Good Morning/Afternoon,
Today I will be talking about the Australian Flag and sharing some interesting facts with you.
The Australian Flag is made with the three true blue Aussie colours, red, white and blue.
The white symbolises peace and honesty, blue – truth and loyalty and justice, and red – bravery and strength.
In the left corner of the flag is the “Union Jack” which represents the history of the British Settlement.
Did you know that the Union Jack is a combination of the national flags of England, Scotland and Ireland? The Union Jack can also be found on the flag of other countries.
Below the Union Jack is a white star. It has seven points which represents the states and territories of Australia .
The group of stars on the right is the Southern Cross.
These stars can always be seen in the Australian sky at night.
The Australian Flag is much loved, touched, worn and flown by Australians here and across the world.
It flies in schools, neighbourhoods, communities, and in the bush.
Annie Whistler Dorrington designed the Australian Flag and it was first flown on 3rd September 1901, at the Royal Exhibition Buildings in Melbourne.
This is why we have a National Flag Day on 3rd September every year.
There was a competition held in 1900 to design the Australian Flag and over 32,823 entries from men, women and children had entered the competition.
A 14 year old boy from Melbourne was one of five winners.
I hope you have learnt something today about the Australian Flag, a symbol of our national identity.
Thank you for listening.