Greater Geelong calls for unity on Australia Day with events reshaped

THE City of Greater Geelong has urged the community to have a “respectful, kind and considerate” Australia Day this year, following last year’s mass shooting in Bondi Beach.

The call follows the cancellation earlier this week of the long-running Australia Day event at Rippleside Park due to lack of funding, which in turn led the city to announce it would beef up its program at the Festival of Sails as a result.

City of Greater Geelong executive director of city life Anthony Basford said the organisation recognised there were a diverse range of views in the community about Australia Day and its observation on January 26.

“For some, it’s a day of celebration of our nation and people, while for others, it’s one of mourning and reflection.”

In light of recent tensions and the horrific attack at Bondi, we urge everyone to be respectful, kind and considerate of others on this day.”

About 400 people will officially become Australians in two city-run citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

“The city takes care to acknowledge Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and all First Peoples in Geelong at this event,” Basford said.

“We’re also supporting a number of Australia Day events through funding, waiving permit fees and other means, including the Festival of Sails, the Lara Australia Day Breakfast and Australia Day 2026 Portarlington.”

He said the city was supportive of community groups planning and attending events such as Truth-Telling and Flag Raising ceremonies, including the Wathaurong Aboriginal Co-operative Survival Day event in North Geelong or the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation’s Pilk Purriyn event in Torquay.

On Monday this week, the Geelong Australia Day Committee and the Lions Club of Corio Bay announced the Free Children’s Fun Day at Rippleside Park, which has taken place on Australia Day for more than 60 years, had been cancelled this year due to challenges with volunteer resourcing and rising costs.

“We have proudly run this event for a very long time, and, recently, we have tried to seek new volunteers who could organise and deliver the event to the same high standards,” Geelong Australia Day Committee president Colin Anderson said.

“This has proven very challenging, and this, along with the rising costs of putting on events, has forced us to make a very difficult decision, which is to cancel the event, as we weren’t confident that we could deliver the quality event that the community expects with the available resources.”

In response, the city has shifted the $37,500 in funding allocated to the event to deliver family-friendly activities at the Festival of Sails on Australia Day.

“Australia Day is a very important day, and fundamentally, it’s about recognising that we are privileged to live in the greatest country in the world,” Geelong mayor Cr Stretch Kontelj said.

“That is worth celebrating, so city officers have been working closely with Festival of Sails organisers to ensure the community can continue to enjoy family-fun activities on the day, in the region.”

The recent decision follows earlier local politics around the date, such as the council’s decision to reinstate Australia Day celebrations.

Cr Eddy Kontelj explained his stance on the council’s resolution in his column Representing our community.

Despite this year’s cancellation, previous events like the annual fun day have drawn large crowds, as highlighted in Geelong’s Free Children’s Fun Day returns to Rippleside Park.