Tenterfield Shire Council’s Australia Day Event celebrates the diversity of Australian culture and achievements through the Australia Day Awards, Australia Day Ambassador and musical entertainment.
The Event will be held at the Tenterfield Memorial Hall, Molesworth Street, Tenterfield.
The morning will kick off with the Ministers’ Fraternal Church Service at 8am, followed by “Breakfast on the Verandah” provided by Rotary, 2 Ten FM and Tenterfield CWA Day Branch (gold coin donation).
The main event commences at 9am with the Acknowledgement of Country, Welcome and Flag Raising.
The Hon Richard Torbay MP (Member for Northern Tablelands) will be in attendance and, following his address, Australia Day Ambassador, Ms Prue Watt, will address the gathering.
Prue is one of Australia’s most successful Paralympians, winning the final gold medal for Australia in the pool (breaststroke) at the 2012 London Games. Prior to this, Prue brought home five silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Games. These achievements saw her awarded the 2004 Female Junior Paralympian of the Year.
Four years later at Beijing, Prue put in a consistent performance and made the final for each of her events – 100m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 100m and 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke.
Prue is currently studying a health science degree at Newcastle University and is undertaking an internship at Vision Australia.
Prue has agreed at the last minute to come to Tenterfield in place of Mr James Strong AO, Chairman of the Woolworths Board of Directors, who unfortunately has had to cancel his attendance.
Presentation of the Australia Day Awards to recognise our local heros will follow Prue’s address. Awards in 2013 will be presented for:
Citizen of the Year
Young Citizen of the Year
Sportsperson of the Year
Young Sportsperson of the Year
Emergency Services Volunteer of the Year
Local Tenterfield Australian folk group ‘Welders Dog’ will perform some well-known songs from Australia’s colourful past. With a strong Celtic influence, ‘Welders Dog’ is well known at the Australian Celtic Music Festival. The trio have performed regularly in Tenterfield at various official and private gatherings and are all busy members of the local community.
The Celebrations will conclude at approximately 11am to the rousing call of bagpipes played by the Tenterfield Highlanders Pipe Band.
Other communities within the Shire are also celebrating Australia Day.
Urbenville will host their annual cricket match at the Urbenville Showground at 10am. This event also includes Australia Day Awards for local community members and a Colouring In competition which will be judged at 12 noon. Later in the evening, a Thong Throwing competition will be held at the Crown Hotel.
Torrington will hold a “Big Aussie Breakfast”, commencing at 7.30am at the Memorial Park. This will be followed by a “Fun Day” with lots of events to involve all the family.
