Australia Day is always a huge day across the Tweed, with celebrations in just about every town and village and, with last year’s events being washed out due to January floods, this year is shaping to be even bigger and better than ever.
The main Tweed Australia Day ceremony is shared around the villages and this year it’s Tumbulgum’s turn, with the main celebration beginning at 11am at the Tumbulgum Hall.
The event will include a citizenship ceremony for Tweed residents officially becoming Australians and the announcement of this year’s Tweed Shire Australia Day Awards winners.
Awards winners will be announced for seven categories, including the prestigious Tweed Shire’s Citizen of the Year. Awards will also be presented for: Young Achiever (for Tweed residents or students under the age of 25), Arts and Cultural Achievement (open to individuals and groups), Individual Sporting Achievement, Team Sporting Achievement, Community Event of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
Amongst this year’s guest speakers at Tweed Shire will be Australia Day Ambassador Grant Goldman, considered to be one of Australia’s longest-serving radio announcers.
Heard locally on Radio 97, Goldman has been the ‘official voice’ for a number of Australian icons and events – including the ‘Voice of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games’. He was also the first compere of ABC Television’s Countdown music show and did voiceovers for the Nine Network throughout the 1980s and 1990s.
Grant continues to be the voice of Sky Channel and all of Sydney’s train stations.
The Bingara-born 62-year-old was the stadium announcer for his beloved Manly Warringah Rugby League Football Club for three decades and was a pioneer of Australian television in the 1960s, compering programs including Wheel of Fortune and children’s show It’s a Small World.
