Australia Day Awards Announced

It is very fitting to award our inaugural Ararat Ambassador Award to a person who has devoted the best part of her life to making Ararat and the surrounding communities a better place. The year’s Australia Day Awards were an opportunity for Ararat Rural City Council to acknowledge people who put back into our community every day, working tirelessly behind the scenes to achieve great outcomes. Though humble, Dianne Radford deserves recognition, and is a worthy recipient of the Ararat Ambassador Award.

Her achievements are many. Dianne was an integral member of the team that oversaw the redevelopment of the East Grampians Health Service to the state of the art facility it is today.

She has worked closely with many community groups and individuals particularly where there are positive outcomes for the community. Being involved in initiatives like raising the vital funds for the helipad at the hospital to being involved in programs that community can get involved with such as the ‘Sharing the Journey’ art project that were created by cancer survivors have always been close to her heart.

She also has great passion for Ararat’s youth, working with VCAL students over the years and coordinating the annual ANZAC visits to the Shrine of Remembrance for local secondary students as part of Ararat Legacy, which also sees her caring for widows of departed war veterans.

Dianne established the Women, Wisdom & Wellbeing Dinner, which has become an annual get together for women of the region, attracting up to 300 and last year celebrating its 15th birthday, while she also coordinated the establishment of the Victoria Police Blue Ribbon Foundation – Ararat Branch, which we can all agree has done many great things for Ararat.

Last year alone, Dianne worked on the Grampians Ride to Remember, 50th anniversary celebration of the Laurel Clubs, Blue Ribbon Gala Night, Ararat Legacy House Opening, AME Systems & Ararat Legacy Memorial Gardens Project, Legacy Junior Public Speaking Awards, AME’s Women’s Wellbeing Weekend and a major two day event for AME Systems.

The time and effort she contributes to all the projects she is involved in is a testament to the patience and support of her wonderful family and close friends. Looking back on all she has achieved, it is very clear to see the love she has for our town and its people.