Campbelltown does a lot of things well and chief among them is celebrating Australia Day on January 26 every year.
This year will be no different, with a big line-up of on-stage entertainment, rides and Aussie-themed activities among the attractions at Campbelltown City Council’s 2017 Australia Day celebrations.
Council also does the right thing by those residents who live north of the town and holds two Australia Day events every year, one in Koshigaya Park and another at Ingleburn’s Hallinan Park.
Official proceedings in Koshigaya Park will start from 8am and will include a barbecue breakfast, flag-raising, citizenship ceremony and a visit from the 2017 Campbelltown City Australia Day ambassador, the opera singer Amelia Farrugia.
Ms Farrugia is one Australia’s best-loved sopranos and since her opera debut in 1994 she has sung many leading roles for Opera Australia.
The 2017 Campbelltown City Australia Day awards over four categories – Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Sportsperson of the Year and Community Group Initiative of the Year – will also be announced by Mayor George Brticevic during the morning on January 26.
The celebrations will continue at Ingleburn from 10am and until 2pm.
Official proceedings will be held at the Greg Percival Community Centre, and will include the cutting of the Australia Day cake, citizenship ceremony and an address by Mayor Brticevic and Ms Farrugia.
The entertainment in Ingleburn will take place in adjacent Hallinan Park, with a barbecue, a variety of Aussie-themed activities and a performance by the Macarthur Country Music Club.
The celebrations at Koshigaya Park will resume from 4pm and finish at 9.30pm.
There will be carnival rides, stalls and a live entertainment, including performers Hannah Mitchell and Peter Calvert, Oz Rock Music and One Hit Wonders.
The live Dinosaur Train show will give the kids a chance to interact with Buddy and his friends, in a light-hearted show full of songs and fun.
A fantastic fireworks display will be held near the end of the day’s celebrations, at the family-friendly time of 9pm.
“There will be lots to see and do at Campbelltown and Ingleburn, with entertainment and activities including barbecues, rides, stalls and the recognition of the city’s outstanding residents, running most of the day and into the night,” Mayor Brticevic said.
“Australia Day also gives us the opportunity to bring people of different cultures together to celebrate the diversity which enriches this community, and to reflect on all we have to be thankful for in this wonderful country of ours.
“I encourage everyone to come along, enjoy the entertainment and activities, and sample a snag, hot off the barbie.”
Both Australia Day events are drug and alcohol free, and police will be enforcing Alcohol Free Zones – no alcohol of any kind will be permitted in the event areas.
Residents are reminded that fireworks can scare animals, so if your pet is frightened by loud noises, please keep them restrained or inside the house on the night.
For more details, visit council’s Australia Day website link here.
