By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
AN enthusiastic crowd celebrated many nations within our nation at an Australia Day festival at Dandenong Park.
Australian and Aboriginal flags were waved in the crowd during a diversity of live music, dancing, food and rides, topped off with night fireworks.
Earlier in the day, Father Jean Mawal was crowned Greater Dandenong Council’s citizen of the year.
Mr Mawal, the priest at St Paul’s Antiochian Church in Dandenong, had been a prominent part of a Challenge Family Violence project in the past two years.
Other award winners were Tracey Walden (volunteer of the year), Hayatullah Rahimi (leadership award), Noble Park CFA’s Andrew South and Matthew Pond (multicultural award), Aaliyah Corles (sportsperson), David Willersdorf (corporate citizen), Mohammad Reza Haidari and Khalid Katikang (joint winners of young leadership award), Be Ha (community hall of fame) and Michael Findlay (sports hall of fame).
