2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his work On the Origin of Species, and this month sees many events taking place in Darwin to commemorate the anniversaries.

Click here to view the events calendar.

According to a new report, An Aging World: 2008, produced by the US Census Bureau on behalf of the National Institute on Aging, the average age of the world’s population is increasing at an unprecedented rate. The number of people worldwide aged 65 and older was estimated to be 506 million at mid-2008; by 2040, that number will reach 1.3 billion. Thus, in just over 30 years, the proportion of older people will double from 7 percent to 14 percent of the total world population.

In 1996 the Governor-General officially proclaimed that “to commemorate the day in 1901 on which the Australian national flag was first flown, 3 September in each year shall be observed as ‘Australian National Flag Day’ throughout Australia and in the external Territories of Australia.”. This year’s Flag Day marks the 108th anniversary of the first unfurling of the Australian Flag from the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne.

Australians are being invited this month to light a balloon at twilight to remember, celebrate and give hope to people living with blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. In Darwin, the balloon lighting ceremony will take place at 6.30pm on 2 September on Liberty Square, next to the Parliament building. For further information, call 1800 500 088 or go to www.lightthenight.org.au

This month sees the opening of stage one of CDU’s Indonesian Garden. The project, launched in 2005 as part of an Indonesian cultural week, sets out to create a cultural, educational and recreational resource for the University and the wider Australian and Indonesian communities.

The winning entry in this year’s Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, Danie Mellor’s From Rite to Ritual, has proved to be a controversial decision. You can judge for yourself – and also vote for the public’s choice – at the Museum and Art Gallery where the finalists’ entries are on display until 25 October.

August is Seniors Month and the calendar is full of a variety of activities to whet the appetite. U3A Darwin’s activity is a tour of the Aviation Heritage Museum at Winnellie.

Girl Guides Australia has already started planning its celebrations to mark the centenary of guiding in Australia in 2010, and would like to make contact with as many former members as possible in order to invite them to take part in the festivities.

If you would like details of the events that are coming up, call 8981 3628 or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The 600-mile Darwin to Ambon yacht race was held annually from 1976 to 1998 when regional political instability caused that year’s event to be cancelled. In 2007, the race was revived under the auspices of the Dinah Beach Cruising Yacht Association, and this year the yachts will be assembling on the harbour for the start of the race at 11am on 18 July.

For more details click here.

As Judith has mentioned, the Royal Darwin Show takes place this month, and it promises to have more competitions, exhibits and displays than ever before. The Show opens its doors at 10am on 23 July and runs for three days at the Darwin Showgrounds, Stuart Highway. Entry is $10 with an aged concession card.

For further information, call 8984 3091 or click here.

Mindil Beach market will have extended opening hours later in the month when it will be operating from 10am to 10pm on 19 July in conjunction with the combined Darwin Lions Clubs’ 35th Annual Beer Can Regatta.

The Parks and Wildlife Department has a wide range of walks and talks on offer this Dry, both in the Darwin area and further afield in places such as Fogg Dam and Litchfield Park.