Creativity celebrated at Australia Day celebrations

Published on 21 January 2016

Budding young writers, artists and photographers will flock to Australia Day celebrations across Loddon Shire on Tuesday.

As part of the annual event’s planned festivities, prizes will be awarded for a literature, coloring and photography competition organized in partnership with primary and secondary schools across the municipality.

Loddon Shire Australia Day Committee Secretary Shannon Brown said the competition had been enthusiastically embraced, with some 600 entries flowing into her office throughout August and September last year.

“It’s wonderful to see that creativity is alive and well in Loddon Shire, with a wonderful variety of entries being produced in response to the theme which centred around the Anzac Day centenary,” Shannon said.

“We have some 20 winning prizes, as well as 70 highly commended certificates to present at Australia Day celebrations.”

“Competition entries will be compiled into a commemorative book which will be distributed to schools later in the year.”

“The competition has proven a wonderful way to engage our young people and provide a further incentive for families to come along and enjoy the Australia Day festitivities.”

“Young people attending the celebrations will also have no shortage of role models to look up to with the announcement of award winners across several individual and group categories being made.”

Ms Brown said her committee was tight lipped about who the winners were as Loddon Shire traditionally likes to surprise people on the day.

Awards will be presented to acknowledge the outstanding contribution made by community members across a range of categories.

These include Loddon Shire citizen of the year, young citizen of the year, community group of the year, community project of the year, Boort community services award, Inglewood community services award, Tarnagulla community services award, Terrick community services award and Wedderburn community services award.

Ms Brown said Australia Day Commitees across the Shire had worked tirelessly to arrange a variety of events from breakfasts, morning teas, barbecue lunches and teas, through to swimming carnivals, merry-go-rounds and live music at some locations.

“An Australia Day ambassador is also set to speak at each event, which will feature a special flag raising ceremony and national anthem rendition,” she said.

Join in celebrating all that makes us proud to be Australian at Boort’s Nolan Park from 9.15am, Bridgewater’s Sloan Park from 8am, Calivil Hall from 8.30am, Eddington Community Centre at 8am, Inglewood Swimming Pool from 11am, Newbridge Hall at 11.15am, Pyramid Hill Hall from 6pm, Tarnagulla’s Soldiers Memorial Park from 10.30am and Jacka Park in Wedderburn at 5pm