You might already be aware that Father’s Day is celebrated differently here in Australia. First of all, we thank dad on the first Sunday of September, whereas in the States, they do it on the third Sunday of June. Well, it’s not the only thing that sets an Australian Father’s Day apart from the rest of the world. Keep reading to discover some of the fascinating ways Aussie Dad’s celebrate Father’s Day.
First Father’s Day Celebrations
While not officially a Father’s Day celebration, in 1908, a church in West Virginia held a unique service remembering the 360 men who lost their lives the previous year in a terrible mining accident. A heartbreaking origin, Sonora Smart Dodd would spend the next fifty years campaigning to have the day annualised by the United States Government in 1972. Surprisingly, however, we Australians established our own Father’s Day almost a decade earlier.
An Australian Perspective
Australia officially recognised Father’s Day in 1964, but not without an internal struggle amongst father’s across the country. Placing clear parallels with Mother’s Day – first celebrated in Australia in 1910 – a Sydney newspaper suggested, sarcastically, that three flowers could be emblematic of Father’s Day. The paper selected “the scarlet geranium because it resembles the bloom of his nose; the cornflower, to match the hue of his language when his liver is bad; or the mignonette, in sweet remembrance of his Saturday night breath.”
Twenty-six years later, in 1936, and suddenly publications like the Newcastle Sun were labelling Father’s Day a “new day” marked with the wearing of a red coloured flower. It would only get better for Aussie Dad’s, with Fairfield’s The Biz newspaper described Father’s Day as an opportunity to show “the family’s regard for the man of the house.”
Although the Commonwealth would give no official reason for choosing the first Sunday in September, it does sit rather conveniently between Mother’s Day and Christmas, giving you plenty of time to find gifts for dad.
First Father’s Day Gifts in Australia
The wearing of red flowers on Father’s Day was one the earliest recognised symbols for Father’s Day, with Sonora Smart Dodd wearing a Red Rose to signify all Father’s, while a White Rose was for those who have passed on. Now we’re not suggesting that every Aussie Dad is going to want a bouquet of red roses for Father’s Day; giving Dad a rose of some kind is a simple gesture to show the deep love and admiration you have for him. Whether as a partner, a son, daughter or friend, Father’s deserve to be spoilt for their good deeds.
First Father’s Day gifts have become especially important in recent years thanks to changes made to the Marriage Amendment Act in 2017, recognising same-sex marriage for the first time in Australia, opening the door to double the presents on Father’s Day.
Spoiling Dad on Father’s Day
Try something new for Father’s Day this year and spoil your dad with a bouquet from Flowers Across Melbourne! We’re offering same-day delivery across Melbourne and Sydney suburbs if your order is placed before 2 pm. We combine over 20 years of experience delivering the best flowers and floral arrangements to your loved ones. Celebrate Father’s Day in a whole new way with Flowers Across Melbourne today!
