Thousands of #humansingeelong turned out last night to marvel at the lighting of the iconic Geelong Christmas Tree. It was a magnificent spectacle. A procession of festival goers, were then led up to City Hall to see the projected light display masterminded by local artist Matt Bonner. Tonight, proves to be just as exciting with the 101st Gala Day parade kicking off at 7.30pm. ‘Gala raises important funds for the Barwon Health Foundation, while providing the Foundation with a way of saying thank you to our community for their generous, ongoing support,’ from the Gala Website www.galaday.com.au
My Dad was in the parade back in the 1950s. He was about 20 and had been in a horrendous motorbike accident, the driver hadn’t seen him. It led to him spending a year in the Geelong Hospital while his leg was being reconstructed. For the parade, they put his bed, with him in it, on the back of a truck and off they went. He loved it! Years later, in the ‘70s, as a video photographer, he filmed every parade for the ABC news. We always tagged along, it became a tradition. Here’s to you JB!
Enjoy the parade tonight Geelong and please leave comments about your Gala Day experiences.
Video and story: Jacqui Bennett
HuG 