Australia Day Awards announced

Great Lakes Council's Mayor, Cr Jan McWilliams has announced the 2013 Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Sportsperson of the Year awards at the Australia Day ceremony held at Club Forster on Saturday 26 January.

Sportsperson of the Year for the Great Lakes is Kylie Hilder from Forster.

Kylie has worked tirelessly for local football for many years as Group 3 Development Officer for the area, including starting Group 3 League Tag and assisting with hosting the Country Rugby League Championship in Forster for the last three years. 

Kylie has been inducted into the Manning Valley Sporting Hall of Fame for touch football, is the Australian Mixed Open Captain and has been named Captain of the Australian Mixed Open touch football team which will compete in New Zealand in February this year.

Saul Brady, also from Forster is the 2013 Young Citizen of the Year.  

Saul, a student representative for four years, organised "Forster's Got Talent" in 2010 and was 2012 School Vice Captain at Great Lakes College.  Saul is also involved in numerous sports including touch football, triathlon, swimming and cross country. 

Citizen of the Year, Nell Basham, from Forster, has been an active member of the Forster Tuncurry Hawks Rugby League Football Club for over 15 years and recently received Life Membership of the Club. 

She is very passionate about her Hawks and spends every waking moment either volunteering, fundraising or just being at the games.

Mayor Cr Jan McWilliams said "this year the decision was very difficult due to the high calibre of all the nominees".

"All nominees are truly great members of our community, and we are fortunate to have them in the Great Lakes."

The Australia Day schools E-Calendar competition winners were also announced and recognised with certificates and each child was given a copy of the calendar.

This year, as indeed every year, recognition is given to local groups which have contributed significantly to the community – this year that recognition goes to the Rural Fire Services and to the State Emergency Services within our Great Lakes Local Government Area. 

These institutions are primarily run by volunteers who give up their time to help us when trouble arises.  The awards gave the community the opportunity to personally show their appreciation and thanks to all the volunteers for the work they have done recently in our area at Coomba Park and The Lakes Way, near Green Point, as well as the eastern states of Australia in general.

Representatives attended from Bungwahl, Bunyah, Coomba Park, Coolongolook, Girvan, Green Point, Limeburners Creek, Minimbah, Monkerai, North Arm Cove, Pacific Palms, Pindimar/Tea Gardens, Stroud, Tuncurry, Wards River, Wootton; and Group Captains from Nabiac, Wards River, Karuah, Pipers Bay and Smiths Lake.  The Catering Brigade and Communications Brigade were also recognised, together with the State Emergency Services personnel from Forster/Pacific Palms, Nabiac and Karuah Valley.

Australia Day 2013 was a very special day for six new Australians.  They chose to make Australia their country and of course they chose very well in making the Great Lakes their home.  Our new citizens are Julie Carmichael; Jermine Nashed; Nigel Savory; Lesley Fletcher; Sharmin Farah and Sayeed Nasser.  These new citizens came from Egypt, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Bangladesh.

Australia Day Ambassador

Great Lakes Council welcomes Mr Donald Hazelwood as its Australia Day Ambassador for 2013.

Mr Hazelwood, Violinist with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for 45 years, including 33 years as Concertmaster, undertook official duties in the Great Lakes on Saturday 26 January 2012.

"Council is very fortunate to have Mr Hazelwood as our Ambassador and we extend a warm welcome to him to the beautiful Great Lakes for next January" said Council's Mayor Cr Jan McWilliams.

Mr Hazelwood has enjoyed a long and successful career at the forefront of Australian classical music, not only as orchestral and chamber musician but also as a solo performer.

His studies in Paris prompted him to widen his experience internationally.  Tours with the Austral quartet and the Hazelwood Trio have taken him to centres of music all over the world, including Chicago, Tokyo, London and Moscow.  He presently performs in the chamber music groups, The Australian Trio and Pini, Hazelwood and Friends.

For his services to music he has received numerous awards.  He was given an OBE in 1976 and was made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988.

Donald Hazelwood plays on a Giovanni Baptista Grancino violin made in 1716 and a violin made of Australian timbers by the Australian violin maker, Graham Caldersmith in 2003.

Australia Day e-Calendar Competition Thanks to all 530 entrants in this year's competition! A total of 12 primary schools from the Great Lakes have entered this year's competition and school calendars have been produced for each participating school. From the school finalists, Council has selected 13 lucky overall winners, and their works can be seen in the regional Council Australia Day e-Calendar, which you can download here to print and use for FREE! The competition is run as part of Council's Australia Day celebrations and you are invited to attend the Australia Day ceremony held at Club Forster on 26 January 2013.

13 winning entries are selected by each school and sent to Council.  Council will then produce an e-calendar for each school, including its winning entries. Council will also select 13 winners and produce an overall community calendar on Council's website for free public download.   Every participating school receives a book prize for their school library  plus the e-calendar for their school. Winners get their artwork included in the Calendar, and the winners of Council's Calendar will be presented with an award by the Mayor, Cr Jan McWilliams at next year's Australia Day ceremony. Entries are also on display in Council libraries across the Great Lakes during the January school holidays.