Hearty breakfasts on our national day

COMMUNITIES across Golden Plains Shire have marked Australia Day with breakfast events.

Celebrations took place in Bannockburn, Inverleigh, Meredith, Teesdale, Napoleons, Shelford and Linton, but one of the biggest was in Scarsdale and it drew in attendees from across the district and the state.

Coordinated by the Woady Yallock Historical Society and running since the nation’s bicentenary in 1988, president James Brown said the breakfast meant people could get together.

“We’re not overly patriotic,” he said. “But we consider it to be a social connection with all the groups coming together on Australia Day. Some of the people generally don’t see each other for a 12-month period and this is where they connect and catch up.”

While many at the Scarsdale event had come from the local district including neighbouring areas like Smythesdale, Berringa, Piggoreet and Cape Clear, others had come from further afield.

Geoff Ward had driven up from Warrnambool.

“I’m a member of the historical society and I started doing my research here in the mid-90s,” he said. “My great grand-father came out from England in 1857 and came to the goldfields around this area. He married in Smythesdale in 1860 and had a family here.”

Scarsdale was the second stop of three visits to community events on Sunday morning for deputy mayor Cr Joanne Gilbert.

She said council’s support for the breakfasts was, in part, to acknowledge the community groups that put them on.

“One of the things that stands out is the volunteers and members of our community,” Cr Gilbert said.

“The historical societies are just filled with people that have been in these communities for generations but also maybe a short time. They are hard workers and just want to come together and celebrate their communities.

“It’s really important that we support them to do so.

“Australia Day is a nice opportunity to catch up with friends and family and reflect for a bit.”

David Rayner OAM was one of 300 official Australia Day ambassadors out and about across the nation on Sunday.

Now in his ninth year in the role, Mr Rayner hails from Plenty in Melbourne’s north-east but also farms at Kilmore. He delivered an address to the attendees, highlighting many elements of what Australia Day means to him.

“I’m a very proud Australian,” he said. “I like to be able to get out to the community to talk about Australia, what it means to be an Australian, how lucky we are and acknowledge the great achievements that people in this country have made.

“I like meeting people in the country. I don’t want to do the city, I like going out and meeting country people because they’re warmer and you meet some very interesting people.”