‘The strength of our community relies on the community itself’: Alice Springs honours community champions, welcomes new citizens on Australia Day
A DIVERSE mix of worthy Centralians have been honoured at the citizenship ceremony and 2021 Centralian of the Year Awards in Alice Springs this Australia Day.
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A DIVERSE mix of worthy Centralians have been honoured at the citizenship ceremony and 2021 Centralian of the Year Awards in Alice Springs this Australia Day.
“Today, we welcomed 43 adults and children from the Philippines, France, India, Pakistan, Wales, (the) United Kingdom, Zimbabwe, South Korea, Kenya, Ireland, Thailand and Nepal into our Central Australian family,” Alice Springs Mayor Damien Ryan said.
Local police officer Stephen Njuki said he was thrilled to receive his certificate of Australian citizenship.
“It’s a lovely day. I’ve been waiting for this day for a very long time and it’s a lovely day for me,” he said.
Mr Njuki is originally from Kenya. He came to Central Australia six years ago.
“When I came here, I went straight to work with the (remote) communities,” Mr Njuki said.
“I went to Yuendumu community, where I was doing night patrol for two years. And then from there I moved to Alice Springs.
“I love my job — good people, good management. It’s a challenging job but I love helping my community.”
Winner of the Senior Centralian of the Year Award, Geoff Miers, also had a powerful, community-minded message for his fellow Red Centre residents.
“The demands made on people these days are becoming greater and greater,” he said.
“People seem to have less time. They spend more time on their iPods and iPhones and things like that.
“We’ve got to remember that the strength of our community and the success of our community relies on the community itself — the people within it. And if we lose that, we lose our spirit, our soul.
“So, I urge every person who is a member of this community to participate in one way or another. Maybe on a small scale or large scale, but the strength of the community relies on the individual.”
Mr Miers has worked and volunteered in numerous roles around Alice Springs, including a stint as deputy mayor, since the 1970s.
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Centralian of the Year was awarded to Bruce Simmons, a spirited retiree who has been the convener of the Alice Springs Community Garden since 2011 and has been instrumental to its success.
He was unable to attend the event so Alice Springs Councillor Jimmy Cocking accepted the award on his behalf.
Declan Miller from Centralian Senior College was awarded Young Centralian of the Year for outstanding service to his school.
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The Centralian Event of the Year award went to Stress Less in the Park, which has been running for seven years and aims to break down the stigma associated with poor mental health.
Matthew McKinlay won Centralian Volunteer of the Year in recognition for his work as a foster carer and as a volunteer with the Riding for the Disabled Association.
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