Nominations open for 2025 Senior of the Year Awards

TORQUAY resident Peter Cribb has spent a lifetime supporting communities both close to home and abroad through his involvement in a range of grassroots organisations and initiatives.

His efforts have helped to establish a driving school in Flemington, a Rotary Club op shop, a public library in the Maldives and stroke recovery units in Sri Lanka.

Now 80 years of age, Mr Cribb also continues to play a key role in the Rotary Overseas Repurposed Playground initiative, which works with local councils and schools across the state to give a second life to playground equipment in disadvantaged overseas communities.

He has even had the honour of travelling to Sri Lanka to help officially open some of these playgrounds, experiences that motivate him to keep going.

“When you watch the kids, and when you get the teachers walk up to you and squeeze your hand with tears in their eyes – of course, I’ll keep doing it,” Mr Cribb said.

“I’m no different from anybody else. You don’t sit there and make a go at an analysis because somebody drops some parcels, you go and give them a hand to pick them up. You don’t stop and sit there and say ‘Now, should I open this door’… you just do it.”

Last year, Mr Cribb was recognised for these contributions at the Victorian Senior of the Year Awards with a Senior Achiever Award.

Nominations have this week opened for the 2025 edition of the awards program and locals are once again encouraged to put forward community members aged 60 years or older, or 50 years or older for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians, for recognition.

“I’m just one of the team,” Mr Cribb said.

“There’s so many people deserving to be acknowledged and they’re not doing it to get an acknowledgement, they’re not looking for a gold star, but what it does do is give them the strength to keep going a bit longer, or to do it a bit harder.”

He said all contributions, no matter their size, were worthy of recognition, and encouraged locals to consider putting forward the “real champions” making a difference every day across the community for an award.

Nominations can be made across six award categories and will remain open until Sunday, June 1.

Head to seniorsonline.vic.gov.au/awards