mmg.com.au

To coincide with Canberra’s 100th birthday celebrations yesterday, the PS Canberra and a flotilla of Echuca’s paddlesteamers sailed down the Murray river.

The steamers then returned to the PS Canberra’s berth, where at exactly 11.05am, world champion town crier Judy Campbell ‘cried’ a birthday salute.

‘‘Happy Birthday Canberra,’’ she exclaimed.

This coincided with a ceremony at the city’s foundation stone, attended by Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

A small crowd gathered at Riverboat Dock to see the handful of boats pull in, with district school children and dignitaries on board.

Despite the sweltering heat, the city’s centenary was heralded with an enthusiastic display of whistle-blowing from the PS Canberra, Pride of the Murray and the Emmylou, much to the delight of onlookers.

Murray Regional Tourism Board chief executive Mark Francis said Canberra was the largest city in the Murray-Darling Basin.

‘‘We are proud to celebrate the exact moment a century ago when our nation’s capital city formally came into being,’’ he said.

‘‘This event provides an opportunity for the local and wider community to remember the Murray River’s legacy in pioneering settlement and contemporary role as the nation’s paddlesteamer capital.’’

It is believed the PS Canberra was named after the city as a passing nod by the fisherman who commissioned her.

Post-federation, before taxes were re-established when the national parliament moved to Canberra, fisherman David Conner caught many fish in the Murray River (NSW waters) and sold them in Victoria tax-free.

With his fortune he commissioned the PS Canberra, which was launched from Goolwa, South Australia, in 1913.