Born on this day
Wednesday, February 17, 1864. : Australian poet and author, Banjo Paterson, is born.
Andrew Barton Paterson, or Banjo Paterson, was born on 17 February 1864, near Orange, New South Wales. He was a proficient student and sportsman, and after leaving school at 16, he took up the position of an articled clerk in a law firm: by the age of 23 he was a fully qualified solicitor.
Paterson was passionately nationalistic, popular among many Australians in a fledgling country searching for its own identity apart from Britain. In 1885, Paterson began publishing his poetry in the Sydney edition of The Bulletin under the pseudonym of “The Banjo”, the name of a favourite horse. In 1890 he wrote “The Man From Snowy River”, a poem which caught the heart of the nation, and in 1895 had a collection of his works published under that name. This book is the most sold collection of Australian Bush Poetry and is still being reprinted today. A “bush balladeer”, he was also the author of other well known poems such “Clancy of the Overflow”, “Mulga Bill’s Bicycle” and, of course, “Waltzing Matilda”. Unlike his contemporary, Henry Lawson, he presented a romanticised view of life in the bush, and many appreciated his larrikin wit more than Lawson’s more realistic, drier view of life.
Although Paterson was a war correspondent during the Boer war, he was not embittered by his experiences. He died on 5 April 1941, but his legacy lives on in the establishment of a distinctively Australian literary culture.
Born on this day
Saturday, February 17, 1934. : Australian actor Barry Humphries, alias Dame Edna Everage, is born.
Barry Humphries was born John Barry Humphries on 17 February 1934 in Melbourne, Australia. He studied law, philosophy and fine arts at Melbourne University before joining the Melbourne Theatre Group and embarking on an acting career.
Humphries created the character of Edna Everage in December 1955 and first brought her to the British stage in 1969 for his one-man show, “Just a Show”. In 1970 Barry returned to Australia, where Edna Everage made her movie debut in John B Murray’s The Naked Bunyip. The Moonee Ponds housewife, originally created as a parody of Australian suburban insularity, has developed from her earlier dowdiness to become a satire of stardom, the gaudily dressed, ostentatious, international Housewife Gigastar, Dame Edna Everage. Other alter-egos created by Humphries include Sir Les Patterson, Barry McKenzie and Sandy Stone.
Australian History
Tuesday, February 17, 1846. : The colony of North Australia is proclaimed by Letters Patent.
In the early years of European settlement of Australia, the mainland was essentially divided into two parts: New South Wales and New Holland. In 1825, the western boundary of New South Wales was extended to 129 degrees E. The first division of New South Wales occurred when the colony of South Australia was established in 1836, and its territory separated from that of New South Wales.
On 17 February 1846, Letters Patent proclaimed that all of New South Wales north of 26 degrees S would be established as the new colony of North Australia. It included what would later become the colony of Queensland. The new colony was the initiative of William Ewart Gladstone, British Secretary of State for the Colonies. The Governor of New South Wales at the time, Charles Fitzroy, was also appointed Governor of North Australia. At the same time, a new settlement was established at Port Curtis, with the intention of being a penal colony. Known as the Gladstone Colony, it was under the direction of Lieutenant Governor George Barney.
On 28 December 1847, Queen Victoria revoked the letters patent establishing the colony of North Australia, and on 16 January 1849, the Colony of North Australia was abolished.
Australian History
Tuesday, February 17, 1846. : Free Aborigines on Flinders Island in Bass Strait write a petition addressed to Queen Victoria concerning the mistreatment of indigenous people.
From the time Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) was settled as a separate colony in 1803, hostility marked the relationship between European settlers and Aborigines. As tensions increased between the Aborigines and the settlers, the government devised a policy entitled the Black Line, a military plan to round up Aborigines in Tasmania and relocate them to settlements. Here, the government promised to provide suitable food, clothing and shelter. One such settlement was Wybalenna, meaning ‘Blackman’s Houses’, on Flinders Island, where around 135 Aborigines from the Tasmanian mainland were resettled in 1834.
Walter George Arthur was a member of the Ben Lomond tribe. Born around 1820, he was one of many indigenous children who was taken by settlers to use as farm labour. He was around six years old when he escaped, and began living by his wits on the streets of Launceston. He encountered missionary George Robinson who, genuinely concerned for the welfare of the indigenous people, had taken it upon himself to travel around Van Diemen’s Land, persuading the native inhabitants to accept the government’s offer of relocation, for their own safety. Robinson took Arthur to Wybalenna, but after only a short stay, the boy soon returned to the mainland where he learnt to read and write to a very proficient level at the Boys’ Orphan School in New Town. As an adult, Arthur returned to Wybalenna to educate the other indigenous people. Assisted by Robinson, he also established Australia’s first Aboriginal publication, The Aboriginal or Flinders Island Chronicle, which promoted the benefits of the European settlers’ culture and religion.
Arthur joined Robinson in Victoria for a number of years; when he returned to Flinders Island, he was confronted by the poor living conditions of the Aborigines and how they had been neglected and mistreated by the Superintendent of the settlement, Dr Henry Jeanneret. Although Jeanneret had already been dismissed as superintendent, his appeal to London for reinstatement was successful, and he was planning to return.
Supported by several residents of Wybalenna, Arthur formulated a petition to Queen Victoria. Dated 17 February 1846, the document demanded the permanent dismissal of Jeanneret, and was signed ‘Walter G Arthur, Chief of the Ben Lomond tribe’. Seven other Aboriginal men were signatories: King Alexander, King Tippoo, Neptune, Washington, John Allen, Davey Bruney and Augustus. It was the first formal protest by Australia’s indigenous people, and generated considerable controversy. Authorities in Tasmania sent it to England, where it was presented before Queen Victoria in March 1847. Not content to let the petition stand alone, Arthur wrote to the colonial secretary requesting acknowledgement that the petition had been received, and for some ‘good men’ to be sent to Flinders Island to consult with the residents of Wybalenna. Ultimately, Jeanneret was dismissed. Wybalenna was closed, and the residents moved to the settlement at Oyster Cove in the island’s south.
World History
Thursday, February 17, 1972. : Production of the humble Volkswagen Beetle surpasses that of the Model T Ford.
The name ‘Volkswagen’ which translates literally as “people’s car” is the name of an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. The VW Type 1, better known as the Beetle or Bug or Käfer (in German), is a small family car and probably the best known car made by Volkswagen. During the Beetle’s production which commenced in 1938 and ended in 2003, over 21 million Beetles in the original design were made. One of the most affordable cars, it established a firm reputation for reliability and sturdiness.
On 17 February 1972, the 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle rolled out of the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, Germany, surpassing the previous production record set by the Model T Ford, to become the most heavily produced car in history.
Special Days
Friday, February 17, 1995. : Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day.
Random Acts of Kindness Day is usually recognised on 17 February each year, although different countries and localities may celebrate it at other times. The day celebrates simple acts of kindness to bring a little light into others’ lives, whether through paying for another person’s coffee at a takeaway, bringing a tray of home-made goodies to work, or just complimenting another person on how they’re dressed that day.
Random Acts of Kindness Day is said to have originated with an idea penned by Californian writer Anne Herbert in 1985. Her article, entitled “Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty”, advocated that every person can generate more goodness and beauty around themselves simply by performing small random acts of kind service for others. One of the quotes from Herbert’s article is as follows:
Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly. Don’t await a reason. It will make itself be more, senselessly.
Scrawl it on the wall: RANDOM KINDNESS AND SENSELESS ACTS OF BEAUTY
I used to have fantasies of positive vandalism. Breaking into the school and painting a dirty room bright colors overnight. Fixing broken glass in people’s houses while they’re gone. Leaving full meals on tables in the struggling part of town.
In 1993, the publication of a book entitled “Random Acts of Kindness”, a compilation of true stories of acts of kindness, set off a campaign of bumper stickers, followed by more stories and articles advocating the cause. The creation of Random Acts Of Kindness Day is said to have occurred in Denver, Colorado in 1995. It is not widely celebrated, except in New Zealand where, since 2005, it has become a national day celebrated annually on 1 September.