Communities around Australia are once again preparing for Australia Day, a day where we get together as a nation to celebrate what’s great about Australia and being Australian.

Dimboola, Jeparit, Nhill, and Rainbow will each host events on Australia Day. A flag-raising ceremony will take place in each town, along with addresses from the Mayor and Australia Day Ambassador. Awards for Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, and Community Event of the year will also be presented on the day.

Hindmarsh Shire Council is pleased to receive notice that they will be hosting Neil Soullier OAM (above) as Hindmarsh’s Australia Day Ambassador for 2020.

Following the 1988 murder of two constables, Neil Soullier OAM joined a group of people to form the Tynan-Eyre Memorial Foundation that later became the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation. He served as a volunteer and board member for 12 years before becoming CEO. The foundation has gained an institutional awareness throughout Victoria and is Australia’s largest police support organisation.

Neil introduced Blue Ribbon Day as an annual event and now works with other police agencies and community groups to promote it and other public benefit programs. He also developed the foundation’s flagship product, Constable T. Bear, which is now one of the most popular collectible teddy bears in the world.

Since its inception, the foundation has provided new facilities in public hospitals that treat over 125,000 patients every year and permanent memorials to members of the Victoria Police who have been killed in the line of duty.

Neil is also a director of the Emergency Services Foundation, an associate member of the Australasian Institute of Policing and adviser to several other community and not-for-profit organisations.

On Sunday 26 January 2020 the formal Australia Day program begins with a breakfast BBQ in Rainbow from 7:30 am, followed by another breakfast BBQ in Jeparit from 9:00 am, a morning tea from 10:30 am in Dimboola, and finally a lunchtime BBQ from 12:00pm in Nhill.

Hindmarsh Shire Council would like to extend its thanks to the Lions Club of Rainbow, Jeparit Town Committee, Dimboola CWA, Dimboola Town Committee and the Nhill Lions Club for hosting the Australia Day Event in their respective towns on Sunday 26 January 2020. Council appreciates the ongoing efforts of these community groups to celebrate our history, identity and future opportunities as Australians.