First Wattle Day

1910

On the 1st September 1910, the first Wattle Day was celebrated in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne and was significant as being the first organised demonstration on a definite day ever witnessed in Australia.

Australia's Native Flower

Emblem of Patriotism and Love

Let the wattle henceforth be a sacred charge to every Australian. Let us foster and protect and cherish it. Let us plant it in all our parks and reserves and pleasure grounds, so that we may make pilgrimages to its groves in blossom time. let us give our schoolchildren wattle plants, and offer annual prizes for the best grown trees, that there may be no Australian who cannot link it with his childish memories....

To the native born Australian the wattle stands for home, country, kindred, sunshine, and love - every instinct that the heart most deeply enshrines.

Sydney Morning Herald, September 1, 1910

1911

Adelaide

Enthusiasm for wearing the wattle as an emblem continued, due to active promotion by branches of the League. The Adelaide committee was especially strong and it did not confine itself to Wattle Day. In July, the visiting Sheffield Choir wore sprigs of wattle on a painted ribbon at their reception in the Exhibition Building, and on the 19th August, the Commercial Travellers' Association decorated their Commemoration Day Banquet tables with wattle blossom, even using the flower on menu cards and programs.

The Wattle

The bush was grey

A week today

(Olive-green, and brown, and grey);

But now the Spring has come this way

With blossom for the wattle.

Veronica Mason

Full text in Anthology

On Wattle Day itself, Adelaide was described as a city 'decked with gold', so great was the enthusiasm shown by members of the League. Schoolchildren were given special lessons on the 'significance of honouring the blossom' and Wattle Day celebrations were introduced to London by the president of the South Australian branch, Lady Symon, who had travelled there earlier in the year.

Wattle Day, so intent they were on their fairy flotilla Watercolour

Ida Rintoul Outhwaite (1888-1960)

www.chrisbeetles.com

Sydney

Sydney celebrated Wattle Day in a similar manner to the previous year. More schools were involved in tree-planting projects, 'Wattle' postcards and badges were issued and a copy of a Commonwealth 'wattle' poster was displayed for the first time. This poster was to be used to advertise Australia abroad. The New South Wales branch of the League encouraged children to develop a love of their native flora.

Vintage early Australia wattle Australiana postcard

www.janesoceania.com

Melbourne

For some reason, Melbourne couldn't quite get the date right in the early days. There was a Great Wattle League demonstration in Melbourne Town Hall on 5 September 1911 and the first 'Wattle Train' went to Hurstbridge on 31 August 1912. This train carried 980 passengers.

Three days later, on 2nd September, wattle blossom was first sold for charity in the streets of Melbourne.

On 8 January 1913, Wattle day was 'federalised' in Melbourne at the first pan Australian Wattle Day League Conference, due to the efforts of people like Sowden, Campbell and Maiden. A Federal Wattle Day League was formed with branches in many States. They were to work towards having the emblem officially proclaimed and having Wattle Day celebrations throughout the Commonwealth. Ten days later, the Commonwealth Government Gazette, No 3 (Saturday, 18 January 1913), showed a coloured copy of the Commonwealth Arms carrying the wattle blossom accessory. It was introduced into the design on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, Mr Andrew Fisher.