The good news for those groups, or individuals, who have gone to great lengths to prepare submissions for the annual Australia Day award is that every nominee will receive some form of recognition.
An independent judge will ultimately decide on the recipient of Rochester’s Citizen of the Year award, using the submissions made to the community-based organising committee as a major factor in deciding on the 2022 winner.
Heather Watson, who wears many hats in the Rochester community, is a key part of the Australia Day committee, which has the Citizen of the Year award among its agenda items.
“There are quite a few nominations and they centre around the recovery work done during the floods,” she said.
“There are also a couple that are more broad based.”
Mrs Watson said the committee decision, made a few years ago, to recognise all nominees would reap the rewards this year as those people nominated would all be recognised.
The Citizen of the Year award, which has attracted the most nominations, is among three awards that will be made in Rochester, alongside the Young Citizen of the Year and the Community Group of the Year.
Mrs Watson said now that nominations had closed (last Friday), they would be independently judged.
"Some people have put in a lot of effort into their nomination. It will be a tough decision,“ she said.
Bev Hoffman won the Citizen of the Year award last year for her work with Rochester Community House and the wider community.
Dimity Pearson was named Young Citizen of the Year for not only Rochester, but the entire shire, and the Community Group of the Year in Rochester was won by the Wirima Playspace committee
Three of the four-member Rochester Australia Day committee are currently away and the group will not meet until early January.
“The day will involve a Lions club breakfast and the flag raising ceremony, along with the awards,” Mrs Watson said.
Mrs Watson, who has been on the Australia Day committee for 23 years, said any group or individual wanting to be involved should contact her on 0439 842177.
