News Alert |

The City of Ballarat will recognise its 2019 Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Event of the Year at a special ceremony on Friday 25 January, 2019. 

The Australia Day Awards recognise and celebrate individuals and organisations which give up their time to make our community a more vibrant place to live in. 

Nominees for Citizen of the Year 2019 include Ballarat East Cricket Club coach and mentor John Davies, Me and My Dad Playgroup coordinator Leigh Whitten, community volunteer Katie Wright, international jousting champion Phillip Leitch, Committee for Miners Rest President Alicia Bond, disability and hospice care advocate Geoff Russell, Forest Rangers Soccer Club stalwart Marilyn Tyndall, volunteer, basketball and cricket coach Rod Lewis and little athletics leader Shane Bicknell. 

Nominees for Young Citizen of the Year include family violence advocate Lachlan Warwick, Interchange Program volunteer Teghan Henderson, Eureka and Golden City Hockey Club player and under 14s coach Charlotte Matthews, CanTeen Victoria and Rotary Club of Ballarat South advocate Sarah-Jane Sloane, mature IT student and vision impairment advocate Gabriel Gervasoni, Relay for Life fundraiser Brody Filcock, Aboriginal sports role model Cooper Craig-Peters, young people with an out-of-home care experience advocate Jemma Wilson, basketball player and role model Charlie Molan, acclaimed artist Tahlia Stanton, youth music festival ‘WinterWick’ organiser Jade Moran and ‘Happiness Advent Calendar’ creator and homelessness champion Jake Sbardella. 

Nominees for Community Event of the Year are the King of Ballarat downhill mountain bike race, the Centenary of Women’s Football in Victoria, Ballarat parkrun, the Floral Tram Project, It’s in the Bag, and community engagement by the Brown Hill Progress Association. 

The City of Ballarat will conduct all events on and leading up to 26 January in line with the recommendations from Reconciliation Victoria to mark the day respectfully, to recognise the honoured place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in our nation’s history, to be sensitive to the feelings of Aboriginal people who may see the day as one of mourning, and to see the day as an opportunity to promote understanding, respect and reconciliation. 

Quotes attributable to City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Samantha McIntosh: 

“The Australia Day Awards are a chance for us to thank the many inspirational people, groups and organisations that give so much to the Ballarat community. 

“Ballarat is fortunate to have so many people who dedicate their passion, time and skills to helping others - they make Ballarat the magnificent city that we have today.”