Australian Natives' Association

On this day, 17 August 1813, Matthew Flinders wrote one of the most important letters in Australian history — a passionate appeal to Sir Joseph Banks defending his choice of the name Australia. Flinders had proposed the name in his manuscript A Voyage to Terra Australis, arguing that the continent needed a single, accurate, unifying title rather than the confusing mix of New Holland (Dutch) and New South Wales (British). However, Banks disapproved of the term Terra Australis and resisted Flinders’ preferred name. In response, Flinders penned a determined letter explaining why Australia was the most fitting name for the land he had circumnavigated and charted with scientific precision.

On this day, 15 August 1945, Australia marked Victory in the Pacific. VP day meant the end of the war against Japan and the close of the Second World War for our nation. News of the surrender sparked scenes of relief, celebration, and deep reflection across Australia. For many, VP Day meant homecomings; for others, it marked loss, sacrifice, and the beginning of rebuilding lives forever changed by war. A day of victory, remembrance, and gratitude.

On this day, 14 August 1875, Queensland's earliest recorded soccer match was played at Goodna, Queensland. The match marked a foundational moment for the game in Australia. Long before national leagues, stadiums, and professional clubs, Goodna hosted a modest but historic match that helped introduce soccer to the colony. A quiet paddock, a simple game, and the beginning of a sporting tradition.

ANA Legal Win We are very pleased to welcome the Adelaide branch of the ANA to the National association – Being made up of highly professional, credible, dedicated and passionate Nationalists – Our association continues to march forwards to securing a future for our people. https://ausnatives.org/ana-prevails-against-south-australian-government/

On this day in 1941, the Australian Army Women’s Service was formed. Recruitment messaging of the era emphasised feminine virtues: tidy work, polite conduct, clerical precision, and supportive roles. It was a deliberate strategy to ease public concerns and present service as an extension of women’s traditional skills. Today we remember the women who stepped forward to serve their nation 🇦🇺

On this day in 1900 Frederick Lane became the first Australian to win a gold medal for swimming when he won the 200m freestyle at the Paris games.

On this day, 1926, Qantas rolled out its very first Australian‑built aircraft — the de Havilland DH.50. Constructed in Longreach, this milestone marked Qantas’s transition from simply operating aircraft to building them. The DH.50 became a workhorse of early Australian aviation, flying mail, passengers, and medical missions across vast distances. A defining moment in the rise of Australia’s national carrier.

On this day, 4 August 1929, the first passenger train departed Adelaide on the Ghan railway line, beginning its long journey north to Alice Springs. The inaugural service marked a major milestone in opening Australia’s interior, connecting remote communities and laying the groundwork for one of the nation’s most iconic rail routes. What began as a rugged, unpredictable journey through desert and floodplain would become a symbol of endurance, exploration, and connection. A landmark moment in Australia’s transport history.

On this day in 1856, Alfred Deakin was born. A man whose quiet intellect and steady conviction helped build the foundations of modern Australia. Before politics, Deakin was a journalist and spiritual thinker. In public life, he became one of the most influential voices of Federation, helping unite the colonies into a single Commonwealth. As Prime Minister, he championed national development, social reform, and the creation of institutions that still shape Australian life. Today we celebrate the birthday of a leader who believed deeply in Australia’s potential and worked tirelessly to realise it.

Alf Traeger was born on this day in 1895. Traeger was an Australian engineer and inventor, mostly know for his pedal radio. His radios were small, durable, cheap and easy to operate. His radios had an immediate impact for people in isolated areas. Traeger's invention was also instrumental in the success of the Royal Flying Doctors Service and the School of the Air.

On this day in 1872, George Augustine Taylor was born. Taylor was an Artist, cartoonist, inventor, publisher, town‑planning visionary and one of the earliest champions of wireless communication in Australia, Taylor spent his life pushing boundaries. He helped pioneer Australian aviation experiments, promoted modern urban planning, and used his publications to spark national conversations about technology, defence, and design. His restless curiosity shaped industries that were barely imagined when he was born. A birthday worth remembering for a mind that never stopped inventing.

Today we look back at the life of the "Father of the Australian Constitution" William Charles Wentworth, one of the most powerful figures in early colonial Australia. Born aboard the HMS Surprize in transit to Australia in August of 1790. Wentworth's mother was a convict and his father avoided a prosecution for highway robbery by accepting a position as surgeon in the colony of New South Wales. Wentworth overcame the stigma of his birth to fundamentally reshape the legal, political, and physical landscape of NSW.

There is no doubt an existential crisis before us in terms of demographic and political change. This does not excuse us however from our duty to carry the torch of our forebears. To continue in the advancement of Australia’s heritage, to grow it and widely sow it into the minds of the next generation of Young Aussie kids out there who are being told they have no history (or if they do, it’s only marked by terrible abuses and wrongdoing). This is a moral duty upon us, to which political expediency does not afford us an excuse to shirk. https://ausnatives.org/the-marriage-of-the-political-and-the-apolitical/

On this day in 1900 Western Australian voters gave their approval to join the Commonwealth of Australia.

On this day in 1923 Construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge began.

On this day in 1973 the Numbat was proclaimed the animal emblem of Western Australia.

https://ausnatives.org/podcast/snowy-mountains-hydro-scheme/ In this episode Trent and Jamie give the nativist perspective on the legacy of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Scheme and its modern counterpart, Snowy 2.0. Exploring why these nation shaping projects were built, what they’ve delivered, and how the new expansion stacks up against the original vision.

Tom Dougherty at the Trades Hall

Dougherty was regarded even by his enemies as a very effective trade union leader, and he built the AWU up to be largest and wealthiest union in Australia, with 180,000 members in the 1950s. He helped to make Australian shearers the highest paid in the world. The AWU's industrial muscle kept Communist influence out of the union and made both employers and other unions wary of antagonising the AWU. Dougherty stated in 1954 that "The Australian Workers Union bars communists from admission." Tom Dougherty in the same interview proclaimed that the Union also bars "Asiatics and Kanakas from membership." highlighting his long-term advocacy for the White Australia Policy; in the same article he referred to the Australian Workers Union as the 'spearhead' of the 'White Australia Forces' which sought to the repatriation of coloured labourers. Dougherty argued that the Communist Party's interest in ending the White Australia Policy was in 'conformity' with instructions from the Communist International; further he tabled a motion in the Union's executive council directing the union to oppose "attempts being made by a strange combination of certain wealthy employing interests and the Communist Party to secure the free entry of coloured and Asiatic labour into Australia."

On this day in 1862, explorer John McDouall Stuart and his nine companions achieved what many thought impossible: they reached the northern coast of Australia, completing the first documented south-to-north crossing of the continent. After launching from Adelaide and battling through thousands of kilometres of arid, uncharted wilderness, the exhausted party finally pushed through dense scrub at Van Diemen's Gulf.