Griffith’s Australia Day Award Winners Announced

It was a hotly contested category this year, but the top Australia Day honour - Australia Day Citizen of the Year went to Sister Patricia Johnson who was presented with her award during the official ceremony at Griffith Regional Theatre yesterday.

Sister Patricia received the accolade for her dedication, passion and commitment to supporting the residents of Griffith and its surrounds, and volunteering more than 25 hours each week to assist the community through various projects and initiatives.

Last year, Sister Patricia relocated from Griffith bringing an end to her incredible service to the local community, including working with the local Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community, teaching at Western Riverina Community College, coordinating the Griffith Women on Fire project, and working with t he Pioneer community to establish a community centre.

She was also instrumental in assisting refugees to settle in Griffith. Griffith Mayor, Doug Curran congratulated all award recipients and acknowledged the 64 new citizens from 17 countries.

“On behalf of the Griffith community, I congratulate Sister Patricia nd all of the other worthy winners,” Mayor Curran said.

“The Australia Day awards are an important way we can pay tribute to the commitment and dedication of individuals and groups across Griffith that go above and beyond to support our community.

“All those nominated deserve recognition for their hard work and dedication to their community.

“I would like to thank those in our community who took the time to complete the nomination form to ensure these residents could be acknowledged today.”

Winners include:

• Citizen of the Year, Sister Patricia Johnson.
• Young Citizen of the Year, Zavian Williams.
• Community Project of the Year, Griffith Women on Fire.
• Local Hero Award, Carrah Lymer.
• Young Sportsperson of the Year, Jack Johns.
• Sports Team of the Year, Murrumbidgee Regional High School U14s Rugby League Team.
• Sportsperson of the Year, Blake Testoni.
• Clubperson of the Year, Michael Crosato.
• Overall Sportsperson of the Year, Jack Johns.

• Topics:

• Australia Day
• Awards