Mitchell Shire Council’s Community Awards recipients were announced at Australia Day celebrations on Friday.
Mitchell Shire Mayor Louise Bannister presented the awards at the Wallan Neighbourhood House event.
“Australia Day is about acknowledging the contribution every Australian makes to our contemporary and dynamic nation,” Cr Bannister said.
“From our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have been here for more than 65,000 years, to those who have lived here for generations, to those who have come from all corners of the globe to call our nation home.
“Today is an opportunity to learn from each other, to understand our shared past and to commit to a future that honours and respects the diverse stories and experiences that make up our nation.”
Kirsten Boehm received Young Citizen of the Year for her work in entomology and commitment to scientific research and conservation.
Aged 22, Ms Boehm is recognised as an authority on local invertebrates with significant contributions to the field including her Victorian Naturalist paper revealing previously unknown nesting habitat for Coconut Ants, and data entry into the Victorian Biodiversity Atlas about the nationally-vulnerable Golden Sun Moth near Mount Piper in Broadford.
With a New Colombo Plan scholarship through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, she is currently studying entomology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
“I’d like to thank the Mitchell Shire for acknowledging my efforts. I’d also like to thank Threatened Species Conservancy for employing me to be able to this amazing work,” Ms Boehm said.
“It’s amazing. Absolutely amazing. It’s highly unexpected to get this award and it’s really, really nice to get some notice for the work we do out there because it can be a lot sometimes.”
Seymour Show ‘N’ Shine, organised by Lions Club of Seymour Goulburn and Seymour and District Car Club, received Community Event of the Year.
More than 4000 visitors attended with 460 show cars on display, 65 swap meet sites, 40 market stalls, a food court, entertainment, while an auction and raffle raised more than $12,000.
Andrea Pace, from Seymour and District Car Club, and Scott Washington, from Lions Club Seymour and Goulburn, thanked council for recognising their ‘humble little event’.
“We came up with holding this event three or four years ago as something for Seymour and the wider community of Mitchell Shire,” Mr Washington said.
“We believe the event is a fantastic event and going by what the mayor said about attendance, it’s growing every year and is now a big event for the Mitchell Shire bringing people from all over Victoria, southern New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania so it’s great for our community.
“I encourage everybody to get out and come down again to see us on Labour Day. We’re holding another great, hopefully bigger and better than last year.”
Community Group of the Year was awarded to Tyaak Cemetery Trust, recognising their diligence working together to maintain the cemetery with respect and care, and creating a sanctuary for mourners and visitors.
The group care for and cultivate native plants, complete regular maintenance tasks like whipper snipping and mowing, and maintain paths.
Doug Flower accepted the award on behalf of the Trust.
“We’re an eight member Trust and there’s probably another eight members we call the ‘Friends of the Cemetary’ that work with us on our working bees, which we have about every three months,” he said.
“I’d just like to mention our secretary Bev [Bullen] who’s in ill health at the moment but she’s a bit of a powerhouse behind the scenes with all the paperwork that needs to be done, applying for grants, putting out a newsletter every three months.”
