In a history-making awards ceremony, First Nations leader, advocate and storyteller Aunty Barbara Nicholson has been named the 2024 Wollongong Citizen of the Year.
For the first time, the prestigious awards were moved away from their historic connection with Australia Day, and for the first time an Aboriginal leader has won the city’s top award.
Among her many achievements as a role model, Aunty Barb has made more than 300 visits to the Junee Correctional Centre where she’s introduced dozens of Indigenous inmates to the world of creative writing.
A record number of 85 nominations were received for the 2024 City of Wollongong Awards across 12 categories and women were dominant in the majority of awards presented by Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery.
Australia’s youngest First Nations filmmaker, nine-year-old Penelope Towney from Waniora Public School, was named the city’s Rising Star for under 18s.
Woonona surf lifesaving volunteer Morgan Clarke is Wollongong’s Young Citizen of the Year and Muslim community leader Dr Munir Hussain is our Senior Citizen of the Year.
Other award winners are:
- Environmental Achievement – Emma Rooksby, the Chair of Landcare Illawarra
- Innovation Achievement – Dr Aimee Silla, wildlife researcher and conservationist
- Sports Achievement – Grace Tracey, Australian All Schools AFL and Netball representative
- Art and Culture Achievement – Judy Bourke, artist, teacher and arts advocate
- Diversity and Inclusion – Disabled Surfers Association (South Coast Branch)
- Wollongong to the World – Ray Collins, internationally renowned oceans photographer. Highly Commended – Mark Olive, iconic ambassador for Indigenous food and hospitality.
- Community Group of the Year – i98 Illawarra Convoy, having raised more than $25 million for children’s health projects
There were four recipients of Lord Mayor’s Awards for those deserving special recognition for their outstanding contributions across any field of endeavour. The winners are:
- Coledale RSL for the community rallying to revive the flagging club.
- Dr Sam Wise for winning two national Tae Kwon Do gold medals.
- Rebecca Schmidt-Lachlan for leading the campaign to have a lift installed at Unanderra Railway Station.
- Riley Lapham for her excellence as a member of The Australian Ballet
Read more: Aunty Barb is a founding member of the South Coast Writers Centre, a current board member and was this year awarded SCWC Life Membership.
To support her work, buy books here and get tickets for her next book launch in May.
See photos from last year's Sista's Green Sea Dreaming launch here.
