The dinner saw around 200 people from across NSW come together in honour of Ben Chifley, the 16^th Australian Prime Minister and Bathurst resident.

Each event sees a special guest make the trip to Bathurst to speak at the dinner, and this year NSW Opposition Leader Chris Minns took the honours.

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Mr Minns was joined by his wife Anna and three boys Joe, Nick and George, who all enjoyed the night and their short trip to Bathurst.

"It was great to have Bathurst come out in such numbers for the Light on the Hill speech and to welcome me and the family," Mr Minns said.

"We enjoyed visiting Bathurst cafes and businesses on Sunday.

"Bathurst remains a very special place for NSW Labor generating many champions over the years, starting with Ben Chifley and right through to Gerard Martin, Sue West and Cr Jess Jennings."

Light on the Hill is a long-standing tradition in Bathurst, having run annually since 1984 until COVID prevented the event from taking place.

Bathurst Labor branch president Sue West said it was great to see so many people attend after a three-year hiatus during COVID.

The dinner was held at Panthers Bathurst where those in attendance enjoyed a good meal and a great social night.

"It was well received. We had lots of Bathurst people but we also had people who had travelled from the ACT, Newcastle, around the Central West and Western Plains area, so there were lots of people from everywhere," Ms West said.

"The official speaking had finished by about 9pm but at 11pm lots of people were still mingling and talking and interacting.

"It was an excellent night and an excellent speech."

When addressing guests on Saturday night, Mr Minns looked back on Ben Chifley's original speech and some of the main points he took from it, one being to always strive for a better future.

He spoke about how the Light on the Hill speech provided a sense of mission and hopefulness to the members of Labor NSW.

"It's essential point is that there's a better world and that world is within our power to shape and to lead and to achieve that there is no need to settle for the status quo, particularly when it's unjust," Mr Minns said.

"When the world is unfair, it's the labor movement's duty to do something about it.

"The light on the Hill speech is the source code, the DNA of the Labor Party."

The Light on the Hill was named after Ben Chifley's final speech to the Australian Labor Party conference in 1949, outlining a future vision for the Labor movement.

Mr Minns has now joined the likes of Jim Chalmers, Senator Pat Dodson, and current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese who have all been guest speakers at the local event.

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