Shellharbour City Council has honoured the contributions and achievements of outstanding residents at the Shellharbour Community and Australia Day Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, 15 January.
The ceremony, held at Shellharbour Civic Centre, saw 10 winners crowned across the same number of categories for the Community and Australia Day Awards, whilst Professor Justin Yerbury, Caitlin Foord, Alex Volkanovski, Karen Murphy, and Ngiare Brown were inducted into the illustrious Shellharbour City Hall of Fame.
Recipient of the Citizen of the Year was Mohit Tolani, while Tori Henderson was named Young Citizen of the Year. Shellharbour City Acting Mayor Cr Kellie Marsh said the winners of all 10 awards were more than deserving of the accolades.
"The awards ceremony proved once more just how many incredible people we have living and serving within the Shellharbour community," Acting Mayor Cr Marsh said.
"As a result, the quality of the nominees were extremely high, which made the judging process quite challenging. Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees of our community awards. Your contributions enrich the city of Shellharbour. Keep up the great work."
Award Winners:
- Citizen of the Year - Mohit Tolani
- Young Citizen of the Year - Tori Henderson
Citizen of the Year - Mohit Tolani
Dr Tolani has been an exceptional professional, community volunteer, and an excellent example of an admirable leader who has selflessly dedicated himself to various dental health initiatives in the local community. He has opened the doors to offer free dental treatment for more than 3000 people in need. Dr Tolani is seen as an encouraging role model for modern day young professionals aiming to bridge the gaps within the community.
Young Citizen of the Year - Tori Henderson
Tori has volunteered at both Roo Theatre - including classes, running the canteen, and conducting stage crew work - and at the NSW SES, where she attends numerous call-outs. Whilst juggling both jobs, she is also Lake Illawarra High School captain. Through her tireless volunteer work across a number of areas in the community, there is no doubt Tori will be a role model in Shellharbour for years to come.
Winners of the Other Major Awards
- Athlete of the Year - Ellen Perez
- Young Athlete of the Year - Indiana Dos Santos
- Services to Sport - Marcos Baez
- Outstanding Diversity and Inclusion - Gerald Brown (Uncle Gee)
- Community Capacity Builder - Emjae Woods
- Outstanding Contribution to the Arts - Shellharbour City Arts Society
- 2024 Community Group of the Year - Lost & Found Pets Illawarra
- Volunteer of the Year - Margaret Young
Local emergency services from Police NSW, Rural Fire Service, and the SES were also acknowledged for their dedication to the safety and emergency response of residents in our community.
2024 Australia Day honours recipient Dr Buddhima Indraratna AM, as well as King's Birthday Honour's recipient Mr Gregory Croft OAM were also honoured, whilst passionate advocate, community leader, and changemaker Ange Clarke was the evening's Australia Day Ambassador and guest speaker.
Photos from the awards ceremony will be available in the coming days.
