AUSTRALIA Day will be celebrated with community events throughout the district on Thursday.
Most local events will centre around breakfasts, flag-raising and guest speakers.
Leitchville will stage its traditional evening function.
Australia Day is the official national day of Australia, marking the anniversary of the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales, and the raising of the flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip.
Two official Australia Day ambassadors will be among the guest speakers and the winners of the shire’s Australia Day awards will also be announced at each ceremony.
Scheduled community celebrations will be held at:
* Barham/Koondrook – 7am Riverside Park, Barham.
* Lake Charm/Mystic Park – 7.30am Gorton Point, Kangaroo Lake.
* Kerang – 7.30am Atkinson Park.
* Cohuna – 8am Garden Park.
* Lalbert – 8.30am Community Park.
* Murrabit – 8am Murrabit Market Lions Site.
* Quambatook – 8.30am Quambatook Memorial Hall.
* Leitchville – 6.30pm Trigg Park.
Australia Day ambassador, John Forbes OAM, KSJ will speak at Kerang and Leitchville and Sally Nolan will address the Koondrook and Cohuna celebrations.
Mr Forbes resides at Mitiamo, has had a long involvement in sport, including administration, business and media roles, and has been chairman since 1988 of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation – Tynan-Eyre Memorial Foundation, which has raised in excess of $5 million towards trauma facilities at public hospitals in memory of police officers who have lost their lives in service to the people of Victoria.
Sally Nolan is a senior sports business professional experienced in sales and business development, sponsorship and commercial partnerships, marketing and event management within professional sporting organisations and major event venues. She is currently employed by Cricket Australia as the hospitality sales manager for Victoria.
Gunbower will have two morning celebrations.
Australia Day will start with a community breakfast at Felix L’Huillier Park between 7.30am and 9am, followed by a 10.30am flag-raising ceremony at the Gunbower Memorial Hall.
This gathering will be addressed by Australia Day ambassador, Matthew Albert, a public interest lawyer and co-founder of the Sudanese Australian Integrated Learning Program. He was Victoria’s nominee for the Young Australian of the Year in 2005.
Respected musicians, Lisa Edwards and Michael Cristiano will address a luncheon gathering at Lake Boga.
