Yakkerboo scoops award

PAKENHAM’S Yakkerboo Festival has won an award recognising the town as a ‘Child Friendly Community’.
The festival, for many years a highlight of the community’s annual calendar of events, was honoured by family assistance organisation NAPCAN for making a positive difference to the lives of children and families.
The recognition came during celebrations for National Child Protection Week.
Yakkerboo was congratulated on being ‘child friendly’ by Community Services and Children’s Minister Sherryl Garbutt. Festival president Graeme Moore said the honour was a great boost for the festival, now in its 30th year.
“We’re really rapt about it,” he said.
Mr Moore congratulated committee member Christine Young, who nominated the Pakenham event for the honour.
NAPCAN says a ‘Child Friendly Community’ is one that provides children with opportunities for optimal growth and development, socially, emotionally, culturally and spiritually.
Yakkerboo Festival was said to encourage children, parents and families to spend time participating in the festival together.
NAPCAN described the festival as providing a “safe and enriching environment and a pleasant and social atmosphere in which children had opportunities to extend their social, emotional and cultural growth and development”.
Mr Moore said plans were already well underway for the 2006 Yakkerboo Festival.