Mayoral Matters | January 30, 2026

Published on 30 January 2026

Australia Day ceremonies in St Arnaud and Stawell were both well attended and it was lovely to see so many friendly faces who helped make our national day so special.

We enjoyed beautiful celebrations of community spirit and everything our townships have achieved over the past 12 months. Our events were a time of reflection and to acknowledge the things we have overcome and accomplished together as a community.

We also enjoyed hearing from our 2026 Australia Day Ambassadors, Karen Douglas in St Arnaud and Josephina McDonald in Stawell.

There were some outstanding nominations for this year’s awards. In St Arnaud, our Kara Kara Citizen of the Year accolade was shared by a true powerhouse duo, Len and Bev Reid.

Senior Citizen of the Year Des Richards was recognised for his unwavering loyalty, care and hard work, while Grampians Youth Events won Community Group of the Year after delivering several outstanding events in St Arnaud.

We had three Young Citizens of the Year this year, year-five students Isobel Green, Zarleya Hutchinson and Maria Taylor, who brought the Reverse Advent Calendar project to St Arnaud.

I would like to make special mention of the following runners-up for all their hard work and dedication: Ben Duxson, for all his work in the community and commitment to helping local farmers; Beryl Crone, for her work and the care she shows to those in our community; John Xenitellis, for his generosity and many years of contribution; The Mummy and Me Program, for the guidance and valuable service they provide to mums in our shire.

Our Central and Grampians ward winners were also incredibly worthy. Congratulations to our Citizen of the Year, David Jones, for his generosity, compassion and commitment to our community over many years.

Our Local Heroes were Nicki Van Veen and Blanche Leithhead, in recognition of their countless hours of work during and after the recent Grampians fires.

Stawell State Emergency Service unit won the Community Group of the Year award in recognition of 60 years of serving and helping our community, while Sonny Gellie – a young person who volunteers in many roles – was named Young Citizen of the Year.

I would like to make special mention of the following runners-up for all their hard work and dedication: Diane Raeburn, for years of community service, especially as the Big Hill Angel; Karen Peacock, for her kindness, volunteer work and generosity to the community; Malcolm Nicholson, for outstanding support to the CFA, Good Friday Appeal, and Stawell Agricultural Show; Marie Hemley, for more than 20 years of volunteering and supporting the Glenorchy community, especially in critical times; Jake and Narissa McConnell, for making Christmas special for Halls Gap residents during the 2024-25 bushfires; Tracey McCartney, for nearly 30 years of continuous support for the Great Western Football Netball club and their events; Gariwerd Trail Running, for promoting trail running in the Grampians/Gariwerd National Park, event hosting and helping to repair fire-damaged Grampians Peaks Trail sections; Halls Gap Glow Festival, for lighting up Halls Gap to attract visitors and encourage return trips, especially after the fires; Halls Gap Kitchen Cabinet, for holding the town together after the fires and providing crucial support to many; Jai Smith, for his work as a CFA member and key role in organising the Melbourne stair climb for cancer research fundraising.

Australia day gives us the opportunity to recognise many individuals and groups who go above and beyond and as you can see above, we have some amazing individuals and groups in our shire that help shape the place we are so proud to call home. 

You can read more about Australia Day in Northern Grampians Shire, here.