Award ceremonies will be held in five townships on Australia Day (January 26) – these being Violet Town, Avenel, Nagambie, Euroa and Longwood.
The winners of Strathbogie Shire’s Australia Day awards will be announced on the day in the following six award categories:
- Community Organisation of the Year
- Junior Citizen of the Year
- Young Citizen of the Year
- Citizen of the Year
- Senior Citizen of the Year, and
- Community Event of the Year
Strathbogie Shire Mayor, Cr Laura Binks, said the winners of the Shire-wide awards would also be announced on the day.
“Australia Day is a time to reflect on our collective past, present and future,” Cr Binks said.
“In our Shire it’s also an opportunity for us to acknowledge members of our community who are doing great things.
“These are the people, and groups, who volunteer their time to create the sense of community that makes Strathbogie Shire such a wonderful place.
“It’s an opportunity for us to recognise the people who make our community better.
“I recognise the January 26 can bring pain to First Nations people and we will explore how we acknowledge this and work towards creating events that are respectful and inclusive in the future.”
Community events and activities will be held across the country in 2022 with the support of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Australia Day Council (NADC).
NADC Chief Executive Karlie Brand said that on Australia Day we listen and respect each other’s stories, contributions and aspirations and celebrate being Australian together.
“This year, the NADC received a record number of grant applications from local government authorities and community organisations to support local Australia Day events and activities,” Ms Brand said.
“We live on ancient Country, our history began more than 65,000 years ago.
“On Australia Day, we reflect on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture and how European settlement forever changed how they lived their lives.
“We also celebrate the waves of migration that helped forge Australia’s place as one of the world’s great multicultural successes.”
The table below provides further information on Australia Day events in each township.
These events are open to all members of the public and will be conducted in a COVID-safe manner. Please consider what measures you can take to help protect yourself and others while attending.
Please note the Strathbogie event is cancelled in 2022.
Township | What’s happening | Where |
Violet Town |
| Violet Town Community Complex, 35 Cowslip St. |
Avenel |
| Jubilee Park, Livingstone St. |
Nagambie (double vaccination requirement) |
| Nagambie Rowing Club, 301 High Street, Nagambie |
Euroa |
| Memorial Park, Kirkland Ave. |
Longwood |
| Longwood Community Centre and Recreation Reserve. |
Official Australia Day Ambassadors
Euroa: Lawrence Money – Newspaper columnist and comedian
Lawrence Money was a newspaper columnist for 37 years before leaving The Age in 2016 after 50 years in journalism. He was the inaugural winner of the Melbourne Press Club’s Quill award for Victoria’s best column-writer, an award he won twice.
A multifaceted man, Lawrence has written six books, appeared on ABC and commercial radio, designed a best-selling family board game called Holiday and has recently illustrated three Australian authors’ books with original cartoons. In a busy ‘retirement’, he has become a stand-up comedian, and has performed shows at the 2019 and 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Lawrence delights in exploring the Aussie culture, the language, the quirks that make us uniquely Australian. One of his recent books, Amazing Aussie Bastards, is a tribute to the indominable eccentric Australian spirit and those who embody it. He is currently working on a book entitled You’ve Got To Be Joking, inspired by his venture into stage comedy.
Nagambie: Ian Coutts – Co-founder and secretary of the Mullagh Wills Foundation.
Ian Coutts’ career in sports marketing and communications commenced with the North Melbourne Giants in the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Basketball League. After a brief stint with Fitzroy in the AFL, he started his extensive career with the Carlton Football Club.
Ian was part of the senior executive team at Carlton for over 12 years in his role as general manager of communications, managing the media and developing communications policies and reputation initiatives for the club.
After two years as the general manager for marketing and communications for a children’s cancer charity, Ian started his own consulting business, Ian Coutts Communications. He continues to work for several organisations, primarily in the sporting and not-for-profit sectors.
Ian is a co-founder and director of the Mullagh Wills Foundation which celebrates the Aboriginal Australian Cricket Team tour of England in 1868 and promotes reconciliation through sport more generally. Ian volunteers for numerous community organisations and acts as an advisor to the board for a range of national charities.
