IT was apparent that Wingham was not only a small country town, but had real soul on Australia Day with the best of community spirit on show.
Despite the wet weather which turned festivities inside to Wingham Town Hall, a good turn out from the community was seen with more than 100 people coming to celebrate the best of the community in Wingham.
Deputy mayor, David West attended the ceremony and praised Wingham for its consistent display of community spirit and heart, shown not only on Australia Day but a range of events through the year.
The master of ceremonies, Eric Richardson oversaw the flagraising by Wingham Scouts. Reverend Darryl McKeough attended the ceremony and led a prayer for Australia.
School captains Jessica Crowe and Nick Horgan represented the youth of Wingham and addressed the crowd with their take on Australia Day.
Nick acknowledged his fortune in growing up in Australia, and Wingham as a small town and the fantastic educational opportunities offered through public education.
“Whether a student’s interest lies in the realm of sports, artistic pursuits or somewhat in between, all are accommodated for at Wingham,” he said.
Jessica spoke about how lucky Australians are to live in a democratic society where individuals have the chance to succeed. “For me it is a celebration of culture, community, friendship, pride and family. It is the recognition of a free nation, a celebration of hope, peace between all countries and nationalities,” she said.
The Wingham Rotary Club once again provided the traditional sausage sizzle in the morning and supplied and sponsored the community Australia Day awards.
Wingham’s top honour, Citizen of the Year, was awarded to Todd Green for his efforts in trying to prevent road trauma. Todd was involved in an horrific accident which left him incapacitated and in need of constant care. Over the years, as his health improved he has undertaken many public speaking engagements to make people aware of the type of suffering that can come from road trauma. Todd is a regular speaker at high schools in the area as well as driver training programs. He is also the closing speaker at the driver offenders program and has a huge effect on participants. Todd’s parents were also acknowledged for their commitment to Todd’s recovery and supporting his involvement in public speaking.
Pride of workmanship award was awarded to Ray Johnston. Ray is highly regarded throughout the dairy industry, working for the Department of Primary Industries as a dairy and livestock officer promoting and assisting the dairy industry in this role. He is also a member of the Mid North Coast Dairy Advancement Group in his promotional work for the dairy industry. He has shown a commitment to young people and the future of the industry through programs such as RYAG and other school programs. RYAG provides students in year nine the opportunity to have an insight into the dairy industry through hands on experience in milking, artificial insemination and practical dairy industry activities.
The Youth of the Year award was awarded to three equally deserving students from Wingham High School, Sarah Fotheringham, Kathryn Lynch and Nick Thompson. The three identified needs in the community and worked towards achieving that need. Kathryn identified a love of music among the elderly at Alma Place and sourced a keyboard which is regularly used. Sarah raised funds for a defibrillator machine for Wingham Services Club while Nick assisted primary school children in developing reading and artistic skills.
The highly sought-after sportsperson of the year was awarded to 16-year-old Ella Harcher. Ella put Wingham on the international map when she represented her sport, archery, in Germany with outstanding success breaking two world records.
Ella was unable to make the ceremony so her father, Tony accepted the award on her behalf.
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