Ms Mitchell received the local award at the Cloncurry Australia Day ceremony for maintaining the gardens at the equestrian centre in her own time. 

“I appreciate everybody that helped me with the hill at the equestrian centre,” she said. “The stockman’s challenge committee, council and everybody else helped. It was not just me.” 

Senior sports award winner Nicole Saunders was also modest in her response to receiving her award at the ceremony. 

She won in her show horse category at the Brisbane Royal, and gained three firsts as well as reserve champion hack at the Darwin Royal. 

She said; “it’s probably a lot of luck.” When questioned further about this, she added; “I have to put a lot of hard work into the horses.” 

She has been show horsing for 26 years. “Since I was about four. I really enjoy it, I have a lot of friends in the sport as well.” 

The Cloncurry Show Society’s Horse Events coordinators won the sports administrator award. Committee members Debbie Smith, Judith Robertson, Lesley Laffey and Maree Walbuck. 

They said the work was important for the continuation of horse events at the show, and did not want to see a decline due to lack of volunteers as has happened with the Mount Isa Show. 

The Red Dirt Relay for Life committee received the community event of the year award, which was collected by Freda Pyke, Erin Armstrong and Sherrie Atkinson.  

They dedicated the award to committee member Natalie Sanderson, who was in the Gold Coast receiving treatment for breast cancer. 

The cultural award was received by Cloncurry St Joseph’s School’s Rock, Pop, Mime group.

Teacher Sally Hannah said “the kids will get a kick out of it because we will tell them they are Australians of the year.”