Seniors awarded for their efforts

THE City’s older citizens took centre stage last week when the winners of this year’s Senior of the Year Awards were announced.

Recipients were recognised during an event at Town Hall on Thursday with 11 finalists acknowledged across five categories.

Ugo Lo Iacono took home the Equity Diversity and Inclusion award alongside the coveted Senior of the Year accolade, which was chosen out of the winners of each category.

A volunteer for more than six decades, Mr Lo Iacono established the Italian Seniors Club and the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Centre, and said it was great to see his efforts recognised.

“I didn’t expect it. It’s very nice, I’m not denying it, because I’ve been doing this kind of work for many, many years,” he said.

“I was at the hospital committee and I was president. I was in the Clunes council. I was involved in the Lions Club, the Scouts…I was the leader of the Youth Club.

“I like to see people enjoy getting something out of life. I was getting the enjoyment to see that they would learn something, whatever we did.”

The Volunteer Award went to the Delacombe Salvation Army’s John Donaldson, while cyclist Ron King received the Healthy and Active Living Award, and Legacy member Allan McKinnon won the Ageing Well Award.

City of Ballarat mayor Cr Daniel Moloney said the 2022 winners spoke to seniors’ resilience during the pandemic.

“The calibre of awards was outstanding this year. There’s been additional contributions this year where people have had to go above and beyond due to lockdowns,” he said.

Cr Moloney also said the awards especially celebrated senior residents whose contribution was far-reaching.

“The winners that really stood out were the ones who helped others across the generations. They weren’t necessarily seniors working with seniors,” he said.

“The standouts were those working with younger people and that’s how you really address some of issues of ageism so younger people can really value the experience our older citizens have.”