 For the two-and-a-half-thousand residents of Gundagai, Australia Day is a chance to say thank you to the citizens who've helped to shape the town. For Peter Christrician, growing up in Gundagai has given him a deep affection for the town, and he was rewarded last year as the Australia Day Ambassador. The Australia Day ceremony in Gundagai, they had the local band playing Australian songs, a country band. It was just a wonderful day. Gundagai offers its visitors a chance to soak up country traditions in a place seeped in Australia's history. The dog in the tucker box, it's one of the greatest folklore stories ever, and certainly people do come here just to see the dog in the tucker box. Gundagai also played a part in Australia's political history, with Prime Minister John Curtin a regular visitor to the Niagara Cafe, now a popular tourist spot and once owned by Peter's father. My father cooked them a meal one night, he and a couple other cabinet ministers, and got their t-ration increased because of their friendliness with the Prime Minister, so that's the way the story goes. Australia Day gives visitors to Gundagai the opportunity to experience what locals have always known. Born in Gundagai, you are a forever local. They have always welcomed back with open arms. The boy that leaves Gundagai, no matter how long he's lived in Canberra or Sydney or Melbourne or Brisbane, if someone says where do you come from, you say Gundagai.