Chapter 98 National Day
January 10, 1902—Australia's National Day.
Since January 10 marked the founding of the Principality of Australia, it was officially designated as the country's National Day.
Last year, Arthur had been in Europe and hadn't been able to attend, so no formal celebrations or ceremonies had been arranged.
This year, however, marked the second anniversary of Australia's founding. With significant achievements already made in national development, the cabinet proposed a more elaborate celebration for this year's National Day.
The first major event was a military parade.
Australia's military reform had been ongoing for over six months. During that time, the army had undergone considerable transformation, gradually becoming a competent fighting force.
To train this 6,000-strong force, Arthur had deployed most of his Royal Guard and even shamelessly requested German experts to assist with training.
The results spoke for themselves. The army's discipline had been completely revamped. In formation and cohesion, it was clearly a strong military.
To make them truly elite, the Ministry of Defense had armed them with the most advanced Lee-Enfield rifles and provided them with dozens of rounds for daily shooting practice.
While not every soldier would become a sharpshooter, they would at least be able to hit something when real battle came—not just feed bullets to the air.
Had it not been for National Day preparations, the Ministry of Defense would have already begun formally restructuring these troops.
But Australia still lacked manpower. Though the 6,000 soldiers could be restructured into an infantry division, it only completed the unit's core.
By German standards, a full infantry division required 18,000 soldiers, 4,600 horses, and over 30 heavy machine guns.
The next step was to complete the division through conscription and equip it with heavier firepower.
Currently, Australia's heavy weaponry included MA-96 Maxim machine guns, CA-1 autocannons, and various calibers of German-supplied artillery.
If Australia's experts could successfully reverse-engineer the French M1897, they would gain another automatic cannon system.
With these powerful weapons, Australia's army was already comparable in firepower to that of major powers. In some scenarios, they might even suppress enemy forces, provided their logistics held.
After the parade, the second part of the National Day celebration was a new round of aid for the impoverished.
The Royal Relief Committee announced a second phase of support, distributing food and other necessities through labor-based relief programs.
Rather than simply handing out charity, the government would offer aid in exchange for basic labor—a "teach them to fish" approach.
The committee planned to identify suitable jobs across the country where the poor could work in exchange for aid.
This would also significantly reduce fraudulent claims, as recipients would be required to work a set number of hours at designated sites before receiving anything.
For most people, that time could be better spent finding more dignified and higher-paying jobs.
As National Day drew near, public festivities reached a joyful peak.
Sydney was filled with displays of Australia's newly adopted national flag.
The flag had been chosen through a national design contest and finalized by the government.
It featured three colors: light blue, white, and yellow.
White, at the center, symbolized the royal family's noble authority, the eternal monarchy, and Australia's "White Australia" policy.
Yellow, at the top, represented the people and Australia's democratic ideals.
Blue, at the bottom, signified the country's maritime nature and the importance of naval power.
The flag's design was entirely different from Australia's historical flag, but it reflected the country's modern identity.
To be honest, when Arthur first saw it, he couldn't help but think of the French tricolor and the jokes about it.
Due to France's use of white in the middle and its reputation for surrendering in WWII, the joke went that the flag doubled as a ready-made white flag.
Now that Australia had a white stripe in its flag, would it suffer the same embarrassment someday?
Hopefully not.
With National Day approaching, many small workshops sprung up to produce flags.
Simple cloths dyed in three colors were quickly turned into national flags for sale.
These flags were inexpensive, making them popular with Australians across all classes.
Even recent immigrants couldn't resist the trend—they all bought flags to hang outside their homes.
This surge in demand even boosted incomes for many locals, stimulating economic activity.
That was exactly what Arthur wanted to see—not just economic growth, but a deepening sense of national identity among the people.
Regardless of their reasons for living in Australia, it mattered more that they all came to identify with the nation—that was Arthur's and his government's greatest achievement.
No other countries were invited to this National Day celebration. Only officials and a select few individuals from New Zealand's colony were asked to attend.
Roughly 200 people came, including prominent figures and pro-independence activists.
Arthur's purpose in inviting them was simple: to let them witness firsthand how far Australia had come—once equals, now clearly ahead.
Although Arthur had been Governor of New Zealand for over a year, he had enacted no reforms there, and had remained largely uninvolved in its administration.
Since New Zealand's garrison remained under British command, Arthur didn't need to worry about losing control.
As a result, New Zealand had been left in a semi-autonomous state. Arthur made no move to suppress its independence movement, and the New Zealanders made little effort to understand their governor.
Now that Arthur finally had time, it was time to show New Zealand just how much Australia had changed.
(End of Chapter)
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