Gallery | Australia Day at home among the gumtrees

As Rotary Club members tirelessly served the town’s hungry residents, the Kyabram 1st Scouts boosted spirits by offering complimentary coffee and Milo to sleepy attendees.

Campaspe Shire Mayor Daniel Mackrell and Deputy Mayor Jess Mitchell were present at the ceremony to congratulate winners and mingle among the community.

The honour of unfurling the flag also rested with the Scouts, who kick-started the ceremony at around 9am.

Rotary’s Steph Dean emceed the ceremony, inviting local talent Izaiyah Ryan to lead the crowd in a stirring rendition of Advance Australia Fair.

Following Mr Ryan’s performance of Beyond the Sea, popularised by Bobby Darin, Ms Dean announced it was time to move to the pointy end of the ceremony.

The Community Group of the Year award went to the What We Can Do Group.

The What We Can Do group is a vibrant peer support network fostering inclusivity and empowerment for people with disabilities throughout the Kyabram region.

The group members’ mission is to challenge stereotypes about people with disabilities and empower one another to achieve anything non-disabled people can do.

Over the past year, they have been continuing their mission, raising money and awareness, and even held a community event in December bringing awareness to both visible and invisible disabilities.

The group members were shocked to learn they had received the award, with Kane Park thanking the community for its support over the past year.

Young Citizen of the Year was presented to local golfing champ Kayne Crompton for his extraordinary and successful year.

Kayne was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition causing excess fluid in the brain, at just six months old. Since then, he has tackled every challenge with unwavering determination and courage.

Two years ago, Kayne took up golfing as a hobby and has since won competitions on a national scale.

He recently competed in the Special Olympic National Gold Classic on the Gold Coast and will be at the Victorian Open next week.

Along with the Kyabram Young Citizen of the Year, he was selected to be the Echuca Young Citizen of the Year and was nominated for the shire-wide award as well.

Kayne thanked his friends and family for their support when accepting the award.

“(They have) helped me get to where I am today,” he said.

The prestigious Citizen of the Year award was bestowed upon Ray Muller, a dedicated community stalwart who has tirelessly contributed to Kyabram’s growth and wellbeing for over five decades.

Kyabram Rotary treasurer John Martin said he thought the event, besides a slow start, went smoothly.

“There was a good crowd, and I think everyone enjoyed themselves,” he said.

Journalist Jemma Jones was at the event on Monday morning capturing all the Australia Day fun.