Shine a light on a local – Nominate them for an award now!

Council is seeking the community’s help to recognise local legends who make the Western Downs the wonderful place it is by nominating them for the 2022 Australia Day Awards.

Western Downs Regional Council is now accepting nominations for the region’s most prestigious awards which recognise local heroes, talented sportsmen and women, creative talents, dedicated volunteers, and generous community groups.

Western Downs Regional Council Mayor Paul McVeigh said now was the time to show the outstanding people in our region that their hard work isn’t going unnoticed.

“Council recognises that our active, vibrant communities are built by amazing people who are deserving of recognition for their ongoing efforts,” Cr McVeigh said.

“Here in the Western Downs, it’s the people that make it and these awards are incredibly special as they allow us to shine a light on those who make notable contributions to their local community and help make our region the place we love.

“We need the help of all our residents to make sure our hard-working locals don’t go unnoticed, so I encourage anyone and everyone who knows someone great to get on board and nominate them for an award.”

2021 Young Citizen of the Year Karsten Duvel said it was rewarding to see his efforts towards the community recognised and would encourage everyone to nominate our dedicated community members for an Australia Day Award.

“Like many other volunteers, we don’t set out to win awards by serving our community, we set out to give back in recognition of the opportunities we’ve been afforded, and to make our little part of Australia a better place.

“There are so many members of our community who work tirelessly to improve the Western Downs and they deserve to be shown a high degree of honour and respect for the work they’ve done in making our region something to be proud of.

“We all know someone who sacrifices their time to benefit others without seeking reward, so it’s crucial to show these valued people in our community that we not only see the work that they are doing, but deeply appreciate their advocacy towards improving our region.

“I encourage everyone in the Western Downs to nominate those people that sacrifice so much for our towns, and to give them the recognition that they truly deserve.”

Nominations are open for our six categories:

Nominations are open until midnight Sunday 31 October 2021 with the winners to be publicly announced when they receive their awards at the annual Australia Day events in our local communities.

For more information or to nominate, visit www.wdrc.qld.gov.au/australiadayawards2022.

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