At the very least, Wattle Day suddenly opens your eyes to all the explosions of golden blossom around the ACT and how they are like little bursts of optimism in the landscape.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
September 1 – the start of spring – also marks Wattle Day, in which we celebrate our national floral emblem and what it represents.
Wattle Day Association president Terry Fewtrell said with more than 1000 species, wattle had great diversity. It was also resilient, able to regenerate after fire.
Importantly, it was also a symbol that came with "no baggage".
"Wattle is simple and beautiful and unencumbered," he said.
It had also been a part of the Australian landscape for more than 30 million years, he said.
"Wattle is like the great silent witness to the whole Australian story," he said.
In what has become an annual tradition, Canberra school children, this time from Holy Spirit Primary School in Nicholls, presented Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove with a basket of wattle at Government House on Wednesday, ahead of Wattle Day.
In return, the year six students – Holly Fahy, Aiden Monteleone, Mitchell Bashfield and Maddison Fry – received a medal from the Governor-General, which shows the office's own emblems are the Crown and the wattle.
Wattle has been Australia's national floral emblem since 1988 and Wattle Day has been celebrated nationally on the first day of spring since 1992.
The Reserve Bank✓ is also due to release the new $5 note, featuring wattle in its design, in conjunction with Wattle Day.
So wear a sprig of wattle or a splash of green and gold and wish everyone a Happy Wattle Day on Thursday.
