"It really means a lot for the crowd to come and support us," Dja Dja Wurrung Elder Uncle Rick Nelson said at Castlemaine's Australia Day/Survival Day event.
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The joint ceremony, being held for the third year, drew in a crowd of hundreds
Uncle Rick, who performed a Welcome to County and lead the Survival Day concert, said it has been great to see the support grow year-on-year.
"Thankful for the [Mount Alexander] Shire because everything is now officially Australia Day/Survival Day activities so that means a lot."
He said it was vital for the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community to respect one another and learn from each other.
"We are a small community, we have got to live side by side as neighbours so it is important that we get along."
Time to come together
Uncle Rick said he respected people who chose to label the day as Invasion Day, but he chose to look at it as a celebration of his people's survival.
"People go for Invasion Day but I say let's celebrate ... we have survived 200 years of occupation and here in Castlemaine we are getting along famously, we are strong for reconciliation."
He said he hoped to see more regional areas adopt the joint ceremony style.
"It is getting stronger and stronger each year and it would be exciting if other little rural towns followed suit," he said.
"Castlemaine is ahead in leaps and bounds but I hope this can rub off on other towns."
New citizens
The Mount Alexander shire welcomed six new Australians into its community during the celebrations.
One of the nation's newest members was Tiffany Raae who, after 15 years in the country, was welcomed onto Dja Dja Wurrung country as a new Australian citizen.
Ms Raae said she was "moved" by the joint Australia Day and Survival Day celebrations held in the centre of town.
"It feels great and it was such a lovely ceremony, it was so beautiful I was moved by it," she said.
"Having Rick (Nelson) there is such an important part of the community."
Ms Raae said the day's ceremony meant more than simply becoming a citizen, but rather joining a broader community.
"Being part of something bigger because it is more than just me becoming a citizen, it is becoming part of the community and part of the bigger Australian community is huge.
"There was so much warmth and love and welcoming."
She said the community she had found in Castlemaine had been very special to her and allowed her to make lifelong friends.
"It has been great, I have met some incredible people and really dear friends that live here, my son has grown up here so it has been a really lovely place ... it has been very special."
Citizens, event of the year
Mount Alexander's senior citizen of the year Barbara Templar has dedicated the last 30 years to the RSL and Legacy.
Ms Templar's husband served when he was alive and after he passed away she took up the role of secretary for the local RSL branch.
She said the support that RSL members had given her was incredible and she was "very honoured" to be given the award.
"(My husband) passed away 33 years ago and (the members) took over and looked after me," she said
"I love (working at the branch) I don't like accolades, I prefer to just get in there and do it."
"We are a good community and our Legacy and RSL are great guys, they are like brothers."
The other winners were Claire Mitchell (young citizen), Debbie Hamilton (citizen of the year) and the Taradale Mineral Springs Festival as the event of the year.
