Roper Gulf Regional Council has announced the winners of the Citizen of the Year Awards for 2021 from participating communities.
Each Roper Gulf community could nominate for three categories, Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Event of the Year.
Madam Mayor Judy MacFarlane said “After the challenging year that 2020 was, facing a global pandemic and restricted events and tourism in our communities, what we saw was community residents showing up for each other by being kind, supportive and creative in the ways they could help one another.
“The Citizen of the Year Awards are a great way of recognising and thanking those residents and organisations who showed up for their community last year and were role models for both young and old as we all navigated the unknown nature of Covid19.
“I would personally like to congratulate and thank each award winner for their commitment to their community”.
Most award winners were recognised at the Australia Day Celebrations held in their local communities on Tuesday 26 January, with others to be recognised at Local Authority meetings coming up in February.
From Barunga, our Citizen of the Year Award Winners are:
- Citizen of the Year – Anita Painter
Anita works tirelessly for the community of Barunga and is a positive guiding influence on the young people. She is the driving force behind the community church, has championed the Arnhem Crows Basketball and Football for many years and gives freely her time at community events and with Sport and Recreation programs.
- Young Citizen of the Year – Shanton Ladd
Shanton (Shorty) Ladd has been selected on several occasions to play in representative teams including NT Thunder in 2020. Shorty has continued to engage with the school despite having completed his schooling and is being pursued by the school to consider assistant teaching in 2021. He is a great role model to all the children in Barunga and the region and he regularly joins in with Sport and Rec or school based sports to encourage the kids to get involved.
- Community Event of the Year – Arnhem Crows Sporting Association
In 2020, the Arnhem Crows Sporting Association had their debut of the Women’s AFL team into the Big Rivers Football League, who went on to win the Grand Final.
From Bulman, our Citizen of the Year Award Winners are:
- Citizen of the Year – Lloyd Murray
Lloyd works for Sunrise Health Service, however he goes above and beyond in his own time to talk about Drug and Alcohol issues to men in the community. He offers ongoing support to residents in Bulman through the services he provides.
From Borroloola, our Citizen of the Year Award Winners are:
- Citizen of the Year – Roslyn Kerr
Roslyn has been a resident in Borroloola her whole life. She has dedicated a lot of her time to Borroloola, assisting the Indigenous, Elders and Youth of the community in any way she can. Roslyn is also the President of the Borroloola Rodeo and has been for 10 years, assisting with the announcements.
- Community Event of the Year – Borroloola Amateur Race Club
The Borroloola Amateur Race Club originally started as a race meet around 1967 and always had local committee members and supported local competitors and businesses. The event was held during the challenges of Covid-19 and was one of the last Bush Rodeos in Australia. The event has huge community engagement and is an event that all town members look forward to every year.
From Mataranka, Our Citizen of the Year Award Winners are:
- Citizen of the Year – Des Barrit
Des is an asset to the Mataranka community. Anyone in Mataranka will be able to tell you how Des attends every fire and every accident in the area. Des is always willing to give a helping hand, whether it be to relocate a snake from the schoolyard, assist at school events or by offering training to community members.
- Young Citizen of the Year – Lance Wilson
In 2020, Lance designed and sold tea towels to make money for the school and always helps at the dry season markets to support tourism.
- Community Event of the Year – Mataranka Fishing Sporting and Recreational Club
In 2020, the Mataranka Fishing Sporting and Recreational Club held their first ever Christmas Tree family event. The event included a delicious meal and collected many donated presents for Mataranka community members.
- Certificate of Achievement – Sue Edwards
Sue has been a resident of Mataranka for about 20 years. She has always been a part of groups and committees including Rodeo, Fishing, and Sporting Clubs. Sue has always been very involved in the Mataranka community and is highly regarded by local residents. She is known for always being there for both the Mataranka and Jilkminggan community, both young and old.
- Certificate of Achievement – Moira Lanzarin
Moira is the hard worker behind the magical Mataranka Christmas Markets held in early December of 2020. After a difficult year for the tourism industry, these markets had people visiting from Katherine and even all the way from Darwin to purchase from local businesses and suppliers. The number of stalls and visitors was incredible to see.
From Numbulwar, our Citizen of the Year Award Winners are:
- Citizen of the Year – Patricia Nundhirribala
Patricia qualified for AHP in 2007 after studying her Bachelor. She comes from a long line of health practitioners and has worked and studied further in Gove before coming back to Numbulwar. Patricia enjoys health promotion and helping people understand their chronic diseases and is currently doing amazing work in engaging disengaged people to manage their health.
- Young Citizen of the Year – Francesca Joshua
Francesca was one of 12 students chosen to travel to Adelaide in South Australia to complete her Bachelor of Nursing and Early Learning. In the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Francesca was the only student who did not return home to her family in Numbulwar so that she could complete her studies. She has been recognised for her perseverance and determination to complete her studies so can soon give back to those who are in need.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Roper Gulf Regional Council on (08) 8972 9000
Click here to view Media Release
