PAWS, Hoofs and Claws president Sue Carson is Mount Isa’s citizen of the year.
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“I’m a bit overcome by this,” she said while receiving her award at the 2015 Australia Day Awards.
“It’s very easy to be a volunteer in Mount Isa.
“The community is incredibly generous,” she added, tearfully.
Young Citizen of the Year Justice King said the calibre of award winners already announced was a “real eye opener” for her.
“I thank my school, my principal and my teacher for nominating me,” Ms King said.
Veteran jockey Keith Ballard was humble about him being listed a Mount Isa legend at the ceremony.
The former leading country jockey in Queensland “felt like a bit of an imposer” when comparing himself to other legend recipients.
“Racing has been very kind to me,” Mr Ballard said.
He was well supported by his family members and the community.
“Thank you Mount Isa, thank you racing, and thank you everybody.”
Mount Isa Mayor Tony McGrady was quick to assure Mr Ballard that his award was well deserved.
“You are certainly not an imposter,” Cr McGrady said.
Mount Isa City Councillor Jean Ferris said there was a great turnout of attendees at the Australia Day breakfast and award ceremony.
“We gave out over 200 balloons [at breakfast], we ran out of balloons,” Cr Ferris said.
She thanked entertainers for volunteering their time.
Cr Ferris was glad for the reintroduction to Mount Isa Legend Awards which recognised “the unsung heroes”.
“I think it’s very important.”
But she noticed how humble award recipients were.
Eighteen people also took part in an Australian Citizenship ceremony during Australia Day celebrations at the Mount Isa Civic Centre.
“Australia beckons people from other lands to come and bring their skills and wisdom and join our original settlers of this ancient land, the Aboriginal people,” Cr McGrady said.
“From this day, you will walk tall as an Australian, proud of your nation, proud of its people and proud of the country which you now formally call home.”
Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter emphasised the number of important people throughout Australian history who were born in other countries.
“This country was made of people who came here and lived in this place.”
Member for Mount Isa Rob Katter said Mount Isa was a “beacon in a shining light”.
“We forget to appreciate how lucky we are.”
Mr Katter said there were many hard working locals who made the community a better place.
“I’m constantly reminded I’ve got to do my bit as well and pull my socks up.”
He encouraged people to improve the Mount Isa community outside their working roles.
State Emergency Services and Rural Fire Service Australia Day Achievement Medallion Awards
Winners: David Muston & Gavin Bunker
David Muston joined the Mount Isa State Emergency Service in 2011. Since joining David has not only been an active member of the unit through training and operations but has committed a great deal of time to the maintenance and administrative requirements of the unit. In addition to being the Group Leader for the Mount Isa State Emergency Service, David is an active member of the Rural Fire Service. Among plenty of other accolades and commendable traits, David has used his skills to develop paperless reporting and record keeping systems for the Rural Fire Service equipment and is tirelessly working toward improving the facilities through planning and grants applications.
Gaven Bunker has shown outstanding imitative within the Mount Isa Rural Fire Brigade in developing processes and practices to ensure all brigade equipment is maintained to the highest standard. Gaven devotes large amounts of volunteer time both in response to incidents, training of members, and maintenance of equipment. Gaven is very committed to the safety of volunteer firefighters and regularly assumes the role of incident controller at fires; he is heavily involved in community events promoting fire safety.
Mount Isa Legend Award
Winners: Chris Gillic, Joyce Nielsen, Keith Ballard, Les Bunn and Phillip Makkai
Chris Gillic came to Mount Isa in 1974; she helped develop the Irish Club, one of the largest Clubs in Queensland. She has been an active member and former president of the Multi-Cultural Festival which has developed into one of the great Festivals in Queensland securing a number of State-wide Awards. She cooks and serves meals for the homeless in our City besides being very generous to anybody who needs help.This Mount Isa Legend is one of the un-sung heroes of Mount Isa, never seeking the limelight or the glory but is always there whenever needed to help any organisation that requires help and assistance.
Joyce Nielsen was born in Camooweal, at the age of two she came with her family to live in Mount Isa, she did her schooling in Mount Isa and she has married, raised a family and has lived around 70 years in our City. Other the years she has been involved in the Pony Club, the Spinifex Country Music Club and with her sister was a foundation member of the Gary Nixon Group whose aim was to assist young people with health problems. For the past 30 years plus, she has been an active member of the Leukaemia Foundation helping to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for people with this disease, she has represented Mount Isa at the annual State conferences. This Legend has never sought the limelight, but has always been there ready to help any organisation to raise money for worthy causes, and she can always be found where six or more people gather at a table with her sister selling tickets for worthy causes.
Keith Ballard moved to Mount Isa in 1976, hoping to further his career in the sport he loves – horse racing. Back then the Mount Isa Race Club held meetings every weekend of the year and on every public holiday so Mount Isa was an obvious choice for a bush jockey seeking greater opportunity. With a strong worth ethic, a fiercely competitive nature and a sense of loyalty and dedication that is second to none, it didn’t take him long to start racking up the winners. Among his long list of achievements are wins in the Darwin, Alice Springs and Birdsville Cups, the Cleveland Bay handicap (Townsville’s premier short course race), numerous victories in the Mount Isa Cup, the Lord Derby Stakes and the Copper market Handicap. He has ridden an incredible 1,610 winners and has been awarded the leading country jockey in Queensland on several occasions. His career has spanned over 46 years and taken him the length and breadth of the state; he has been a member of the Mount Isa Race Club committee and maintained the race track on a voluntary basis for nearly 10 years. His career has a longevity rarely seen in the industry and he continues to be the example for jockeys in the North West to be measured against and a professional ambassador for Mount Isa in the field of racing.
Les Bunn served as a Councillor and is a former Deputy Mayor; he is an active member of Rotary, an executive of the Mount Isa RSL, an executive of the Mount Isa’s Mens Shed, an executive of the Prostate Cancer Group and a keen and active supporter of Cancer House. He is also a keen sportsman being President of the Golden Oldies Rugby Union Association and has served on that body’s judicial committee. At most community events he is behind the scenes ensuring its success. At around 5:30 am each morning he and his wife can be seen walking up and down Abel Smith Parade collecting rubbish and disposing of it.
Phillip Makkai was an unbelievable athlete before his accident, through perseverance and family support he has emerged as a highly respected citizen with a hint of devilment.His smiling face often greets people at his beloved Rugby grounds and also at the Netball. He has broken down every barrier imposed on him and is one of Mount Isa’s respected and loyal legends. There are no barriers imposed on this Legend, it is just a line in the sand that he steps over.
Australia Day Awards
JUNIOR SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR:
Soshua Gasio is a rising star of Australia's boxing ranks and recently returned to Mount Isa with two national gold medals from last year's Australian Amateur Boxing League national titles. He claimed the junior light middleweight crown before also stepping up into the open weight section to claim his second gold medal of the titles. Only months before the national victory, Soshua also took out the senior men's Queensland middleweight crown. Soshua trains out of the successful Mount Isa PCYC and is coached by his father Suauu. The pair are set to move to Ipswich to help open up more opportunities for Soshua as he steps up into the intermediate weight range.
SENIOR SPORTSPERSON OF THE YEAR:
David Scott is better known as 'coach awesome' at the highly successful Mount Isa Athletics Club. But not only is he an integral part of developing the next generation of Athletics stars in Mount Isa, David is also pretty handy on the track and field himself. He topped off an accolade-filled year by being awarded the Athletics North Queensland Master Athlete of the Year for his performances throughout the 2014 season. David was selected from master athletes from the 34 ANQ clubs, which encompass an area from Rockhampton in the South, Cairns in the North and out to our very own Mount Isa in the West. A competitive athlete within the club and at regional, national and overseas meetings, Scott was awarded life membership at the Mount Isa Athletics Club last year. He has also represented Australia at the Oceania Masters Championships in 2008 and holds numerous club records in the 30-34 years and 35-39 years age groups. David is the driving force behind the expansion of Mount Isa Athletics into a club that caters for athletes of all ages, from four-year-old Tiny Tots right through to Masters. The club’s success was evident when it took out the 2013 ANQ Club of the Year.
ARTS & CULTURE AWARD – winner: David Whitehead
David Whitehead has been active in the Mount Isa community for a number of years. He has volunteered his time to work at a number of different community events – both demonstrating his creative skills and supporting others to foster their talent. He is very generous with his time and is willing to help out others whenever the opportunity arises. This awardee, through his volunteering his time, has contributed to the wider community through his work with the Mount Isa Eisteddfod, Isa Music Festival, and the Queensland Opera La Boheme performance. He has joined with others to form a Community choir and most recently performed at the Christmas Carols.
COMMUNITY EVENT OF THE YEAR – winner: Get Pink In the Outback
Get Pink In the Outback was successful in bringing to the Mount Isa community, for the first time, a wide variety of services that might not be easily accessed in our community. The organisers identified that this was a need for the local community and encouraged outlying communities to access the event also.The organisation committee worked to link with experts in their field. They gave face-to-face support to address the concerns and needs of attendees. This event successfully met its objective of strengthening the support and information network available to women, and their partners, as they battle Breast Cancer.
YOUNG CITIZEN OF THE YEAR – winner: Justice King
A very driven young lady who has a passion for helping others, Justice has the wonderful ability of seeing a need and having the skills to do what it takes to ensure that her vision is converted into reality. She is very motivated and has the capacity to share that enthusiasm with those around her to inspire them to assist her to achieve her vision. A member of the National Indigenous Youth Leadership Academy, is a recent winner of the ABC Heywire competition that gives rural youth a voice, and has been appointed as the 2014 Queensland Youth Strategy Ambassador, and was the Zonta Young Citizen of the Year in 2014. She is a school and community leader of youth. She has advocated for her cause beyond the community to ensure the Mount Isa has a very strong voice and that our issues are heard. She is particularly vocal on issues relating to youth and the cause closest to her heart – youth suicide.
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR – winner: Sue Carson
Sue Carson has made a significant impact to the Mount Isa community and has worked tirelessly for her adopted cause, Mount Isa animal rescue group Paws, Hoofs and Claws. She plays a leadership role in their organisation and has a pivotal role in coordinating the day to day activities. The benefits that this person has brought to the Mount Isa community are significant. They identified a need in the community and has worked tirelessly to address them, while encouraging and supporting other community members to join in and become part of the solution. She has worked to ensure that the wider community is well educated regarding issues and has raised the profile of her organisation. In 2014 she was recognised for her work as runner-up in the Heritage Bank Volunteer of the Year Award and at the Northern Outback Business Awards won the Service Excellence - Community Sector Award.