Jeremy's commitment to business excellence and innovation has cemented Sovereign Hill's reputation as an iconic tourism attraction in Australia

In terms of politics two of Australia' finest Prime Minister's came from this district. James Scullen was one of them.

We have Martin Loughlin from Kilkenny; a successful financial trader who amassed a considerable fortune on the Ballarat Stock Exchange.

William Henry Shaw from Belfast, who with partners Holden, Carter and Threlfell, established the great Phoenix Foundry in 1854.

A member of a well- known business group, nicknamed "Rags (Harry Davies- Haberdashery), Bottles (Coghlan) and Bones (John Heinz -butcher)", these men in 1898 purchased and redeveloped Ballarat's Academy of Music, now Her Majesty's Theatre

James Coghlan from County Wexford. James was the founding father of the Ballarat brewing industry starting with his much celebrated Phoenix Brewery which he later amalgamated with William Tullock's Royal Standard Brewery to establish the Ballarat Brewing Company inclusive also of its extensive hotel interests.

Daniel Brophy from County Kilkenny -Successful Entrepreneur-Chairman of Ballarat's largest mine -the Band and Albion Mine

A reminder of the theatre and entertainment of the early goldfields days was the popular Limerick beauty Lola Montez - Elizabeth Rosana Gilbert.

Conversely the Eureka Stockade was Ballarat's gift to Australian democracy and it was here on December 1854 that Peter Lalor led his fellow Irishmen and diggers

Let us applaud Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

Gold was Australia's gift to Ballarat and it was in August 1851 at Poverty Point that James Regan from County Limerick with Scotsman John Dunlop were the first to find gold in Ballarat

The hospital was opened in 1915 in Bailey's Mansion after Ballarat's Bishop Moore had invited the Sisters of St. John of God from Ireland to take control.

Curtin became Australia's legendary wartime Prime Minister ever conscious of his democratic responsibility and his accountability to the Australian people.