January 25, 2016
The South Burnett is gearing up for its annual Australia Day celebrations on Tuesday, with community events planned in almost every town around the region.
The Australia Day celebrations will formally kick off at 6:00pm on Monday night at the Proston Community Hall in Rodney Street, with the presentation of the South Burnett’s 2016 Australia Day Awards. The Awards honour outstanding groups and individuals committed to improving the lifestyle experience of our region, and the event is open to the public.
However the biggest celebrations will occur on Tuesday’s Australia Day public holiday.
Blackbutt-Benarkin
The Timbertowns will mark Australia Day with a combined community breakfast and a Charity Cricket Bash.
The Bloomin Beautiful Blackbutt Festival committee will be providing a community breakfast followed by Aussie-themed entertainment at the Blackbutt Showgrounds from 7:00am onwards.
There’ll be a great Aussie breakfast on offer to start the day off – completely free for the first 100 people through the gates – along with a jumping castle and merry-go-round to amuse the kids, live entertainment from local musicians, raffles and Australia Day games. Entry is by gold coin donation and the proceeds will be donated to CareFlight.
This will be followed by the Blackbutt-Benarkin Lions Club’s Charity Cricket Bash, also at the Showgrounds, Registration for would-be players closes at 8:30am ($10 per player or a gold coin donation for spectators).
And for those who’d rather rock than bowl, entertainer Greg Towers will be rocking the Radnor Hotel in Coulson Street from 1:30pm until late. The hotel will also have $6 burgers and $4 hot dogs available.
Yarraman
In Yarraman, the Yarraman Bowls club will be kicking off the town’s Australia Day celebrations with a social bowls match (one game of 18 ends). Names need to be in by 8:30am for a 9:00am start, and the green fee is $5.
Afterwards, Toowoomba Regional Council and the Yarraman Progress Association will be marking Australia Day with a barbecue lunch at the Errol Munt Reserve off the New England Highway in Yarraman between 11:30am to 1:00pm.
This will be followed by a free Australia Day Pool Party at adjoining Yarraman Swimming Pool from 1:00pm to 4:00pm offering a free sausage sizzle, with lots of games and drinks and snacks available from the pool’s canteen. Admission to both events is free.
Nanango
The Nanango Historical Society and Nanango Show Society will be jointly hosting a gold coin donation Australia Day Community Breakfast at the Nanango Showgrounds in Cairns Street from 7:00am to 9:00am.
The breakfast will be followed by a flag-raising ceremony and a recognition of Nanango’s Australia Day award winners; and then a variety of family-oriented games and entertainment from 9:30am including the traditional dog high jumps; then a morning tea featuring pancakes and watermelon at 10:30am; and then male, female and junior tug-o-war contests until around noon, after which there’ll be a barbecue lunch on offer with a licensed bar, espresso coffee, tea and cold drinks.
And nearby, historic Ringsfield House at 45 Alfred Street will be open from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Ringsfield’s air-conditioned cafe will be serving lunches and home-baked treats along with tea, coffee and soft drinks; and for a $5 entry fee you can to tour Ringsfield House, the outbuildings and the property’s beautiful gardens.
Kingaroy
Kingaroy’s Australia’s Day celebrations will be held at the Town Hall Forecourt in Glendon Street, starting off with a gold coin donation community breakfast at 6:45am catered for by Quota and the QCWA, assisted by other service clubs.
This will be followed from 7:00am onwards with a range of family fun activities including face painting and a jumping castle for children; bush poetry; live music from the talented Matt Phillips; and a whip-cracking display by Paul Simms.
At 9:00am, the official flag-raising ceremony will be performed by the Australian Army Cadet Unit and Light Horse Brigade, and this will be followed by recognition of Australia Day Award winners from the Kingaroy area and an address by special guest speaker Dorothy Pratt. Vocal Mayhem will perform during the ceremony.
This will be followed by the traditional Kingaroy Australia Day Pie Eating Competition for adults and lamington-eating contest for children, then a free morning tea followed by cane toad races, with all proceeds going to charity.
Wondai
Wondai will mark Australia Day with a Community Breakfast at the Wondai Town Hall in Mackenzie Street from 7:00am to 9:00am.
Apart from a great brekkie prepared by the Wondai Lions Club there’ll also be live entertainment from the Wondai Town & District Band, an Australia Day Affirmation and a flag-raising ceremony.
Later in the day, the Warana Hotel will be holding an Aussie Day of its own from around noon featuring yabby races.
Murgon
In Murgon, the town’s Australia Day celebrations will take place at the Queensland Dairy & Heritage Museum in Gesslers Road, kicking off with a community breakfast from 7:00am to 8:00am.
This will be followed by a recognition of Murgon’s Australia Day Award winners at 8:30am, then by live musical entertainment, a flag-raising ceremony and a great morning tea to round things out.
Hivesville and Proston
To the west, Hivesville and Proston will both be holding Australia Day celebrations – one in the morning and the other in the afternoon.
Hivesville will celebrate Australia Day with a community barbecue breakfast in Anzac Park opposite the Hivesville Hotel. The breakfast is being hosted by the Hivesville Progress Association and will get underway at 8:00am.
And Proston will mark Australia Day with a flag-raising ceremony and a free afternoon tea of tea, coffee and damper at the Scout Troop’s den in Rodney Street, Proston at 2:30pm. Cold drinks will be on sale too.
Boondooma and Durong
If you want to party on into the night, Boondooma Homestead on the Durong-Mundubbera Road will be hosting an evening dinner and concert from 5:00pm.
Activities will kick off with a flag-raising ceremony followed by a barbecue dinner; and then live entertainment from Buddy Thomson, Lynne Bennett and others.
A bus will be running from Murgon on the day picking up at Wondai, Hivesville and Proston, but you’ll need to pre-book a seat by phoning the Proston Country Bus Service on (07) 4168-9296 to find out pick-up times and locations.
