Tuesday 26th January was a warm and blustery day in Goulburn but it did nothing to stop the relaxed and happy atmosphere at Seiffert Oval. We were greeted warmly by helpers for our COVID check in and our local police and SES were installed at the entrance to assist attendees as required.
As we walked around the oval we were presented with a wonderful and colourful display of vintage cars, which attracted a lot of attention. We continued past market stalls delivering goods, services and food. There was a large covered area for people to enjoy a meal.
The speeches and presentations were from the stage on the oval and there was plenty of space for people to attend in the stands and on seating around the oval.
Mayor Bob Kirk welcomed everyone to the event.
Angus Taylor spoke about the year we have had and talked about how resilient and successful we have been dealing with the difficulties we have faced.
Rod Roberts from NSW parliament spoke about our sense of duty and responsibility towards each other and welcomed the new citizens to Goulburn. He talked about the city of Goulburn and the many developments and improvements that have been made to the area. He also spoke of how lucky we are to live in Australia.
2021 Australia Day Ambassador, Glenn Turner, spoke of his career as a professional hockey player with the Kookaburras, playing for Australia. He and his team won 2 World Cups in his career. Glenn has played for teams in India and Belgium. He took a lot away from his experience in India where the people were happy with the little they had, which made him look at things differently. He and his family are committed to living in Goulburn and run a business and clinics to mentor young players. His advice to all people wanting to succeed in their sport is to do something towards it every day and not give up.
The Australia Day awards were presented to the award nominees for: The Event of the Year, Youth Citizen of the Year and Goulburn Citizen of the Year.
The Goulburn Event of the Year winner for 2021 is Mighty Playwrights Program, for providing a platform for young people to have their voices heard and talent showcased.
The Goulburn Youth Citizen of the Year winner is Charlotte Hargen for her work as Mayor of the Goulburn Youth Council and efforts in raising awareness for youth mental health and the empowerment of students as young leaders.
The Goulburn Citizen of the Year winner is Kevin Muffet for his work and dedication to the Windellama SES and CFR. Kevin was a popular choice for the award!
The Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony completed the event for the day, welcoming 25 new citizens to Goulburn. The new citizens were invited to make their pledge of loyalty to Australia and to uphold and obey the laws of Australia. Everyone was invited to also make the pledge. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Advance Australia Fair was sung by Darcy Lamb.
