Cunnamulla locals Jarib Branfield-Bradshaw and Tom King nominated for Paroo Shire Australia Day Awards
A young youth support worker in the rural Queensland town of Cunnamulla is among those recognised in this year’s Australia Day Awards.
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A support worker helping disadvantaged young people and community stalwart are among the contenders for a variety of Australia Day Awards in the Paroo Shire.
The southwest Queensland council has listed their nominees for Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Community or Cultural Event of the Year, and the Sports Award.
All of the nominees had been put forward by their community, for their extraordinary service to the community.
Jarib Branfield-Bradshaw has been nominated for Young Citizen of the Year, a nomination he said he certainly was not expecting.
“It’s a really great honour,” Mr Branfield-Bradshaw said.
Mr Branfield-Bradshaw works with the local council in a youth support role, primarily with disengaged and disadvantaged young people in Cunnamulla.
He said he was most proud of the work he has done with his clients in this position, helping young people in Cunnamulla. He said that in the time he has been working in his role, the amount of young people reaching out for support has grown tremendously.
“When I first started … I had five clients and now I have 35,” Mr Branfield-Bradshaw said.
He also said that many of his clients have “picked their acts up,” and he has helped many get a job.
Mr Branfield-Bradshaw has been a pillar for youth in his community for years and said this was inspired by his mum, who encouraged him to be very involved in his community. He said when he was at school at Cunnamulla P-12 state school, he was school captain, sport captain, performing arts captain and mayor of the youth council.
Mr Branfield-Bradshaw has aspirations to join the police force, which he hopes will come to fruition this year.
Tom King was nominated for Citizen of the Year for his boundless involvement in the Cunnamulla community.
Not only a plant operator, road builder, local business owner, lieutenant for Queensland Fire and Rescue as an auxiliary, Mr King is president of the Cunnamulla Sand Goannas Cricket Club, member of Cunnamulla Lawn Bowls Club, husband, and father to four kids.
Born in Cunnamulla, Mr King said he has spent a lot of his adult life in the region and that while he didn’t expect to be nominated for an award, he said he was “definitely proud,” and “very grateful”.
He said that he loves what he does, and loves living in Cunnamulla.
The other nominees for the awards are of similar calibre, with characters of exemplary nature.
The winners of the awards will be announced on January 26.
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