Cairns Mayor Bob Manning is encouraging people to nominate deserving residents for the annual Australia Day Awards, launched yesterday.
Cr Manning said there were many deserving people in the Cairns region – often quiet achievers – who helped others and enriched the community through their good and selfless work.
"There is no greater honour than to be recognised by your own community, and there is no greater way to say 'thank you' than by nominating someone for an Australia Day Award," Cr Manning said.
"It's important that we make the effort to celebrate the individuals who inspire us, who help to build up our community, and who make us a stronger and more vibrant city.
"If you know someone who deserves their moment in the spotlight, we encourage you to take the time to nominate them, so we can recognise their achievements together."
Australia Day Awards 2022 Cultural Award recipient, Hong Ma, a Police Liaison Officer in the Far North Division Cross Cultural Liaison Unit encouraged people to nominate individuals they believe deserved recognition for the work they do in the community.
Dedicated to helping Chinese immigrates settle in the Far North, as part of his role with the QPS, Mr Ma has become a point of contact for members of the Chinese community, both for matters concerning police as well as other issues.
"For me, being named Cultural Award winner is not only a recognition for me, but an encouragement to all those who choose Australia as their second home. We don't do what we do for the recognition," Mr Ma said.
"However, it is really nice that people want to acknowledge others for the work they are doing. And it is especially great to hear about the great work some of our young and multi-cultural people are doing out there, which often goes unnoticed."
"The Australia Day Awards are a great opportunity to put it out there and to acknowledge those people who are doing great things in the community and give them the recognition they deserve."
Nominations are now open in seven categories:
- Citizen of the Year
- Young Citizen of the Year
- Volunteer of the Year (open age)
- Sportsperson of the Year
- Junior Sportsperson of the Year (under 21)
- Cultural Award
- Junior Cultural Award (under 21)
Nominations can be completed online or downloaded and printed via Cairns Regional Council's website.
Paper copies are available from Council's customer service centres and Cairns Libraries branches.
Nominators are asked to fill in all relevant sections, provide contactable referees, and include as much information as possible to allow judges to assess the nomination.
Nominations close Monday 5 December at 3pm.
