The local festivities start at 8am with the breakfast.

This will be followed by the awards ceremony and the launch of local historian Robyn Atherton’s new book on the life of the founder of Newson Park, Arthur James Newson, Newson - the Quest.

Mr Newson played a key role in establishing the park after long involvement in the livestock breeding industry.

She will be signing any of the books brought at the breakfast.

Entertainment will be provided by local musicians and singers. People attending the celebrations are being asked to bring their own chairs and rugs to sit on.

The Australia Day Ambassador attending this year’s celebrations is disabled athlete and endurance swimmer James Pittar, who swam the English Channel in 1998.

James suffers from a genetic disorder called Retinitis Pigmentosa which causes a degeneration of the retina. James was diagnosed with this disorder when he was 16 years old and after he suffered from rapidly decreasing vision. He was legally blind at 21 years of age and completely blind by his early 30s.

As a direct result of his declining vision, James focussed his sporting efforts on the fields of swimming and rowing and during the 1990s represented Australia in both these sports as a disabled athlete.

In the mid-1990s James decided to attempt the English Channel after meeting the inspirational Australian swimmer Des Renford and was successful on his first attempt in 1998. He then went on to successfully complete some of the most difficult marathon swims in the world over the next 10 years including the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, The Strait of Gibraltar, New Zealand’s Cook Strait and the Catalina Channel.

In 2010, his accomplishments were recognised when he was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.

In addition to his swimming accomplishments, James is the Ambassador for the Rainbow Club; a not for profit organisation which offers swimming lessons for children with disabilities, he is also a fund raiser for the Fred Hollows Foundation; which focuses on blindness prevention and indigenous health.

James works full-time for the Australian Tax Office, is married and has a three year old daughter.