Orange Mayor Jason Hamling is inviting Orange residents to come along to Cook Park this Australia Day and enjoy Orange City Council's Picnic in the Park, which starts with a community breakfast at 8am, free for the first 600 people.
"Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 I can't be there in person but encourage everyone to participate in this year's celebrations," Cr Hamling said.
REFLECT, RESPECT, CELEBRATE: Australia Day celebrations in Cook Park kick off at 8am.
"Cr Tony Mileto will be standing in for me and representing Council at the event and the citizenship ceremony will be conducted by Orange City Council CEO David Waddell."
Our Australia Day ambassador is Kumar Pereira, who people may remember from MasterChef.
The theme for Australia Day this year is reflect, respect, and celebrate.
"We reflect on where we have been, its highs and lows. We respect all our stories and celebrate our diverse community," Cr Hamling said.
"Australian stories go back 60,000 years and there are new ones every day. Some of those new stories will start at the citizenship ceremony with brand-new citizens coming from Hong Kong, Lao, Pakistan, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, India and England."
The citizenship ceremony will be followed by the Australia Day Awards that recognise Orange residents who have held our community together.
The categories for this years' awards are:
- Young Citizen of the Year
- Citizen of the Year
- Community Group of the Year
- Business Philanthropy
There are also plenty of other activities to enjoy including a jumping castle, merry-go-round, climbing wall, markets and food stalls. The band The Hip Replacements close out the day at 1.30pm.
