Australia Day

Council held a community event to welcome new Australian citizens and announce winners of the Mount Alexander Shire Australia Day Awards.

Congratulations to year’s winners of the Mount Alexander Shire Australia Day Awards:

- Citizen of the Year – Kerry Reid
- Youth Citizen of the Year – Billy Lister
- Senior Citizen of the Year – Kelly Skinner
- Community Event of the Year – Gold Sounds Music Conference

The community event included a Welcome to Country from Dja Dja Wurrung Elder Uncle Rick Nelson.

Entertainment was provided by the Castlemaine Highland Pipe Band, the Women’s Cleansing Ceremony, Jason Kerr and Alvin Briggs (didgeridoo players), Jack Norton and Jan Wositzky, The Rattlers, D’Arcy Spiller, and Tjimba and Natji Possum-Burns and Shaunti Batzke. The Rotary Club of Castlemaine provided a free BBQ lunch, and Icecream Social provided free ice-cream.

Watch the community event: youtube.com/watch?v=5m9BytErGJk&feature=youtu.be

Dawn smoking ceremony – Survival Day

Council worked in partnership with our First Nations community to hold a virtual Survival Day dawn smoking ceremony at Leanganook (Mount Alexander), which was live streamed via YouTube. The ceremony was planned to provide a more inclusive and holistic approach to the day, with the hope it provided an opportunity for unity within the community.

Dawn Survival Day smoking ceremony: youtube.com/watch?v=UOob--wMfok

Community event: youtube.com/watch?v=XNznVJRFL5I