Church cooks Australia Day breakfast for Robina residents

Five year old Maddie Armstrong making damper at the Big Aussie  

Bacon, eggs, bush ballads and face painting kept over 5000 residents entertained at the big Australia Day breakfast hosted on the Robina Common by the Robina Uniting Church.

Newly appointed Robina Uniting Church Minister Rev Stu Cameron said it was a fantastic celebration and was excited to see the community come together on such as an important day.

"As a church we want to give as much back to the community as we can, and this event is a gift to the community," said Mr Cameron.

"We're drawing from all sorts of people: it's not just the church but we are in partnership with local businesses and other organisations to come together and celebrate a day we all can enjoy."

One of the more unusual activities was a fashion parade featuring recycled clothing from the church's Opportunity Shop.

Fashion parade coordinator Mrs Liz Adams said the parade featured 36 models of all shapes, sizes and ages because they wanted to show that everyone can look nice if they are wearing the right kind of gear.

"The Opportunity Shop is a wonderful symbol for the church," said Mrs Adams.

"It's a place where people can come for a second chance, find hope and, with a little bit of creativity, come out with a whole new opportunity."

This is the fifth year the Uniting Church has hosted the Australia Day breakfast and, unlike the 2005 event, the magnificent weather saw people turn out in their thousands for the free breakfast and entertainment.

Catering coordinator Mr Malcolm McMaster said they had cooked over 2000 eggs, 100 kg of bacon, 140 kg sausages and used 230 loaves of bread.