Hundreds of people gathered in Victoria Park yesterday for Australia Day celebrations as a cool wind blew, spreading the smell of barbecue smoke and carrying stray balloons toward a solid blue sky.
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“What a gorgeous day we’ve got; last year we were melting” said barista Mo Ross as she whipped up flat whites.
Galahs squawked overhead while a 35-piece Dubbo concert band played national favourites, from Waltzing Matilda to I Still Call Australia Home. Soprano Billie Palin, 16, sang the national anthem in a bright green dress.
Residents appeared in all manner of clothing: old blokes in slouch hats, workers in fluoro gear, new citizens in their best suits and dresses.
One man wore an over-sized tie that implored: “Hug this Aussie!”
Wayne Wilkinson, 64, chose to wear his 20-year-old Akubra crowded with Australiana badges.
One little girl bore a tattooed koala on her face while a toddler ran around with an Australian flag cape streaming out behind him.
Sonya Krimmer embraced the colours of the flag with white shoes, red jeans, a blue Australia shirt plus blue hat and sunglasses.
From her ear hung three earrings: one red, one white, one blue.
“I should have done my hair as well,” Ms Krimmer said.
With so many people expressing national pride through their clothes, fashion designer Charlie Brown was a fitting ambassador for the Dubbo celebrations.
The US-born Ms Brown, a mainstay of the Australian fashion scene, said the country offered opportunities for those prepared to work hard.
“Today we have the best food in the world.”
She praised Dubbo’s energy and the beauty of its landscapes, saying she wanted to return for “glamour camping” at the zoo.
“Where else would a fashion designer with a fetish for animal print feel more at home than in a city with the Taronga Western Plains Zoo?
Having spent close to 30 years in Australia, Ms Brown said she had seen Australians become more open-minded.But the biggest difference she saw was in the quality of the food.”I used to go into a grocery store and cry,” Ms Brown said.
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