News Alert |

Early onset dementia champion Nick Locandro has been announced as the City of Ballarat’s 2020 Citizen of the Year. 

The Ballarat 2020 Australia Day Award winners were announced at a special ceremony at Civic Hall this evening. 

The year’s Australia Day Award winners are –  

Ballarat Citizen of the Year 2020 – Nick Locandro 

Through his experience of losing his father to early onset dementia, Nick saw the need to raise awareness and increase knowledge of early onset dementia, and provide ways to support people with dementia and their carers to allow them to remain engaged and socially connected with the wider community.    

While remaining in full-time employment, Nick raised about $60,000 through two epic bike rides – cycling from Uluru to Ballast, a distance of 2,300km in 14 days, as well as a six-day 1,000km ride along South Australia’s Mawson’s Trail to raise awareness of dementia. 

Nick went on to establish This is Dementia, a not-for-profit organisation, which partners with Ballarat business to set up regular events for individuals with dementia and their carers. 

Ballarat Young Citizen of the Year 2020 – Aleasha Keely 

In 2016, Aleasha became a volunteer in the LARF (Life skills, Activities, Relationships, Friendship & Fun) mentoring program. This program is provided to children and youth who experience social isolation due to homelessness, family violence, poverty, substance abuse and family breakdown. 

Aleasha became a well-respected mentor in the program and a co-facilitator while undertaking her own full-time social work studies. 

Aleasha made many pivotal improvements to make the program more child-friendly while ensuring the children always feel safe, have fun and feel comfortable to talk about any issues they may be experiencing.  

Ballarat Community Event of the Year 2020 – Roller Skate Fit Club (Marcia King and Haylee Hartley)  

Up to 40 people meet twice a week to strap wheels to their feet and helmets to their heads to participate in Ballarat’s Roller Skate Fit Club. 

The volunteer club provides coaching for skaters of all ages and skill levels and also promotes fitness and fun in a safe environment. 

Open to children, families, seniors and anyone in between, the club has cultivated an atmosphere that strongly attracts women to become more active. It is also a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQI+ members. 

The Roller Skate Fit Club program now also features the Mini Rollers program for primary school aged children and the Skate High program for teenagers. 

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Ben Taylor congratulated the award recipients and nominees for this year’s 2020 Australia Day Awards.  

“Ballarat is fortunate to have many good-hearted people who give us their creativity, experience and enthusiasm as volunteers across a wide range of areas,” he says. 

“The Australia Day Awards are our chance to say thank you and to honour the many unsung heroes in our community who make Ballarat a great place to live.”  

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.  

Alongside the Australia Day Awards, events being held in Ballarat to mark 26 January include –