27-01-2009
Citizens of the Year
Shire – Garry Kadwell
Crookwell resident, Garry Kadwell was named Australia Day Citizen of the Year for Upper Lachlan Shire for 2009. Garry was honoured with this award in
recognition of his tireless work in helping his community and “mates,” reeling from the effects of many years Of drought. He was instrumental in organising the “Help Your Mates” dinner and was the driving force behind the “Family Maker Drought Breaker” night held in Crookwell. Garry is a staunch supporter of the Crookwell Lions Club, assisting in many projects around the town and executive member Of the Rural Fire Service and the Crookwell Potato Association.
Crookwell – Esme Clune
Mrs Esme Clune was named Crookwell Australia Day Citizen Of the Year for her dedication to various organisations.
Gunning – Patrick Smith
Patrick Smith was awarded Gunning’s Australia Day Citizen of the Year award for community service, He has been a long time Supl»rter of the cultural and social life Of the village by sewing on numerous committees and by assisting those in need.
Taralga – Joyce Fleming
At the Taralga Australia Day festivities, Joyce Fleming was honoured with Citizen Of the Year for her tireless volunteer work for many organisations in the Taralga district.
Young Citizens of the Year
Shire – Kimberly Kennedy
Kimberley Kennedy, daughter of James and Denise Kennedy of Crookwell, was named Upper Lachlan Shire Young Citizen Of the Year for her outstanding contribution across many areas. Kimberley is in her second year as an official volunteer at the Crookwell District Hospital working with the elderly and disabled during her school holidays. She worked With Crookwell’s youth acting group KAOS as both a mentor and coach and is also a Youth Leader for St Bartholomew’s Youth Group.
Kimberley co-presented sessions for TWEAK Day. TWEAK activities are designed to give students life skills to cope with change and fine-tune aspects of their lives.
Crookwell – Kelsey McIntosh
Taralga – Amy Menzies
Events Of the Year
Shire – Gunning Senior’s Christmas Party
Crookwell – Journey of the World Youth Day Cross
Taralga – In the Pink
Also nominated for their volunteer work throughout their respective districts Evan Rees, Mary Chalker and Scott and Sandra Keith (Taralga).
In the Young Citizen of the Year category, also nominated were: Eliza Stephens and Kelsey McIntosh of Crook-well and Amy-Lee Menzies and Carl Elliot from Taralga.
Australia Day celebrations were held throughout the shire with good attendance at all venues.
The shire was honoured to host Ms Olya Booyar as its Australia Day Ambassador (see below).
Accompanied by Mayor John Shaw, Ms Booyar breakfasted in Gunning, enjoyed morning tea in Crookwell and then traveled to Tat-alga to participate in their celebrations. During the course of festivities, Ms Booyar presented awards to those people who won nomination in recognition of their dedication to their local communities.
The day leant itself to a sense of camaraderie and mateship as people gathered to enjoy a typical “Aussie” barbie. In light Of the global financial crisis and troubled hotspots around the world, it was also an appropriate day to remember how lucky we are to be here, “down under. “
Shire welcomes Olya Booyar
With Australia Day celebrations happening in Crookwell, Gunning and Taralga residents got into the swing of things sporting their “Southern Cross” t-shirts and thongs, whilst throwing a “snag” or two on the “barbie.”
As its Australia Day Ambassador, Upper Lachlan Shire was honoured to host Olya Booyar, a particularly powerful woman in the media industry.
Ms Booyar is currently the Deputy Director of the Classification Board. This is a body that classifies every film (including videos and DVDs) and computer game, whether produced locally or Overseas, before it can be made legally available to the public.
Born in Ukraine and educated in Canada and Germany, Olya graduated from the University of Manitoba at the age of 19 with an Honours Degree in Psychology, She migrated to Australia in 1987 and worked in the print media before joining SBS as a broadcaster and journalist. In 2002, as Station Manager at SBS Radio in Sydney.
She became one of the youngest women ever to head up a major national radio station in Australia. She has worked in senior positions in Pay TV and the Australian Film Commission and came to the Classification Board from the role of Community Relations Executive at SBS Television, Olya has served on a number Of bodies including the Standing Committee on Spoken English, Public Broadcasters International, and the Commonwealth Journalists Association.
She is a member of several professional, industry and community bodies including the International Association of Women in Radio and Television, Women in Film and Television, Community Languages Australia, the Australia Day Ambassador program and Guides NSW Ambassadors.
In 1996 she was chosen to participate in SWIM, the Federal Government sponsored development initiative for women in senior management positions within the Australian Public Service. In 2001 she was one Of 12 professionals from around the Commonwealth to be selected as a Commonwealth Fellow and undertook studies in the UK and Uganda and in 2004 was a State finalist in the Telstra Business Woman of the Year. She is on the NSW and national boards of the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect.
Married with two teenage children, Olya speaks several languages and lists her hobbies as reading and watching movies.