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This weekend – today, in fact – marks 150 years since the Maryborough Fire Brigade came into being. They were one of the first fire brigades in Victoria and were formed when Freemason’s Hotel (the site of the current Albion Hotel) burnt to the ground. Today they’re part of the state-wide Country Fire Authority and vital part of the volunteer emergency service fabric of the state.

Last night the SES Controller and I had the pleasure of attending their formal dinner, and enjoyed good food and excellent company. We got to see and hear a lot of history relating to the brigade – some of which we knew, but a lot of was new to us.

Today the fire station had an open day with a BBQ, so the kids and I wandered down to say hello and have a look over the fire appliances.

New Year’s day in Maryborough has long been associated with the annual highland gathering. This year was the 150th celebration – and to mark the occasion, the Highland Society decided to hold a Scottish Tattoo.

The tattoo was preceded by a parade down the main road. Because I was behind the wheel of one of the SES rescue trucks I don’t have photos of the parade, but we certainly had fun being part of it. The kids lining the route loved seeing the trucks with flashing lights and blaring sirens.

Tattoo

The tattoo itself was fantastic. It kicked off with the Maryborough brass band playing a few introductions and was followed up by some re-enactment actors who played out a scene depicting the discovery of gold in Maryborough. Regular readers might recognise a few of the actors.

Next up was a ensemble of pipe and drum bands (something like 7 or 8 bands combined) that sounded fantastic. They played for 10 or 15 minutes and the crowd enjoyed every second of it.

Celine

Once the band left, a small stage was setup for Celine Toner, a Celtic singer. Her set of 5 songs were great and left a lasting impression on the girls. Because they shared a changing room with Celine they spent a bit of time with her and her band. We’ve got a personally signed CD and some great memories.

I’m afflicted

Peter, Diane and Terry (an acting friend of Peter’s) played a second set as a snake-oil salesman. They needed an audience plant who would be afflicted by some terrible disease and then miraculously cured. Cue Big Girl:

Marching Girls

No highland event would be complete without marching girls and sword dancing. There were two groups of marching girls – one group called The Originals who was made up of older women who have been marching girls at earlier highland gatherings. They weren’t as mobile as they used to be, but you could tell they were having a great time marching in front of a crowd again.

Next up were the modern day marching and sword dancing girls. There were four different groups and they all did pretty well – they were another crowd favourite.

The Windy Kilts

An actor played the role of audience warm up and MC early in the event. Later, he slipped into his role as leader of The Windy Kilts. They were great – very funny stuff. Completely unsophisticated slapstick humour, but I loved every minute of it.

Finale

The event closed with the whole arena filled with the Maryborough brass band, the massed pipe and drum bands, the marching girls and the actors. The bands played a few final songs including Auld Lang Syne (it is New Year, after all) and finished the only way the possible could with Scotland The Brave.

Next year

I’ve been told that if this year’s tattoo was a success they’ll make it a regular part of the new year’s event. I haven’t yet heard whether they’ve made a decision (it’s a little early to know) but given that Princes Park was full of people who loved every minute of what went on, I can’t see how it could be considered anything other than a success.

Bonus photos

A few more random shots from yesterday…

The girls wanted to celebrate Halloween yesterday, so they made up a batch of gingerbread cookies and decorated them appropriately.

This morning, Big Girl got an award at school too – the weekly virtue was Truthfulness, and she was awarded it.

We had dinner at a friend’s tonight to celebrate their youngest boy’s birthday. He was born 2 weeks after our little one.

Yesterday was ANZAC day. The nation pretty much stops on this day to remember those who have fought and fallen in the service of their country.

Our big girl had the honour of being in the wreath party for the Girl Guides this year.

Yesterday was Australia day – 26th January – which is the day those of us living down under celebrate the arrival of the first ships from England and the subsequent plundering and destruction of our country.

We took the opportunity to head into Melbourne and visit the museum. The kids had a ball because it’s such an interactive place.

They particularly liked the sandpit where they could use paintbrushes to play amateur archaeologists and uncover fossilised dinosaur bones.

I still haven’t got my D80 back, but Lisa got lots of excellent shots with her camera – there’s a set up on flickr.

The photography policy at the museum is excellent – it’s your camera, and your museum, so go crazy. The one and only place there was a “no photography please” sign was the Koori artwork gallery and that’s out of respect for indigenous Australians’ belief that by taking a picture you’re taking something away from the soul of a person.

Given how open the rest of the museum is it’s not hard to live with one small restriction.

I can’t believe she’s 2 years old!

Continuing on from the celebrations over the weekend (trip to the Zoo and C’s kids having dinner over here Sunday night) we had a birthday dinner for Baboo today.

Fred, Peter and Grandma Joy came over for dinner. We cooked some fish on the BBQ and had a nice salad with it. When Peter and Diane got here we had cake, then more cake.

On Saturday about 15 of us went to the Zoo to celebrate Little Baby’s 2nd birthday. Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, Parents, siblings and even an overseas student staying with Aunty Eve were all there.

Baboo has never been to the zoo. She reads lots of books with her big sister, so she knew about elephants and giraffes and lions and tigers, but this was her first chance to see them up close. She really enjoyed it.

Lisa and I took just under 500 photos on the day, and I haven’t had a good chance to go through too many of them yet, but there’s a few here to look at.

The Kid had her 7th birthday party yesterday. Her birthday was actually a week ago, but yesterday was the kids party. We had about a dozen kids turn up to the party room at a local party supply shop. They had fun, but oh boy, was it noisy.

There’s a gallery up on SmugMug; check your links.

Every year, on the 25th of April, Australia and New Zealand celebrate ANZAC Day. It’s a day to remember and commemorate those who fought at Gallipoli during the First World War.

We choose this day to remember because it marks the day the Gallipoli Campaign began — April 25, 1915. Over the years, veterans of other conflicts have joined the ANZAC Day parade: those who fought in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and recent conflicts including Iraq, Afghanistan and Timor.

On ANZAC Day, ceremonies are held in all major cities and most country towns. If you drive through a country town of any size you will find a statue or monument of some sort in a public place that on this day becomes the focal point of the community.

In Maryborough, where we live, it’s McLandress Square, which sits right out front of the post office. It’s a fairly small grassy area that is dominated by a statue that reminds us of those who gave their lives fighting for our country.

A small white cross is placed around the statue for each and every boy or young man who didn’t return home. The Girl Guides spent a few nights over the last week making poppies for the crosses.

Later this morning there will be a military guard of honour, a few speeches, and a chance for those of us who enjoy the freedoms we have today to remember those who fell and thank those who were fortunate enough to return.

It’s not hard at all to find lots of names you recognise amongst the crosses. Small country towns tend to have the same name appear over and over as generations of the same family hand down farms and businesses to sons and daughters.

There’s a very real connection between these small symbolic crosses and the people who walk the streets of the town today.