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Chapter TwoOfficial properties andcommunity eventsThe Australiana Fund held Open Days atGovernment House and Admiralty House inSeptember 2011, in conjunction with similar eventsat The Lodge and Kirribilli House. The AustralianaFund also conducted regular garden tours ofGovernment House during the spring, summer andautumn months.The Smith Family conducted its annual OpenHouse and Garden event at Government Houseon 18 March 2012, with an estimated attendanceof 6,500. The Canberra Symphony Orchestra wasscheduled to launch its 2012 season with a PromConcert in the grounds of Government House on18 February 2012. Unfortunately the concert wascancelled due to inclement weather.A small number of local community groups werepermitted to use the grounds of GovernmentHouse for fundraising activities.All together, more than 12,000 members of thepublic visited the vice-regal properties in 2011–12.Communication and informationThe Office’s Communications and Media Unitworked with regional, national and internationalmedia to facilitate coverage of the Governor-General’s activities at home and abroad. TheAustralian media reported regularly on a widevariety of events in Ms Bryce’s program, thusinforming the public about aspects of her role andher involvement with the community.Events and visits which attracted significant coveragein 2011–12 included the visit to Australia by HerMajesty The Queen and His Royal Highness theDuke of Edinburgh, particularly The Queen’s activitiesat Government House; the commemorationand presentation to members of 6RAR on the45th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan; thevisit by Their Royal Highnesses Crown PrinceFrederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark;the 70th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin; adinner hosted by the Mawson’s Huts Foundation,of which the Governor-General is Patron, to markthe centenary of Sir Douglas Mawson’s journey toAntarctica; the Governor-General’s visit to Pacificisland countries; an intensive four day program inMelbourne in which the Governor-General visited arange of charities and local organisations supportingdisadvantaged or marginalised people; the plantingat Government House of two ‘Canberra Bells’Correa plants (as shown on the cover of this report),developed to mark Canberra’s centenary in 2013;and the launch of ConnectPink, a social networkingwebsite for country women which supports theMcGrath Foundation.In a year in which the Governor-General visitedmany regional areas and was involved with severalprojects and initiatives relating to rural people andcommunities, the Office worked actively with mediarepresentatives in country areas to facilitate coverageof these activities. Stories that were reported in localmedia included the Governor-General’s opening ofthe Royal Easter Show Sydney, the Killarney Showand the Cooma Show; the address to open theThe Governor-General welcomes His Royal Highness Crown Prince Frederik and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mary of Denmark,and their twins, to Admiralty House on 20 November 201136 OFFICE OF THE OFFICIAL SECRETARY TO THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL