22 November 2021

Long-serving legends of Goulburn Mulwaree to be celebrated through new award

| Max O'Driscoll
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Danae Vitnell

Chairperson of the Goulburn Mulwaree Award working party, Danae Vitnell, is one of seven people involved in determining successful nominations. Photo: Goulburn Mulwaree Council.

Do you know anyone who has gone above and beyond the call of duty for years in the Goulburn Mulwaree region?

The Goulburn Mulwaree Award has been created to celebrate those in the community who have done just that – with organisers hoping the award will become the local equivalent of the Order of Australia.

The inaugural induction will be presented at Goulburn’s 159th birthday celebrations in March 2022, celebrating 159 years since Queen Victoria proclaimed Goulburn a city.

The nominees will be reviewed by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor as well as community representatives Danae Vitnell, Richard Ernst, Gary Lourigan, Jodie Divall and Sam Rowland.

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“We’ve decided that we’ll put a cap on awarding five of these a year, and the reason that we’ve done that, is that we do want it to be quite special and retain that prestigious quality to it,” said Chairperson of the Goulburn Mulwaree Award working party Danae Vitnell.

“There are so many unsung heroes within our community. We’ve got a lot of big events that happen as well as just our everyday services. You look at things like the Red Cross, Meals on Wheels, and volunteers that work through the hospital, the libraries and all of those other services.”

“Those events in our community that wouldn’t run without certain people and they’ve been behind them for many, many years and dedicated their time and efforts to make sure these things actually happen.

“They’re the people that we’re really trying to reach and have nominated and rewarded as part of this process,” she said.

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Nominees must fit under one of the three criteria. They must have demonstrated achievement at a high level, committed above and beyond the duties of their paid employment or have been a standout volunteer to the community.

The award aims to be a point of difference on the Australia Day awards held annually, as it focuses on ongoing service rather than performance over the previous 12 months.

The form to submit a nomination is available on the Goulburn Mulwaree Council website.

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