NATIONAL pride filled Penola War Memorial Park on Saturday morning as the Penola and Coonawarra district came together to celebrate Australia Day.
While the traditional breakfast celebration hosted by Penola Lions Club attracted plenty of attention, the spotlight shone on several exemplary residents whose actions continue to benefit the region.
Royal Oak Hotel publican John Heyward accepted the Wattle Range Council Riddoch Ward citizen of the year award for his tireless contribution to the community spanning many decades.
Academic high-achiever and volunteer Gorgia Robbie was named young citizen of the year, the Lions senior of the year was awarded to Kevin Jarred and the International Beefsteak and Burgundy Convention was named community event of the year.
In a coup for the district, former resident Edgar “Fred” Pfeiffer received an Order of Australia Medal for his decades of
community work.
The event atttracted a bumper crowd with master of ceremonies Peter Muller opening proceedings with an acknowledgement to the Pinchunga people, the traditional owners of the area.
“Let us respectfully acknowledge the Pinchunga people whose ancestors lived on this continent for more than 60,000 years and at least 1600 generations have lived here,” Mr Muller said.
Mr Muller then went on to speak about the impact January 26 has on Aboriginal people and how the day has changed from a celebration of emancipated convicts to a day to reflect and celebrate Australia’s diverse people.
“With a population of around 25 million, more than one quarter was born overseas,” he said.
“There are now more than 300 separately identified languages spoken in Australia and more than one fifth of Australians speak a language other than English at home.”
Wattle Range chief executive Ben Gower then spoke of his life and his journey which brought him to the Limestone Coast.
Growing up in Adelaide, Mr Gower began a career in the Royal Australian Air Force before moving into the corporate world working for global aviation companies.
Eventually Mr Gower decided he wanted to take up a community role and started to search for the perfect position.
Mr Gower said he was approached about the Wattle Range Council position, a place the “head hunter” was sure he had never heard of.
“When he said ‘have you heard of Wattle Range?’ I said I knew it very well, I have strong family ties to the region,” he said.
“I had family grow up here, relatives that own farming properties and I have a holiday home here.
“I knew it would be the perfect role for me.”
Mr Gower now lives in the region with his wife, with his son recently purchasing a home in Penola.
He said the Wattle Range’s community spirit was what really drew him to the position and he thanked the community for being so welcoming and warm.
Musician Trevor Gill entertained guests in between speakers, playing a variety of Australian “classics” before Riddoch Ward councillors Dean Burrow and Rick Paltridge joined Mayor Des Noll in presenting the Australia Day awards.
Mr Muller closed the ceremony with a thank you to several individuals who have helped shape the small community of 1500 to what it is today.
“I would like to thank the educationist and religious Mary MacKillop, the scientist, priest and scholar Julian Tenison Woods, poets John Shaw Nielson, Adam Lindsay Gordon and William Henry Ogilvie, the polar explorer John Rymill and John Riddoch who established Coonawarra,” he said.
