Mayors speech by Cr Lambros Tapinos Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony 26 January 2014

On 26 January every year all Australians come together to celebrate Australia Day. We celebrate what is great about Australia. We celebrate our achievements, the experiences of our nation, our diversity, our values and our great way of life. Like our new citizens, I call upon all citizens of Moreland to take this time to show our commitment to the values that underpin our Australia society. Dorothea Mackellar wrote in her famous poem; Australia is a land of drought and flooding rains. This wonderful Australian landscape, with its valleys, rivers and red deserts, has over the years made this country and transformed its people. Australia is a country of breathtaking beauty, diversity and opportunity. It is a land of the fair go and mateship. Australia Day allows us to pause and celebrate the achievements, the experiences and values we share as Australians. It is the stories and the accomplishment of the Australian people that we celebrate today. It is fitting that on Australia Day that we recognize and honour the first Australians. The indigenous peoples of this land, who are the oldest continuing cultures in the world - for 40, 000 years they lived in the Dreamtime, shared stories about creation, land, people, animals, plants, laws and customs. These stories inform all spiritual and physical aspects of their life; these have been the first Australians and the first Australian stories. In acknowledging the traditional owners of the land; I know that more than just words are required; it is time for all Governments to invest in Indigenous health and education and raise the living standards of all Australians.

As the first fleet arrived in Botany Bay on 18 January 1788 Aborigines gathered around the Bay, waving spears and shouting warra warra, or go away. For them life would never be the same gain nor would it be the same for the convict settlers, who endured long voyages on prison ships to reach this land. From convict they became free settlers, harvested the land and set the foundations for this great nation. It is the stories of gold rushes and droughts, the federation of the colonies, prosperity, growth, depression, war, peace, immigration and multicultural Australia we celebrate today. Australia is peopled with migrants from many cultures, who during the past two hundred years came to our shores seeking a new life, to escape war, poverty, famine and religious persecution. I would like to share my story; my parents migrated to Australia from Greece, with very little money and no knowledge of the English language. They settled in Brunswick and worked long hours in Morelands industrial factories to provide a better future for them and their children and contribute to their new home. People, like my parents, continue to arrive in Moreland, bringing their food, their dress, their languages and their customs, and with each enhancing the richness of our lives and community. For many of you, today represents a milestone in your life. You each have your own story, which has led you here; this story is now part of our collective story, the story of Australia that will be celebrated into the future. I welcome you all and wish you well in your new homeland.