By JESSE GRAHAM
STREET parades, festivals and a year of events are all on the cards for Healesville, as it celebrates 150 years in the Yarra Valley.
Chamber of Commerce President Graham Taylor and Yarra Ranges Mayor Fiona McAllister were some of the many community members who gathered in Queens Park with a cake last week, to mark the beginning of Healesville’s 150th year.
The symbolic cake, which was not real, contrasted the very real excitement in the air from community members eager to celebrate the town and its history.
Community 3777 are spear-heading the campaign for a year of celebrations in the town to mark the milestone year and chair of the group, Kath Holton, urged residents to get on board.
“We’re very, very excited that so many people are keen to be involved and so many ideas have come out,” she said.
Ms Holton said the group have recently set up a Twitter account and website for community members to interact.
“We really want people to post on the website’s calendar what event they might be running – whether it is 150th related or not,” she said.
Ms Holton said that a logo had recently been designed for the anniversary celebrations and that event-organisers could apply to use the logo to help tie the town’s celebrations together.
The year’s events will culminate around November, when a 150th birthday street parade is expected to be run in the main street of Healesville.
The Healesville Music Festival has also been rescheduled for November, to coincide with the birthday month.
For more information, or to help to assist with events, visit www.healesville150.org, www.facebook.com/C3777 or www.twitter.com/Healesville150.
