Hastings people say Australia Day date should change

Entangling the First Fleet voyage with Australia Day is out of date

To the editor,

As January 26^th signifies the British landing, which is an historical event, how can you change that to another date?  You have to stick to the truth!

You could call it by another name, (e.g. First British Landing), but isn’t that being petty-minded, and in those days, there was suffering for the indigenous people, and there was also suffering for the new settlers!

The killing of people was not one-sided, but surely after all these hundreds of years, common sense and forgiveness should prevail; otherwise we are living in the dark ages of uneducated people, and have made no progress in the brotherhood of man.

Barbara Bedford, Wauchope