City of Greater Shepparton councillor Kieron Eddy greeted everyone at the Mooroopna Australia Day awards and citizenship ceremony in true Aussie fashion.
The elected councillor of the Lower Goulburn Ward, which includes Mooroopna, made an impassioned speech about what Australia meant to him.
“Australia Day is not just a date on the calendar. It’s a feeling. It’s the sound of heat rising off red earth, the crash of surf against ancient rock and the silence of the sky so white it humbles you,” he said.
“Australia is violently beautiful. Not violent in cruelty, but in intensity.
“This land does not whisper its presence; it roars with bushfires that reshape the forests, floods that carve through the valleys and droughts that test the human spirit.
“Australia is a country that demands respect because it was formed by extremes, and so were the people who learned to live here, from the earlier settlers to those who arrived later, seeking opportunity.
“Australians faced isolation, hardship and an unforgiving environment. They didn’t tame this country. They learned to endure alongside it. Survival here was always required — grit, adaptability and determination — and that resilience lives in us still.
“We see it in our farmers who refuse to surrender to drought and our firefighters who walk towards the flames, and in communities that rebuild after disaster, not because it’s easy, but because this is our home.
“Australia doesn’t promise comfort; it promises challenge and rewards courage.
“Beauty is not delicate; it is raw. It’s the blazing sun over the outback, the ocean that can cradle you or crush you, and the wildlife that reminds us we’re not in charge.
“And yet, from this harshness comes a fierce loyalty, a love that runs deeper, because it’s been earned. Australia is about that bond.
“It’s about mateship, standing shoulder to shoulder when things get tough. It’s about fairness, the belief that everyone deserves a go. It’s about freedom, hard won, defended and never taken for granted.
“We’re a nation shaped by fire and water, by hardship and hope, a place where people come together to build, rebuild and move forward stronger than before.
“Australia is violently beautiful, and so are its people; strong, resilient and unapologetically proud. So today, we don’t just celebrate where we live, we celebrate who we are and who we are still becoming.
“Happy Australia Day.”
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