Community Service Awards

Nominations are now closed for the 2023 Community Service Awards. Awards will be announced on Australia Day 2023.

Community Citizen of the Year 2023

Let's Reflect, Respect and Celebrate community contribution across our state on Australia Day. We're all part of the story.

Citizen of the Year

Alfreda Lyon

Alfreda is a true local with real local community values and beliefs. This award is to recognise someone who always puts others first, a local with strong community values, who never stops giving to her community of Wongan Hills. Born and Educated in Wongan Hills in the late 1950's and 60s she commenced her first job at Westpac in Wongan Hills (formally Bank of New South Wales) when she started in about 1972. Her contribution to all things community commenced back in about 1973 when aged only 17, she volunteered to be a part of a busy Basketball Committee. In 1976 she met her still husband Greg and moved away for a few years. When Alfreda and Greg and two young children returned to Wongan Hills to live in 1993, Alfreda immediately set about once again becoming involved in local sport.

1993- 1997 - Committee (usually treasurer) basketball and netball, coach juniors, manage junior representative teams travelling to Perth for Country Championships.

2003-2022 - Continuous involvement in basketball and netball. Committee member and Treasurer for many years. Coach Junior Basketball and Netball teams in Wongan Hills, guiding the commencement of careers of many local juniors who have gone on to become very proficient players in their own right. Managing Wongan Hills junior and Senior Basketball teams in Mortlock Regional Competitions and Country Championships. Alfreda can still be found at Basketball and Netball scoring or helping out where she can, or at home cooking or making food for the Football afternoon teas or other functions. Alfreda has been awarded a life membership for her long-time contribution to basketball.

2007-2011 - Member and Finance Director Wongan Hills Rotary Club (4years).

2005-2017 - Shire Councillor (12 years) Anyone who has been on council knows this is something one does out of their love for their community and a real wish to help make the community great. 12 years is not insignificant and involved lots of meetings and travel.

2020 -2021 - Committee and Finance Director Wongan Hills Tourism Group

2021 - 2022 - President of Wongan Hills Tourism Group - This is a big job to do as it is voluntary position that takes up as many hours as some parttime jobs. When Alfreda took on the Presidency of the Wongan Hills Tourism Group 12 months ago, in the absence of any other nominees she was under no false illusion of how much time pressure this would put on her. But as usual she just couldn't see an important local resource struggle and took it on anyway. She did it knowing that she already had a full-time job and would just have to be even better at time management. The whole year was a bit of a struggle with low volunteer numbers. As with many clubs and organisations the tourism group just got by some weeks but always managed to open when it was needed. Then came what is perhaps Alfreda's greatest achievement, when despite the lack of numbers, she rallied the support of just enough of the right people to help her and her valuable volunteers and using her outstanding organisational skills she coordinated and over saw perhaps the biggest and most successful Reynoldson Reserve Festival ever. The feedback and personal accolades she received during and following this event would make anyone proud but as usual she preferred to just agree that it had gone well and that she had just been one cog in a bigger wheel and did her bit and then give most of the thanks to the people she oversaw.

Well done Alfreda on this one. An outstanding effort. As can be seen Alfreda is a generous and giving person who has used her enormous life experience in sport, finance and administration to make an ongoing contribution to Wongan Hills sport and community and is still doing so today.

Community Group of the Year

Ballidu Contemporary Art Society

The Ballidu Contemporary Art Society (BCAS) established in 1992, has met a milestone of 30 years in 2022, the BCAS is still vibrant, active and continues to contribute to the community through artistic, educational, social and positive emotionally connected ways. The 1992 four mission statements of the BCAS are still relevant today and were achieved in 2022.

They are;

to have artists in residence;
to exhibit WA, Australian or international artists work;
to exhibit local and/or regional arts and crafts; and
to encourage community involvement in the arts.

The group formed in October 1992 and in 1993 the organisation began its exhibition and artist in residence programme. The rationale of the society was to be a contemporary art group and not encroach on or replicate the many art and craft societies that already existed in every country town. The society members wanted to bring current practicing artists and their work to their rural community.

Over the 30 years, BCAS has more than met its original four mission statements which are to maintain an artist in residence facility, show touring exhibitions by WA, Australian and international artists, encourage community involvement with the arts and to exhibit local and regional arts and crafts. Exhibitions over the years have included works from the Holmes A Court Gallery, UWA, other Perth galleries and well-known WA artists. Major projects have included the publishing of the book 'Ballidu - Heritage Handed Down' in 1997, the Landscape Art Garden 1997, the 2001 Federation Photographic Exhibition by Steve Keeling, Art Path in Alpha Park in 2001 by Kath Wheatley, Sculptures in a public place and a mural painted in the Anglican Church by John Paul in 2007. The 'Anzac Centennial Commemoration - 100 Years of Anzacs' was celebrated by poppies in the Landscape Art Garden, war memorabilia in the gallery and four statues by Irene Osborne placed at the Ballidu War Memorial.

Event of the Year

Wongan Hills Community Gardens Opening

I would like to nominate the opening of the Community Gardens for the 2022 Event of the Year.

They recently held their grand opening on a sunny Saturday afternoon with a large crowd in attendance. With over 100 people over the course of the afternoon.

Formally sheep sale yards, this amazing group of volunteers have been able to produce, from humble beginnings a truly lush and productive community garden and nursery. They have vegetables, herbs, seedlings and fruit trees. This event was enjoyed by all.

The insight and determination by this group of volunteers has been well rewarded with fresh produce supplied to our local families and households.

The community shelf in the CRC is often displayed with abundant in season vegetables, herbs and fruit from this garden by the energetic and hardworking group of volunteers.

The grand opening was well attended with raffles, free sausage sizzle, face painting and activities for children such as making scarecrows and painting of terracotta pots with cuttings and seedlings for future gifts much to the delight of the children.

In my opinion the grand opening of the Wongan Hills Community Garden would be a worthy winner of the 2022 Wongan-Ballidu Shire Event of the Year.