Geelong’s Free Children’s Fun Day returns to Rippleside Park

WHILE the City of Greater Geelong will not formally celebrate Australia Day on January 26 for a second consecutive year, some events will still go ahead this weekend.

Geelong’s longest running Australia Day celebration, the Free Children’s Fun Day at Rippleside Park, is expected to draw a crowd of about 10,000 people, spanning more than 35 nationalities, across the day.

The free family-friendly event is aimed at children aged up to about 13 and will begin at 11am on Sunday, with more than 40 activities and displays on offer including amusement rides, face painting, a miniature animal farm, a jumping castle and more.

Attendees are invited to bring their own picnic lunch or to peruse the local food vendors on site, while an Australia Day address and flag-raising ceremony will take place from 1pm.

The annual event has been running for more than 60 years and is hosted by the Geelong Australia Day Committee and the Lions Club of Corio Bay. Both groups are led by president Colin Anderson.

“It’s a fun day, it’s a safe day and it also includes a celebration of Australia, which is a wonderful thing to do,” he said.

“One of the most amazing things is at one end of the ground there we have the SES, the Red Cross, the Geelong West CFA…and they put together a whole bunch of stuff…where kids can crawl over equipment, play on the fire trucks.

“In the middle of the afternoon, we have a fire extinguishing competition between emergency service teams and surprisingly enough for the last few years, it hasn’t been the CFA that have won it.”

Mr Anderson said the celebration was the last opportunity for young children to enjoy themselves at a major event before school returns for the year, and measures had been taken to ensure the fun day remains affordable for everyone.

“The only thing people have to pay for is food and drink, and we ensure that the high prices that you find at some of the big commercial events don’t exist at our event,” Mr Anderson said.

He pointed to performances by CentreStage’s youth ensemble, scheduled to take place across the day, as a key highlight of Sunday’s event, with one young CentreStage performer also to sing the national anthem.

“They are the most amazing people and they dramatically change every year because youth grow and they move on to other things,” Mr Anderson said.

A safety plan is in place in the event of extreme heat, but Mr Anderson said he was hoping the weather gods would lend a hand to make the event a success.

For more information, head to geelongaustralia.com.au/events

In Lara, the Lara Sporting Club will host an Australia Day breakfast between 8am and 10am at its site in Mill Road.

The free event is supported by several local community groups including the Lara Lions, RSL Sub-Branch, Rotary Club and CFA, and will feature family entertainment, games and the presentation of Lara’s Citizen of the Year award.

For more information, contact the Lara Sporting Club on 0438 594 807 or email [email protected]