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General News

29 January, 2024

Central Goldfields Shire citizens and events celebrated for ongoing contribution to community

With over 13,000 residents spread across eight towns, the Central Goldfields Shire is home to a vibrant and compassionate community of positive change-makers — some of whom were celebrated for their achievements last Friday. It was in the midst of...

By Prealene Khera

The Central Goldfields Shire’s top-notch citizens were recognised for their contributions at the Australia Day celebrations last Friday — with Aileen Marshall, Khoa Do and Belinda McKnight nabbing the most coveted titles.
The Central Goldfields Shire’s top-notch citizens were recognised for their contributions at the Australia Day celebrations last Friday — with Aileen Marshall, Khoa Do and Belinda McKnight nabbing the most coveted titles.

With over 13,000 residents spread across eight towns, the Central Goldfields Shire is home to a vibrant and compassionate community of positive change-makers — some of whom were celebrated for their achievements last Friday.

It was in the midst of thunderous applause that Maryborough local, Aileen Marshall, accepted the Citizen of the Year award at the Australia Day ceremony, held on January 26 at the Station Domain.

More than a hundred people cheered her on, with the recognition coming as no surprise, given Aileen’s ongoing contribution to the community.

A notable figure in town, she has been working tirelessly in multiple volunteering capacities, including giving her time to the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) for Victoria in Maryborough for over 40 years.

For her, ensuring the wellbeing of some of the community’s most vulnerable members has been paramount — she has dedicated much of her life to being a staunch and tireless advocate for adults and children with disabilities.

She was also recently awarded the Kevin Coombs Lifetime Achievement Award at the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards, an honour previously bestowed to people such as the famous Dylan Alcott.

Alongside her work at RDA, she has held leadership positions across a range of other social groups and is currently serving as the president of the Talbot Town Hall committee.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to offering one’s time to those who need it the most, according to Aileen — a sentiment she echoed in her acceptance speech.

“Volunteering is a very important part of any club or organisation,” she said.

“If you can get involved in any way, please do so. Even if you have five minutes in a week, that can make a big difference to some groups.

“My father once said to me, if you can possibly make a positive difference in someone else’s life, it can never be wrong.”

Even though Aileen has achieved quite a lot in the past couple of months, nothing beats one simple thing — the love of her family and the community she helps support.

“I think the backing of my loved ones and the community is everything to me because without that I couldn’t do what I do,” she said.

“My family, particularly my husband, have been my backbone. The same is true for the community here, I love this community and I think it’s great.

“We definitely have some gaps but if we all work together, we can make it much stronger.”

Sharing the same vision and community-minded values, Maryborough Education Centre student, Khoa Do took out the shire’s Young Citizen of the Year title.

At 17, Khoa has already set a high standard for his peers to aspire to.

The former youth mayor has stepped up on several occasions, including as a convener at the student-led climate conversations alongside members of the Climate Action Stewarding Group.

In 2023, he was also the Rural Youth Ambassador at a Country Education Partnership program — he attended four forums in Melbourne where he was involved in a range of leadership development activities and conversations focused on rural and remote life and learning.

Upon finishing the program, he was referred to as one of the most impressive young men the organisers had met since running the forums.

Even with all of his noteworthy success at such a young age, Khoa’s humility remains his greatest strength.

“I’m very happy to have won this award but I feel like there’s somebody that is doing more than me and that they deserve this more than I do,” he said.

“The things that I do, I don’t do them to get recognised, I am just trying to help people.

“But I think this award is also important because students and young people need to see themselves succeed — they need to know that if they put in their time towards something they want, they will get it.”

Friday’s event was not only about celebrating individual contributions, as the Goldfields Reservoir Parkrun also shared the spotlight by becoming the recipient of the Community Event/Activity of the Year.

Every week for the past four years in rain, hail or shine, residents have gathered at the Goldfields Reservoir at 8am on a Saturday for Parkrun.

The free event attracts both locals and visitors from across the country — who come together to enjoy a five-kilometre walk, run or jog.

A standout feature of the initiative is that it encourages people of all ages and abilities to start a regimen of fitness, with no pressure to compete and at no cost.

Not only does it improve mental and physical outcomes for all participants, the event also facilities new friendships and connections across generations.

None of which would be possible without its team of dedicated volunteers, according to the local event director, Belinda McKnight — who accepted the award on behalf of the group.

“We have about 105 volunteers and all of us together try to promote the importance of health, fitness and community connections at every event,” she said.

“It’s really great to be recognised because Parkrun is such a great asset to the community and I have met so many people from all walks of life because of this event.

“I think it’s a really big phenomenon because we get so many visitors from different parts of the country — [last Saturday] Parkrun Australia welcomed their one millionth participant, that’s how big it is.

“Another great thing about the event is that you’re not competing against anyone and no one ever comes last either because we’ve got a tail walker who finishes at the end.”

Central Goldfields Shire mayor Liesbeth Long praised all the recipients as well as everyone who had been nominated.

“Congratulations to all the nominees and winners — never doubt the significance of your contribution,” she said.

“Your efforts and work on behalf of our community are commendable.”

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