How will you be celebrating Commonwealth Day?

It is on Monday, March 10th this year.

Read about it here on Wikipedia, where the following information was gleaned:

Commonwealth Day is the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations held on the second Monday in March, and marked by a multi-faith service in Westminster Abbey, normally attended by HM Queen Elizabeth II,Head of the Commonwealth, with the Commonwealth Secretary-General and Commonwealth High Commissionersin London. The Queen delivers an address to the Commonwealth, broadcast throughout the world

In the year before the quadrennial Commonwealth Games, the Queen starts the Queen’s Baton Relay on Commonwealth Day at Buckingham Palace, handing the baton to the first relay runner to start a journey that will end at the Opening Ceremony of the upcoming Games.

While it has a certain official status, Commonwealth Day is not a public holiday in most Commonwealth countries and there is little public awareness of it.

in Australia

In 2006 Elizabeth II delivered her Commonwealth Day address from St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, part of the lead-up to theCommonwealth Games that year in Melbourne. Although Commonwealth Day is not observed as a public holiday in Australia, several regional public holidays coincide with this day: Canberra Day in the Australian Capital Territory, Labour Day in Victoria, Adelaide Cup Day in South Australia and Eight-hour Day inTasmania.

in Canada

In Canada, the only official recognition is a federal government stipulation that the Royal Union Flag be flown alongside Canada’s flag at government installations nationwide, “where physical arrangements allow…. Physical arrangements means the existence of at least two flag poles”. The 1964 parliamentary resolutions creating the Maple Leaf flag also retained the Union Flag as an official symbol of Canada’s membership in the Commonwealth, and allegiance to the Crown.

Do any of our DUCW members have any details on Commonwealth Day in New Zealand?