Fairfield City Australia Day Award nominations now open

The awards recognise outstanding achievements or contribution to the local community by individuals who are Australian citizens who live, work or study in the Fairfield City Local Government Area.

Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone said this was a great opportunity for residents to acknowledge the wonderful work being done by people in our community.

“Fairfield City is full of heroes working tirelessly to make our City great,” Mayor Carbone said.

“Many of them do this without seeking recognition. The Community Awards are a wonderful way to acknowledge and thank them for the work they do.

“These people enrich our community, selflessly giving their time for others. They make a significant contribution to our City.”

Award categories include:

The winners will be announced at a special ceremony in Fairfield City on Australia Day, 26 January 2020.

Nomination forms and guidelines are available from Council’s website – www.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/australiaday. Nominations close on Friday 1 November 2019.

This year’s winners were:

2019 Citizen of the Year: Grigory Rogojkin

Grigory volunteered for the State Emergency Service (SES) throughout Fairfield City for more than 10 years and was responsible for SES trucks and boats as well as maintaining equipment. He also assisted with motor vehicle accidents, helped stranded drivers who drove through floodwaters and helped locate missing people.

He also volunteered for community events such as the Buddhist and Chinese New Year events, Fairfield Trolley Drive and Carols in Horsley Park and volunteered at the Fairfield City Museum and Gallery as the blacksmith once a week.

2019 Young Citizen of the Year: Angelique Cavanaugh

Angelique led, organised and took part in local charity events including World’s Greatest Shave, Red Shield Appeal, Newleaf food drive, Jersey Day, Relay for Life and 40 Hour Famine to raise money.

She was a member of her school’s Youth Mental Health Advisory Committee, a recent member of the Fairfield City Youth Advisory Committee, and a member of the Fairfield Art Advisory Committee and assisted with the Cabramatta Moon Festival and Bring It On! Festival as a volunteer.

2019 Volunteer of the Year: Joe Farrugia 

Joe was a founding member and president of Western Sydney Cycling Network. The network is a group of volunteers that reconditions bicycles, putting them back into the community rather than in land fill. Joe also spent many hours teaching school children within the Fairfield City area how to ride and he organised rides including charity rides for cycling events such as Gear Up Girl and Spring Cycle run.

2019 Sports Achiever of the Year: Daniel Harrison

In 2017-2018 Daniel played in the Mounties Men’s 1st Division Softball team finishing runners up. He was selected in the U19 NSW Men’s Softball Team and also in the U23 NSW Men’s Team to compete at the National Softball Championship where he was named in the All-Tournament Team as Third Base. He was named as a reserve for the Australian Junior Men’s Team. Daniel also helped coach younger players, willing to share his experience and expertise.

Photo: 2019 Citizen of the Year Grigory Rogojkin at the Australia Day Awards ceremony on 26 January 2019.