Australia Day events cancelled in Geelong because of COVID

Australia Day will be a lot quieter than normal next year with events axed across Geelong due to COVID-19 concerns. Here’s what’s not going ahead.

AUSTRALIA Day events have been axed across Geelong, due to COVID-19 concerns.

The city’s annual ‘family fun day’ – which typically attracts up to 10,000 people to Rippleside Park – has been cancelled for next month, while the Portarlington celebration has also been called off.

The cancellations come after the Festival of Sails event – which occurs over the Australia Day weekend – was called off in October, with the 2020 event having pumped an estimated $10.3m into the local economy.

Family Fun Day event manager Ralph Patford on Sunday confirmed the 2020 event had been called off due to COVID-19 concerns.

“The Australia Day Committee has made that decision,” Mr Patford said. “We just felt there were too many ifs and buts about it, too many imponderables, and the Lions Club of Geelong Corio Bay, which provides the bulk of the labour for it, they agreed with that decision as well.”

“It’s all to do with COVID. We’re in a good place now, but who knows what it will be on the 26th of January.

“Under the current requirements we would only be able to fit a maximum of half of what we normally get into the space at any one time. We’d have to put fences up and people on gates, it would just be a nightmare.”

Rippleside Australia Day fair in 2020. Picture: Mark Wilson

Mr Patford said the annual Australia Day celebration was estimated to have attracted up to 10,000 people to Rippleside Park earlier this year.

Mayor Stephanie Asher said the city would push ahead with its annual January 26 citizenship ceremony, but likely with fewer people.

“Although some of the bigger events have been cancelled this festive season – including Australia Day – we are still all about encouraging people to enjoy the day however they choose to spend it,” Cr Asher said.

Geelong chief executive Martin Cutter said the city was finalising plans for the face-to-face citizenship ceremony, which would be the city’s first in-person ceremony since COVID-19 restrictions came into effect.

The Geelong events cancellation comes after the State Government called off one of Melbourne’s main Australia Day events, as reported by News Corp.

“The Australia Day parade will not be part of the program of events for Australia Day 2021 given the current public health restrictions,” a government spokesman said.

“The Victorian Government is planning activities to appropriately mark the day and connect our communities during our COVIDSafe Summer.”

A push to change the date of Australia Day has intensified in recent years, with a number of Victorian councils moving to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day.

Ballarat and Whittlesea councils both called off Australia Day fireworks out of respect to Indigenous communities.

Geelong has not formally discussed changing the date of Australia Day events, but traditional owners this year declined to take part in the city’s annual January 26 citizenship ceremony.

Local councillors and traditional owners have previously spoken out against the date.

“It is a black history, and that’s what people aren’t aware of or educated about,” Wadawurrung traditional owner Corrina Eccles said previously. “We’d love for it to be a day that’s recognised as healing. The day it’s celebrated is not OK, the date’s not OK.”

Councillor Sarah Mansfield had also previously voiced support for a change of the date to better unite the community.

“Personally, I want Australia Day to be a day that everyone can celebrate,” Cr Mansfield said. “Unfortunately, January 26th is a painful day for many Australians. I believe it is important to recognise this, and it is good to see that a conversation about this is gaining momentum.

“Our citizenship ceremonies are special occasions, and I support the wonderful growing diversity in our region, but I realise that holding one on this day is hurtful for some members of our community.”

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Originally published as Australia Day events cancelled in Geelong because of COVID