An Australia Day event that has been operating for more than half a century has been cancelled due to financial challenges and a lack of volunteers.
The Free Children’s Fun Day at Rippleside Park event has been held annually for more than 60 years.
Geelong Australia Day Committee president and Corio Bay Lions Club member Colin Anderson said rising costs and a lack of volunteers had led to the event’s cancellation.
“We’ve had the same budget ($35,700) from the Geelong City council for about the fifth year in a row, and with many of our suppliers, their costs have gone up quite a lot,” he said.
“For the last four years, we’ve been trimming where we could and adjusting all sorts of things like that, but we got to the point where there was nothing left to trim.
“Between the budget and numbers for volunteers, it just became impossible to put on, so we crunched the figures, and it was just not going to be able to happen.
“I feel that the loss of such an iconic event in Geelong is unfortunate, and I also feel for the thousands of children who have enjoyed this event over the past 60 years.
“For people who planned to go down there, we’re bitterly disappointed that we couldn’t do it for them, and we’ll bend over backwards to try and get back on track for next year.”
Mr Anderson said he hoped the Free Children’s Fun Day could return for Australia Day next year if the committee received additional funding and more volunteers.
City of Greater Geelong city life executive director Anthony Basford said funding initially received for the cancelled event had been returned to council.
“We recognise that there is a diverse range of views in our community on Australia Day,” he said.
“For some, it’s a day of celebration of our nation and people, while for others, it’s one of mourning and reflection.
“The $37,500 in council funding for the Rippleside Family Fun Day, which the organisers have cancelled, will instead be used to deliver family-friendly activities at the Festival of Sails.”
