Gajalakshmi Paramasivam

25 April 2017

In history's page, let every stage;

Advance Australia Fair.

Today we celebrate ANZAC day and during my lifetime in Australia, the official ANZAC day celebrations are  organized to happen on Coogee Beach also. Param and I were part of those for whom such celebrations are organized. It felt as if we organized the celebrations for ourselves. I was happy to watch people coming to participate in the ceremonies at Coogee. It felt as if they were coming to our ‘home’. Even as we had the experience, I felt that it was a celebration of my Freedom. It is through my Freedom that I could appreciate the Freedom of others and the Freedom of Australia.

The latest threat has been brought to us by ABC as follows: ‘North Korea threatens nuclear strike against Australia if it doesn't stop 'blindly toeing US line'. The threat could be real or false. But I believe that by sharing my feelings of Freedom on Australian soil, at one of its borders, I was contributing to Freedom of Australia being protected. Fellow Australians who helped me realize and preserve that Freedom are entitled to share in my heritage in confirmation of the following Australian Value:

In history's page, let every stage;

Advance Australia Fair.

I wrote my own page through the tool of Racial Discrimination Act 1975. During this morning’s memorial services, I thanked my parents who facilitated my realization of ‘Freedom’ at the higher and wider level by facilitating my education at the more expensive Catholic schools.  Like many of the soldiers through whom we celebrate ANZAC day, they may not have been conscious of this higher values but followed a particular line of culture that they best felt at home with. This helped me feel ‘at home’ including in Australia where majority are Christians. Within me majority times – I am in Hindu culture. But when I am in majority Christian environment I am able to comfortably ‘assimilate’ during Christian parts of the ceremonies and integrate through Common value of General Education during other parts of the ceremonies. It is by realizing and/or practicing fairness on Australian soil that I am able to ‘Advance Australia Fair’.

Freedom initially is ‘had’ by us due to those above us in position in that environment allowing us to do the things we want to do.  Later we confirm  that freedom when ‘exercising’ our ‘ rights’ within a position. Successful exercise leads to ‘becoming’ that Freedom Itself.

When I came to Australia,  the laws and culture that prevailed in Australia at that time ‘facilitated’  our family life to be within the laws and the  culture  of majority Australians. Our children confirmed our higher position as parents. Not so at  the workplace. I accepted the lower positions largely due to the ‘privacy’ I had to exercise my ‘freedom’ at family level. I stayed away from those who did not respect my earned family position. To date, my immediate family confirms my earned status. A few confirm my true status which I believe is higher than the status earnable as per the cultural structure. I am now in the process of improving that cultural structure – here in Australia as well as in Sri Lanka, so that my heirs including but not limited to biological heirs, would have less disappointments than I in their pathway to experiencing ‘Freedom’ and become that Freedom.

I have learnt through appreciating this Freedom,  that Natural forces come to our support when we are true to ourselves. One of the groups that took lead role in today’s ceremony is the University of NSW where I was arrested for Trespass for daring to exercise my Intellectual Freedom. I did not alienate myself from the University but included myself more firmly by sharing my Truth with them. I realize now, that I was part of the Natural forces that supported migrant staff who complained to the ABC which was the ‘free pathway’ to those migrants with lesser Administrative experience. I used the Judicial pathway. I learnt that Judge Gilmore of Waverly Local Court was more fair than Judge Pat O’Shane in relation to practice of Trespass law. To me this was meant to happen to confirm the value of migrants and their contribution to protecting Australia for Australians.

Even as I was writing this article, I was contacted by a Channel 10 reporter regarding last night’s ‘brawl’ in Coogee reported by Sydney Morning Herald, under the heading ‘Wild night in Coogee as brawling teens surround police’. Even though the Police failed to protect me I used my ownership rights to help the reporter gather more details of this public disturbance during which Police were attacked by youngsters. That is sharing of personal values with Common institutions – so they become Australian values. When such Australian values are upheld they will protect this land of ours from invasion by ‘foreigners’ – including foreigners who were born here but attribute credit to some other land. Natural elements carry our consolidated values at their true valuation. We will be facilitated to draw on them anytime as per our belief common to both times. Nature never fails us. Hence I had the opportunity to contribute to the protection of our Armed Forces which at the primary level are our Local Police.