The winners of this year’s Brimbank Australia Day awards were celebrated at a ceremony attended by more than 120 people at Overnewton Castle in Keilor last week.
Deer Park humanitarian Kim Thien Truong was named citizen of the year.
St Albans woman Maima Massaquoi was crowned young citizen of the year for her tireless work as a youth leader in Brimbank and for her local church.
The 18-year-old finished her VCE in 2014 and has been accepted to study for a fashion and theatre degree at the Kangan Institute.
“My next step will be to try and put together more events to bring young people together,” Ms Massaquoi said. “There’s so much violence and fighting out there and I just want to stop it and replace it with exciting events.”
Ms Massaquoi has exhibited her fashion designs in several festivals and heads up a Brimbank-based, all-female dance troupe.
The lifetime achievement award went to Sunshine resident Allan “Titch” Williams, who was a founding member and coach of the Albion Football Club.
Sunshine Secondary College teacher Yvonne Reilly was honoured as educator of the year, while the cultural achievement award was bestowed on Derrimut resident Loketi Niua Latu.
The environmental achievement award went to the Friends of Iramoo.
The Brimbank SES unit won the essential services excellence award for the more-than 15,500 hours its 58 volunteers dedicated to emergency service last year alone.
Long-time volunteers and Caroline Springs couple Brad and Claudelle Dalgleish accepted the award on their team’s behalf.
“We’re absolutely chuffed on behalf of everyone,” north-west SES controller Brad Dalgleish said.
The monetary value of Brimbank SES’s work each year is estimated at about $750,000.
Its work last year included providing search crews and supporting police through two serious missing person incidents and two major storm incidents.
The SES unit also set up an incident point to assist police at a major crime scene and assisted fire crews at bushfires.
“Where would you be without your volunteers? That’s our saying,” Mr Dalgleish said.
Brimbank Australia Day Awards
Citizen of the Year: Kim Thien Truong
Young Citizen of the Year: Maima Massaquoi
Environmental Achievement Award: Friends of Iramoo
Cultural Achievement Award: Loketi Niua Latu
Educator of the Year: Yvonne Reilly
Lifetime Achievement Award: Allan “Titch” Williams
Essential Services Excellence: SES Brimbank Unit
