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Thankyou to Urana Shire for welcoming me as your Ambassador for Australia Day.

I loved the conversations, the people, the Council, Mayor Margaret Buntin and the General Manager who swerved missing a kangaroo who was heading for the car!

Thankyou to our wonderful hosts Barry and Therese- local farmer and the principal of the catholic school. It was lovely waking up to the sound of birds at Fox Cottage.

Loved everything from the Gumi boat races, the presentations to our Citizens of the Year and the kids, the bush and the community.

Thankyou Joy for joining me on this special trip.

Love, Love, Love

being Australia Day Ambassador.

Love the Australia Day addresses at the Conservatorium of Music overlooking Botantical Gardens Sydney where:-

Michael Parkinson inspired with celebration of Australia and cricket 2011

Professor Charles Teo inspired with his break through neurosurgery and saving lives 2012

Kurt Fearnley marathan wheelchair man advocating for inclusion 2013

This year I’m going to Urana – flying to Wagga and then a 1.5 hour drive deep into the Riverina.

Excited that Joy Dodds is coming with me – the Dodds are part of the community from URANA.

Sheep and wheat farming

Lakes and rivers and lots of bushland.

I’m giving the Australia Day address.

There’ll be flag raising and citizenship awards.

The obligatory bbq, market,s games, family day and lots of celebrations!

Happy Australia Day to everyone – indigenous, farmers, city-siders, ancestors from convicts to the diverse people who settled here to call Australia Home.

Kurt Fearnley  the paralympic Gold Medallist and Marathan Man of Wheelchair Sports had the audience standing, cheering, clapping.

He climbed the Kokoda Track on his hands and knees. it was gruelling, courageous, but he was showing that disability unites us.

He was a boy from the country. He never walked but he explored, climbed trees, played footy with the other kids, on his hands and knees.

I loved his courage.

Governor Marie Bashir and ABC radio announcer Adam Spencer celebrated him.

There were sports people, writers, business people, Ita Buttrose Australian of the Year packing the Conservatorium of Music in Sydney.

Cuaght up with Stephan Wellink the Executive Producer of the feature film ‘I Am Jack’, best selling author and actor Judy Nunn, children’s non fiction author Jill Bruce, ABC announcer and artist Yianni Johns.

The night was balmy, the speech inspiring, the Conservatorium overlooking the Botantical Gardens towards the harbour was a special night.

LOVE being an Australia Day Ambassador.

Send your Thank you Australia   message from 1st January 2013

www.australiaday.com.au

Start the New Year with celebrating Australia Day

This year I’m the Australia Day Ambassador for Urana Shire – out west.

www.urana.nsw.gov.au

I love going out west sharing the day with regional Australia.

Love the country.

Love the people.

Just love it.

I was privleged to hear Professor Charlie Teo give the Australia Day Address at the Conservatorium of Music  in Sydney.

‘I would like to see this Australia Day as a turning point.

I want my fellow Australians, those who were born here and those who have immigrated here, to pause and think of the lives that have been sacrificed for what we take for granted today.

I want everyone who finds themselves angry and intolerant to think first about the misfortunes of those who are less fortunate . . . such as those with cancer.

I want anyone who has come from another country to embrace the Australian way of life, it has served us well.

I want all Australians to see how immigrants have contributed to our nation and to appreciate that a rich and prosperous country such as ours has a moral and global responsibility to share our resources.

Finally, I want to thank Australians for giving me professional and personal fulfilment, for believing in me when some of my colleagues didn’t, for seeing a Chinaman as an Aussie, not as a foreigner and for this wonderful opportunity to address the greatest nation in the world.’

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/australia-day-2012-address-full-speech-20120123-1qdh9.html#ixzz1kHbJA539

The Australia Day launch at Darling Harbour was emotional as John Williamson country songwriter singer sang ‘True Blue’.

Actor Kate Richie was MC and spoke about her Australia as a girl from Campbelltown in Sydney, who grew up on Home and way at Palm Beach.

The Australia Post Living Photographs of Australia were powerful, funny, warm, quirky and captured Australia.

Australia Day Ambassadors were there to share their experiences before they headed off across the country.

I’ll be flying to beautiful Port Stephens to give an Australia Day Address there and to participate in the Blessing of the Fleet.

I LOVE being an author.

It gives me the pleasure of Making a Difference for our kids, families, community.

I’ve just updated my website and these are organisations I love and work with:-

National Year of Reading – www.love2read.org.au

    Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People – www.monkeybaa.com.au

    Cancer Council – www.cancercouncil.com.au

    Life Education –  www.lifeeducation.org.au/

    The Alannah & Madeline Foundation – www.amf.org.au

    Room to Read – www.roomtoread.org

    NSW Writers Centre – www.nswwc.org.au

    Books in Homes – www.biha.com.au

    May Gibbs Trust Fellowship – www.maygibbs.org.au

    Australia Day Ambassador – www.australiaday.com.au/ambassadors

    The Hughenden Arts & Literary Hotel – www.thehughenden.com.au

Patricia is an intrepid explorer – she’s just returned from the Cairo riots safely.

Evi Pickler sang us the beautiful song she wrote ’Australia’

David Morris completed his mega saga manuscript and it’s at his agent

Jill Bruce flashed her 10 fantastic non-fiction books on Australia and we shared Australia Day Ambassador stories.

I shared my excitement about Monkey Baa Theatre performing ‘I Am Jack’ again in October at the Seymour Centre Sydney.

Author and tv personality Susie Elelman and I were having a few laughs at the airport. We are excited about our charter flights out west as Australia Day Ambassadors. Susie is going North West and I am going South West.

Our charter planes were ready to go at Bankstown Airport, when 1010 Australian Olympian winter athlete Anthony Deane – who is in individual skeleton zooming down an ice shute – joined us. He’s dedicated, young and also excited about being an Ambassador. 

Anthony is the Australia Day Ambassador for Deniliquin.

I am the Ambassador of the Shire of Wakool. Mayor Rod Chalmers and his wife Linda are meeting us to drive further West into the Shire.

It’s wonderful being an Australia Day Ambassador!