Tag: Down Under Author Nic Starr

Down Under Day 26: Happy Australia Day! Meet Nic Starr and AUS/NZ Facts of the Day

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Happy Australia Day!

Does that sight above look familiar? Yes, you would think you were looking at a 4th of July celebration.  Instead that’s the Australia Day celebration in Perth. What is Australia Day, you ask? Australia Day, January 26, is the biggest day of celebration in the country and is observed as a public holiday in all states and territories.

On Australia Day, Australians come together as a nation celebrate what’s great about Australia and being Australian. It’s the day to reflect on what everyone has achieved and what they can be proud of in Australia.

Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788 (you can read a comprehensive history of the evolution of Australia Day here).

Though January 26th marks this specific event, today Australia Day celebrations reflect contemporary Australia: the diverse society and landscape, its remarkable achievements and its future. It also is an opportunity to reflect on the nation’s history, and to consider how all can make Australia an even better place in future.

On Australia Day, over half of the nation’s population of 21 million attend either an organised community event, or get together with family and friends with the intention of celebrating the national day. Many more spend the public holiday relaxing with family and friends.

It’s the Australian equivalent of our 4th of July.  Let’s celebrate with them, raise your glasses, give them a clink and say all together now  “Happy Australia Day!”

Here in the US, Australia Day is celebrated as well. The U.S. Australian embassy has organized a party; G’DAY USA, an Australian diplomacy program in the United States has barbecues, cricket, and dinners lined up across the country; and Australian Nexus, an online hub for Australians in the United Kingdom, has barbecues and art shows, among other events, lined up.  So raise a glass of Fosters, mate, and wish all the Australians, here and at home, a wonderful Australia Day!

Welcome, Nic Starr

 Happy Australia Day!  We’re heading into our last week of our Down Under Author Showcase.  Today’s featured author is Nic Starr.  Author of many M/M romance novels, Nic has a special guest blog today in keeping with the fact that its Australia Day! Please check that out, along with Nic Starr’s bio and giveaway!  And don’t forget to find the Down Under Scavenger Hunt word of the Day!australia-physical-map

Fun Facts about Australia Day – Australia Facts of the Day!

Australia Day is celebrated on the 26th of January every year, marked by most Australians with a day off due to the national public holiday, along with parties, going to the beach and attending fireworks displays.
But do you really know what Australia Day really symbolises? We have compiled a list of some fun and interesting facts about Australia Day and our history that you may not have already known!Australia Day celebration

• The first recorded Australia Day celebrations were held on January 26, 1808 to mark twenty years since Captain Arthur Phillip raised the flag at Sydney Cove.

• Lachlan Macquarie was the first Australian Governor to hold the first “official” Australia Day celebrations in 1818, to mark thirty years of European settlement. The celebrations included a thirty gun salute and a ball at Government House.

• Australia Day was called “Foundation Day” in the early part of the nineteenth century, and was typically marked by sporting events including horse racing and boat races.

• The first colony to declare Australia Day as a public holiday was New South Wales in 1838, on the 50th anniversary of the Sydney Cove landing.

• By 1888 nearly all of the colonies had declared a public holiday to celebrate Australia Day, but it wasn’t until the 1940’s that January 26th was agreed upon by all states as the proper day to celebrate.

• The two animals featured on the Australian coat of arms are the Emu and the Kangaroo – the reason for this being that neither animal can walk backwards, but instead can always go forwards, symbolising Australia’s desire to do the same.

New Zealand Facts of the Daykiwi and NZ country

Does New Zealand have an equivalent to Australia Day and the 4th of July?  Yes, it does.  It’s Waitangi Day.

Every year on 6 February, New Zealand marks the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. In that year, representatives of the British Crown and over 500 Māori chiefs signed what is often considered to be New Zealand’s founding document. The day was first officially commemorated in 1934, and it has been a public holiday since 1974.

For some people, Waitangi Day is a holiday; for many, and especially for Māori, it is the occasion for reflecting on the Treaty. Since the 1970s the style and mood of the commemorations on Waitangi Day have been influenced by the increasingly heated debate surrounding the place of the Treaty in modern New Zealand.

Waitangi Day is recognised as New Zealand’s national day, but the long-standing tensions associated with it are always likely to surface in one form or another. The date is an important marker in the country’s history. Recognition of the significance of the Treaty of Waitangi as the nation’s founding document will continue to encourage leaders, communities and individuals to mark the day in new ways.waitangi_treaty_grounds_te_pito_whenua

So while it’s not yet Waitangi Day, let’s put a note on our calendars for a special upcoming celebration.  Raise a glass of wonderful New Zealand wine, enjoy a movie, perhaps, one of the Lord of the Rings or  Whale Rider (a favorite also of mine) and celebrate with them.

 

 

 

 

Last Week of Down Under Author Showcase and Our Week Ahead at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words

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Into the Final Week We Go...

kiwi and NZ country

It’s the last week for our Down Under Author Showcase.  How great to have this many authors gathered  together this month.  It’s been a time of discovery and a time to renew old acquaintances, traditionally a way to celebrate the start of a new year.

There have been many authors that were new to me and the other reviewers here at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words.  John Wiltshire’s (and Radulf) have been a hit all the way around.  L.J. LaBarthe?  Yes indeedy!  Cecil Wilde’s  a new find for several of us.  N.R. Walker, Renae Kaye, Meredith Shayne…all have had multiple “must have, must read” stories for many readers.  Beany Sparks, Toni Griffin, Christian Baines…..the paranormal and supernatural tales of all these authors were wonderful.  Isabelle Rowan, A.B. Gayle, Lisa Henry…ok, all wonderful.  So here is a look at the month author by author.  All their contests are still open until January 31st!  So is our Down Under Scavenger Hunt, Bottom Drawer Publications and  Wayward Ink Publications contests too!  Don’t forget to enter them all!

1/1/2015 Christian Baines         1/2/2015 Nicki J. Markus       1/3/2014 Anne Barwell
1/5/2015 N.J. Nielson                1/6/2015 L.J. LaBarthe            1/7/2015 Michelle Rae
1/8/2015 Renae Kaye                 1/9/2015 John Wiltshire        1/10/2015 N. R. Walker
1/12/2015 John Terry Moore   1/13/2015 Beany Sparks          1/14/2015 A.B. Gayle
1/15/2015 Lisa Henry               1/16/2015 Meredith Shayne     1/17/2015 Pelaam

1/19/2015 Toni Griffin              1/20/2015 L. J. Harris              1/21/2015 Isabelle Rowan
1/22/2015 Maggie Mitchell      1/23/2015 Penny Brandon        1/24/2015 Lily Velden
1/26/2015 Nic Starr                 1/27/2015 Barry Lowe               1/28/2015 Cecil Wilde
1/29/2015 Ellen Cross              1/30/2015 Bette Browne           1/31/2015 RJ Jones

 

Our Facts of the Day for Australia and New Zealand:

Australia Facts of the Day

 

wombat poop

Wombat poop is cube shaped.  This prevents them from rolling away when marking territory.  Uh, wow.

In what book did the author substitute “pellets” for cubes?  People would never have believed cubes so bending the truth made sense.

baby wombat

 

 

 

Australians love nicknames:

  • Australians from Queensland are called “banana benders.”
  • People from Western Australia are called “sand gropers.”
  • People from New South Wales are called “cockroaches.”

What were some of the nicknames used for main characters in stories from our Down Under Authors?

 

 

New Zealand Facts of the Day:

In the Lord of the Rings films, the beer drunk on camera was a custom NZ brew called ‘Sobering Thought’.hobbithouse01

The filming of these movies pumped around $200 million into the country’s economy. The hobbithouse06New Zealand government even created a Minister for Lord of the Rings, to ensure the most money could be made from the films.

In 1990, the NZ prime minister appointed a National Wizard.

 

STRW down Under Banner sm Hearts

Our Schedule This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words…

Monday, January 26:

  • Day 26-Welcome, Nic Starr, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day
  • Down Under Author Nic Starr
  • In the Book Spotlight: Enticing Hart by Mae Hancock
  • A Stella Review:  Moment of Impact by Karen Stivali
  • No Denying Sin by BL Morticia Book Tour and Contest

Tuesday, January 27:

  • Day 27-Welcome, Barry Lowe, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day
  • Down Under Author Barry Lowe
  • A Sammy Review: Black John by Amy Lane
  • A MelanieM Review: Waiting for the Flood by Alexis Hall
  • Come to the Window by Mia Kerick tour and contest

Wednesday, January 28:

  • Day 28-Welcome, Cecil Wilde, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day
  • Down Under Author Cecil Wilde
  • A Stella Review: Defying Conventions by Cecil Wilde
  • A Sammy Review: Dirty Dining by E. M. Lynley
  • In the Spotlight: Cheryl Headford’s Memories of Forgotten Love

Thursday, January 29:

  • Day 29-Welcome, Ellen Cross, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day
  • Down Under Author Ellen Cross
  • A Mika Review: Run with the Moon by Bailey Bradford
  • A Sammy Review: Chase In Shadows by Amy Lane
  • Guest Blog on Australian Memories by Author Jim Provenzano

Friday, January 30:

  • Day 30-Welcome, Bette Browne, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day
  • Down Under Author Bette Browne
  • A Barb Review Catch Me When I Fall by John Wiltshire
  • A MelanieM Review: Conscious Decisions of the Heart by John Wiltshire
  • In the Spotlight:  Charlie Cochrane’s Lessons for Survivors (contest)
  • A.J. Thomas: The Way Things Are Book Tour/contest

Saturday, January 31:

  • Final Day of Down Under Showcase-Welcome, R.J. Jones, AUS/NZ Facts of the Day
  • Down Under Author R. J. Jones
  • Down Under Author Wrap-up and recap