The Rotary Club of Kyabram will hold its own Australia Day Awards in 2025, separate to the Campaspe Shire Citizen of the Year Awards, in response to changes to the council awards nomination processes.
In September 2023, council adopted a new plan that would allow for nominations for Citizen of the Year, Community Group of the Year and Young Citizen of the Year to come from anyone, outside of pre-existing committees from each district.
In previous years, Campaspe Shire Council has selected nominees for citizen awards from the pool of winners collated through each district’s own citizen award recipients.
Kyabram Rotary, which formerly worked with council to decide Kyabram nominees for citizen awards, determined it would still hold a citizen award ceremony of its own on the Australia Day public holiday.
However, Kyabram Rotary treasurer John Martin said he believed the decision to hold individual events without links to the shire-wide awards would lead to less interest in the district-run ceremonies, and fewer applications for citizen award nominations all together.
“I think (council) will struggle to get nominations,” he said.
Mr Martin asked that anyone submitting applications for the Campaspe Shire awards from Kyabram and surrounding areas should also submit the same application with the Rotary Club, so the nominees had the opportunity to be recognised in their own town on Australia Day.
The Rotary awards, named the Kyabram Australia Day Awards, will be presented on Monday, January 27, and include the same categories as years past, including Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year and Community Group of the Year.
Council director of communities Jo Bradshaw said the Campaspe Shire Citizen of the Year Awards would be held a week before Australia Day to avoid clashing with local events.
“This will also allow for increased participation from across the shire from all geographic areas, whether your local township organises awards or not,” Ms Bradshaw said.
Ms Bradshaw said district committees were notified of these changes in 2023 and would receive an increased amount of funding from council for their event.
“Council is currently collating a list of events and awards being run so that we can support the promotion of these by advertising on our website and other media channels,” she said.
Residents of Kyabram can nominate extraordinary individuals for the Kyabram Rotary Australia Day Awards by emailing John Martin at john@acomputing.com.au or calling in to Advanced Computing for a nomination form.
Nominations for the 2025 Kyabram Rotary Australia Day Awards close on January 10.
Nominations for 2025 Campaspe Shire Citizen of the Year Awards can be submitted online at campaspe.vic.gov.au/nowopen or hard copies are available from customer service centres. Entries close Sunday, December 1.