Australia Day is the official national day of
Australia. Celebrated annually on 26 January, it marks the anniversary of the
1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South
Wales, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor
Arthur Phillip. In present-day Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse
society and landscape of the nation and are marked by community and family
events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards and
citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members of the Australian community.
The meaning and significance of Australia Day has
evolved over time. Unofficially, or historically, the date has also been
variously named "Anniversary Day", "Foundation Day" and
"ANA Day". The date of 26 January 1788 marked the proclamation of
British sovereignty over the eastern seaboard of Australia (then known as New
Holland). Although it was not known as Australia Day until over a century
later, records of celebrations on 26 January date back to 1808, with the first
official celebration of the formation of New South Wales held in 1818. On New
Year's Day 1901, the British colonies of Australia formed a federation, marking
the birth of modern Australia. A national day of unity and celebration was
looked for. It was not until 1935 that all Australian states and territories adopted
use of the term "Australia Day" to mark the date, and not until 1994
that the date was consistently marked by a public holiday on that day by all
states and territories.
In contemporary Australia, the holiday is marked by
the presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards on Australia Day Eve,
announcement of the Australia Day Honours list and addresses from the
Governor-General and the Prime Minister. It is an official public holiday in
every state and territory. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship
ceremonies, the day is celebrated in large and small communities and cities
around the nation. Australia Day has become the biggest annual civic event in
Australia.
Some Indigenous Australian events are now included.
However, since at least 1938, the date of Australia Day has also been marked by
Indigenous Australians, and those sympathetic to their cause, mourning what
they see as the invasion of their land by Europeans and protesting its
celebration as a national holiday. These groups sometimes refer to 26 January
as Invasion Day or Survival Day and advocate that the date should be changed,
or that the holiday should be abolished entirely. However, support for changing
the date amongst the Australian population is low, with a 2017 poll conducted
for The Guardian finding only 26% of the total population supports changing the
date. The same poll found that most Indigenous Australians want a date and name
change of Australia Day, with only 23% saying they felt positive about
Australia Day.
Thursday 23 August
2018, we have our next topic event given on River Island and is all about The
Netherlands. We have DJ Trees and Artist Angel with a performance of Andre
Hazes.
There are several posts on this blog about The Netherlands, Holland and the Dutch people.
All credits are for
Deepert who did the organization of this event!!
André
Hazes
André
Gerardus "André" Hazes (30 June 1951 – 23 September 2004) was a Dutch
singer in a genre called levenslied ("song about life"), popular
music about everyday life sung in the Dutch language. André Hazes was one of
the most successful singers in this genre. Hazes recorded 31 studio and live
albums and he released 55 singles.
André
Hazes was both a cult figure and a very successful mainstream pop artist. He
earned both reputations by being the most successful baby boom generation
interpreter of "het levenslied" -- the Dutch equivalent of American
country songs or the French chanson. "Het levenslied" (the life song)
evokes the lives of ordinary people in simple and recognizable terms, often
with a melodramatic touch. Hazes rose to fame in the 1970s, with hit songs like
"Eenzame Kerst" and "De Vlieger." He secured his mainstream
success well into the '80s, and although he was obscured somewhat in the 1990s,
Hazes returned to the spotlight in 1999, staying there until his early and
unfortunate death in 2004.
André
Hazes was born in Amsterdam on June 30, 1951, in the working-class neighborhood
of De Pijp. He fell in love with music -- especially rock & roll and the
blues -- at an early age.
Albert Cuyp markt. Amsterdam, Nederland, 22 oktober 1959
When he was only eight years old, André was
discovered by Johnny Kraaykamp, Sr., shortly after which his single
"Droomschip" was released, but it failed to bring success. Sometimes,
lightning does strike twice, because in 1976 -- when Hazes was 26 years old --
he was discovered again, this time by no less than Willy Alberti. Up until
then, Hazes had gone through a string of jobs: from factory worker to market
salesman. Alberti ensured the release of the single "Eenzame Kerst"
during the Christmas season of 1976. Hazes' first full-length studio album,
entitled Zo Is Het Leven, followed in the summer of 1977, to positive reviews
and good sales. Frustration and tension with his record label, however, kept
Hazes away from recording and the music industry for the next few years. Among
other things, he worked as a bartender. He returned to the recording and
performing fold in 1980 -- with the help of producer Tim Griek, Hazes released
a single "'N Vriend" and a studio album of the same name. 'N Vriend's
successor, Gewoon André, reached the top of the album charts a year later.
The
single "Een Beetje Verliefd" became Hazes' ticket to superstardom.
For Hazes, the '80s were marked by over 20 hit singles and more than a dozen
successful studio albums, as well as sold-out shows, live albums, and his own
(although short-run) television series. In May 1988, Hazes' friend and producer
Tim Griek died. Later that year the Dutch football team won the European Championship,
and Hazes released a single, recorded with the team, entitled "Wij Houden
Van Oranje."
The song grew into a national sports anthem. At the end of
the '80s, Hazes recorded and released Dit Is Wat Ik Wil, a collection of blues
originals and covers of Dutch and English-language origin. Among them was a
version of "The Thrill Is Gone" with Brainbox's Kaz Lux and
"What'd I Say" with Herman Brood. With two new producers, Hazes kept
his production pace high in the 1990s -- delivering at least one new studio
album per year -- but signs of wear, both artistically and in his audience,
were beginning to show (though his sales consolidated and never dropped below
respectable levels).
Even
more importantly, Hazes' lifestyle, consisting of many shows a year and a lot
of drinking, was beginning to take its toll. Hazes was never in the best
physical shape, but at the end of the '90s he had become seriously overweight
and began experiencing heart problems. After filmmaker René Appel made a
documentary about him, Hazes' star rose to national fame once again: Zij
Gelooft In Mij showed Hazes in all his fragility -- both as a performer and as
a husband and a father. His next three albums all made the Top Three of the
album charts, and the compilation 25 Jaar: Het Allerbeste Van reached the
number one position and eventually spent over two years in the album charts. In
2003, Hazes celebrated his silver anniversary as a performer with a concert in
the Amsterdam Arena, immortalized with the DVD Live in de Amsterdam Arena.
In May
2004, Hazes announced that he had hearing problems; as a result, he had to
cancel his concerts. Four months later, on the 21st of September, Hazes was
rushed to a hospital. He died two days later as a result of two strokes and
cardiac arrest. Hazes was given a farewell ceremony in the Amsterdam Arena on
September 27, with more than 48,000 people present. Over six million people
from the Netherlands and Belgium watched the service. Several Dutch celebrities
spoke and/or performed that night -- among them were Trijntje Oosterhuis, René
Froger, and Guus Meeuwis -- and Hazes' band played Gary Moore's "Still Got
the Blues." Though some argue that the evening was over the top (and
perhaps rightly so), Hazes' farewell ceremony stressed his special status as a
performer; not merely loved for his music, he was also adored for being himself
-- a plain and ordinary yet special person and performer. Hazes' single
"Zij Gelooft In Mij" was re-released two days later. It became his
fifth number one single (others were "Eenzame Kerst,""Diep In
Mijn Hart,""Ik Meen 't," and "Wij Houden Van
Oranje").
A year
after his death, on September 23, 2005, Hazes' ashes were shot into the sky.
That same day, a statue was uncovered at the Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam,
the place where Hazes was first discovered. After his death, Hazes scored
several more hits -- some of them posthumous duets with contemporary artists
such as Gerard Joling and his son André Jr. An album of these duets, Samen Met
Dré, was released in 2007. It reached the number one slot not long thereafter,
staying there for three weeks.
