Three Australia Day ambassadors for West Wimmera Shire

Published on 13 January 2022

Australia flag stock photo

West Wimmera Shire Council will welcome three Australia Day Ambassadors to the region later this month.

Duncan Stalker, Dominic Barbuto and Peter Langkamp will attend Australia Day celebrations throughout the shire.

Mayor Bruce Meyer said it was wonderful to see three, highly-regarded individuals travelling to the shire for these important events.

Dr Stalker will speak at ceremonies at Edenhope and Dergholm. He has an extensive background in education, which started with him teaching high school maths and physics. He was principal of Brauer College in Warrnambool for 23 years.

Dr Stalker was president of the Victorian Secondary Principals’ Association and the Australian Secondary Principals’ Association, and he serves on the Order of Australia Association, Warrnambool RSL and Rotary Club of Warrnambool.

Mr Barbuto will speak at Goroke and Harrow events. He is an art director and designer, who ran an entertainment-based design studio in Melbourne for the past 36 years. His studio has designed extensively for musical theatre, stage productions, television, radio, concert tours and events.

Mr Barbuto is involved with various charities, including Support Act, which provides relief to Australian entertainment industry workers who are facing hardship or illness.

The third ambassador, Dr Langkamp is a disability advocate who will speak at events in Kaniva and Apsley. He is a director of genU, The Disability Trust, and ermha365 - organisations that advocate for a national focus on disability and mental health. He was previously president of Carers Australia, which represents unpaid carers.

Dr Langkamp has had a successful corporate career, working with companies such as National Disability Insurance Agency, Shell Australia, NRMA, and Accenture. In 1995, he conceived and launched the FlyBuys program.

Cr Meyer said the three ambassadors would bring a wealth of knowledge to the shire, and he looked forward to hearing them speak.

“These people are highly motivated to make a difference in the world and in the lives of others,” he said.

“We are privileged to have such accomplished and enthusiastic community contributors as our Australia Day Ambassadors in 2022.”

West Wimmera Shire Council will have six celebrations on Australia Day in 2022, with events at Apsley, Dergholm, Edenhope, Goroke, Harrow and Kaniva.

Details of each event are as follows:

Apsley – 11am at Apsley Lions Park Playground

Kaniva – 8am at the Kaniva Swimming Pool

Edenhope – 8am at Henley Park

Goroke – 8am at the Goroke Memorial Hall

Harrow – 11.30am at Johnny Mullagh Reserve

Dergholm – 11am at the Dergholm Memorial Hall

 

Further details contact: Mayor Bruce Meyer 0437 261 280