Thousands make the trip to Rippleside for Australia Day celebrations

ORGANISERS estimate close to 5,000 people attended a Family Fun Day celebration event at Rippleside Park.

People from across the region gathered at the park to enjoy entertainment and festivities.

Event organiser and member of both of the Geelong Australia Day Committee and Geelong Corio Bay Lions Club Ralph Patford said residents from across the region gathered at the park to enjoy the Family Fun Day, which has been running for more than 60 years.

“I got involved six or seven years ago taking over from the late Don Barby, but it’s a massive credit to the volunteers in getting this event together,” Mr Patford said.

Mr Patford said all market stalls, fairground rides, community stalls underwent a commitment and insurance process in the lead-up to the event.

Despite the heavy workload for organisers, the Family Fun Day remains well-respected event among the Greater Geelong community.

“There are a number of Lions Club members on the Australia Day Committee, and it provides a nice change of pace to host this event,” Mr Patford said.

“A lot of what we usually do in Lions is raising funds, but the Australia Day event is purely about the community coming together. We don’t raise any funds for this.

“We love seeing hundreds of young families out and about, it’s a family day, and an alcohol-free event.

“We received frequent feedback during the past couple of years about how much residents missed this event, so it’s fantastic to have it back.”

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