Australia is infested with newcomers and many of them are great people. Of course, like with many immigrants to other countries, there's a bunch of mother fuckers who refuse to assimilate into the Australian culture and create unrest and discord. This bothers me.
No, I don't expect people to cast aside their own culture, but if a person is living here and enjoying the benefits that Australia provides then I feel that to assimilate and embrace the Australian culture is the least they can do. Sure, it's not a perfect country but if you're living on it I feel it's important to treat it with respect.
I originate from people who arrived in Australia (from England) back in around 1840. I've written about this before, and I'm very proud of my ancestral history and ancestors who came before me; I am partly the culmination of all them them combined I guess. Today I was chatting with some people about immigrants and how I'd like the government to throw many of them out; I mean the bad element. It made me think about my early ancestors and those who came here even earlier suffering great risk and hardship to create a new life so I thought I'd write a little bit about what's called "The First Fleet" which brought the first settlers to Australia.
Day 1, May 13th 1787
The First Fleet departed Portsmouth, England with eleven ships carrying 1,487 people including 775 convicts/prisoners and were commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip. The purpose was to create a penal colony a long way from England and of course, soldiers, officials and their families also travelled along to establish a settlement. A word on the convicts; many had committed very minor offences. Two of my own ancestors were transported to Australia in the early 1840's for such offences. For the record, Australian's celebrate their convict ancestors and speak of those people proudly.
Day 22, June 3rd 1787
They stopped at Tenerife for a week to replenish supplies like water, fresh vegetables and meat. It would be a long journey so this stop was critical.
Day 31, June 12th, 1787
The fleet sailed south but were becalmed for many days around the equator which didn't go well. Their water became contaminated and conditions aboard greatly deteriorated, especially for the convicts. They had to wash out their decks with vinegar in an attempt to cleanse them; they were held in atrocious conditions.
Day 85, August 5th 1787
A month was spent at Rio de Janeiro where the commander purchased additional food, plant seeds, coffees, cotton and banana and Orange plants. He also added 435 litres of run for the Marines to keep them happy and satisfied I presume.
Day 115, October 13th, 1787
Time to sail to the east and Cape Town which was the last European port on the journey. Here, they take on board sheep, pigs, cattle and poultry filling the decks to bursting point - I can only imagine what that would have smelled like. It would be a further 6,000 miles of sailing to reach their destination.
Day 183, November 25th 1787
It was at Cape Town where the commander switched ships and with the three fastest transport ships went on ahead to choose the landing point and the ground upon which the colony would be settled.
Day 197, December 1787
The now-divided fleet head farther east into the Indian Ocean towards Australia celebrating Christmas at sea in the midst of a terrible gale then onward to pass to the south of Van Diemen's Land (Now called Tasmania, Australia). A location on Tasmania later became a terribly brutal penal colony called Port Arthur which is where my ancestors both served 20 years imprisonment in the most brutal of conditions.
Day 248, January 20th 1788
After rounding Van Diemen's Land they turn to port and head northward up the east coast of Australia and all 11 ships arrive in Botany Bay some 250-plus days after leaving England, a journey of around 15,000 miles. A total of 48 people died along the journey and 28 babies were born.
Day 255, January 21st 1788
It was decided that Botany Bay wouldn't be suitable as it was too open and unprotected to the east and, had poor water and very sandy soil. The commander rowed out with three boats north.
January 22nd 1788
A little farther north the commander sailed into a massive natural harbour that opened for miles with room for a thousand ships and more. He chose a cove with a stream of fresh water running into it and decides it's the right place. The place is called Sydney Harbour and the cove is Sydney Cove.
January 26th 1788
The entire fleet moves around from Botany Bay and into Sydney Harbour and drops anchor and 1,373 people disembark at Sydney Cove deeper inside Sydney Harbour.
To this day, 26th January is celebrated as Australia Day and is a national public holiday for all Australians whether descended from those who came here in the late 1700's and into the 1800's like my own ancestors, indigenous and those who have come here since then.
Love it or fuck off
So...back to those assholes who come here and fail to assimilate into our modern and Australian way of life, who choose to act in counter-productive ways, cause unrest and general discord and bring their religious troubles from their original countries...if you don't love it just fuck off back to where you came from.
Design and create your ideal life, tomorrow isn't promised - galenkp
[Original and AI free]
Image(s) in this post are my own