Top right: Kooweerup Citizens of the Year Jack and Pat Nunn.By Sarah Schwager
KOOWEERUP’S community centre was alive with music, entertainment and cheering at last week’s Australia Day celebrations.
Local residents were recognised for their contribution to the community, guest speaker Michael Schildberger entertained with anecdotes of media life, local identity Mal Function read a poem dedicated to Kooweerup and the Kooweerup Secondary College band performed.
But Cardinia mayor Bill Ronald said the heroes of the day were the CFA volunteers, many of who spent the day fighting fires.
“They are Australians of the Year not this year but every year,” Cr Ronald said.
A number of Kooweerup residents were noted for their communitymindedness, notably Citizens of the Year Jack and Pat Nunn.
These wellknown identities have been involved in many facets of the community, from the local football club, to the Potato Festival, to Meals on Wheels and the senior citizens’ club.
“It is a great pleasure to be an Australian and, moreover, to live in Kooweerup,” Mr Nunn said.
“If I live to be 100 I would never be able to put back into football what it’s given to me.”
Also recognised on the day were RSL president Ron Ingram and the man who brought AusKick to Kooweerup, Ian Woff, who were both presented with achievement awards.
Youth awards went to St John the Baptist School’s Elizabeth Duff, Kooweerup Primary School’s Chelsey Bugg and Kooweerup Secondary College’s Sarah Lay and Josh Tooth, who were nominated by their respective schools.
Journalist and broadcaster Michael Schildberger, who hosted nightly news and national current affairs shows, spoke of the charms of Kooweerup and how lucky he felt to be an Australian.
“It’s a 40degree day, there’s bushfire all around us. This is Australia,” Mr Schildberger said.
The band, whose members took time out from their school holidays to perform, concluded the celebrations with John Paul Young’s ‘Love is in the Air’.
