There was a collective sigh of relief from the organisers as the large crowd enjoyed the sunshine in the small local park in Longwarry to celebrate Australia Day.
The day had been organised by the Longwarry and District Progress Association along with the Longwarry Lions and the Longwarry &District Fire Brigade but it was the community support from local residents that made the day a success. This support came from the local school (who helped with the kids activities), the local gardening club (who supplied potted plants for locals) and the RSL who organised the flag raising ceremony.
A classic car and stationary engine display greeted visitors as they arrived and joined the crowd in the local park enjoying the sunny day. Longwarry & District Fire Brigade had their appliances on display, two tankers, an FCV and a new support to tow the catering trailer.
As well as the more normal Australia day events (thong throwing, chalk drawings and sausage sizzle) the local brigade provided the opportunity for the kids to try their hand at “knocking down the flames” (with the help of a firefighter). . The chance to squirt some water and play with a fire truck kept the crew busy for most of the day and they had a short queue of smiling faces waiting for their turn.
Longwarry brigade has a busy catering unit which provides meals both at emergency events as well as other CFA events in the district and today the catering team has supplied the scones (200 serves of scones with jam and cream) and a welcome cuppa for the local crowd.
Local councillor Debbie Brown said it was great to see the community coming out to support the local service clubs with over 500 people attending the day, there were a mix of long time locals and newer residents supporting their community and enjoying the activities.
Author: Noel McWilliams