The full list of 2023 Mackay Regional Council Australia Day Award recipients are as follows

Citizen of the Year: Nigel Dalton

Young Citizen of the Year: Keira Brown

Jody has been a consistent force within this organisation for nearly 30 years. She is the coach that holds the necessary qualifications required to hold the riding lessons.

At a minimum, Jody ensures lessons run every second Tuesday. In all those years, volunteers report that Jody has only ever cancelled lessons once – and that was due to a cyclone.

Arts and Culture Award: Alison Richardson

shops and regular activities in our community.

Environmental Achievement Award: Dr Judith Wake

Sergeant Nigel Dalton is the Police District Crime Prevention Coordinator as well as being an active community volunteer.

Sergeant Dalton has been working in the Crime Prevention office since 2006 and he has shown enormous dedication to the role, often working almost as many hours off the clock as he does in the office. He has implemented a strong education plan for students of all ages, as well as working closely with business and community groups, Neighbourhood Watch members, victims of crime and other like-minded organisations and government departments.

Nigel was awarded the Queensland Police Liaison Officer Award in 2017.

His Police District activities are outstanding, particularly Choices and Safety Circus safety talks across various age groups. He recently led, created and launched a new assault reduction project “Anger Rage Regret” in the Mackay Police District.

Keira Brown is the current coordinator of the Valley District Youth Council. Keira has been instrumental in working towards the group’s main goals of giving a voice to Pioneer Valley youth, developing leadership and building a regional youth community.

Keira has recently become heavily involved in the YOL1000 initiative and in the initial planning stages of the Young Mayors project. Her feedback and opinions with these projects have been extremely valuable.

She often represents the youth of the Valley at events in Mackay and further afield.

She is also a member of her school’s Zonta Club and has been a coach and umpire in club netball for teams younger than herself.

Lori Burgess Community Volunteer Award: Jody Burrows

Alison Richardson is the artistic director and CEO of Crossroad Arts. She is passionate about creating opportunities for people with disabilities who are serious about developing their skills in contemporary performance.

She brings to Crossroad Arts more than 15 years of experience in the inclusive arts, theatre and disability sector. She has held various positions, including Creative Programs Coordinator for Accessible Arts, Creative Director for Beyond the Square at Riverside Theatres and Access and Inclusion Coordinator for Vivid Sydney and Sydney New Years’ Eve. She has also worked extensively as a theatre director and tutor for community theatre companies.

Dr Judith Wake’s life’s work has been focused on preserving, protecting and studying the local environment. Prior to retiring, Dr Wake was a member of CQUni's Land and Water Management Centre and in that role undertook vital research on mangroves in the Mackay district. Since retiring she has continued similar work on a voluntary basis.

For quite a few years Dr Wake has been contributing to the Healthy Rivers Partnership and the Reef Catchments groups. For much of that time, she was a member of the Technical Working Group that provides scientific advice on the assessment of river/reef health. For three years she was chair of that group.

Mackay Riding for the Disabled is a not-for-profit organisation that is fully self-funded by fundraising and donations. It is run fully by volunteers, and one of the longest serving and most committed volunteers is Jody Burrows.

Alison has a pivotal role in offering a rich and diverse arts program to Mackay and she has been the driving force of many outstanding local performance events. Alison also presents a rich array of work-

She is a long-time member of Native Plants Queensland (formerly SGAP) and vice-chair of the Mackay group. She is an active member of their management committee and regularly contributes to environmental events they support. She also volunteers with their Propagation Group at the Mackay Regional Botanic Gardens.