Letter to The Editor - Any attempts to downplay the British contribution should be strongly opposed

To The Australian         We have a rare slip from Geoffrey Blainey ("An epic endeavour, a vexed debate", 25-26/1): Aboriginal peoples were not "the first discoverers of Australia" but only of this continent - and there may have been others even before them. There is also a furphy from Angela Shanahan ("No welcome mat laid out for early European arrivals", 25-26/1): immigrants from non-British nations have certainly contributed to our national character, but not (despite her claim) as much as "the English-speaking majority." Australia remains primarily a British cultural creation, just over a hundred years old (if we date its origin as Federation) or twice that (if we go back to 1788). We enjoy a free way of life here (though not, alas, as totally free as it should be) thanks, essentially, to British endeavour. Any attempts to downplay the British contribution should be strongly opposed, since they also involve downplaying the importance of political freedom and open debate in public forums.
  Nigel Jackson, Belgrave