A Day of Power - The City of Fremantle's Bid To Heal a Rift

In a remote pocket of a remote city in a remote country - a magnificent shift in the paradigm of race occurred. While the world for the most part watches the bottom fall out of race and cultural relations - due to a combination of globalising factors adding dangerous momentum to the swing of the Left-Right Pendulum -the sleepy harbour port of Fremantle - spearheaded by progressive Mayor Brad Petitt - shifted their version of Australia Day to the 28th of January as a celebration of inclusive culture.

The shift seems minor on the calendar, however represents a massive change in the thinking of Australian culture. The event represented a day of celebration for all Australians - regardless of origin - to embrace true Australian culture as a singular and unique identity that we have crafted through the positive actions of generations of citizens. It was a chance to recognise past injustices, and to forgive those mistakes and move towards a better country for all. Wisdom flowed inter-generationally and inter-culturally on the day and the warmth and kindness of festival goers was reflected with zero incidents of violence and zero arrests.

The Festival featured a superstar line up of John Butler, Dan Sultan and Mama Kin providing an insight into rare musical talent cultivated on home soil. The crowd stretched back as far as the eye could see - alternating between mesmerisation and celebration.

In modern political day terms -This was no knee-jerk reaction, this was no swipe at the opposing mentality - this was a day of reflection on what it meant to be Australian - which is more than the current misguides views of basic items such as Meat Pies, Utes and quoting The Castle, it's more than Southern Cross Tattoos and Footy, or drinking local beer - it stems from the immense courage and spirit of the Digger Generation, and the spirit of the Australian Aboriginal people, in anthropological terms, be one of the most successful migratory and distinct cultures on the planet.

The video of the event - created by local Director Shea Walsh of Chaos Theory Digital Studio - is a beautifully artistic and moving piece reveals the immense diversity of culture on the day through the wisdom of attendees. Numerous interviewees shared their views on what it means to be Australian, and what our culture means to them - and it is inspiring to hear the hope in their voices - through the generations and through the current struggles.The brave step to progress the festival annd for Brad Petitt and the City of Fremantle paid off - and the immense dividends that will stem from one such seed have to potential to reshape Australian culture in a positive and more collaborative manner.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Simon Holland is a filmmaker and author from Perth, Western Australia. He has a passion for science, basketball and can make a water-tight case for Iron Maiden being the best band in the world.