Our Community

Albany Pride Festival a Success

It was wonderful to share the happy vibes of the Albany Pride Festival Fairday in the March long weekend.

Children, families, couples and individuals enjoyed a day of great music, roaming fairies, fabulous treats from local food vans and of course, everyone's favourite, the Dog Show.

It gave me a great opportunity to chat with constituents while showing my support of the local group, who have stayed positive despite the removal of posters and banners advertising the festival this year.

I was happy to help out by helping to purchase a new, larger banner to be displayed on the Premier Hotel's balcony. The festival was a great success and a credit to the organisers.

Congratulations to High Achievers in Youth Sport

I was thrilled to acknowledge the achievements and dedication of more than 150 young athletes, coaches, managers, umpires (and parents!) involved in basketball, swimming, athletics and cricket at the Celebration of Youth in Summer Sport held at Retravision Stadium on 8 March.

The audience was inspired by a legendary guest panelist Olympic cyclist Josie Tomic and track athlete Sophie White from the Australian Olympic Team's Olympic Unleashed program.

Josie and Sophie spent time responding to questions from the audience, offering advice such as:

🔸 Stay focused on your end goal.

🔸 Don’t dwell on your mistakes.

🔸 Thank your parents!

🔸 Sport is not all there is in life! Develop other interests.

🔸 You’ve got to keep trying.

🔸 Look to more experienced people for your inspiration.

🔸 Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, things don’t go your way. Don’t give up!

🔸 Eat well; and

🔸 Reframe your thoughts if anxiety is getting to you.

The evening was proudly supported by the City of Albany and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, Great Southern.

Magical Easter Egg Hunt Coming Up

Please help me welcome the Easter Bunny to Albany!

Bookings are essential via this link.

Children aged three to 11 years can register to join in on a fun Easter egg hunt with Rebecca, meet the Easter bunny and take home a sweet treat.

Timeslots are available for each age group:

3.30pm: Ages 3-6yrs
4pm: Ages 3-6yrs
4.30pm: Ages 7-11yrs

Please bring a small Easter basket for your child to collect their eggs. We have prizes for the Best Easter Bonnet or Best Dressed Person s well as a Golden Ticket hidden somewhere in the gardens. The child that finds this will receive a special treat!

There is also a FREE sausage sizzle and a coffee van will be on hand for parents.

Please keep your tickets handy and bring them along to the event! You can show the email with QR code on your phone or print it to bring along. Names will be checked off on entry.

Lotterywest Grant to Light Up Binalup

I had the pleasure recently of presenting a $100,000 Lotterywest grant for the First Lights project being co-presented by the City of Albany at Binalup/Middleton Beach on 8 April 2023.

I presented the award to City of Albany Mayor Dennis Wellington and CEO Andrew Sharpe ahead of the spectacular drone light show, produced by the Fremantle Biennale.

The grant will transform award-winning Noongar author Kim Scott’s “the place of first light” into a rhythmic arrangement of language and light to reveal the story of Mamang Koort, the beating whale heart.

First Lights at Binalup will awe audiences with its spectacle of the senses and begin to look ahead to Albany’s Bicentenary in three years’ time.

The project is guided by the Albany Heritage Reference Group Aboriginal Corporation (AHRGAC) as local Menang Custodians impart their ancient knowledge of the lands and waters to bring this deeply moving experience to Albany.

Fremantle Biennale’s First Lights is supported by the Australian Government through the RISE Fund, the State Government through the Regional Arts and Cultural Investment Program, the Remote and Regional Festival Fund and the Regional Exhibition Touring Boostadministered by the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries and supported by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the Minderoo Foundation.

You can find out more about the project the event surrounding it, and have the opportunity to win your own drone, here.

Community Events

For a comprehensive listing of community events, please visit the City of Albany's Events Calendar: www.albany.wa.gov.au/events.