Mayor's Message - Friday 3 February

What an end to the first month of the year. Australia Day saw a fantastic day of events across Ballarat commencing with the very moving and enlightening Survival Day Dawn Ceremony.  

It was also fantastic to see Ballarat turning out in numbers for the Picnic in the Park in a sea of colour and a real show of celebration. The entertainment, food, market stalls and children’s activities certainly provided a great way to celebrate being Australian and part of our Ballarat community.  

Lake Wendouree was busy too with the many Australia Day activities both on and off the water being enjoyed by visitors and locals alike.  

Our congratulations go out to all nominees in the 2023 Community Awards and particularly our winners, Ballarat Citizen of the Year, Liana Skewes, our Young Citizen of the Year, Millie Collins and the Community Event of the Year awarded to Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre: Our Kitchen Social Enterprise’s Community Lunches. These awards are an inspiration in showcasing the level of community spirit and talent we have in Ballarat.  

As the last in the Summer Sunday’s series of music events wrapped up in the Botanical Gardens, we once again saw how important local events are in providing not only superb entertainment for us as a local community, but also how important the visitation by friends and family is to our local economy. In fact, so much so, that the City of Ballarat has recently launched ‘In the Know’, an exciting website and social media platform that helps you discover everything our city has to offer. When looking for something to do or planning your next visit from friends and family I would encourage you to visit ballaratintheknow.com.au and follow the Instagram and Facebook accounts to stay up to date with local events. 

In closing this week, I would like to again welcome our 79 new Australian citizens who received their citizenship certificates on Australia Day. We are maturing as a community through our lived experiences, whether through the learnings of our First Nation’s people, the inspiration of our Community Awards winners or the cultural contributions of our new citizens. It is an exciting time to be part of an inclusive and progressive community. 

Mayor

Des Hudson