Fifty Italians from Avezzano (including a bishop and three priests), 28 Canadians from Newfoundland and a dozen South Africans will arrive and stay in the area from Wednesday, July 9 through to Sunday, July 12.

For three-and-a-half days Yass will be filled with delightful foreign culture, gifting locals with a greater appreciation and understanding of other ways of life.

Over the course of their stay, billets will visit Cooma Cottage – where they will be given a tour, whip cracking demonstrations and a sheep herding display – be given a civic reception and fireworks show, take part in an International Mass and go sight seeing in Canberra.

Our guests, with the exception of the South Africans, will land at Sydney Airport on Wednesday July 11 and commute to Yass via bus. They will be dropped off at Mt Carmel School gates at around 10pm, ready to be picked up by their host families.

The following afternoon will be spent learning about Australia’s history and culture at Cooma Cottage.

Canadian and Italian visitors will be taken to the Nation’s Capital on the Friday, where they will explore such sights as Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial.

On Friday evening, the community will gather at the Yass Showground for an annual ‘Cracker Night’. The night, hosted by Yass Public School and Yass Show Society, will be the first opportunity locals will have to meet all of our International friends.

The week will climax on Sunday when the youth unite for an International Mass at 10am. Prayers, readings and songs will be expressed in the four different spoken languages of our visitors.

A Four Nations soccer carnival (contested between the youth of Italy, South Africa, Canada and Australia), a barbecue and a community concert will be held on Mt Carmel School grounds. All are welcome to attend.

“It’s all going to be quite something,” St Augustine’s Parish Priest Father Laurie said. “We had more than enough families willing to look after billets. The response has been great… I’m looking forward to it.”

On Monday July 14, local and international pilgrims will be farewelled with an early morning mass and pancake breakfast in the grounds of the presbytery.