Congratulations to this year’s Golden Plains Shire 2019 Australia Day Awards recipients.
Mayor Cr Owen Sharkey presented the awards at a special ceremony on Tuesday 22 January at the Bannockburn Cultural Centre in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
Anthony Walker, the Officer in Charge at Linton Police Station, was named the Shire’s Citizen of the Year for his extraordinary investment in the local community beyond his profession.
Anthony, better known as Tony in Linton, is also involved in the primary school, CFA, sporting clubs and much more.
He is described the local go-to person if a resident every needs assistance, from welfare checks to mowing the lawns.
Teesdale’s Malcolm Johns was named Senior Citizen of the Year for his 30 years of service to the Inverleigh RSL.
The Young Citizen of the Year award was presented to Piggoreet teenager Luke Getsom, for his campaigning efforts against bullying and cyberbullying.
The Meredith History Interest Group received the Community Group of the Year award for its commitment to documenting the town’s past and involvement in local events.
Earlier in the evening, Cr Sharkey led two Australian Citizenship Ceremonies for Shire residents Samantha Aitken and Kristina Kaukova.
The My Home, Australia art exhibition, which opened the Australia Day Awards event, launched the Shire’s civic art collection.
Judges picked Haddon artist Vida Pearson for the top prize, while wildlife painter Lyn Steele, from Bannockburn, won the People’s Choice award.