Australia Day will rock in Bacchus Marsh and Ballan after official ceremonies

MOORABOOL Shire Council’s official Australia Day celebrations will get started at 9.30am in Bacchus Marsh on Monday.

The Shire’s recognition of the country’s national day will include musical entertainment, a presentation of its Australia Day awards, and an Australian citizenship ceremony.

It will be held at the Bacchus Marsh Public Hall in Main Street and will be streamed live on Facebook.

The Australia Day awards celebrate the achievements and contributions of individuals and community groups in the municipality.

They are one of the highest honours the council bestows to publicly acknowledge local people whose dedication and contributions may otherwise go unnoticed.

Award categories include Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Event of the Year.

A total of 56 people will take the oath during the citizenship ceremony.

They have come from places like Nigeria, New Zealand, Italy, Colombia, India, the UK, Thailand, the Philippines and the USA.

Moorabool mayor Cr Steve Venditti-Taylor said Australia Day is a powerful moment to reflect on the privilege of Australian citizenship and what it means to be Australian.

“Australia Day is a time for us to give a warm welcome to our newest citizens and acknowledge the importance of what it means to become a full member of the Australian community,” Cr Venditti-Taylor said.

“There is no greater privilege than our citizenship. It’s a life-long commitment to Australia’s values of freedom, democracy, equality and respect.”

Cr Venditti-Taylor said citizenship is the common bond uniting all Australians, whether they are citizens by birth or choice.

“I congratulate those becoming Australian citizens on making their commitment to Australia,” he said.

The event will be open to everyone.

For those looking to kick on with further celebrations, at least two local venues have scheduled music shows for the day.

In Bacchus Marsh, the Border Inn in Main Street will host INXSIVE, a leading INXS tribute band, while the Commercial Hotel in Inglis Street, Ballan, will host classic pub rock covers outfit AC2ZZ.

The INXSIVE show day is scheduled to start at 12pm with tunes by Bec and Marty, a barbecue cooked by none other than Sam Kekovich, an outback whip cracking display, and lotto. INXSIVE will take the stage at 6pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and under-18s free, and bookings can be made through Eventbrite.

In Ballan, AC2ZZ will be onstage at the Commercial Hotel from 3pm to 6pm.