The 2020 Central Goldfields Shire Australia Day Award winners were officially announced at a celebration at the Station Domain in Maryborough this morning.
Australia Day awards were presented in three categories - Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Award of the Year.
The recipients are:
Citizen of the Year – MR ROBERT IPSEN
For more than 40 years, the CFA has been fortunate to have a member of the calibre of Goldfields Group Officer Robert Ipsen AFSM.
Over the last four decades he has displayed outstanding leadership on the fireground in his roles in incident management.
Robert has also shown that he can lead and inspire his colleagues and peers in the areas as diverse as operations, management and communications.
As group officer of the Goldfields area for 28 years, Robert's robust and solid skills has seen him lead his brigades through many changes and challenges.
An excellent role model who is always the first to volunteer when needed, Robert demonstrates what it truly means to be a volunteer.
For Robert to have the same levels of enthusiasm in the CFA as when he did when he first joined 40 years ago is truly inspiring.
During his years of service, Robert has provided leadership and guidance to many other volunteers and with the local community.
Young Citizen of the Year – KODIE GREENWOOD-SMITH
Kodie Greenwood-Smith has been a dedicated community member and volunteer for much of her life.
Although only 22, Kodie has achieved much and has given her time generously to the Talbot and Maryborough communities.
She has shown admirable leadership skills, particularly through her participation in the Energy Breakthrough and Relay for Life and she has also represented her former school, Highview College, in local and state representative sport.
While she is involved in multiple community events, organisations and sporting clubs, Kodie has been a key fundraiser, advocate, volunteer and participant for Relay for Life since its inception more than 10 years ago.
Kodie has shown maturity well beyond her years in her leadership, dedication to her community while also supporting and caring of her own family members living with cancer.
Community Award of the Year – CHRISTMAS WITH US
Carisbrook Lions Club has hosted the popular Christmas With Us event for close to 20 years.
It's a wonderful community initiative that caters for those in our community who may not have family and friends to spend Christmas Day with.
After starting out with just a few guests, the event now caters to approximately 150 people.
The lunch is open to everyone and is free to attend.
Gifts are distributed to all guests and music is provided for everyone to join in the singing of Christmas carols.
The Lions Club even provides buses to pick up and drop off guests to and from their homes.
Thirty Carisbrook Lions Club volunteers spend time away from their families on Christmas Day to make this much valued community event possible.
Central Goldfields Shire Chief Administrator Noel Harvey congratulated the Australia Day recipients.
"Congratulations to our Australia Day Award winners and to all nominees, this is a great achievement," he said.
"Thank you to all of our volunteers across the Central Goldfields Shire who give up their time and energy so generously."
