A Rochester volunteer for more than 43 years and a dedicated youth advocate from Kyabram have received top honours at this year's Australia Day Awards.
Campaspe Shire Mayor, Cr Chrissy Weller said the awards formally recognise the outstanding contribution made by so many people within our community.
"The prestigious Australia Day Awards formally acknowledge the dedication and commitment of hard working members in our community, who have been nominated by members in our community," Mayor Weller said.
Awards were presented in two categories: Citizen of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year with the overall winners as follows:
- Citizen of the Year Hannah Thompson of Rochester
- Young Citizen of the Year Jack Norris of Kyabram
Winner of Campaspe's Citizen of the Year award, Hannah Thompson has been a long standing volunteer in the Rochester community and is the recipient of many community awards. Hannah suffered a significant stroke at the age of 23 which left her with an enduring disability but this has not stopped her from helping out whenever and wherever she can.
Hannah has been collecting for The Royal Children's Hospital in the Good Friday Appeal since she was 9 years old and helps her Dad deliver Meals-On-Wheels. She sells raffle tickets for the bowling club every Friday night when the meals are on.
Hannah's accolades don't stop there, she has been co-editor for the Uniting church newsletter since 2005 and helps out at St. Joseph's Primary School with reading and other tasks. She has a great relationship with patients at the local hospital and knows what they like to buy from the lolly trolley. Hannah brings sunshine into what can sometimes be a grey day.
Nominated for his significant contribution to the Kyabram community, Jack Norris received the Young citizen of the year award.
Jack takes great pride in representing the young people of Kyabram and strives to make the community a better place. He is a strong voice for his peers and serves on the College Council at his local school, Kyabram P-12. Jack is also a member of Campaspe Shire Council's Youth Advisory Group and has been a very active member in the consultation process informing the development of the Kyabram Community Based Plan.
Jack was awarded the Australian Defence Force 2019 Long Tan Leadership and Teamwork Award for being a young leader in the Kyabram community. He was also accepted into the Kwong Lee Dow Young Scholars Program for the class of 2021, an academic enrichment program for high-achieving students.
"On behalf of Council and the community, I'd like to congratulate all who were nominated for the awards across the shire as well as the named winners. Campaspe is very fortunate to have so many talented community members working hard and dedicating countless hours to improve the health and wellbeing of our residents," said Mayor Weller.
2021 AUSTRALIA DAY AWARD WINNERS
Echuca
Citizen of the year - Denis Jackman
Young citizen of the year - Martyn Currey
Rochester
Citizen of the year - Hannah Thompson
Young citizen of the year - Yazmin Hayes
Kyabram
Citizen of the year - Denise Gemmill
Young citizen of the year - Jack Norris
Tongala
Citizen of the year - Sarah Tee
Young citizen of the year - Not Awarded
Rushworth
Citizen of the year - Leah Huggard & Christine Brown
Young citizen of the year - Julie Habegger
Overall Campaspe Award Winners
Citizen of the year - Hannah Thompson
Young citizen of the year - Jack Norris
