{"id":73675,"date":"2021-01-28T04:58:14","date_gmt":"2021-01-27T17:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/?p=73675"},"modified":"2021-01-28T12:07:06","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T01:07:06","slug":"meet-the-people-awarded-for-making-a-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/news\/meet-the-people-awarded-for-making-a-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the people awarded for making a difference"},"content":{"rendered":"

THEY came from across the Shire but all those invited to the Bannockburn Cultural Centre on 26 January had one thing in common – they were there to be recognised for their service to the Golden Plains community.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Citizen of the Year Brad McKenzie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From youth to seniors, individuals to groups. Each of them had sought to make where they live a better place, \u00a0sometimes over many decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese people are so valuable,\u201d said Golden Plains mayor Cr Helena Kirby.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s hundreds of hours, in some cases, they put into community service and volunteering. To have people who are passionate about looking after their own backyard is fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

From almost 30 nominees across four categories winners included Citizen of the Year and mental health campaigner Brad McKenzie, Senior of the Year and public space custodian Damian Baker, Young Citizen of the Year Sophie Busuttil and Community Impact Award winner the Smythesdale Cemetery Trust.<\/p>\n

Mr McKenzie\u2019s five-year-long involvement with the Black Dog Institute started with a simple question from his daughter back in 2015 – how long would it take to walk from Mildura to Bannockburn?<\/p>\n

Thirteen days is the answer, he knows because he walked it.<\/p>\n

Since then he\u2019s gone on to become an ambassador for Black Dog, travelling across the country and the world bringing awareness to mental health, all informed by his own challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt it was incumbent on me to do a bit more and speak up for those who were, at that stage, unable to speak for themselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Young Citizen of the Year Sophie Busuttil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More accustomed to putting the focus on awareness of the cause, Mr McKenzie having his effort acknowledged didn\u2019t sit well with him, but it\u2019s something he had to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings like this are still really overwhelming,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not something I\u2019m used to, or I seek, but I know it is important to have a face behind it for other people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporting better mental health was also at the heart of the Young Citizen of the Year award Sophie Busuttil contribution to the community.<\/p>\n

During lockdown the Damascus Collage student began creating pins from clay that she then sold as part a Western Bulldogs Community Foundation Leadership program, ultimately rising over $300 which was donated to Headspace Ballarat.<\/p>\n

Yet she wasn\u2019t done there, after receiving $150 prize from her school, she also gave that money to Headspace too.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey target towards teenagers and they are such great promoters of mental health,\u201d she said. \u201cI figured if I can raise money and also help promote their services that would be incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Upon receiving her award, Sophie said she surprised by the recognition.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s absolutely incredible,\u201d she said. \u201cI did not expect this at all. To know that people noticed things is really heart-warming.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more than two decades Senior of the Year awardee Damian Baker has been looking after 10 hectares of public land he helped create on the north bank of the Leigh River.<\/p>\n

About six times a year he mows the grass in the space, a job that takes him about five hours, as well as keeping down weeds and pests.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Senior of the Year Damian Baker.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mr Baker said that setting up the public open space came out need.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe realised that where we are, in the Inverleigh area, is the last space along the river that\u2019s open for the public until Ballarat,\u201d he said. \u201cThe rest was owned by farmers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYet here was a space on our doorstep that no one saw. No one came down, or saw the wildlife, so we said this is for the public, let\u2019s try and do something about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to his award, people using the space he helped create is just as important as the wider acknowledgment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not something you do to be recognised, it\u2019s something that I appreciate that people can come and enjoy,\u201d he said. \u201cI see mums with prams, walking groups, kids on bikes, that\u2019s fabulous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like most final resting places across Victoria, the working Smythesdale Cemetery is run entirely by volunteers.<\/p>\n

The Smythesdale Cemetery Trust does more than just keep the grounds looking nice, for trust treasurer and secretary Rosemary Angus and the small group of custodians, the space is rich in stories of the people who made the district.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Smythesdale Cemetery has been there for 161 years. So there\u2019s an enormous amount of local history associated with it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cA local cemetery is really important as part of the identity of the area.<\/p>\n

Recently the Trust completed a project that involved celebrating pioneering women who have be laid to rest in the space through interpretive signs.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Smythesdale Cemetery Trust members Rosemary Angus and Ray Phillips.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For Ms Angus, the recognition of that work and the other things the Trust does via the Community Impact Award meant people might have a better understanding of the role of her group and others like it.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people would have no idea that most cemeteries in Victoria are run by volunteer trusts,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means we can adapt to community needs. You can be far more responsive to your community as a volunteer trust.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THEY came from across the Shire but all those invited to the Bannockburn Cultural Centre on 26 January had one thing in common – they were there to be recognised for their service to the Golden Plains community. From youth to seniors, individuals to groups. Each of them had sought to make where they live […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":73676,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-73675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeet the people awarded for making a difference - Golden Plains Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/timesnewsgroup.com.au\/goldenplains\/news\/meet-the-people-awarded-for-making-a-difference\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet the people awarded for making a difference - Golden Plains Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"THEY came from across the Shire but all those invited to the Bannockburn Cultural Centre on 26 January had one thing in common – they were there to be recognised for their service to the Golden Plains community. 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