You little ripper, it’s Hug an Australian Day
- deansimpson7
- Apr 26
- 2 min read
BY FAY FOSTER
Each year in Australia, 26 April is designated as ‘Hug an Australian Day’ – a day most of us have probably never heard of. This year, it falls on a Saturday, which gives most of us time off to celebrate.
Although I wouldn’t necessarily recommend grabbing the nearest Aussie for a hug, there are lots of things we could safely do to embrace the idea of a hug.
If you know someone who would love a hug, by all means, give them a big, warm one! That might include someone you haven’t seen for a while, like Aunty Jo or Grandad. If not, maybe you could invite a friend to go on a walk or drive to somewhere you both think of as true-blue Aussie – a beach, the bush or a country town.
On the way, you could have a conversation using the lingo – things like having a chocky bicky for brekky, asking a chippy whaddya know, or telling a yarn with a few whoppers in it.
You could also take a meat pie to your neighbour and maybe watch a footy game together.
An Aussie doesn’t have to be a person. It could be an animal, a building or place, a barbie or dunny, or any aspect of dinky-di Aussie culture.
Speaking of animals, this could be a great time to visit your local zoo or animal park and check in on the natives – the koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes, platypuses and lizards.
If for some reason you’re confined to the house, maybe you could watch a rerun of Skippy or The Leyland Brothers, or find a show about Australian people, places or animals. Or listen to music from your favourite Aussie singer.
When you’re working out who to invite to celebrate with you, don’t forget those for whom Australia can be a bit foreign at times – the ones who recently arrived or don’t yet speak the language.
Having you include them in the festivities could be just the hug they need.
Happy hugging!
