Celebrate local heroes: Submit your 2025 Australia Day Award nominations

Wagga Wagga City Council invites locals to submit their choices for the 2025 Australia Day Awards.

Chair of the Australia Day Awards Committee Mark Wetteland and Wagga Wagga Citizen of the Year 2024 Annette St Clair launched the awards on Wednesday (28 August) at the Wollundry Lagoon Precinct.

Nominations are open for five categories: Citizen of the Year, Young Citizen of the Year, Environmental Citizen of the Year, the Ted Ryder Sports Memorial Award and the Walk of Honour. Nominations close on 24 November.

Mr Wetteland said it was important to recognise deserving individuals within the community.

“We’re now starting the process so people can nominate those deserving within the community for these awards,” Mr Wetteland said.

“It’s important that we recognise those people.

“And allow people to nominate those we won’t know about unless they’re nominated … such as the Ted Ryder Sports Memorial Award. It’s recognising those on the administrative side of sports rather than those on sporting achievements.”

Mr Wetteland said it was vital to recognise young people under 27.

“It is important we recognise those people as well,” Mr Wetteland said. “They’re doing great things within our community.

“If we can recognise them, it encourages them to be actively involved within the community and better themselves.”

Annette formed the Amie St Clair Melanoma Trust in 2010 in memory of her daughter (who lost her battle with the disease at an early age) and has been an active volunteer with the Cancer Council for over 10 years.

Ms St Clair said being nominated for the Citizen of the Year award was humbling.

“It was a gentleman who was 101 years old [who nominated Ms St Clair], and he had such confidence in the work that I was trying to achieve here in Wagga and regionally,” Ms St Clair said.

“I was not my first choice, but it made me realise many people are doing wonderful work for our community.

“I accepted the Citizen of the Year Award for my daughter, Amie, and all those volunteers who helped us achieve what we have.

“There are many wonderful volunteers, and charities and organisations would not be successful without them.”

Ms St Clair said the award had given her a fresh look at life and opened up plenty of opportunities for guest speaking and attending citizen ceremonies every month.

“It’s amazing to be part of and witness new citizens in Wagga receive their citizenship,” she said.

Nominations for Wagga Wagga’s 2025 Australia Day Awards will close at midnight on Sunday 24 November.

To submit a nomination, visit Wagga Wagga City Council.

The search has also begun for budding young singers to perform the national anthem at the Australia Day Awards ceremony on Saturday 25 January, and the Australia Day community event on Sunday 26 January 2025.

Local primary school principals and music teachers are encouraged to nominate students via email for the competition by midnight, Monday 16 September.

For further information about the awards or to nominate a student for the National Anthem Competition, please email [email protected].