Celebrating the 100th anniversary of Canberra's creation is, in some ways, a no-brainer, but in others, it's a logistical challenge.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Specifically, how to span the celebrations out for an entire 12 months?
Luckily, Canberra has a plethora of community organisations more than willing to step up to the plate to help mark the city's big year.
The ACT Government yesterday announced the first round of recipients of the Community Initiative Fund, set up to support community-driven projects and events that will enhance the yet-to-be-announced 2013 program of events.
Chief Minister Katy Gallagher said the idea behind the $1 million fund had been to make the year as diverse and accessible as possible, with the first recipients including the National Trust, which will receive $70,000 to organise a rally from Jervis Bay to Canberra.
Also among the recipients is the Scouts Association, which will get $30,000 for the Scouts Aloft hot air balloon and pilot training program, and youth charity Kulture Break, which will spend $25,000 on a community dance project. There will also be a community sculpture project at Lake Tuggeranong, worth $10,000, while the ACT chapter of the Cake Decorators Association are thrilled to be getting $1000 to help bring ''sugar artists'' from all over the country to participate in a centenary-themed open day.
Ms Gallagher said she had signed off on the first $191,800 from the fund to be allocated to eight different projects, as recommended by the centenary's creative director Robyn Archer, along with a community representative and someone from the Chief Minister's department.
''So they are being pretty careful, I think, in the ones that they choose to support,'' she added.
But she emphasised that with another $800,000 left in the fund, there was still plenty of opportunity for other organisations to apply for project support.
Another project that has received funding is the Australian Women's Archive Project, which plans to mount a permanent online exhibition of prominent Canberra women over the past century, from Lady Denman, who officially announced the capital's name in 1913, to the Chief Minister herself.
For more information on the Community Centenary Initiative Fund, visit the website www.canberra100.com.au.
