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Citizen of the Year Award

From its inception in 2003-04 to 2008, this award has been under the auspices of the Lions Club of Lara. From 2008 onwards it has come under the purview of the Lara Australia Day Breakfast Committee.

The Lara Citizen of the Year is chosen by someone just like you! If you want to put forward someone for the Award, it’s very simple :

You can contact the team by phone, email, SMS or post with your details and contact number;
You are called the ‘nominator’. The person you want to put forward is called the ‘nominee’;
Before you contact us:

Think about why you want to nominate this person;
What has this person done?
Why is it special?
What impact has it made?
Does the person qualify?

It may help to use the ‘Helpful Tips’ at this stage.

When you contact us, a member of our team will then make arrangements to assist you with the necessary paperwork to enhance the chance of success for your nominee. If you are in doubt whether someone qualifies, don’t hesitate to contact the team for clarification and assistance.
A team of independent judges will then examine all the entries.
An overall winner is chosen, but everyone who is put forward and meets the basic criteria is acknowledged publicly and is awarded a handsome certificate at the Awards Ceremony for being special enough to be nominated.

The decision of the judging panel will be final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the decision.

Helpful Tips on what to cover in your nomination:

The Lara Citizen of the Year will be an individual of any age who has displayed any of the following:

Exceptional achievement;
Exceptional personal dedication to a worthy cause;
Significant contribution to the community;
Displayed remarkable help, kindness or assistance to others or groups of others;
Bravery or exceptional courage;
Humanitarian achievements;
Achievements in the fields of environment, nature or wildlife.

Briefly state why your nominee deserves to be recognised with this award (what has this person done)

What has been the impact on the community?
(Including social, environment, economic benefit or benefit to another person or group)

Who can validate and support your nomination?
(Reference/s contact details)

Nomination Form

Please complete a nomination form and mail to:
The Secretary
Lions Club of Lara
PO Box 97
Lara 3212

or contact a team member on 0450 314-128 for assistance.

2008 Winner

(2008 Lara Citizen of the Year winner, Les Kelly addressing the Australia Day Breakfast crowd after receiving
his award from Cr. Cameron Granger. The award had moved from the auspices of the Lions Club of Lara
to the Lara Australia Day Committee. This award was sponsored by the Lions Club of Lara.)

coty

(2008 Citizen of the Year, Les Kelly with the 2008 'Young' Citizen of the Year,
Nicole Ballantyne together with other Lara Commonwealth Bank award winners for Art and Literacy.)

2006-07 Winner

(Picture shows Lion Alan Smedley, Citizen of the Year Chairman, Jack Richards,
Citizen of the Year 2005-06 winner and this year's winner Rob Leonard holding his trophy.)

Lara's Citizen of the Year award presented by the Lions Club of Lara was held on Monday 25 June 2007, where the community, together with Lions and members of the Leo Club of Lara, celebrated Rob Leonard's achievement of being selected as this year's winner.

Rob has spent ten years in a full time voluntary position trying to improve the quality of life for children, not just in Lara but Australia wide.

In 1997 he established the Australian Children's Literary Board which led to the Young Writers' Awards, now one of Australia's most prestigious literary awards for children.

He established the Bright Kids Programme in 2005 to assist children with learning difficulties.

He has also established the Young At Art programme and a Youth Action Committee, involving secondary schools in the Geelong region.

Rob also runs a young offenders' programme in conjunction with Corrections Victoria, which has nominated it as the 'best correctional site' two years in a row.

He receives no federal or state funding, it all comes from sponsorship. Rob wins a trophy and $500.00 to either assist with his work or donate to a nominated charity. Rob chose to donate his $500.00 prize to the Children's Charity Network.

Past Winners

2005-06: Jack Richards

Jack_Richardsv2 Jack received two nominations for this year’s award. He has been involved in local activities for many years and in the past has been involved when community concerns were raised over issues such as the establishment of Barwon Prison and more recently the proposal for a toxic waste dump in the Lara area. He has also been involved in the Corio Pony Club. Since retiring – if that is the right word – Jack has become even more heavily involved, particularly in environmental issues. He has been the driving force behind Lara’s success in recent Tidy Towns Awards. In 2003 Lara received the ‘Ongoing Project Award’ for the work done around the Lara Lakes area. And in 2005 Jack’s leadership and drive saw Lara win an amazing 12 out of 15 categories in the Regional Tidy Town Awards and a place in 3 state categories. Jack has devoted considerable time to encouraging children (especially Lara Lake Primary) to become interested in environmental activities and has recently also assisted in tree plantings near Serendip Sanctuary. Jack is also a member of the Lara Heritage Committee. Jack has devoted countless hours of work towards Lara activities and has been instrumental in obtaining assistance from council and the private sector to further this environmental work. To quote one of his nominees, at 76 years of age Jack Richards displays a love of Lara that is beyond question, a commitment and fervent passion in all he does and an energy and drive for the good of the town that sweeps everyone he comes into contact with along for the ride.”

2004-05: Kevin Hoffman

2003-04 - Libby Bate

libby1

Libby has been very well known and respected in our community for many years. She taught at the Lara Primary School for many years during which time she achieved so much. Libby was instrumental in developing reading recovery programs, in environmental education and also was successful in putting Lara Primary forward as a professional development centre for Deakin University Faculty of Education. She has been a member of the Lara Fire Brigade for 30 years - the first 26 in the Ladies Auxiliary, but more recently in the broader membership category. Libby was either president or secretary for 25 of the 26 years. Libby has been a member of the Lara Chamber of Commerce since its inception in 1983 and has been president since 1999. She convened the Lara Litter Prevention Task Force in 2001 and has been a member of the City of Greater Geelong Litter Prevention Advisory Committee. She has been a member of the Geelong Cancer After Care Group (assistant secretary since 2003) and Beta Sigma Phi and has also been secretary of the Heritage Committee.