Australia’s First Catholic Saint

On 17 October 2010, the canonisation of Mary MacKillop will be officially recognised by Pope Benedict XVI, making her Australia’s first Catholic Saint.

Mary MacKillop was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne on 15 January 1842. She co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart with Rev Julian Tenison Woods, both of whom are recognised for advancing Catholic education throughout Australia.

Mary died on 8 August 1909 and was buried in the Gore Hill Cemetery on the Pacific Highway, Sydney. On 27 January 1914 her remains were relocated to a Memorial Chapel in Mount Street, North Sydney.

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On 19 January 1995, Mary MacKillop was beatified, following the recognition that her intercession was responsible for the recovery of a woman with leukaemia in 1961. On 19 December 2009 a second miracle was recognised with the cure of another woman – Kathleen Evans – of lung cancer.

Following canonisation, Mary MacKillop will be known as Saint Mary of the Cross.

Dame Joan Sutherland

Today we mourn the loss of Dame Joan Sutherland who died on 10 October 2010 at her home in Switzerland at 83 years of age.

Born in Sydney on 7 November 1926, Dame Joan did not start a serious study of Opera until she was eighteen, while working in a secretarial job. After some success in Australia she chose to pursue an operatic career overseas. Her reputation grew following a string of performances in 1959 and 1960, but it was not until she sang Alcina in Venice she was nick named La Stupenda (“The Stunning One”).

Part of her musical and recording success can be attributed to the collaboration with husband, renowned Australian conductor and pianist Richard Bonynge who helped tailor Dame Joan’s repertoire. He also suggested her partnership with Luciano Pavatotti.

Although she refused to sing in later life, Dame Joan was still happy to hum the odd aria or concerto to herself while at home.

The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre in Penrith, NSW was named in her honour and hosts several musical and theatrical events throughout the year.

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Dame Nellie Melba

Born on this day in 1861, Dame Nellie Melba was the first Australian to achieve international recognition as an opera singer.

Dame Nellie was born Helen Porter Mitchell but later changed her name to Melba as a tribute to her beloved Melbourne.

Renowned chef, Auguste Escoffier, created the recipe for Peach Melba in her honour and later Melba toast, as a meal that the singer could eat when she suffered a prolonged illness.

Dame Nellie Melba died on 23 February, 1931 in St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney. 

Earth Hour 2009

Earth Hour was started in Sydney in 2007 when 2 million people chose to turn off their lights to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on our planet. This year 82 countries and over 2000 cities are participating in the event.

We captured some of Sydney’s lights going out, including those on the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge this evening. Most business in the city had turned off unnecessary lighting for the entire weekend – so many of the city lights were already out well before 8:15PM when we started filming.

As you will see there were still a lot of lights left on. Come on Sydney - let’s see if we can do even better next year.

Australia Honours Kim Beazley & Stephanie Rice

The 2009 Australia Day Honours List has included Stephanie Rice and Kim Beazley.

Stephanie Rice was awarded an OAM for her outstanding performances at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Kim Beazley was awarded an AC for his services to politics.

Prof. Mick Dodson is 2009 Australian of the Year

Well the pundits were right. Professor Mick Dodson has been named the 2009 Australian of the Year. Born on 10 April 1950, in Katherine, Northern Territory, he graduated from Melbourne’s Monash University in 1978.

A vigorous defender of human rights, Professor Dodson was Australia’s first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. In 2002 he was appointed the first Indigenous Chair at the Australian National University.

We would like to congratulate Professor Dodson on being named Australian of the Year and for his efforts in pursing indigenous rights in this country and world-wide.

The other finalists for this Australia Day award were:

• Glenn McGrath AM (Fundraiser)
• Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu (Indigenous Singer/Songwriter)
• Ivan Copley (Indigenous Community Worker)
• Peter Cundall AM (Gardening Expert)
• Dr Berhan Ahmed (African-Australian Community Leader)
• Dr Penny Flett (Geriatrics Specialist)
• Bronwyn Sheehan (Literacy Advocate)

What does Australia Day Commemorate?

It is very Australian to not actually know what Australia Day commemorates. Take our quick quiz below and see how you fare. To find out why we celebrate Australia Day on 26 January, you can read about the history of Australia Day here.

Get This - Survey Results - GlowDay.com