Our New Ambassador

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday January 3, 2009

By ANGELA THOMPSON

FROM Adaminaby to Guyra, Henty to Ballina, Noeline Brown is used to spending Australia Day beyond the big smoke.

"Wombeyan Caves - that was a funny one because it was a complete washout and there were about eight people standing around with umbrellas singing the national anthem and looking miserable," the celebrated Southern Highlands-based entertainer said.

"I choose to go to country NSW because I live in a rural area and I know a lot of the other Australia Day ambassadors prefer to go to the cities. I've loved it really."

A scheduling issue has meant Brown needs to be within cooee of Sydney this Australia Day, so she has taken her first city posting in a long while, at Wollongong.

The day's program at Wollongong Harbour and City Beach foreshore is yet to be finalised, but with nine years of ambassador experience behind her, Brown knows what to expect.

"Australia Day seems to have gotten bigger," she said.

"The thing that I love most is the way we celebrate volunteering on that day - it's the one day of the year where people are recognised for the great things they do.

"It's really lovely when you go to the citizenship celebrations and people are so proud to hold that piece of paper."

Brown's acting career spans more than four decades and includes hundreds of shows on television, stage, film and radio.

In 1999 and 2003 she was Labor candidate for the seat of Southern Highlands, then in 2006 she was a semi-finalist in reality television show Dancing With the Stars.

She penned her autobiography in 2005 and since April has served as the Federal Government's first Ambassador for Ageing.

© 2009 Illawarra Mercury

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