A message from Hazel Hawke Chair of the Heritage Council Well, the Olympics and Paralympics are now well and truly over, the visitors have left town and we are left with many happy memories of these spectacularly successful events. The crowds exhibited great respect for physical prowess and achievement, regardless of the country represented, as well as a dash of good old Aussie irreverence! What these events have proved to us as well as the rest of the world is that we are not only an efficient people, able to stage such complex events with energy and panache, but we also know how to enjoy ourselves at the same time. And so we look forward to the many varied events that will mark the Centenary of Federation with renewed confidence in our abilities and in our cohesiveness as a community. I therefore felt very privileged to be asked to officially open the Federation Towns Program for the NSW Centenary of Federation Committee in October. Appropriately, this ceremony was held in Tenterfield, where Sir Henry Parkes gave his landmark speech in October 1889. There was a festive street parade, a cluster of food and merchandise stalls, rollicking entertainment, a brilliant poem by a local writer and the best presentation of Aboriginal dances and stories I have ever seen. As I walked around chatting to people in the park I was reminded that the Olympic spirit that so delighted and astonished the world is not something that was invented for an international event. This came home to me again a few weeks later when I visited the NSW south coast at the invitation of the Merimbula-Imlay Historical Society. It is always refreshing to see what local people are doing to conserve and promote their local heritage. The 'can do' attitude of country people leads to achievements way beyond their financial resources, and so it was here too. The Killer Whale Museum in Eden is a model of its kind. It demonstrates that if organisers are clear about the message they want to convey, a museum can be just as successful in the bush as in the city. I take this opportunity to wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a joyful and rousing Centenary of Federation new year.