The Maroondah Carols by Candlelight is an annual event organised by the City of Maroondah and held at Ainslie Park in Croydon. The Carols provides an evening for families and an opportunity to showcase the musical talent that exists within Maroondah, including Maroondah Brass, Croydon Wind Symphony and Maroondah Singers.

This evening, as the Mayor of Maroondah I opened the 2009 Maroondah Carols by Candlelight:

In the spirit of Reconciliation, we acknowledge that we are meeting on land for which the Wurundjeri people have been custodians for many centuries, and on land which the Indigenous Australians have performed age old ceremonies.

We, Maroondah City Council, accept, respect and have shared with the Wurundjeri people in their customs of welcome.

The Wurundjeri people support the coming together of all people, respecting their individuality to focus on a unified and cohesive nation.

Greetings, it is my great pleasure, as the newly elected Mayor of Maroondah, to welcome you to the Maroondah City Council’s Carols by Candlelight concert.

I would like to welcome my fellow Councillors:

• Cr Ann Fraser
• Cr Peter Gurr
• Cr Nora Lamont
• Cr Michael Macdonald
• Cr Paul Macdonald
• Cr Rob Steane
• Cr Natalie Thomas
• Cr Les Willmott

To entertain you tonight we have some of Maroondah’s most talented musicians and we also expect to receive a visit from everyone’s favourite – Santa.

This evening is the result of the combined efforts of Maroondah Brass, the Croydon Wind Symphony, Maroondah Singers and Connection Community Church. Council is enormously grateful to these groups for their involvement in putting together this evening’s program and especially for the work undertaken by Ron Moore of Maroondah Brass, who is the Musical Director this year for Carols by Candlelight.

Tonight we will also be entertained by soloists: Mark Casey, Tanya Bail and Hannah Dahlenberg, as well as Croydon West Primary School students who will join us early on this evening.

As we enter the Festive Season it is a time to give recognition to all the people who make Maroondah the vibrant and dynamic city that it is. I would especially like to thank the enormous number of people who give their time and energy on a voluntary basis to help both Council and the Maroondah community.

Finally, I would like to thank all the performers and congratulate all those involved in the organisation of this event. Thank you also to Eastland for their generous support of this evening’s grand finale – a spectacular fireworks display – which I know you will all be eagerly awaiting.

Thank you and enjoy your evening.