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Sorry message hangs over Australia Day

26 January 2008 - Reconciliation was a dominant theme as millions of people celebrated Australia Day, which included a mystery skywriter scrawling "sorry" above Sydney Harbour.

Some 14,000 people made the pledge to become Australians during officials citizenship ceremonies in 321 towns and cities.

Many others enjoyed barbecues, beers and even cockroach racing on the day which marked 220 years since the First Fleet's arrival at Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788.

But Australia's indigenous population was Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's main focus.

Mr Rudd, elected last November, has promised to say sorry to Aborigines for past injustices, reversing an 11-year policy under the previous conservative government that damaged race relations.

"Australia Day is a time to celebrate our nation's past achievements and it's a time to embrace our nation's future," Mr Rudd said in Canberra.

"We should be deeply proud of our country. Proud of Aboriginal culture, which represents the oldest continuing culture in human history."

He said Australia faced great challenges such as climate change and an uncertain global economic outlook, and "how to achieve effective reconciliation, so that we can all move forward together - Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia".

"These challenges are great," said Mr Rudd.

"As prime minister, I am optimistic, supremely optimistic, about what our nation can achieve in the future."

Mr Rudd is expected to issue a statement using the word sorry when his government sits in parliament for the first time in February.

The "sorry" skywriting in Sydney was not an official Australia Day event, but NSW Australia Day Council chairman Michael Egan said it was a welcome addition.

He said it showed the rising status of reconciliation with the nation's indigenous people.

"The number of people of Aboriginal decent that had an Aboriginal flag and the Australian flag flying was great to see," Mr Egan said.

Australia Day events varied across the nation, from free concerts and family picnics to multicultural parades and a garden gnome convention.

In Queensland, more than 3,000 revellers flocked to Brisbane's Story Bridge Hotel, where roach racing has become a traditional Australia Day event.

"I'm here to celebrate the Aussie spirit of drinking in the hot sun and watching large insects run around," said first-time roach-race supporter Mary-Jane Gunderma.

Others took part in the biggest amateur cricket carnival in the southern hemisphere when the 60th annual Goldfield Ashes got under way at Charters Towers, with a record 206 cricket teams.

However, Queensland's celebrations were marred by an ugly brawl between drunken teenagers and police on the Gold Coast.

Officers were forced to use capsicum spray and arrested at least four people at the popular Burleigh Heads beach.

In NSW, the Blue Mountains village of Glenbrook held its annual Australian Gnome Convention, with 600 colourful garden ornaments entered in the event.

Melbourne's celebrations took a multicultural approach with a colourful procession of Turkish, Vietnamese, Lebanese and Chinese associations, many in traditional dress, through the city.

Source: The Age

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