MARILYN Tyndall, of Forest Rangers Soccer Club was awarded City of Ballarat\u2019s 2019 Citizen of the Year on Australia Day eve at the Ballarat Town Hall.<\/p>\n
Mrs Tyndall is the \u2018unofficial heart\u2019 of Forest Rangers, having supported them for 35 years as president, secretary and treasurer, while her four sons and her grandchildren played at the club along the way.<\/p>\n
A dinner for juniors, held post-training, has been Mrs Tyndall\u2019s initiative for the last 12 years.<\/p>\n
The meal encourages and supports players and families to build friends in the team and strengthen Forest Rangers\u2019 spirit.<\/p>\n
She has also worked hard to raise money for the club, funding a paid manager to lead the on-field results.<\/p>\n
When City of Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh read Mrs Tyndall\u2019s name, she was not expecting it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is very unbelievable that I\u2019m standing here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy journey started back in about 1979. I had four sons and a husband and ran a farm.\u201d<\/p>\n
When one of Mrs Tyndall\u2019s boys needed some help with school, educators suggested getting involved with soccer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was the best thing I\u2019ve ever done in my life.<\/p>\n
My whole world has just opened up,\u201d she said \u201cOur job is not only for soccer. It\u2019s to raise funds to try and get other people into a sport, get them off the streets, get them the opportunities that, if we didn\u2019t give them to them, they wouldn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first award of the evening, Ballarat Young Citizen of the Year, went to 13-year-old, Jake Sbardella.<\/p>\n
Jake has created and sold advent calendars, aiming to bring happiness to those that engage with them, instead of offering chocolate.<\/p>\n
He personally curates jokes and positive quotes for his Happiness Advent Calendars and directs all proceeds to support Ballarat\u2019s homeless people.<\/p>\n
So far, he has donated $6800 to charities and speaks at schools around town, hoping he can inspire his peers to contribute back to Ballarat\u2019s most vulnerable in their own ways.<\/p>\n
Jake said receiving the award was \u201can honour. I\u2019m so proud\u2026 it means a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final award, Ballarat Community Event of the Year was won by Ballarat parkrun and accepted by Kylie Mayne and Ricci McGreevy.<\/p>\n
The Ballarat parkrun initiative offers a 5km circuit at Victoria Park every Saturday morning for anyone of any age or ability to come and walk, jog, run or be a volunteer.<\/p>\n
The circuit is an encouraging and motivating space for people wanting to engage in physical activity.<\/p>\n
It attracts an average of 180 participants and 15 volunteers each week, and it\u2019s in its fourth year of operation.<\/p>\n
There were 54 parkruns held in Ballarat in 2018. The weekly event is one of 70 parkruns across Victoria, 350 across the country and 1,751 worldwide.<\/p>\n
Kylie Mayne said parkrun is a fantastic community event.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for everyone, zero to 100 plus, runners, walkers, families and dogs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are honoured to accept this award and congratulations to all the other community event nominees.\u201d<\/p>\n
City of Ballarat mayor, Cr Samantha McIntosh gave her congratulations to all the nominees saying they were \u201cgreat leaders and contributors.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she was proud to acknowledge these \u201cunsung heroes\u2026 amazing Ballaratians.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey make Ballarat a great place to live.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Australia Day Awards are designed to thank and celebrate individuals and organisations making communities more vibrant places to be.<\/p>\n
Positive people power<\/strong><\/p>\n THE other nominees for Citizen of the Year were Ballarat East Cricket Club coach and mentor \u2013 John Davies, Me and My Dad Playgroup coordinator \u2013 Leigh Whitten, community volunteer \u2013 Katie Wright, international jousting champion \u2013 Phillip Leitch, Committee for Miners Rest President \u2013 Alicia Bond, disability and hospice care advocate \u2013 Geoff Russell, volunteer basketball and cricket coach \u2013 Rod Lewis and little athletics leader \u2013 Shane Bicknell.<\/p>\n The other nominees for Young Citizen of the Year were family violence advocate \u2013 Lachlan Warwick, Interchange Program volunteer \u2013 Teghan Henderson, Eureka and Golden City Hockey Club player and under 14s coach \u2013 Charlotte Matthews, CanTeen Victoria and Rotary Club of Ballarat South advocate \u2013 Sarah- Jane Sloane, mature IT student and vision impairment advocate \u2013 Gabriel Gervasoni, Relay for Life fundraiser \u2013 Brody Filcock, Aboriginal sports role model \u2013 Cooper Craig-Peters, young people with an out-of-home care experience advocate \u2013 Jemma Wilson, basketball player and role model \u2013 Charlie Molan, acclaimed artist \u2013 Tahlia Stanton and youth music festival \u2018WinterWick\u2019 organiser \u2013 Jade Moran.<\/p>\n The other nominees for Community Event of the Year were the King of Ballarat downhill mountain bike race, the Centenary of Women\u2019s Football in Victoria, the Floral Tram Project, It\u2019s in the Bag, and community engagement by the Brown Hill Progress Association.<\/p>\n Emergency Management Victoria\u2019s Tony Murphy also spoke at the ceremony as Ballarat\u2019s 2019 Australia Day ambassador. Mr Murphy celebrated Ballarat\u2019s iconic people and history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MARILYN Tyndall, of Forest Rangers Soccer Club was awarded City of Ballarat\u2019s 2019 Citizen of the Year on Australia Day eve at the Ballarat Town Hall. Mrs Tyndall is the \u2018unofficial heart\u2019 of Forest Rangers, having supported them for 35 years as president, secretary and treasurer, while her four sons and her grandchildren played at […]<\/p>\n