Eurobodalla Shire Council will kick off this year’s Australia Day celebrations early, hosting its annual Australia Day Awards ceremony in Moruya tomorrow (Friday) night.
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Seven achievement awards and several sports achievement awards will be presented to local residents, along with the Jeff Britten Award for the Pursuit of Excellence.
The ceremony will take place in the Mechanics Institute hall in Page Street from 6pm.
Eurobodalla Mayor Lindsay Brown says the 2013 Achievement Awards will go to:
- Marco Cardinale, of Moruya, for his outstanding service with the Moruya Surf Lifesaving Club;
- Brian Clarke, of Moruya, for his voluntary work in the community and especially his support for the equine industry;
- Richard Wright, of Batemans Bay, for his work with Marine Rescue;
- Otto Eichler, of Narooma, for his volunteer work with community transport; and
- Anne De Vries, of Narooma, for her contribution to the community through her work with Meals on Wheels.
“There will also be two young Eurobodalla citizens receiving Achievement Awards this year,” Cr Brown said.
“They are Rhys Hardy for his leadership skills and the support he provides to other students as well as his outstanding community service, and Tamara Kenny for her leadership skills, academic achievements and the strong role model she provides for other Aboriginal students.”
For her golfing achievements, Hayley McNeill, of Lilli Pilli, is to receive a Sports Achievement Award along with representatives of the Batemans Bay Surf Lifesaving Surf Boat crews for their success in competitions and commitment to surf lifesaving in the Batemans Bay area.
Cr Brown says former mayor and long-serving councillor, Chris Vardon OAM of Malua Bay, will be the recipient of the 2013 Jeff Britten Award for the Pursuit of Excellence for his commitment to the Eurobodalla community over many years.
“The award will be presented to Mr Vardon by Michael Britten and Careen Leslie, the children of the late Jeffery Britten, a former Eurobodalla Shire president,” Cr Brown said.
The Mayor will reveal the names of the 2013 Eurobodalla Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year awards on the night, during which he will be accompanied by the Eurobodalla’s two Australia Day Ambassadors - writer and producer Peter Herbert, and St George Illawarra rugby league player and former Moruya junior Michael Weyman.
Australia Day itself will be celebrated in style in Moruya, with the day kicking off at 8.30am on Saturday in Russ Martin Park, Moruya, with breakfast provided by the Moruya Lions Club and the Rotary Club of Moruya. It will conclude with the official ceremony at 10am.
During the morning there will be competitions for children with prizes for the best decorated bike and rider based on the theme of Australian native fauna, the great pet parade, and the Anzac biscuit competition for all ages.
As for last year, when this was run successfully for the first time, entrants will be required to bring along four Anzac biscuits which will then be judged on the morning. (See recipe this page).
Horseshoe throwing will also be a feature of the morning’s fun and games. On display at Russ Martin Park will be entries from the local primary schools’ poster competition based on the day’s theme, and displayed in the local shop windows a high school program competition.
The Moruya and District Citizen of the Year for 2013 will also be announced.
Batemans Bay residents and visitors can look forward to a big Australia Day Breakfast at Corrigans Cove Beach Reserve on Saturday.
Quota president Carolyn Anderson said 190 loaves of bread, 80 dozen eggs, 35kg of sausages and 55kg of bacon had been ordered, along with plenty of Vegemite and golden syrup for the damper, and ingredients for doughnuts and tea and coffee.
“This has become a very popular event and we expect to cater for at least 900 breakfasts,” she said.
The day gets underway at 8am with the Clydesdale Band and will continue with a flag-raising ceremony at 9am. There will also be free children’s games and prizes for the best-dressed ‘dinki-di’ Aussie.