“I think we need to either change the date, or get rid of Australia Day, because it’s offensive to us,” he said this week.

“The day reminds us of theft, genocide and loss of culture, and that’s nothing to celebrate, but we can celebrate our survival.”

Mr Kelly will be joining many others at Bermagui on January 26 to acknowledge Survival Day 2018, and he says Bega Valley Shire Council should do more to respect its first peoples.

“It would be great to see the Bega Valley Shire Council follow the lead of other councils in Australia, say goodbye to Australia Day and respect first nations people,” he said.

The City of Fremantle recently cancelled its annual fireworks in an attempt to be culturally sensitive, and the City of Yarra has made changes in order to help better understand Australian history.

The day recognises the moment Britain’s Captain Arthur Phillip placed the Union Jack into the ground at Sydney Cove in 1788, while 40 convicts looked on from boats at sea.

However, formation of Phillip’s penal colony, under King George III, was not made official until February 7, and it wasn’t until 24 years ago that Australia Day was created a national public holiday.

Mr Kelly first held the event last year, and said this year will see more people involved.

“The crowd is going to get bigger and bigger every year, because there are many people who love to hear about Aboriginal history and culture, so I hope many people will join us and enjoy the day,” he said.

“It’s a day that can bring people of all races together, to learn the true history and culture, and celebrate survival along with the Aboriginal community.

“With so much culture lost since colonisation, it’s vital our culture survives and is taught to every person in Australia, because it is over 65 thousand years old.

“That’s something to be proud of and something everyone can learn from.”