Sitting back listening to the beautiful sounds made by the South West Sydney Orchestra on Sunday, I couldn’t help but think this was potentially the best event the South West Voice has attended in 2025.
Let’s be honest: we get invited to a lot of stuff, from social functions to council events, you name it we’re there.
We can’t get to everything, unfortunately, but a few weeks back I started thinking what was the best one of the year.
That’s a tough task, so decided to utilise this space, a Top 5, still not a fully satisfactory avenue, but there didn’t seem to be any other alternative.
Eventing, if I may call it that, starts in the first month of the year, and it’s off to Ingleburn community centre and the Australia Day awards presentation.
Being a migrant myself, I always love going to Australia Day ceremonies, just to eye the newly arrived migrants about to take the oath of citizenship and become what we used to call “New Australians’’.
I am a little envious seeing them sitting through the Australia Day honours, their faces buzzing with excitement as their big moment gets closer.
Looking through the calendar for 2025, I see there’s so much variety in there.
From the Appin Massacre flag raising day, to a civic reception for Macarthur School of Rock, who won a major award, it was all happening in Campbelltown.
We dropped in at the Mr Perfect barbecue on a Sunday morning, put on to help tackle men’s mental health, there were a few charity golf days and catching up with some of our wonderful community groups, such as Lions, Probus and Rotary clubs.
There was also a book launch or two in there, and a notation to meet with a politician or two for coffee and a chat – an indispensable part of the job of being a journalist.
Regretfully, my last engagement was at Seta’s café in Dumaresq Street with then NSW Liberal Party leader Mark Speakman, who is no longer in that role.
Maybe I’m a jinx, because he’s not the first one I put the mocker on – 20 years ago John Brogden ended up losing his job as opposition leader just when he looked certain to win the next election and become the Premier of NSW in 2007.
So, here it goes, our last Top 5 of the year, the engagements we enjoyed the most – for whatever reason:
Number 1. The opening of the expansion of the Magnum ice cream factory on Pembroke Road, that was, well, sweet.
Number 2. Sunday’s concert by the South West Sydney Orchestra. Please support them next year, they deserve it.
Number 3. School of Rock civic reception. Hopefully council does more of these to help highlight local heroes doing good things.
Number 4. Australia Day.
Number 5. Being given a sneaky look at the Ingham Institute robotics centre before it opened.