Bega Valley Shire Australia Day Ambassador 2026 Paul Featherstone, Cobargo Citizen of the Year 2026 Shona Taranto, Cobargo Public School 2026 school captain Lily Craythorn, Cobargo CWA Branch president Lynn Lawson, Cobargo Public School 2026 school captain Ollie Fowler, and Bega Valley Shire Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick. Photos: Marion Williams.
Businesswoman Shona Taranto was named Cobargo Citizen of the Year 2026 at Cobargo’s annual Australia Day event.
Cobargo CWA Branch president Lynn Lawson said Ms Taranto had worked “thousands of hours” to help the businesses of Cobargo recover after the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires.
Ms Taranto is a director of registered charity Cobargo Community Development Corporation Limited (CCDC) and chair of the not-for-profit Cobargo Quaama Business Recovery Group Incorporated (CQBRG).
She moved to the Far South Coast in 2015 and opened a boutique health retail store and herbal apothecary called The Dispensary at Cobargo. The business was destroyed in the bushfires.
Since the bushfires she has been actively involved in contributing to and driving community-led volunteer work in the bushfire and rebuilding and recovery space through her work with the CQBRG and the CCDC.
The complexity of the rebuild of Cobargo’s main street, combined with the pressure of the competitive tender process for the funding, and dealing with multiple state and federal government agencies over several years cannot be overstated.
“I don’t think any of us on the CCDC board, if we knew what was ahead, would have put our hands up,” Ms Taranto said.
Members of the Cobargo community can nominate anyone for the citizen of the year award. The event is organised by the Cobargo CWA Branch with an independent committee making the decision. It is awarded to people who have given up their time to volunteer and demonstrated that over many years.
Lily Craythorn, 2026 school captain of Cobargo Public School.
Before the announcement the 2026 school captains of Cobargo Public School Lily Craythron and Ollie Fowler talked about what being Australian meant to them.
For Lily, being Australian means being kind, fair and loving being outdoors. She said she was proud of how multicultural Australia is.
“Being Australian is having a good sense of humour and not taking ourselves too seriously,” Lily said. “It makes me feel lucky and safe.”
Ollie said Australians had freedom to move around and freedom to have their own thoughts, and have a great way of life.
“People are willing to help each other,” Ollie said. “Australians stick together when it matters.”
Bega Valley Shire Mayor Russell Fitzpatrick also addressed the gathering.
He said Australia Day was a day to appreciate Australia’s diversity, mateship and working together.
“We don’t claim perfection. We are willing to give it a go,” he said. “Through it all, we remain connected. Trying matters and caring matters.”
Accompanying Mayor Fitzpatrick was Bega Valley Australia Day Ambassador Paul Featherstone.
Ms Lawson said he joined the ambulance service in 1972 and retired 41 years later after helping to transform it into the professional force it is today.
“He has been involved in an astonishing list of rescues and is the recipient of 10 major awards including the Australian Bravery Award,” Ms Lawson said.
Mr Featherstone aided the victims of the Bali bombings, Thredbo landslide, the Granville and Waterfall rail disasters and the Beaconsfield mine rescue. He still trains rescuers.
He spoke about the time he spent with Stuart Diver, the sole survivor of the 1997 landslide in Thredbo.
“It was like he was in a coffin and he was there for 60 hours before he could make himself heard,” Mr Featherstone said.
He talked about how the community of first responders were trying to clear by hand the area where Mr Diver was trapped below tonnes of rubble. “We couldn’t put any machinery there because we might crush someone.”
The land was still shifting while the rescue operation was underway.
Mr Featherstone said Mr Diver was a great, great man who loved those mountains.
“It is like winning the Lotto being Australian and living in Australia,” he said.
