The annual parade was missing from the festivities last year when the committee for the event folded.

Former mayor and Rotary Club of Corowa member Gary Poidevin said he was happy to see the parade return after the future of the celebration was in question.

“To be able to get a group like the Rotary Club to continue it on is absolutely fantastic,” he said. 

“If they hadn’t stepped up to support it, it would have died through lack of physical manpower to put everything on.

“To see it back and the crowd enjoying the parade is probably the highlight.

“It was well received, there would have been a couple thousand in the street watching.”

Among the features of the parade were 29 floats and six marching bands, including the 5th/6th Battalion Royal Victorian Regiment Pipe Band. 

The Corowa District Historical Society won best float of the day.

Rotary Club president John Law said the celebrations kicked off with the first ever Federation Dinner and Tim Fischer Oration. 

“We do the market on Saturday and Sunday, we have the B and S ball on Saturday night, but nothing was there on Friday to kick off the Federation weekend,” he said. 

“We got a guest speaker down to talk about Corowa’s place in the Federation. 

“Geoffrey Brownrigg is a very entertaining speaker, he told stories about people that have faded into history but had a really important role in the Federation of Australia.

“One thing we’re trying to do is get Corowa people to understand their place in history as we’re one of the three recognised birth places of the Federation and that’s very important.”

Mr Law said he wanted the Corowa community to come on board to support the 29 Rotarians that will now co-ordinate the event each year.

“We have to keep making it interesting and attractive, we have to encourage more and different people to get involved,” he said.

“I’d like to get it back to its days when you had to get barricades to hold people back … I think it will get bigger and bigger.”