With nominations for the 2022 Australia Day Awards nearing a close, last year’s Western Downs Region Award winner, Marilyn Bidstrup, is encouraging the community to recognise outstanding local citizens.
2021 Regional Citizen of the Year Marilyn Bidstrup (pictured) said she was honoured to be recognised by receiving an award and encourages others to nominate deserving members of their community.
“I would strongly encourage anyone and everyone who knows someone who stands out in their community, whether they be a local role model, talented sportsperson, creative artist or dedicated volunteer, to jump online and nominate them today.”
“I’ve lived in the Western Downs all my live, it’s such a great place to call home and it’s all thanks to the people. They are different here, everyone is so friendly and willing to help each other out for the better of the community,” Mrs Bidstrup said.
“I believe the more you put into something, the more you get out of it and I think a lot of people in our region who work to give back to our community share that same mentality.
“It was a real shock when I received my award because I don’t do the work for the recognition, I do it for the love of my community, so it was lovely to be thought of and an absolute honour just to be nominated in the first place.
“There are many fantastic people in the Western Downs who put a lot of time and energy into putting on events and programs for our community to enjoy and without them, we wouldn’t have a lot of the opportunities that we do today.
“I can think of lots of people deserving of the recognition and I certainly encourage people to nominate anyone who they believe is doing great work in for their town and the wider region.”
Western Downs Regional Council Mayor, Paul McVeigh said the awards program provided a prime opportunity to celebrate those who go above and beyond in our local communities.
“The Western Downs is a fantastic place to live, work and play and the reason for that is the people – it’s our fantastic locals who create a great sense of community among our towns and collectively our region,” Cr McVeigh said.
“The Australia Day Awards allow us to not only publicly acknowledge these incredible people, but also celebrate them and show them that the work they do in our community isn’t going unnoticed.”
Western Downs Regional Council’s Australia Day Awards recognise local and regional achievers across several categories including volunteering, creative arts, community organisations and sporting.
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, contact Council on 1300 COUNCIL (1300 268 624) or visit www.wdrc.qld.gov.au/australiadayawards2022.
Award Categories:
- Citizen of the Year
- Young Citizen of the Year
- Local Community Organisation Achievement Award
- Local Creative Arts Award
- Local Sports Award
- Local Volunteer of the Year
