The Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley would like to thank all those who participated in the Australia Day celebrations held in Kununurra and Wyndham on 26 January.
Cr Pearce, who officiated at the Kununurra event, said Australia Day is much more than public holidays, barbeques and fireworks and also acknowledged that the day is not celebrated by everyone.
“Australia Day is a day to celebrate the beautiful county that we live in, the freedoms we enjoy, the prosperity that is ours and it is a day to be thankful for the great place that Australia is.
“I would also like to acknowledge that this isn’t a good day for everyone in our community and I offer my respect to those who are unable to celebrate,” Cr Pearce said.
As well as holding the citizenship ceremony in which the Shire welcomed 6 new citizens, Cr Pearce also presented the Baby Boabs to each baby born in the previous year.
Each year, the Shire plants a Boab tree along the avenue to swim beach and in the reserve next to the Wyndham Shire Administration Office. A plaque is then installed with all the registered baby’s names and dates of birth that were born within the Shire the previous year.
Families are also given a Boab seedling to take home and plant in their own gardens. The much loved Baby Tree Program has been running in its current form since 2010.
Unfortunately, due to the weather, the official planting of the Kununurra 2019 Baby Boab has been postponed until February or early March. However, families received a Boab seedling plant to take home and plant in their garden on the day.
The morning was full of fun, games and laughter with a free breakfast barbeque followed by a morning of entertainment which included a citizenship ceremony, baby tree ceremony, PCYC Fun Truck, games and face painting.
Director Infrastructure, Stuart Dyson officiated at the Wyndham event and said the day was well attended with a great atmosphere. Unlike Kununurra, they were able to plant the Wyndham Baby Boab in the town.
“We were pleased that the weather held out in Wyndham to allow us to plant the official Baby Tree Boab in the town.”
With approximately 130 attendees in Kununurra and 35 in Wyndham, Cr Pearce said the Australia Day celebrations are driven by the local community and she thanked the numerous volunteers and organisations who provided their generous support on the day.
“This is the kind of thing that makes the East Kimberley such a great place to live and for me personally instils a sense of pride to be part of such a strong community.
“Our community is hugely dependent on volunteers and often many of our volunteers give up their time for multiple organisations.
“You are the essence of our community; we are lucky to have so many volunteers in our community, and it is part of what makes Kununurra so special,” Cr Pearce said.
📸: Sarah Duguid Photography (Kununurra Event)
📸: SWEK (Wyndham Event)
