THE Port Macquarie-Hastings is gearing up for an Australia Day to remember this Sunday 26 January, with major celebrations taking place in Laurieton, Wauchope and Port Macquarie.
At Laurieton, local residents and visitors to the region will have the opportunity to enjoy a barbecue breakfast and live music, courtesy of the Hastings District Highland Pipe Band and the Camden Haven Community Band from 6.30am with the official ceremony scheduled to commence at 7am.
Dignitaries will be piped across the bridge for the commencement of the official ceremony at 7am behind the Laurieton United Services Club.
Highlights of the ceremony will include Australia Day speeches by Australia Day ambassador Prue Watt and Camden Haven High School captain Erica Johnson, and a citizenship ceremony conducted by Mayor Peter Besseling.
In Wauchope, the program of events gets underway at 8.30am in Bain Park with guessing competitions, demonstrations, a vintage car display, face painting and jumping castles for the kids, a boat race competition as well as tug-of-war and other competitive games.
Live entertainment will kick off at 9.30am. There will be food and drinks on offer as well as Australian flags and tattoos.
The ceremony will include Australia Day speeches as well as the presentation of the Wauchope Gazette Citizenship Award, a citizenship ceremony, bush poetry and the cutting of the Australia Day cake.
The conclusion of the official ceremony at noon will be followed by the announcement of competition winners and the presentation of prizes.
In Port Macquarie, there will be a full day of celebrations on the Town Green from 8.30am through to Hastings Moonlight Movies at 8.15pm.
There will be a Mystery History Walk with some great prizes up for grabs from 8.30am to 2pm, while the Town Green will be a hive of activity from 9.30am with jumping castles, face painting and other fun activities.
Traditional games between 10am and noon will include egg and spoon races, sack races, an egg-throwing competition and wheelbarrow races.
Live entertainment throughout the day will include the Sing Australia choir, the Hastings Municipal Town Band, Summer Holiday Ensemble and a whip cracking demonstration.
Water activities co-ordinated by Sailability Australia will be a real highlight of this year’s celebrations.
There will be a display of Marine Rescue vessels at the Lady Nelson wharf between 9am and 4pm as well as surf boat and dragon boat races and a jet ski rescue demonstration off Town Green.
There will also be a sailing dinghy demonstration off McInherney Park between 11.15am and 12.30pm and a Port Macquarie Yacht Club race in the main channel between 2pm and 2.45pm.
Port Macquarie skatepark will be a focal point for the region’s youth with Triple JJJ’s Top 100 providing a soundtrack to the day’s activities, including a skate comp.
At 2.45pm, official dignitaries will parade along the Hastings River foreshore from the Old Court House to the Town Green led by the Hastings District Highland Pipe Band in preparation for the commencement of the Australia Day ceremony at 3pm.
Highlights of the ceremony will include sky divers carrying both the Australian and Aboriginal flags landing on Pelican Island (weather permitting), Australia Day addresses by local politicians and Australia Day ambassador Prue Watt, the introduction of this year’s Port Macquarie-Hastings Australia Day award recipients and a citizenship ceremony conducted by the mayor.
The celebrations will continue with a Port Macquarie has Young Talent competition between 5pm and 7pm and Hastings Moonlight Movies at 8.15pm.
Sunday night’s movie will be the Australian surf flick ‘Drift’ starring Sam Worthington and Xavier Samuel .
