Edna and John: The Australians who Saved Australia Day

Edna was 88 when she placed a new frypan on the store’s counter and retrieved her purse. But when the assistant informed her that the store doesn’t take cash, Edna told them that was illegal and every business was obligated to take cash.

The assistant recited the store’s policy, and a fuming Edna left with the frypan still resting on the counter.

Later, in their local café, she met up with John Tate, her husband, and told him what had happened. John, who claims he used to be a loyal part of the “she’ll be right” brigade, was so incensed he stormed into the store and demanded to pay for the frypan with cash.

The assistant called the manager, the manager called security, security called the police, and they threatened to arrest John — who was 85, still holding the cash in one hand and the frypan in the other, and refusing to leave without it.

Finally, rather than leave Edna waiting in the café while he was put in a paddy wagon, John capitulated. Then, a short while later, the store once again began accepting cash.

On the outside, Edna and John present as a mild-mannered conservative couple, living out the last of their days in the Adelaide Hills. In reality, COVID saw them become activists against a government they believe has overstepped — and keeps overstepping — the mark of liberty.

Between them they have ten children, and at the time of writing this, thirty-five grandkids and thirty-four great-grandkids.

Because the pair had refused to get jabbed, their family, like many families, experienced division, but as time passed, things were changing.

Then the new fight arrived.

Every year John would receive an invitation to an Australia Day celebration, but this year Edna noticed the invitation hadn’t arrived. After ringing the council to find out what was going on, they discovered that, without offering any community consultation, the Adelaide Hills Council had decided this:

“Adelaide Hills Council last night resolved to not conduct citizenship ceremonies, confer awards or support events on the 26 January onward. This decision reaffirms our commitment to be an inclusive council that respects First Nations culture and values.”

In person, John was told the reason there was no community consultation was because they didn’t want to foster hate and create division, so they decided to make the decision alone.

From now on, Australian Citizenship Ceremonies would occur either three days before or after the 26th. Curious, John and Edna went to one of these ceremonies and discovered that Australia was never mentioned, and the national anthem was not sung.

It was then that Edna decided someone had to do something about this, and since no one else was, the job would fall to them. John agreed, so they picked up the cudgel and ran with it.

The fight back started with a letter they sent to Council by registered post. Neither expected a response, but instead Council acknowledged it, and they discovered they could make a formal deputation.

With the help of a small but dedicated team, the couple formed a council working group.

Over a dozen times John stood up and spoke at the council meetings.

To prepare for the deputation they ran a survey and a petition. John and members of their team went door-knocking and asked people two questions:

Do you support the council?

Do you support the cancellation of Australia Day?

What they discovered was that the vast majority of the public had no idea their council had cancelled Australia Day ceremonies, and 96% of everyone they talked to fully supported the recommencement of these celebrations on Australia Day.

Another team, who supported the council’s original decision, also compiled a petition, but they could not achieve a fraction of the numbers that Edna and John could. In the face of such overwhelming numbers, ten out of eleven councillors changed their minds, which saw the council overturn its own decision to cancel Australia Day celebrations.

Across the country councils are quietly doing this. On our own travels we’ve passed through towns that on Australia Day had no flags flying in the entire town.

But now, thanks to Edna, John and their team, we know we can protest these decisions — and even win.

Perhaps, though, the last word should go to the woman who drove the fight back. Originally from Yorkshire, in one council meeting where the arguments were about the ceremonies offending the Indigenous, she stood and said this:

“You know, you all offend me. As you can hear by my accent, I’m an immigrant. And I’m not precious. They call me a Pom — and I am. But I love Australia. Let me tell you something now. If we hadn’t have come and done the work, you wouldn’t be sat here in this council chamber. You wouldn’t be driving your flash cars. You wouldn’t be living in your posh houses. You wouldn’t have the education. If we hadn’t have come and done all the hard work. And you offend me — along with all the other immigrants from the 194 nations that have come to this country and made it what it is today.”

~Edna (90 years old)

Link to the interview with the pair here

Link to an article by Mark Neugebauer with far more info here

The Video interview that inspired this article is here