General News
24 August, 2026
Twenty years of caring
FAMILIES across Cairns’ southside are invited to come together for a special celebration marking 20 years of Child Protection Week at Ravizza Park, Edmonton.
Mission Australia’s Hambledon House Community Centre will host the annual Southside Celebration on 4 September, bringing families, community organisations and local services together for a free day of fun, connection and activities celebrating children, families and community.
Hambledon House has been at the heart of organising the event since it began and this year’s celebration will look back at two decades of memories while creating new ones.
Mission Australia program manager Tom Wintzloff said the anniversary was an opportunity to celebrate the strength and diversity of the local community.
“For 20 years, this event has brought our community together to celebrate children, families and the people and organisations that help make Cairns’ southside such a special place,” he said.
“This year we’re celebrating that history while creating new memories, with a wonderful program of free activities, performances and opportunities for families to connect.”
The stage program will feature a Welcome to Country, local school choir, Cairns Southside Youth Concert Band, taiko drumming, CYCAS Circus acrobatics, line dancing and zumba.
Families can enjoy a petting zoo, jumping castle, inflatable obstacle course, wildlife encounters, traditional weaving, circus workshops, bubble activities, face painting and traditional games.
Southside Comets FC will also run football drills and games, while the play road at Hambledon House will form part of the event area.
Around 40 local organisations and services will host information stalls, with emergency services, including Queensland Ambulance Service, Queensland Fire Department and SES also attending.
To mark the 20th anniversary, Mission Australia will showcase photos and flyers from previous celebrations and work with ‘Our Cultural Conversations’ to create two collaborative artworks reflecting children, family and community and the landscape of Cairns south.
The celebration will conclude with the Cairns Regional Council open-air movie night.
