Bayside Council residents have more reasons than most to celebrate Australia Day.
With an estimated 50 per cent of the region’s population being born overseas, the day is a celebration of what makes Australia a great multicultural nation.
And the fact the festivities are held next to Botany Bay, where James Cook sailed into in 1770, gives the local event even more significance.
Residents are invited to attend Bayside Council’s Australia Day celebration, at the scenic Peter Depena Reserve, Dolls Point.
The vibrant community festival is aimed at providing entertainment for people of all ages.
Last year’s event attracted hundreds of people and this year the council is expecting at least as many if not more.
The official ceremony starts at 8.15 with the Welcome to Country.
This will include the traditional Citizenship Ceremony where 50 people with take the Oath and become Australia’s newest citizens.
Following this Bayside Mayor Bill Saravinovski will announce the 2018 Bayside Citizen of the Year and Sportsperson of the Year awards.
The very Aussie-inspired entertainment starts from 10am and promises to deliver events and activities for the whole family to enjoy.
This year there will be a 30-metre tent erected in the park with seating for 200 people to watch the entertainment in comfort.
“Share the day and celebrate being Australian with your local community and join us for some free traditional Aussie favourites including Aboriginal dancing, a sausage sizzle, hula hooping, face painting and lamington making,” Cr Saravinovski said.
Bayside Council’s Australia Day Ambassador Clary Castrission, founder of the 40K Foundation will be attending on the day.
Clary was a 22-year old law student when one of his Professors told him, “If you want to get involved in international poverty-reduction, don’t do it from a high-rise in New York or Geneva. Get to the developing world and get your hands dirty.”
So he went to India and ended up making a pledge to build a local community a school.
He came back to Sydney and naively thought it would cost $AUD40,000, so he set up an organization called 40K Foundation Australia.
Five years and $400,000 later, it opened.
“When the school was finished, 40K’s journey shifted to figuring out how we could scale a sustainable education project so that it can penetrate deeply into rural India,” he said.
“After 14 months of reinvention and reflection, we have now soft- launched our initiative, 40K Plus. In 2012, 40K launched ten 40K PLUS pods with 300 children currently enrolled.”
For more information call Council’s Customer Service Centre on 9562 1666.
