Father Bob Maguire will break bread with Ballan residents on Australia Day to celebrate community spirit.
The Australia Day ambassador, and chairman of the Father Bob Maguire Foundation, will be joined by fellow ambassador Andrea Cafnik for the breakfast at the Mechanics Institute next week.
Father Maguire said he believed rural communities are the “heart of all Australia” and that he was keen to establish a hub in Moorabool where young people from the inner city could visit for a country experience.
“I really believe that rural areas like Ballan will save the Australian identity,” he said.
“I’m going up to Ballan for refreshment. You’ve got all those glorious ranges and little villages and a sense of community, which is what Australia Day should be all about, no matter what your background or political persuasion.”
Ms Cafnik, who co-ordinates fundraising and events for the foundation, said she was looking forward to sharing stories with people from all different cultures.
“I came from Slovenia when Yugoslavia was still a communist country,” Ms Cafnik said.
“When I tell people that I was let into the country as a refugee, they look at me and say, ‘But you’re white’. They forget that people come from all sorts of places and from all races. Being a refugee shapes my view of Australia.”
The Father Bob Maguire Foundation is dedicated to ending homelessness through outreach programs and community initiatives.
The Australia Day festivities at the Mechanics Institute in Ballan, open to the public, will run from 8-11.30am and include a community breakfast and an Australian citizenship ceremony.
Esther Lauaki
