VICTORIA Park was awash with national pride on Monday as Goulburn came out in force to celebrate Australia Day.
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Particularly poignant moments in the day’s proceedings were the speeches given by Mayor Geoff Kettle, Member for Goulburn Pru Goward, Australia Day Ambassador Warren Brown and Federal Member for Hume, Angus Taylor.
Community advocate Graham Kinder, of Windellama, was announced Goulburn’s 2015 Citizen of the Year.
“I feel privileged to be amongst so many members of our community who ‘pitch in’ and volunteer in so many other areas,” he said.
Ms Goward admitted that although 2014 had been a tough year for all Australians, we all stood our ground and managed to triumph over adversity.
“I think the Lindt massacre coming at the end of uncertain political developments around the world reminded us that despite our good fortune, we remain part of the world, and the world’s troubles come here,” she said.
“But again the people of NSW rallied on that day, as they have subsequently rallied in France and we must never forget the values that made this country …” Federal Member for Hume Angus Taylor was positive about the year ahead and what it meant for the electorate.
“Its time to feel the energy of a new year and it’s a wonderful day of celebration,” he noted.
“People used to take Australia Day as just another day, but I think now they tend to ‘kick back’, they do celebrate and they do like to think about what it is that has made our nation great.”
Goulburn’s Australia Day Ambassador Warren Brown summed it up well, and said that 2015 promises to be a special year.
“On this Australia Day we can already feel an undercurrent of hope, and of brighter, better days ahead,” he told the crowd.
However he noted that 2014 was a challenging year for many.
“It seemed as if there was a relentless, rolling series of unexpected and devastating events that at times made us feel as if we needed to come up for air,” he said.
“Perhaps as a newspaper cartoonist, I was particularly heightened to the worrisome increase in tragic stories being filed for the newspaper. Daily I was searching for something fun or funny to draw. It was a challenging year certainly, but not a year for ‘throwing in the towel’. We’ve been through tough times before and to be Australian means to be hard wired in overcoming adversity.
In the brief time since we’ve moved here, we’ve been astonished and delighted by the wonderful, raw ‘Australianness’ of the Goulburn region.”