Gavin Rayward has been named the Clarence Valley's 2025 Citizen of the Year at a ceremony held at Grafton District Golf Club on Thursday, 23 January 2025.
Gavin was nominated for his dedication to promoting outdoor activities and mental health in the Clarence Valley, where he has organised numerous events to engage people of all ages and abilities, such as Street-O orienteering event in Grafton and traditional orienteering events in Bom Bom State Forest since 2013.
Eleven nominations were received in the Citizen of the Year category, four nominations in the Young Citizen of the Year, four nominations for the Community Achievement Award and six Local Hero nominations, highlighting the incredible contribution and impacts made by our community.
Clarence Valley Councillor Cristie Yager, who was the 2025 Citizen of the Year Awards ambassador and hosted the event, praised the nominees for all their hard work in our community.
"Our community are everything. These awards are the perfect way to highlight and celebrate our local legends and community groups and I'm so honoured to be able to host the awards in my first year of being a councillor.
"These incredible accomplishments reflect the immense impact our nominees have made and the high regard in which they are held by our community.
"Thank you for making a difference," Councillor Yager said.
Other nominees in the Citizen of the Year category include Brian Ferrie, Damien Fisher, Helen Tyas Tunggal, Jesse Dead Langford, Kaitlyn-Maree Robertson, Kathleen Giggins, Kathryn Langford, Sally Rogers, Suzanne Day and Toby Power.
Nash Crofton was named Young Citizen of the Year for his remarkable impact on the Clarence Valley community through his entrepreneurial spirit, leadership, and passion for the arts.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nash founded Clarence Tunes, a home-grown music festival providing a vital platform for local artists to showcase their talents.
The festival quickly became a regional highlight with proceeds directly supporting performers.
Also nominated in the Young Citizen of the Year categories are Kaitlyn-Maree Robertson, Reny Dooley and Shannon Moran.
Warm Touch 2460 were awarded the Community Achievement Group award for their quick action support to individuals in need of all ages and circumstances.
This remarkable group is backed by local businesses, generous community members and dedicated volunteers.
Also nominated in the Community Achievement Group category were Happy Paws Haven Inc, Paua Yoga Studio and Rivertree Film Inc.
Read about all of the nominees achievements below.
