Free fun for Australia Day

THERE will be a host of free events on at Lake Wendouree tomorrow organised by the Golden City Paddle Steamer Museum committee to mark Australia Day.

Paddle Boat tours will be leaving every 20 minutes from Pipers Landing between 10am and 4pm.

Also on offer will be a vintage car display, kid’s art and craft activities, art exhibitions, sailing at the yacht club, multicultural activities, come and try fishing, historical walks and a free sausage sizzle.

Secretary of the committee, Ian Bennett, said the day is about bringing various community groups together.

“We’ve been running Australia day events for 10 years or so but for the last three years we’ve been very fortunate to get a grant from the Commonwealth government,” he said.

“That means we can share with other organisations and they can participate in it and we can pay them.

“They are volunteer, community-based organisations and they all just want to be involved in Australia day because they feel proud to be Australian.”

Mr Bennett said the involvement of multicultural groups is a key part of the day.

“We are starting to recognise the important of our aboriginal culture, it’s one of the pillars of Australia, but I think we’ve got to recognise also they we are a migrant nation,” he said.

Sally Wang from the Chinese Cultural Society is one member of the multicultural community who will be participating in activities.

The group will be running tai chi as well as performing traditional Chinese folk dance.

“Chinese people have been involved in this country for a long time and I think that’s a really importance piece of history for Australia,” she said.