As part of Broken Hill’s Australia Day commemorations, Catriona Rowntree was selected as our Australia Day Ambassador and took part in the ceremonial proceedings yesterday.
From giving new residents their Australian citizenships to helping present the Australia Day Awards to deserving members of the community, Ms Rowntree enjoyed all that her role on the day involved. The Getaway presenter also spoke at length about her career and shared what makes this country special to her.
Speaking to the Barrier Truth, Ms Rowntree said it was an absolute delight to share in the ceremony with people from Broken Hill, full of high praise for the turnout and the spirit embodied within the community towards the event.
“I feel privileged that I got to be a part of the citizens ceremony, and I am in awe of the citizens who have lived a life of service are such a great example to everyone in this community. I just think that the word of the day really is ‘community’,” she said.
“You ask anyone, and they just love the community here. It’s been lovely to make my mom’s dream come true to come here to see the famous sky, the light, the sunsets, and to come here on a full moon is pretty darn cool. We’ve got a huge wish list to check through, but I just hope that everybody feels very proud of the postcode that they get to call home.”
Referencing her previous visit to the Silver City almost 30 years ago in 1995, Ms Rowntree spoke of the city’s past, remembering fondly the memories she made and believing there was something special about Australia’s only heritage listed city.
“At the risk of this coming out the wrong way, I feel relieved to say it hasn’t changed too much. I’m a great believer in people embracing their heritage and their past, and that will allow you to reap the benefits long into the future,” she says.
“And by that, I mean honour the architectural features that each town has, whatever they may be. Honour the local community. To arrive the airport is just so awesome. The first thing you see is that local art [and] to have the local food, [including] my new favourite, chicken and cheeseslaw!
“I’m very proud that they have embraced the heritage of the place because that’s what brings artists, whether they are filmmakers, whether they’re making a commercial, whether they are actors. That’s what draws people here from right across the planet. Don’t go changing.”
Broken Hill Mayor Tom Kennedy said it was a pleasure to have Ms Rowntree in Broken Hill, believing she’ll take her positive experience back to wherever her next adventure is.
“[She’s a] really nice person. I have no doubt Catriona will leave Broken Hill singing our praises. She’s made it quite clear that she really enjoyed being part of Australia Day in Broken Hill. One of her big things and most of Broken Hill needs to know this, she’s very impressed by chicken and cheeseslaw toasted sandwiches!”, Mayor Kennedy said.
