Honouring hard working volunteers

NARACOORTE Lucindale Council is proud to announce its 2026 Australia Day award winners.

The award winners are:

Joint Naracoorte Citizen of the Year – Hafeezullah (Hafeez) Hafeezullah for his outstanding commitment to the Naracoorte community by fully immersing himself in community life since making Naracoorte his home.

Joint Naracoorte Citizen of the Year – Venita Bator for her outstanding commitment to the Naracoorte community through her numerous voluntary roles.

Lucindale Citizen of the Year – Trevor Martin for his outstanding voluntary contribution to the Lucindale community for more than 50 years.

Joint Naracoorte Young Citizen of the Year – Hamish Corcoran for his leadership within the CFS and being a dedicated volunteer for over 10 years.

Joint Naracoorte Young Citizen of the Year – Ashley Miles for being a dedicated volunteer at the Scouts, CFS and Sheep’s Back Museum.

Lucindale Young Citizen of the Year – Harmony Reed for her contributions to the Lucindale Netball Club and organising school fundraisers.

Naracoorte Active Citizenship Award – Mohammad Yaseen Hakimi for going above and beyond in his role at the Migrant Resource Centre (AMRC) to assist the multicultural community to settle into their new life and home.

Lucindale Active Citizenship Award – Shirley Goodman & Marg Elliot for the establishment of the Lucindale Loop Newsletter.

Naracoorte Community Event of the Year – Naracoorte District Basketball Association Annual Tournament.

Lucindale Community Event of the Year – Yakka Wakka B&S Charity Ball.

Naracoorte Certificate of Appreciation – Naracoorte branch of the National Trust Volunteer Group for their commitment to providing an outstanding visitor experience at the Sheep’s Back Museum.

Lucindale Certificate of Appreciation – Lucindale Economic Development Board (LINC) for organising the annual and well-loved Lucindale Christmas Street Party.

The Citizen of the Year Awards is a premier award program of the Australia Day Council of South Australia run in partnership with all councils across the State.

The local awards will be presented at Australia Day celebrations in Naracoorte and Lucindale on Monday 26th January 2026.

Naracoorte’s Australia Day celebrations will kick off with a free community breakfast in the Town Squares at 7am, with the official ceremony getting underway at 8am.

Lucindale’s Australia Day ceremony will get underway at 11am at the Rotunda in Centenary Park followed by a free community barbecue lunch.

Both events will again be livestreamed to Council’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/naracoortelucindalecouncil

Mayor Patrick Ross congratulated all of the award winners and thanked everyone who submitted nominations for this year’s awards.

He said the award winners honoured this year were selected from a “highly competitive field” of outstanding contenders.

“The awards recognise the unsung heroes of our communities who, through their contributions, make our part of the State a better place,” Mayor Ross said.

“These individuals and organisations offer outstanding service every day which is often invisible to many of us and enable our communities to be stronger as a result of their tireless efforts.

“They don’t do it for the praise or for the recognition – they do it simply because it makes a difference.

“We look forward to seeing you at our Australia Day celebrations to reflect, respect and celebrate what it means to be Australian today.”