A photograph of the top of a steel arched bridge (The Sydney Harbour Bridge) with Aboriginal and Australian flags flying at full mast. There are a few people seen in silhouette near the top.

January 26

17 Jan 2024

January 26 marks the beginning of the European colonisation of Australia when in 1788 the ‘First Fleet’ arrived from England and set up a convict settlement on unceded Gadigal Country, in a place we now call Circular Quay.  

Since 1938 the date has been known as a Day of Mourning. We encourage you to learn more about the 1938 Day of Mourning on the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) website.

OCULUS has introduced a policy allowing our employees to choose to ‘change the date’ of this public holiday, and we’re just one of many organisations across Australia offering flexibility around this day. Find out more about changing the date at your workplace here.

Aside from changing the date, there are multiple ways to stand with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples on January 26 – here’s a list of events near us:  

 

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