Mayoral chains pay respect to our history
November 20, 2017
Colac Otway Shire Council Mayor Joe McCracken wants to bring the Mayoral chains back so we can pay respect to our history and traditions.
“One thing that we could do better as a community is celebrate who we are and where we have come from,” Cr McCracken said.
“We have a rich tradition that quite often goes unnoticed.
“I’d like to think we can recognise the past and celebrate it. It’s the foundations that built the modern community we live in today. The Mayoral chains are an important part of that tradition.”
From time to time, the City of Colac’s Mayoral chains may be worn at civic events.
“I’ve been talking to many members of the community about this, and there is support to bring back the Mayoral chains in some capacity - it just needs to be appropriate,” Cr McCracken said.
“I certainly don’t intend to wear the Mayoral chains at council meetings.
“But if it’s appropriate, I’d like to pay tribute to our predecessors by wearing the Mayoral chains at civic events.”
Mayoral chains are a common practice in many Victorian councils, with the city of Ballarat recently ‘retiring’ their 150 year old chains and creating new chains to reflect a modern Ballarat.
“I’m not suggesting we go to the effort of creating new chains - that’s too expensive and it’s not what our community wants,” Cr McCracken said.
“What I am suggesting is that we pay tribute to those civic leaders who have come before us by wearing the chains appropriately as a mark of respect.
“Celebrating our history and bringing a sense of tradition to Council is important to me as Mayor.”
The ‘Borough’ of Colac was declared on the 19th of January 1928, which then turned into the ‘town’ of Colac on 26th May 1948. The 90th and 70th anniversary celebrations are in 2018.
“We have two significant milestones in our history coming up next year, it would be fantastic to acknowledge this with our community, using the Mayoral chains.
“It’s a great way to pay tribute those who came before us.”
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