2016 winners

reg.jpg
Citizen of The Year Award

The Citizen of the Year Award acknowledges outstanding service and contribution over a number of years given by an individual to their local community.

Reg Dumesny was been awarded the 2016 Moyne Shire Australia Day Citizen of the Year Award in recognition for his outstanding service to the community.

It’s been said that every small town needs a Reg Dumesny – Panmure is lucky, it has the original.

Reg donates hundreds of hours each year to the town and its improvement. He’s an action man full of enthusiasm and energy, his hard work encouraging others to follow.

He’s a former member of the SES and CFA and is currently an integral member of the Panmure Action Group. He’s the first to help and often the last to finish, not through inaction but the commitment to see a job done.

Reg has been team leader in three Variety 4WD Treks which raised in excess of $40,000 for Variety - the Children’s Charity dedicated to empowering children who are sick, disadvantaged or have special needs to live, laugh and learn.

His work on the Panmure war memorial and a community park has been tireless. Planning, digging, watering, clearing, and sowing have all been done in his own time and often out of his own pocket. His toil encourages others into action installing confidence in others through his own achievements.

A man of few words, he prefers actions over words yet became the Master of Ceremonies at Panmure’s ANZAC day parade. He accepted the task as he realised he could help the town. Full of nervous anxiety beforehand, he performed with a friendly assurance that hid his trembling knees.

While continuing to improve Panmure he still finds time to help others further afield, particularly in times of crisis. He’s delivered hay to drought, flood, and fire affected farmers around the state and often organised working parties to help farmers.

If all this community spirit and tireless dedication seems too good to be true: it is. He’s quick to ignore protocol, paperwork and forms. Still, action first, could well be his motto.

Reg is passionate about Panmure, and with this award it shows that it’s not just Panmure that is passionate about Reg. Maybe every small town does need a Reg Dumesny.

Young Citizen of The Year Award

The Young Citizen of the Year Award acknowledges outstanding service and contribution given by an individual (under the age of 27) to their local community.

Angela Kenna has been awarded the 2016 Moyne Shire Australia Day Young Citizen of the Year Award for her commitment to community, youth issues, and volunteering.

Those who wish to sing always find a song, and Angela is happy to share her songs to the delight of others. Whether it is singing to the elderly in hospital during her school holidays or raising money for charities, Angela uses her voice to bring joy to her community.

Angela was an integral part of The Sisters’ Battle of Lone Pine Commemoration Service that attracted a crowd of over 400 people, writing and performing a song ‘We will remember them’ that she wrote specifically for the event. This song was in part inspired by her trip to Gallipoli in 2014.

Angela also has performed to raise money for the Terang and Mortlake Health Clinic and Terang’s ongoing East Timor Project. She has also performed at the Fundraising Dinner for the Moyne Shire Alternative to Schoolies Trip to the Philippines.

Angela served as a Moyne Shire Youth Councillor representing the south-east for three years between 2011 and 2013. Angela was one of the six young people who led the 30th year anniversary of the Ash Wednesday bush fires. This included the development of a commemorative booklet and DVD that included the recollections of those local people who lived through the bushfire tragedy. Angela also helped organise the commemorative ceremony that was attended by hundreds of people.

Angela has also been an important part of the Moyne FReeZA program helping with the organisation of a diverse number of events including Battle of the Bands, Moyneyana Festival, and the Peterborough Seaside Festival.

With a genuine commitment to being an encouraging influence within the local community, Angela is recognised for her hard work and positivity.

Angela’s duties and dedication deem her a worthy recipient of the 2016 Young Citizen of the Year award

Community Event of the Year

The Community Event of the Year Award is presented to the person or group who has staged the most outstanding local community event during the year.

 The commemorative service of the Battle of Lone Pine is probably the biggest event ever hosted in The Sisters. Over 400 hundred people gathered at the Memorial Hall to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Lone Pine with a community service and concert.

The Sisters is one of only three locations in Victoria to host a pine tree grown from seeds brought back from the Turkish coastal battlefield. Keith McDowell, an Australian soldier of the 23rd Battalion who fought at Gallipoli, brought a pine cone from the battle site home to Australia. Many years later seeds from the cone were planted by his wife's aunt Emma Gray of Grassmere, five seedlings emerged, with four surviving. These seedlings were planted in four different locations: Wattle Park, the Shrine of Remembrance, Warrnambool Botanic Gardens and The Sisters.