Hornsby Shire’s Australia Day events wowed the crowd!
A capacity crowd of 950 people enjoyed Hornsby Shire Council’s combined 2022 Australia Day Celebrations and Citizenship Ceremony in near-perfect weather and amid beautiful parkland surrounds, yesterday (Wednesday 26 January).
Council presented its outdoor Australia Day celebrations at historic Hornsby Park, treating audiences to music, dance, roaming entertainment, and inflatable swimming-pool fun at the adjacent Hornsby Aquatic and Leisure Centre.
Council earlier hosted an Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony at the park, welcoming 40 new Citizens from 15 countries, including Bangladesh, the Channel Islands, China, India, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Uganda, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe among others.
“Hornsby Park features some beautiful heritage gardens under magnificent native trees, close to nearby bushwalks into Old Man’s Valley,” said Hornsby Shire Mayor, Philip Ruddock.
“You simply couldn’t get a more Australian location for a celebration of our national day!
“And there were obvious benefits to hosting outdoor celebrations on Australia Day, especially during COVID.”
Council’s COVID safety measures included ticketing the event, enclosing the venue, providing dedicated COVID safety marshals, frequent sanitising and cleaning of contact points, hand sanitisers at multiple locations, and contactless and card food truck payments.
“After taking so many safety measures, Council’s event planners were determined that Hornsby Shire’s Australia Day celebrations would be as inclusive and as enjoyable as possible,” said Mayor Ruddock.
A big favourite among those attending the celebrations were performances by the internationally acclaimed Gawura Cultural Immersions First Nations cultural dance company.
“They drew a hugely favourable response from the audience,” said Mayor Ruddock.
Equally well-received by the crowd were the Lily Guerrero Band performing Latin-themed numbers and local group the Funky Monkeys who had the audience rocking along with Australian hits.
“This year’s Hornsby Shire Council Australia Day event was more than just outdoor family fun and a wonderful afternoon of free entertainment, but a culturally-inclusive celebration of Australia’s long history and our rich cultural diversity,” said Mayor Ruddock.
Images: Citizenship Ceremony and Australia Day Celebrations at Hornsby Park
