A message from the Mayor - Celebrating Australia Day

Published on 25 January 2016

At this time every year I give my thoughts on what makes Australia and in particular our region, such a great place worthy of celebration.

Looking back over at previous columns I realised that similar comments flow through them – my pride in our multicultural community, how much we value the special people who will be acknowledged with Australia Day Awards tomorrow and how wonderful it is to welcome new Australian’s at our citizenship ceremony.

Last year I wrote about Australia Day being a day of all Australians and I really want to encourage those of you who haven’t been to an Australia Day celebration to come along to one of the many events happening in our region tomorrow and really experience the collegial and friendly atmosphere.

In our Council area alone there are nine separate community celebrations taking place tomorrow, as well as those which are held by our neighbouring Councils and Shires.  While each celebration is a little different and reflects the community in which it’s being held, the importance of this day in terms of our identity as a nation cannot be understated, particularly in these times of turmoil around the world.

Australia Day isn’t about segregation or separation.  It’s about recognising who we are today as a collective Nation and what we want to stand for in the future. 

For some in our community, particularly our Aboriginal community, Australia Day hasn’t been a day of celebration.  As a country we haven’t always treated our Indigenous communities or our new residents with the respect and dignity they deserve but there is no reason for us to make these same mistakes again. 

Time and time again people living across our region have proven their strength and resilience and also shown their commitment to work together during difficult times. With so many communities around the world under threat of war, terrorism and violence from their own governments, we need to remember how lucky we are to live where we do.

So as I do each year, I encourage you all to think about some of the things which make living in the Mildura region such a positive experience for you and your family and to find ways to share those experiences with others.

I hope to see many of you tomorrow at the Mildura Australia Day ceremony at The Nowingi Place.