Mayor welcomes opportunity to celebrate local heroes
Published on 02 September 2020
Bland Shire Mayor Brian Monaghan says it is time to celebrate!
While some of our more traditional celebration methods might remain restricted, Mayor Monaghan is calling on the community to help make the 2021 Australia Day Awards one of the greatest celebrations of Bland Shire community spirit ever held.
“The Australia Day awards provide the community with an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding commitment and achievements of our peers,” Mayor Monaghan said.
“The awards are an opportunity to collectively honour these special groups and individuals and what they mean to us and to our community as a whole.”
Nominations for the 2021 Bland Shire Australia Day awards are available through Council’s website at www.blandshire.nsw.gov.au, at Council’s offices at 6 Shire Street or by phoning Council on 0269722266.
While in the midst of a tumultuous 2020, the Mayor is counting on a record number of nominations to showcase all of the special people and individuals who continue to make the Bland Shire shine.
“After several years of drought, 2020 has thrown up a whole new set of unique challenges which have again highlighted the spirit and resilience of this incredible community ,” Mayor Monaghan said.
“By taking so many things away, this year has highlighted the integral role that local community groups and sporting organisations play in community life and the special volunteers who keep them going.
“It would be fitting to see each of these individuals and groups recognised with an Australia Day award nomination so we can come together on and around 26 January to say thank you and formally pay tribute.”
The Australia Day awards have attracted some outstanding nominees in recent years which have presented the judging panel with some agonizing decisions when choosing award recipients.
For those people who may have narrowly missed out on receiving an award in previous years, Mayor Monaghan is encouraging people to consider nominating them again.
“Each year judges have a tough time deciding between some excellent candidates and unfortunately we don’t often see those who narrowly missed out nominated again in future years,” Mayor Monaghan said.
“This is the perfect time to nominate anyone who has made a positive contribution to the Bland Shire and celebrate their achievements.”