Australia Day 2020
Published on 09 January 2020
Loddon Shire, along with the rest of the nation, will celebrate what is great about our country on Australia Day 2020.
The day includes the announcement and presentation of Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Community Group/Event of the Year awards and Community Services Award, as well as speeches from Australia Day ambassadors. The awards acknowledge the outstanding contribution made by community members and are fantastic recognition of the hard work of those who give so much back to our community.
The celebrations take place across the Shire with events held at Boort, Bridgewater, Dingee, Eddington, Inglewood, Newbridge, Pyramid Hill, Tarnagulla and Wedderburn. Events will vary depending on the locality and may include such things as breakfast, morning tea, barbeques, swimming carnivals or fairground rides.
Entries of the Australia Day competition will be on display at various locations. This year’s competition included literature, colouring and photography and focussed on the theme ‘My Favourite Place’.
There will also be special flag raising ceremonies and renditions of the national anthem. Each event will feature a speech from the Australia Day ambassadors.
Dr Norman Eizenberg is an Australia Day ambassador who will speak at Boort and Pyramid Hill. Dr Eizenberg is one of the world’s most innovative and productive anatomists. He is a medical educator and leader of a revolutionary computer-based learning platform that explores anatomy from multiple perspectives. He was a Victorian Australian of the Year Finalist in 2014 and has received many awards throughout his career, but remains focused on helping his patients.
Mr Robin Daubeny, who will be speaking at Bridgewater and Inglewood, is an Australian cycling champion. He drew upon his leadership and coaching skills to drive a winning streak at the St Kilda Football Club, which lead to the 1997 AFL Grand Final win. He is a full-time motivator, business leader and published author.
Mrs Alma Besserdin is an advocate for immigrant women. She founded Wimmigrants, an organisation that strives to support entrepreneurial immigrant women. Mrs Besserdin uses her unique insights to help other immigrant professional women achieve their goals and become leaders in their workplaces and communities.
Mrs Besserdin helps organisations create cultures of inclusion, diversity and gender equality and also hosted a radio show on Voice of America, where she interviewed leaders worldwide on topics discussing best practices in equality and diversity. She will speak at Dingee and Wedderburn.
Mr Darryl Jones will be the speaker at Eddington, Newbridge and Tarnagulla. Mr Jones is a retired member of Victoria Police and a board member of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation. He served 33 years assisting and assuring the safety of the community and was recognised time and time again for his bravery and conduct.
Loddon Shire Mayor Cheryl McKinnnon congratulated the Township Committees for their tireless efforts to bring these events to our towns. “Every year the committee works hard to ensure we can come together as a community and celebrate our nation.”
To find out more, including event times and locations, visit Council’s website https://www.loddon.vic.gov.au/Our-Council/Ceremonies/Australia-Day/Loddon-Australia-Day-Celebrations-2020