Bumper crowd at Ryde’s Lunar New Year celebration

A BUMPER crowd attended City of Ryde’s Lunar New Year celebration at Eastwood Oval on Saturday.

Politicians and real estate agents alike, were out in force, with the sun gods turning it on to ensure a large crowd of families and locals enjoyed the evening’s entertainment, food and drink stalls, amusements and carnival rides.

One of the highlights of the celebration was the spectacular high pole lion dancing.

The other was seeing Ryde councillor Trenton Brown ditch the blue tie for a traditional Korean costume, a gesture that observers say, went down a treat.

Ryde councillor Justin Li - who was the founding chairperson of City of Ryde’s Lunar New Year Celebration Committee and led it for four years between 2009 and 2012 - said the weekend’s events were a fitting way to celebrate the pandemic being put behind us.

”After having the last two years impacted by Covid, it was great to see a record number of attendees at Eastwood Oval on Saturday, including the NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet,” Clr Li told The Weekly Times.

”Everybody had a fun time. Congratulations particularly to the new co-chairs Anthony Tang and Clr Trenton Brown and the Council events team who have taken the lunar new year event to new heights.”

☐ Community leaders at Saturday’s Lunar New Year celebrations, pictured l to r, included Ryde councillors Bernard Purcellm, Penny Pedersen and Charles Song; federal Minister for Education, Jason Clare; event MC Stephen Sim; Member for Bennelong Jerome Laxale; Ryde MP Victor Dominello; Liberal candidate for the state seat of Ryde, Jordan Lane; NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet; City of Ryde Lunar New Year Celebration Committee cochair, Trenton Brown; Ryde Mayor Sarkis Yedelian OAM; and City of Ryde CEO Wayne Rylands.