22-01-2021
The following are the nominees for the various Upper Lachlan Shire Australia Day Awards, 2021.
Event of the Year nominations
Laggan Pig Races
The Upper Lachlan Foundation funded and promoted the 2020 Laggan Pig Races. This colourful and unique signature country event raised funds for the community and attracted more than 1,000 patrons from Sydney, Canberra, South Coast, North Coast, Goulburn and further afield. Its popularity with visitors injected thousands of dollars into the community.
Gunning Arts Festival
Each year the Gunning Arts Festival aims to create a high quality Arts experience to a regional audience while at the same time attracting visitors and customers to the arts and crafts activities in Gunning and district. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the face to face festival was unable to succeed and the committee, over the space of a month, transformed the event into an online version of the festival that included a website, a series of videos, musical accompaniment and a wide range of unique content across platforms including Youtube and Facebook. The Festival was promoted widely on news outlets and the Council of Small Business organisations that promoted the Gunning Arts Festival as an example of resilience and initiative during the pandemic.
Blue Up Crookwell
Blue Up Crookwell was born out of the desire to focus on Men’s Health with a focus on prostate cancer. Although always an important topic, the Crookwell Hospital Community Consultation Committee (CHCCC) felt Men’s Health was even more poignant in this year of the pandemic as visits to health care providers in the district was declining. Partnered with Lions, the CHCCC encouraged Crookwell to be draped in blue and held cakes stalls, raffles and other fund-raisers raising (at the time of writing) $2,078.25 for the prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia.
Christmas in Goulburn Street, Crookwell
On Thursday December 12, 2019, Crookwell businesses were invited by the Crookwell Progress Association to stay open until 7pm as part of Christmas in Goulburn Street. The purpose of the event was to help stimulate local shopping and also to create a Christmas atmosphere in the shopping precinct. Many businesses extended their opening hours and offered Christmas specials. Individuals, businesses, organisations and Council contributed towards Christmas decorations and installations and musicians performed in the street.
The Vicar of Dibley
The Crookwell Amateur Dramatic Society (CADS) staged the play “The Vicar of Dibley” to provide a night of community and laughs in safely limited numbers so people could briefly forget the problems of COVID-19 and bushfires that plagued 2020.
(Please note, this event fell outside of the eligibility date range – 1st October 2018 – 30th September 2019 – and will be included in next year’s nominations).
Citizen of the Year
Robert “Bob” Anderson (Crookwell)
Bob Anderson has spent a large part of his life trying to make the local area the epicentre for high-quality sheep. His achievements to that end in recent years included winning the Perpetual Trophy for Outstanding Contribution to the Rural Industry by a member of the Crookwell AP&H Society 2019. He has also won a swag of sheep and wool awards at Crookwell Show, Canberra Royal Show, Sydney Royal Easter Show, Melbourne Royal Show and numerous other shows over many years.
He has been a member of the Lost River Bush Fire Brigade, and Lost River Landcare Group, has been secretary and president of Crookwell Junior Boys and Men’s Hockey Association, was a state and national hockey representative, and coached national masters teams in 2007 and 2008.
Ellen Seaman (Crookwell)
Ellen was born at Bigga, went to school in Goulburn and when she left school she worked at Crookwell Telephone Exchange. She visits Crookwell Hospital and Viewhaven on a regular basis and is a volunteer at Crookwell Hospital helping patients with their needs and transports people to their appointments.
Ellen is a great support to Greg, helping out with Legacy Work, organising street stalls and fundraisers. Greg and Ellen owned Crookwell Footwear for a number of years and Ellen was always very helpful.
Ellen helps with catering at St Bartholomew for wakes, afternoon tees and various other activities. She is on the Meals on Wheels Committee and delivers meals regularly and is a wonderful volunteer, and a friendly and capable person at whatever she takes on.
Gavin Douglas (Gunning)
The list of Gavin’s community involvement not just in Gunning but also the broader Upper Lachlan is extensive and varied.
Throughout 2020 Gavin was a member of the Bigga Progress Association, the Collector SES, the Dalton Community Association, the Gunning/Fish River Rural Fire Service, the Gunning District Community and Health Service Committee, the Committee for the Gunning Show Ground and Shire Hall and the Committee for Streetscape, supporting consultation for Binda, Bigga, Collector, Gunning & Tuena.
Gavin was also the secretary of the Gunning District Association and president of the Gunning Early Learning Centre and in addition to that regularly attends and supports Binda Progress Association, Collector Community Association, Collector Oval Committee and Tuena Progress Association.
Across his many involvements Gavin has been involved in many successful grants and projects that gained amenities and facilities for the Upper Lachlan.
Damien White (Gunning)
Damien has volunteered his services to drive his semi-trailer to Queensland to deliver hay twice in the last two years. The hay has been donated to farmers in Cunnamulla, Cloncurry, Quilpie and Burrumbuttock. For these trips, Damien has taken hay donated by others and supplied his truck and his time, which has meant five days on the road each time, wear and tear on his truck and missed paying work for himself.
This is consistent with Damien’s readiness to help in any way that he can in his community.
Rosemary Spiller (Gunning / Lade Vale)
Rosemary Spiller has been an enthusiastic servant of the Gunning community for many years. She has long been an active and committed participant, and in many cases treasurer, in community groups and activities including:
- Gunning Focus, Arts Council and Community Group (now knows as Gunning Focus Group)
- Gunning District Historical Society
- Oolong Rural Fire Brigade
- Jerrawa Creek landcare / Gunning District Landcare
Through these involvements, Rosemary has guided town tours, researched, submitted successful grants applications and written a blog among a long list of other tasks.
Glenn Elliott (Taralga)
Glenn has a lifelong commitment to the Taralga community reflected in the long list of groups and activities he has been involved in.
Glenn is currently the president of the Taralga Sports Club, Treasurer of the Taralga and District Showground Corporation and a committee member of the Taralga AP&H Society, Taralga Rugby Union Club and Taralga Bowling Club. He is also a past president of the Taralga Bowling Club and a member of the Taralga Tennis Club and Taralga Table Tennis Club.
Glenn’s community involvement has been much wider than just his committee commitments. He has driven school buses and stock trucks and has been a tireless worker for the town.
Prudence Burfitt (Taralga)
Prudence Burfitt works tirelessly in the promotion and well-being of Taralga and the broader Upper Lachlan Shire. She is currently, or has previously been:
- Secretary of the Taralga Art Show
- Member of the Parish Council for Taralga Catholic Church
- Secretary & Treasurer of the 355 Committee for Taralga Memorial Hall
- Secretary of Taralga Progress Association
- Treasurer of the Australia Day Rodeo Committee
Prudence also operates the Taralga Tourist Information Centre, is the Chief Steward in judging Jams and Preservatives at the Taralga Show and actively contributes to all community events.
Young Citizen of the Year
Oscar Rose (Crookwell)
Oscar is a talented young student who has contributed to his school and the greater Crookwell community with his music, particularly through his band “Misplaced and Martyred.” He is actively involved in the arts and entertainment arena. Vice-captain of Crookwell High School, he has achieved at a high level academically, in performing arts and in sports.
Oscar is also a member of the representative council, regularly assists junior basketballers, and often mentors others in singing and musicianship.
Sportsperson of the Year
Kayla Gann (Crookwell)
Kayla is an accomplished League tag player and has shown great dedication and commitment to the training required to maintain her position in the national team. From playing in the Goulburn Bulldogs side that finished runners up in the 2017 Canberra Raiders Cup League Tag competition, she was selected for the ACT Cougars with whom she took away a silver medal at the 2017 national Championships and Gold with the same team at the Tag Champions Tournament.
In 2018 she played in the NSW State Championships and was selected in the Australian Tagaroos in the OzTag World Cup, winning Gold against Ireland. She has continued to play for the Goulburn Bulldogs and ACT Cougars in 2018 and 2019 and played for Southern Country Pride in the 2019 City v Country match. She won Gold for the Tagaroos at the Australian Championship and again at the World Cup Tournament and in 2020 was selected for Australia to play New Zealand in the Trans-Tasman series, although the match was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.
Kayla also regular assists local league tag junior teams.
Young Sportsperson of the Year
Breea Waters (Gunning)
Breea is an accomplished and dedicated young sportsperson who always exhibits the highest of sporting ideals and sportsmanship.
Breea has a long list of sporting accomplishments. In 2020 she was selected for the U15 National Premier League Gungahlin Club, scoring twice on debut and named runner up for the Players Player Award, and was also selected in Coerver Academy Austral Asia Pacific squad to travel to Italy (although the tour was cancelled due to COVID-19 considerations).
In previous years she has regularly been selected in school and regional representative sides, not only for soccer but also for swimming, cross country and athletics.
Breea is also a dedicated student and was awarded Dux of the Year of Gunning Public School in 2016 along with other academic awards.
Chloe Waddell (Middle Arm)
Chloe has been an avid sports person throughout her young life, always striving to do her best which she has proven through various successes and recognitions to date. In 2020 she:
- Played in open-aged rugby team for Goulburn Dirty Reds in the ACT Premier Women’s 15-a-side competition
- Played in Youth National Rugby 7s
- Selected for the Brumbies City v Country origin Match open side though still only 17
She has represented Trinity Catholic College in school Athletics, Cross Country and Rugby Sevens competitions and in previous years was selected in National Cross Country and Athletics teams and represented ACT in hurdles at the Australian Schools competition.
Jordan McCamish (Gunning)
A young, talented and enthusiastic sportsperson, Jordan’s achievements include:
- 2019 Yass Redbacks U10 representative team playing in Cowra, Forbes and Young as well as the Kanga Cup international youth football tournament
- 2019 Players Player for Yass Redbacks U9 side
- 2019/2020 selected in ACT Coerver Soccer Academy U10 squad
- 2019/2020 selected in U10 Asia Pacific Coerver coaching squad to play in Italy (called off due to COVID-19 concerns)
- 2019/2020 Named junior cricketer of the year for Dalton Dingoes.
- 2020/2021 selected into ACT U11 Coerver Coaching Soccer Academy
Isaac McGregor (Crookwell)
Isaac is a dedicated sportsperson on and off the field, particularly in the game of hockey. Having played hockey for the Act Under 18s and ACT Under 21s at the National Indoor Hockey Festival in January (and voted MVP in the Under 21 side despite only being 17), he was selected in the Australian Under 18 Indoor Hockey side.
Isaac is the School Captain of Crookwell High School and regular works with schools basketball and hockey sides.