Tunzafun Community Volunteer Group members Helen McColl, George Jenkin, Robert Purtle OAM, Helen Purtle and Jenny Orr at Morundah on Australia Day, pictured in front of the much-looked-at 2010-sculpture work by local artist Andrew Whitehead of Urana to commemorate 10 years of registered and bush picnic horse racing in Morundah.
Mulwala’s Tunzafun Volunteer Community Group was nominated for Federation Council’s 2024 Community Event of the Year.
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The amusement park group was one of eight worthy nominations mentioned at the council-hosted Australia Day celebrations at Morundah, in the historic Paradise Palladium Theatre last Friday, January 26.
Joint award winners were Howlong Community Progress Association Inc (HCPA) and Country Women’s Association of NSW Oaklands Branch.
The development of a Community Emergency Response Team instigated by the HCPA was a significant development for the community. The response time has now been significantly reduced from over 25 minutes to under 10 minutes.
Mulwala Public School students Finn Angwin and Nevaeh Rosmulder received student achiever awards.
One of their key initiatives of the Oaklands CWA has been the preservation and protection of the endangered Oaklands Diuris orchid. On October 12, 2023, the Oaklands Branch’s efforts were rewarded in NSW Parliament by the Legislative Assembly Hansard. They were thanked for their dedication and efforts to the save the Oaklands Diuris orchid.
Federation Council’s Top Shire Citizen of the Year winner was Corowa’s Leo Anic who has been pivotal in the establishment of two initiatives, Friday Night @The Station and The Men’s Table.
He has also provided emergency and crisis support through his work as the first Amaranth Ambassador. Leo exemplifies community pride through promoting local businesses. Leo and his camera can always be found at community events, recording them for posterity and posting them on various social media platforms to showcase the wonderful community we live in.
Young Citizen of the Year winner and Local Achiever Award for Corowa were both won by the highly talented Dylan Forge.
The 20-year-old, was the inaugural Federation Council Youth Mayor which led him to oversee several community projects including the Memorial Plaza Interactive Mural, Colour Run, Howlong Lowe’s Square ping pong table and the Sanger Street Piano. Dylan has represented our region overseas in Scotland, Ireland, Malaysia and Singapore with bagpipe playing. Dylan was successful in 2023 in becoming a world champion bagpipe player with his former school, The Scots School Albury Pipe Band.
They were the aggregate winner of the competition in Grade 4B, receiving the title ‘Champion of Champions’. Dylan was a bagpiper in The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in 2023, which involved him playing 25 shows in front of 9,000 people every night.
About 310 residents, friends, family and visitors celebrated everything that’s great about living in Australia at last Friday’s 2024 Federation Council Australia Day celebrations at Morundah.
Australia Day Ambassador Anupam Sharma gave an inspirational address at the ceremony, speaking about his experiences in the filmmaking industry and for Australians to “reflect, respect and celebrate”.
Mr Sharma is a filmmaker, speaker and author who was named as one of the 50 most powerful and influential Australian film professionals by Encore magazine. Anupam is the founding head of films and casting TEMPLE, a prolific and award-winning international production and consultancy firm based out of Fox-Studios, Sydney. Anupam has led a team of film professionals, line producing, co-producing, and executive producing international films, festivals, and TV in Australia, mainly from India and few from China, USA, and Denmark on over 290 projects in the last 21 years.
“Australia is a great country, a great community as evidenced by the large number of people here today to celebrate Australia Day,” he said.
Federation Council Mayor Pat Bourke said each year Australia Day provides us with a day to reflect on what it means to be Australian, to celebrate contemporary Australia and to acknowledge our history.
“On Australia Day we celebrate all the things we love about Australia; land, sense of fair go, lifestyle, democracy, the freedoms we enjoy, and particularly our people,” he said.
“Today we celebrate our people, the people of Federation Council who go above and beyond in their respective areas to ensure our communities thrive and grow.
“Our nominees are very special people, whose donation of time and effort warrants this type of special celebration. The commitment to our communities shown by our nominees is truly heart-warming, and these people along with many others throughout the Federation Council region make me so proud to be mayor of this great region.”
Last Friday’s ceremony had the Welcome to Country by Aunty Bonita, from Narrandera, whose address enlightened attendees.
The Paradise Palladium Theatre, which stands on lands traditionally owned by the Wiradjuri people, was an excellent venue.
One Australian citizenship was conducted, in respect of Corowa resident Lucy Rebham, formerly of the United Kingdom, in this the 75th anniversary of citizenships.
The ceremony included one was followed by a free community lunch comprising beautiful roast lamb rolls and plenty on the pavlova, by the Morundah Bush Entertainment Committee and musical entertainment from the Moodemere String Quartet. The trip was worth it!
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