Australia Day on the Central Coast is more than just celebrating the great country we live in - it’s also a chance to recognise the unsung heroes.

For the first time on the Central Coast, the annual Australia Day Awards were open to entries from across the region, seeing residents nominated for their outstanding dedication to our community.

This year’s inaugural Citizen of the Year went to Mr Lester Pearson of Fountaindale - a man who has given countless hours to those less fortunate.

Lester has been volunteering for more than 30 years across a range of projects, with his latest passion focused on helping local youth.

He is a great example of how volunteering can make a difference in a community and has been instrumental in setting up a number of foundations to support our youth in crisis as well as those overseas.

Lester and his wife, Sue, established Coats for Kids through their dry cleaning business collecting and cleaning more than 5000 coats, jackets and jumpers for Youth off the Streets programs to help keep young ones warm in winter.

His most recent achievement, the establishment of Save Our Kids (SOKS) has saved more than 190 young lives across the Central Coast since it started in 2013.

Lester conceived the idea of SOKS to address the issue of youth suicide on the Coast, through raising funds for Lifeline. The program has now grown to also provide young achievers with opportunities to attend leadership programs.

A special thank you to the independent panel who had the hard job of considering all the nominees for our Awards and coming up with the winners - Sarah King, Andrew Church and Ron Sharpe.

Other Australia Day Award winners announced at the first Central Coast ceremony include:

Youth of the Year – Miss Courtney McDermott
Current captain of Wyong High School, Courtney was recognised for her significant contribution to the school and local community as well as her outstanding leadership skills in a variety of capacities including academic and sporting.

Community Volunteer of the Year – Mr Peter Hurley
Peter has made a significant long-term commitment to volunteering within his local community. He has worked with a diverse range of groups including the Wyong Apex Club, NSW Cancer Council and the Lions Club of East Gosford.

Community Activity and Service Award – Mrs Meg Champness
Meg runs a craft group from Glengara Retirement Village. The group has grown and now provides handmade blankets and clothing to other retirement villages, local hospitals, Camp Breakaway, Chemotherapy patients and much more. Their annual Craft Show raises money for local charities as well as helping the craft group purchase materials.

Arts, Culture & Entertainment Award – Ms Meredith Gilmore
Meredith has two roles in the community as a visual artist and a volunteer radio announcer. She has held a number of solo exhibitions at local galleries and won many awards for her artwork. Meredith is also the weekly producer and presenter of the weekly Coast Arts program.

Environmental Award – Ms Carol Long
You may have seen Carol walking along the side of the road collecting rubbish. She has done this for many years and takes pride in her community, keeping her local area maintained and clean for everyone to enjoy.

Sportsperson of the Year – Mr Keenan Derry
Keenan has just returned from the World Championships for Barefoot Waterskiing, finishing third overall in his first year of competing – at the age of 18 he’s proving to be a future champion. He has also won consecutive Junior World Titles, and claimed his fourth Australian title last year, again in his first year in the Open Men’s division.

Business Connecting Communities Award – Mr George Abourizk
George is a local butcher who is described as having a heart of gold who loves his community and his customers – providing a high quality product and service. George and his wife are huge supporters of many local charity events and sporting clubs.

With so many nominations for the inaugural awards, the judges had some difficult decisions to make. A number of special mentions were given, including:

• Community Volunteer of the Year (Highly Commended) – Mr Michael Sharpe
• Arts, Culture & Entertainment Award (Highly Commended) – Mrs Vivien Sale
• Environmental Award (Highly Commended) – Mr Ian Carr

New Aussies welcomed
In another first for Central Coast Australia Day celebrations, a number of our residents will have a special celebration of their own.

With 160 residents taking the next step to becoming an Australian citizen, this will be the largest citizenship ceremony ever held on the Coast on our national day of celebration.

Our new Aussies came from all over the world including countries such as: the United Kingdom, India, Fiji, New Zealand, United States and many, many more.

In 2016, more than 700 residents from across the Coast officially became ‘Aussies’.

If you or someone you know wishes to apply for Australian Citizenship, contact the Federal Department of Immigration and Border Protection on 131 880 or visit citizenship.gov.au

Congratulations to the 2017 inaugural Central Coast Australia Day Award winners and our newest citizens.