archived from the originalon 27 May 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- Museum Victoria
- The Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ a b "1988 March for Justice, Freedom and Hope (2013) – The Screen Guide". Screen Australia. 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ Forde, Susan (22 October 2019). "Pulling down fences". Griffith Review. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
Saturday, 12 August 2016, Moree, New South Wales.