Young and old started arriving at 8am for a cooked breakfast of toast, egg, bacon and sausage washed down with orange juice, tea or coffee. And for those who were still peckish there was an abundance of the traditional damper and golden syrup; all prepared by the Rock Recreation Ground committee and The Rock Progress Association’s small teams of volunteers.

The official ceremony started at 10am with a welcome from Lockhart Shire Council (LSC) Mayor, Cr Peter Yates and then the National Anthem.

Cr Yates, in his address, acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land on which visitors to the LSC Australia Day Celebration stood - that being the Wiradjuri people.

He spoke of the First Fleet, the birth of Australia, the diverse range of ways that Australians celebrate Australia Day and the way that sports feature among Australia Day celebrations.

Cr Yates got a chuckle from the crowd when he added “Then there is the family barbeque which has been invigorated by Sam Kekovich’s push for us all to eat lamb on Australia Day - a pretty good idea if you are a lamb producer”.

Sarah Mycroft was Australia Day Ambassador for Lockhart Shire Council for 2012. Ms Mycroft became the first woman to run around Australia on November 27, 2010 after running 62km/day on average for 238 days. She covered 14,722km and went through 15 pairs of shoes. Travelling with her were her children Bonnie-Sky and Austin-Ryan who were four years-old and one year-old respectively at the time.

Ms Mycroft’s eight month trek was devoted to raising funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and during her Australia Day address she emphasised the importance of working with schools and children to encourage healthy eating choices.

The presentation of LSC Awards, including Citizen of the Year, (see separate articles) followed the Ambassadorial Address and concluded with the announcement of the Lamington judging.